Downsizing from tower to bookshelf

I want to recommend a speaker I haven’t heard myself, but I use the company’s products, and like them. Plus they get great reviews. The speaker is the PS Audio Aspen FR 5. Apparently they are warm, rich and have surprisingly powerful bass. 

Early last summer, I think it might of been @bdp24 , posted a thread about the pre-release of those speakers.  They certainly sounded interesting.  I wasn't sure about the specs, low sensitivity and 6 ohm load, but the impedance apparently doesn't dip too low, so I guess that mitigates the sensitivity.  As I typed, I thought they sounded like what I was looking for, but I was auditioning the Revels at the time.

So I did exactly what you are doing. I have a nice pair of usher mini-X with the DMD tweeters. They sounded pretty good in my smaller room but something was missing. So I started looking at smaller floorstanding speakers and went with the revel f226be. I have a 15.5’ x 13’ room and hear revels sound so much more full and produce enough bass so no need for a subwoofer. Since you were looking at the revel bookshelf speaker, spend a few more $$$ and get the f226be speakers.

If you want to go with a bookshelf, look at the ps audio fr5, sounds bigger than it should.

Since you were looking at the revel bookshelf speaker, spend a few more $$$ and get the f226be speakers.

MD has a couple of pairs; both are theoretically marked down. One pair is marked down to 4k, and the pair they are calling "B stock" is marked down to about 5800 (which I don’t understand the "b-stocks" being more than the other pair).

ON EDIT:  I just looked and saw that Uncle Kevin AND Crutchfield are selling them for 4k a pair.  They are not huge floor standing speakers--41" H is all.

But anyway, OP, if it makes any difference to you, Revel did farm out the manufacture of the M126be to Indonesia. I am NOT saying that it should or should not make a difference, I am just putting that out there because I was under the impression when I ordered mine that they were USA made and the salesman I spoke to on the phone "kind of" gave me that impression as he said I would be impressed with the "American sound" as opposed to the "British sound" of my B&Ws. I am still not sure what the difference is that I was supposed to hear.

Honestly if you’re looking for soundstage in a bookshelf, I can 100% recommend GR Research NX-Studios. Not saying this as a GR kool-aid drinker, but just knowing what I’ve heard they are phenomenal at any price point, let alone right in your budget, and fantastic customer service as well. They might lean a little neutral when built with Sonicaps throughout, but toss in something of copper caps for the tweeter circuit and you’ll be sitting pretty for one hell of a nice speaker. You can now get them prefab in your choice of finish for your budget, or go DIY for a couple thousand in savings. But quite literally they are THE best imaging/soundstaging bookshelf I have ever heard, even in my small 12x10 listening room. Side to side pinpoint imaging as well as front to back layering are all easily discernable, but something you won’t get with others is height. Easy example is Bob Marley’s Redemption Song have the acoustic guitar directly in front between the woofers, but Bob’s voice clearly 3ft higher and slightly farther back. Spooky good.

I will say, with good bookshelf speakers should come a (or a couple) good subwoofers. So much of the fundamentals of soundstage come in room acoustics below 50hz that you’ll want some help there. A Rythmik or REL should mate nicely if you didn’t already have something. Used market maybe $500 for something decent.

Demo options are less than others as you’d rely on someone opening their home for a listening session, but a couple posts here or over on Audiocircle and I’m sure you’d find someone within a short drive. Heck, if you’re near Portland, swing on by for an afternoon.

Just my $0.02 as a bookshelf speaker fan.

-Lloyd

Fritz