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Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound

Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy
freediver
1,154 posts
 
chiguy,click on my user name,click "Details" & then click on "MIGHTY Mouse"...
oem-wheels,my room is the same size as yours 11'x 12'x8'..They are 32" from back wall to front baffle & 36" from side wall to center of speaker.I tried them as far as 5' out from the back wall,imaging & sound staging was unreal but the sound thinned out to much in the bass so they went back a bit...
Post removed 
chiguy OP
17 posts
 
Thanks everyone for all the ideas.  I will resume looking in a couple of weeks and let everyone know what I come up with.  I appreciate all the good advice.
soix
9,456 posts
 
Just curious if Holm had the Joseph Audio Prisms there?  I know they're a bit above your price range, but they may be worth a listen just for reference if nothing else.  Be interested in your thoughts if you ever get to hear them.  Also, if they happen to have any used JA RM22s or RM7s around you should definitely give them a listen.  FWIW...

helomech
1,670 posts
 
I agree that Monitor Audio Silver 1s are worth an audition.

For your preferences, I would check out the Epos Elan 10 or Elan 15. Both can produce astoundingly deep bass for their size and have a very neutral sound that pairs well with almost any type of amp. EPOS makes matching ST35 stands for them and your invested total would be under 2k. They are no longer made but new pairs can still be found online. Musing Direct might still have some. 

Their look is sort of a modern take on a British monitor. They're no nonsense good quality speakers that use tried and true technology.
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