Can you have too much speaker presence?


My dealer says I’d lose too much speaker presence if I went to a smaller speaker. I’m not posting the speaker in question solely because I don’t want this to become an attack on them. I get it, presence means there and in the area, but can too much become and issue, especially when it is centered in a specific frequency range? 

 

hiendmmoe

That’s not true a great stand mount have better imaging and excellent soundstaging and depth, just add a quality powered sub .

look at the MBL 126a world class monitor that's also omni directional and excellent off axis . I don’t know how good your electronics are, or front end this too 

has a lot to do with the final outcome , your dac  can be just as important 

as your speakers since all music starts at your front end turntable included.

Presence, being there. I'm all in. Started with 43" tall towers in my house of stereo and moved up to 69" tall towers and I have more presence :)

Is the dealer making his statement from a point of knowing the rest of your system?@baylinor mentioned his presence grew with his bigger speakers. I can attest that when I made a major DAC upgrade it was like my speakers were twice as large or they had a much larger presence in my room. Do maybe he is making his call on your system as a whole and no the speakers alone.

Yes, too much can be an issue, definitely. I keep mentioning them, but that’s OK because they are timeless classics: the Epi 100 are 21" tall and about 10x10 side and back. They are big enough to sound beautiful and full, and small enough to be super versatile and practical in real life.

Also, a big consideration for speakers is How do they sound off-axis, outside the sweet-spot...? If they’re only great in one particular seating position, then they’re not great for life. So as you audition, stand off to the side and see what happens. Smaller speakers can be remarkably great for off-axis, as their cabinetry can get out of the way.  @audioman58  +1 for that