I've heard the Vandersteen VLR CT at some length - loved the sound and it was back against the wall. That being said - would love to hear the Larsens!! Great thread!
Recommendations for Speakers that can be used close to the rear wall.
I am looking to replace my Magnepan 1.6 speakers with smaller speakers that can be placed close to the rear wall. Due to a move to a new home my listening room does not allow me to place my speakers the recommended distance from the rear wall. I am limited to just a few inches at most and I do not want to move them back and forth as I now do with my Magnepans. My room is large (17’ x 26’x 9’) with more open space next to it. The speakers are placed along the 17’ wall. I use a solid state Belles 150a Hot Rod amp with Sonic Frontier tube preamp, Dac and phono. I would like to limit the cost to $3,000/pair. I want the speaker to be no more than 48” high. I listen to various types of music ( rock, jazz, classical) and don’t play my music loud. I do not need a lot of bass for my musical enjoyment. I like the sound of the 1.6’s especially the way they play jazz vocal music, but am open to considering other types of speakers. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
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Are you lucky enough to have a solid wall to place the speakers against or is it plasterboard? There were several UK designs from a few years back. Just about an Naim speaker before the Ovators, the best being DBLs, but these have bass drivers with surrounds which perish and need replacing after ten years or so. Only DBLs suffer from this. NBLs (which I use) are a bit smaller, with opposed side firing bass drivers and can image way back into the wall with a good signal but need precise placement to give their best, in my room that’s 5.5cm from the wall to the wood so Naim’s own speaker plugs are a must. Next up there are SL2s, which replaced SBLs in their line up and IBLs were the smallest floor standers. All are based on having a solid wall behind and will disappoint against plasterboard. Finding any in the US will be difficult but not impossible. Another is Linn isobariks, something of a cult speaker but I’ve never heard them. Saras were also isobaric loaded but smaller and Kans were the entry level and another cult speaker. No idea if there’s any about across the pond except for Kuma’s Briks and I suspect they’re going nowhere. The current ProAc Tablets will work against a wall and would be a sensible modern choice. The Jern range are cast iron, look a bit unusual, are designed for against a wall and run first order crossovers, there’s a powered sub to match should you feel the need. There are various speakers designed to mount on a wall from the likes of ATC, Focal (maybe) etc. The afore mentioned Larsons look appealing too. Audionote UK are also in the running if you have corners to play with. |
I’m of the opinion that speakers placed directly against a wall are particularly well suited for DSP room correction, As the direct sound and reflected sound is nearly identical, one avoids the weird afflictions that happen to the direct sound as a consequence of correcting the redirected (room) sound. Also, the close proximity affords room lift that can ease some of the extra power demands that room correction can sometimes be hoisted upon the amplification. |
On Wall Speakers could be a possibility ... Totem Tribe III is priced higher than the specified budget $3k but the Tribe III appear to be exceptionally nice! Torrent Drivers - good attention to detail. Tribe III - Totem (totemacoustic.com) I have Sound Stage / Focus / Good Tone / Relative Good Bass. In my listening space the Speakers ( mains / L/R ) are only five to six inches from the wall with the baffles less than 20 inches - Rear Ports. My seating is relatively close though at less than eight feet but not entirely as a near field position. |
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