If you had to choose...

Any possibility of putting the speakers on the desk, instead of behind you?  That could make a huge difference.   Ever consider LS3/5a's?

@celtic66

Thanks a lot.  Agreed, less than ideal.  But, hey, at least this room/cave is all mine.  The family avoids it like the plague!

Well, the Elfa are of course less than optimal, but it is what you are forced to use in this situation.  I do not believe upgrading speakers will necessarily upgrade the overall sound as long as status quo is maintained.

That will be a fight for another time.  I can nearly guarantee the sound you seek will be produced in future when the ATC 11s are placed properly.  Cheers

@steve59:  Thanks.  I will have a look at the Meridians.

@celtic66: Thanks.  I hear you on proper stands, room treatments etc.  But I am far from that nirvana in this room at this point, unfortunately.

• So, the speakers are sitting on Elfa tall (41 inch) drawer racks, which rest on my carpeted floor.  These drawers house all of my cables, adapters, computer, photo and guitar stuff, etc. So, very functional for the space constraints that I have.  But no room for stands.
• The speakers sit atop the Elfa's on studio monitor isolation pads and are not currently angled.
• The woofers are currently at ear level, toed-in just wide of my ears.
• I sit at my desk with my speakers behind me.  My equipment rack is right next to me at my desk.
• My side walls have multiple large photo frames on each side, and on the wall in front of me, along with a small basement window. I assume reflection horror.  

Anyway, that is my setup currently, and slowly trying to tweak it within the room constraints that I have.   Everone's tips greatly help!

Cheers.

Carefully again read through your setup.  No mention of what these are ‘sitting on’. Stands, pucks on a desk, wooden crates, appropriate height Sound Anchor stands with Herbies’ Fat Dots?

Proper height placement on proper stands allows optimal performance and cannot be overstated.  Just asking.  Cheers

After reading your placement issues I scrapped my suggestion. Maybe a smaller pair of meridian’s?
 

Thanks grislybutter.  

I would put Zu lower on my list. They are just not in the category of the above speakers - "cheaper" - in my opinion. 

Also, does anyone have any experience with the Zu Audio DWX and think that they may be a viable speaker  "contender" for my situation?  I noticed that Jerred and company (Black Ice Audio) have been using them at the audio fests lately to highlight the Black Ice equipment.  

Hi everyone, thank you again for all of the suggestions.  So, I recall now one of my considerations in selecting my ATC.  That they were closed port.  I have no flexibility on the placement. One speaker rear is about 12" from a metal locker , and one side is about 4 "from side wall, and the other speaker rear is about the same from a metro shelf that contains equipment, etc.

Should I be concerned about a rear port, need to plug etc in the speaker options discussed above?  I do have a sub woofer...

Hi there… I love ATCs so there is a reference point for you… For a small room sitting close the Audio Note type K may be a great option…. IMO fantastic at low SPL like 70db and under….

I own the Fritz carbon 7s and a pair of Magnapan LRS+. Both speakers are great. However I believe the Fritz to be a much better fit for a 8x10 office over the LRS+. The LRS+ are a poor fit with the Black Ice tube amplifier.

Hello Bogbeat!  Please, go somewhere to hear the Magnepan LRS+ before you buy your next pair of speakers. Unmodified, they beat almost anything under $10K, for detail and texture. Modified, they just beat nearly anything you can fit in your listening space. I know, they take up some room; need to be out from the wall; and need power (and good wires). A subwoofer helps. (Subwoofers are easy to build.) But - you can buy them with the $$ you save. Ask ne about power amps. I have been living with Maggies (on and off) for 50+ years. You don't have to spend a  fortune to have great sound. Enjoy the music!

Studio Electric M-4.

Thanks jastralfu.  I saw the Rev 7 SEs and the Ls7s on his website and was wondering about them, in addition the the ones above.  I will discuss these with Fritz as well.

Thanks everyone for all of this fantastic advice.   This is all very helpful.

I hear you all on the efficiency.  Yes, I listen at around 65db, for many hours a day and night. So, sound quality at low volume levels, and avoiding fatigue are top considerations.

@oddiofyl thanks for the review on the Revivals.  FYI, fellow Audiogoner nonoise wrote up an awesome review of the Revival Audio Atalante 3 for anyone interested entitled "Shout out to Revival Audio Atalante 3 speakers" 183204-355

@hilde45 - Thank you for the reviews and for the heads up on Carrera's bright tweeter.   That sounds like a non-starter for me.  I am listening easily 12-15 hrs a day.  I will speak with Fritz and get his thoughts as per your suggestion.

@zlone, @soix  Yes, I have read similar comments about the Alyssa's, so maybe not ideal given my current environment.  And I have added Reference 3A MM de Capo BE to my list!

