Full Range Speaker That Can Play Near Boundaries

Numerous challenges arise from near-the-wall placement in a small room: Early reflections are inevitable, degrading the imaging and usually tonality (especially in the midrange and lower treble); room gain will boost the bass region more than the designer planned for; and bass modes are especially audible in small rooms.

In my opinion good radiation pattern control and speaker setup can minimize (but not entirely eliminate) the negative effects of early reflections. Adjustability in the bass region can be helpful as well. Ideally I'd want to use multiple asymmetrically distributed bass sources (several small subs scattered around the room) to smoothe out the bass, but that's usually only practical in a dedicated mancave.

The requirement for good radiation pattern control (which the Revolutions mentioned above offer; disclaimer: I'm a Gradient dealer) usually call for larger speakers than what one normally sees in a small room, but even though that's counter-intuitive when done right I believe it's the best solution. I have come to believe that good radiation pattern control becomes more and more important as the room size shrinks.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer

I don't know your budget, but Wilson Duettas were designed for that express purpose and sound wonderful.

From your review:

"My DA-1.1's are 7.5 feet apart (tweeter to tweeter) and I sit 10.5 feet away. The speakers are 2.5 feet from the front wall. Distance to the front wall is not crucial--2 feet is plenty."

What wrong with your current speakers?

I have the North Creek Eskas, which I like a lot: sweet and musical. They go very close to front wall. Have not heard the Big Kats which Face mentions, but they are said to go quite a bit deeper than the Eskas, and I expect they are very fine.

Yesterday I heard the Legacy Whispers, a large full range speaker with open baffle bass drivers that are said by designer Bill Dudleston to work near boundaries and in smaller rooms. They are impressive.

John

The older Merlin VSM SE was a little thin through the mid-bass when placed in free space. The octave to octave balance fleshed out a bit with hear wall placement and actually sounded a bit more natural to my ear. However, I also felt that the speaker's fantastic imaging ability is degraded just a bit when used this way. Some discreet treatment for first reflections and this can be a good solution for your problem. I had them in a slightly smaller space and was generally pleased with the results.

Good Luck

Marty