Full Range Speaker That Can Play Near Boundaries


Application calls for a full range speaker in the 10K range that will work well in a 13 X 17 room but little ability to move the speakers out into the space due to furniture and WAF issues. (Speakers will be maximum 18" from front wall either positioned on long or short wall). Looking for a real music lover's speaker, not a hifi demonstration. Very real midrange--lively and tonally correct with taught bass (not bloated or slow), dynamic yet non-fatiguing sound. Soundstaging and imaging are secondary to accurate tonality and lack of coloration. Suggestions?
128x128dodgealum
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
Check out the Guru speakers. They are specifically designed to be placed close to a wall.