@mofojo - Yes, I have been eyeballing the Heresy IV.  I forgot to mention that, so thanks for reminding me! This company has haunted me ever since we'd cut school and sneak a listen to Bowie on a friend's dad's Klipshorns (AK-6?) in the mid 70's. Blew my teenage mind!

@knotscott - Agreed, I will initially keep my ATCs for comparison, then if all goes well, then maybe sell them.  Yes, it is such a personal choice. So I am very appreciative for everyone's perspective.

@mashif, @celtic66   -  I have thought about staying in the ATC family. When researching ATCs for my purchase a few years ago, I seem to recall that the 19s just had a larger woofer than the 11s, otherwise very much the same, but I could be confused. I can't fit floorstanders, so the 40s wouldn't work. The ATC 20's are over my budget, unless I could find a super used deal... I do think though that my 11s prefer a bit of a higher db level than 65db to really shine.

I have been very happy with my ATC, just wanted to see what else is out there, given my listening space and volume levels.

Maybe I should just figure out a way to keep my ATC in addition to getting new ones!

Thanks again everyone.  I really appreciate it!

Cheers.

I have Fritz Rev 7 SEs that I run in a small listening space not much larger than yours. I often listen at volumes lower than 65db, in fact I’m listening right now about about 45-50db and they sound fantastic. Even at this level they disappear and have a wide deep soundstage with excellent detail. They sound even better turned up, but they do very well at low volume. I would highly recommend Fritz speakers for what you are looking to do.  I have similar musical tastes and they excel with these genres.  Honestly they do well with anything I listen to regardless of genre.

Why not move up the ATC line?  My wife's system has the ATC 20 passive on Sound Anchor stands with Herbie's Fat Dots and they are haunting (disappearing), dynamic and wonderfully balanced.  Driven by Luxman 509X.

I've nothing more to add as I've no experience with your stated candidates.  Best experience finding your happy place.

Do they get better at 65 db? He listens very low. 

Why not move up the ATC ladder. SCM 19s or 40s. They get better.

All well regarded choices, but it's such a personal choice.  I'd be sure to at least hear them, preferably in your room before parting with the ATCs.

Deep truth. 

Fritz has a money back guarantee. I believe he found a way to reduce the cost of shipping by a fair amount. It won't cost a lot to try them.  My two cents: call him.

All well regarded choices, but it's such a personal choice.  I'd be sure to at least hear them, preferably in your room before parting with the ATCs. 

You’ve zeroed in on some great choices.  The Fritz and Revival monitors are very likely “can’t possibly go wrong” choices, and I’d just go by which seem to exhibit the sound characteristics you’re looking for most.  The Alyssa, while no doubt a great speaker, has gotten some mixed reviews and seems to be more “voiced” to a certain sound and may potentially overload your small room with bass so I’d wanna hear those first before buying if I was you.  Given you do a lotta low-level listening I’d add the Reference 3A MM de Capo BE that, like the Fritz and Revival, are likely can’t miss speakers sonically but may play better at lower volumes given their relatively high 92dB sensitivity.  But of those three, again I’d go with the ones that seem to really nail your personal hot spots most.  FWIW, and best of luck.

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Efficient speakers are a good way to go. It's sometimes hard to know when a speaker is efficient because the numbers need to be accompanied by the impedance curve. Fritz speakers work well with lower power.

Fritz: "Very easy load on any amplifier including low powered tube amps. See Impedance & fantastic phase curves below."

I always recommend limiting your selection to efficient speakers.

Think long, think future amps, think ease of trying tubes: get/keep yourself in a lower power needs situation which has the advantages of: more competition/availability new or used; less cost/weight/size/heat and more placement options (consider remote signal path also).

i.e. efficient enough to need lower power but still get enough power for instantaneous peaks. That's also why I chose the Furman P-1800 with 45 amps ready in a split second

Furman P-1800 PF R

65db or lower sound pressure, is pretty low. IME super efficient speakers do way better at low volumes like that. Although not necessarily hard to drive your choices are all low ish sensitivity. Ever think about something like a Heresy 4?

I attended AXPONA this year, and the Alyssa was one of the speakers on my list to hear. They are pretty bass heavy, though they were playing music to emphasize that, and might be a bit much for a room that size. On the other hand, given your low volume listening, they might be just the ticket to getting some low end in the mix. 

I have not hear the others. That said, I've owned both the Carrera and the Carbon 7 mk2 SE and I much prefer the Carbon 7, and this is the speaker Fritz is going to continue focusing on. Here are a couple reviews:

Written and video

The Carreras' Be tweeter is quite bright and if you have the ear and room for it, quite lovely. But it's a much more difficult tweeter to live with, longer term. That's how things wound up playing out for me.

In short, I'd get the Carbons.

I have heard great things about the Revival...   there is a thread on them over at Steve Hoffman forum