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Moving on a sailboat - bookshelf speakers?

I've decided to spend a year on a sailboat. I'm loath to give up my home system as it's about as good as you can get before spending silly money. (LX521s, ATI/Parasound, maxed-out Linn LP12 with Blackbird arm and VdH Frog) All of it is going in storage except for my Ayre QB-9 Twenty powered by my M1 Mac Mini. 

I am interested in opinions on great bookshelf speakers that actually need to live in a bookshelf. (No room for stand-mounted speakers in a 40' monohull sailboat.) I also need a good integrated amp to power the speakers. (I'm leaning towards the Audio by Van Alstine Vision SET 120 Control Amplifier.) 

I think I've got about 18" tall by 12" deep as limitations. Maybe less. (I'll update when I know for sure.) 

What speakers should I be looking at? Various reviews like the KEF but declare that it needs stands. Others declare the sub-$1000 B&W anniversary speakers and don't mention stands. I wish I could fit a pair of LX Minis, but the associated mid/bass tube knocks it out of the running. 

marktrav
dcevans
180 posts
 

Your options are extremely limited given the dimensions of the bookshelf. The Gallo Strada 2 seems like it might withstand a marine environment, and I am hard pressed to think of anything better given the limited height of the bookshelf. 

allenf1963
334 posts
 

Watkins Stereo Generation 4.  I did not see a budget listed, but these are around $2,500.  Watkins Stereo Store is in my hometown of Kingsport, TN, and have been building speakers since 1974.  Bill Watkins, Sr., founded the company and developed and patented the Dual Bass Driver that was leased and sold to Infinity.  The original WS-1 bookshelf speakers are Holy Grail discoveries in East TN,  Western NC, SW Virginia, etc.  The Gen 4 punch WAY ABOVE their price -- blow speakers that are $10,000 out of the room.

jeffseight's avatar
jeffseight
574 posts
 

mjelo,

If you walk in the store and ask to listen to what I described

I am sure you will be pointed in the right direction.

Sorry for the hijack. 

JBL and Focal may offer marine grade speakers.

 

peter_s
1,335 posts
 

It would be great if your amplifier could be run from DC rather than an AC signal coming out of an inverter. Worth looking into.

rmdmoore
163 posts
 

+1 bkeske

The Vandersteen VLR woods/CT. Designed for exactly that purpose. The 60 hi current watts made by the amp you mentioned should be enough to drive them. I have the older version of this speaker at my mountain house and am driving them with an older Sonos amp. The one thing I'll say about any bookshelf that's made to live on a shelf is that the bass will be a little thin. Without a port there's only so much that can be done. If you want full range down to deeper bass you'll likely need a sub. 

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