@saggy
agree
ref 3a plus good sub is a wonderful set up
agree
ref 3a plus good sub is a wonderful set up
Versatile, non-fatiguing speakers for a small room under $1500 used or new: advice needed!
Hi, first post here! And not a very original one, my apologies!:)
So after years of listening to music through miscellaneous mid-fi solutions, I am finally thinking about dipping my toes in hi-fi audio and putting together a dedicated stereo setup. Currently I am looking at speakers, and my head is already aching from the abundance of options, so I am looking for suggestions from you guys, primarily from those of you who have had first-hand experience building a stereo in a small room like mine and achieved results they are happy with.
My room is pretty small (approx. 13’ x 10’), and I will be placing my speakers along the long wall. My listening position will be 6 feet away, give or take; plus the speakers will have to sit fairly close to the front wall. 15 inches from the back of the speaker would be nice, but if needed, I definitely I could move them out farther into the room (up to 20 inches from the back of the speaker), for listening sessions and then move them back again. There are several rows of shelves , filled with CDs and stuff, in the middle of the back wall above my head (not wall-to-wall though) - would that work as dispersion? I’m thinking of applying some room treatment behind the speakers, and on the right-hand side wall as well (if needed) - on the left hand side is a window covered with thick curtains.
Budget: under $1500 used or new.
I listen to all kinds of music, primarily rock of all eras and subgenres (blues/folk/prog/hard/art/psych/indie, etc), jazz, blues, classical, acoustic, singer-songwriters, female vocal, 80s new wave/post punk, some heavy metal. So the speakers need to be as versatile as possible. As someone who likes rock music, the bass is important, but I live in an apartment (neighbors!), so I have to find the right balance there as I don’t want to overload the room - the bass has to be there but under control and not boomy. I want as big a sound as possible in my small room without overpowering it. In general, I’m looking for engaging, non-fatiguing, dynamic sound with good midrange and tone, with enough punch to rock out when needed, nuance to play softer, more sparse types of music, and resolution so the details in fast complex passages don’t get lost or smeared. Not a fan of excessive brightness, sibilance, or harshness in the upper midrange.
I’m primarily looking at standmounts, but maybe certain smaller floorstanders would be fine? I’ve seen opinions claiming floorstanders are the way to go, regardless of the size of the room. What do you think would be preferable in my situation - apartment with neighbors, 13’x10’ room, long wall positioning, distance to speakers about 6 feet, maybe less?
Thanks!
So after years of listening to music through miscellaneous mid-fi solutions, I am finally thinking about dipping my toes in hi-fi audio and putting together a dedicated stereo setup. Currently I am looking at speakers, and my head is already aching from the abundance of options, so I am looking for suggestions from you guys, primarily from those of you who have had first-hand experience building a stereo in a small room like mine and achieved results they are happy with.
My room is pretty small (approx. 13’ x 10’), and I will be placing my speakers along the long wall. My listening position will be 6 feet away, give or take; plus the speakers will have to sit fairly close to the front wall. 15 inches from the back of the speaker would be nice, but if needed, I definitely I could move them out farther into the room (up to 20 inches from the back of the speaker), for listening sessions and then move them back again. There are several rows of shelves , filled with CDs and stuff, in the middle of the back wall above my head (not wall-to-wall though) - would that work as dispersion? I’m thinking of applying some room treatment behind the speakers, and on the right-hand side wall as well (if needed) - on the left hand side is a window covered with thick curtains.
Budget: under $1500 used or new.
I listen to all kinds of music, primarily rock of all eras and subgenres (blues/folk/prog/hard/art/psych/indie, etc), jazz, blues, classical, acoustic, singer-songwriters, female vocal, 80s new wave/post punk, some heavy metal. So the speakers need to be as versatile as possible. As someone who likes rock music, the bass is important, but I live in an apartment (neighbors!), so I have to find the right balance there as I don’t want to overload the room - the bass has to be there but under control and not boomy. I want as big a sound as possible in my small room without overpowering it. In general, I’m looking for engaging, non-fatiguing, dynamic sound with good midrange and tone, with enough punch to rock out when needed, nuance to play softer, more sparse types of music, and resolution so the details in fast complex passages don’t get lost or smeared. Not a fan of excessive brightness, sibilance, or harshness in the upper midrange.
I’m primarily looking at standmounts, but maybe certain smaller floorstanders would be fine? I’ve seen opinions claiming floorstanders are the way to go, regardless of the size of the room. What do you think would be preferable in my situation - apartment with neighbors, 13’x10’ room, long wall positioning, distance to speakers about 6 feet, maybe less?
Thanks!
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- 107 posts total
Lots of good choices here, Certainly I’d look at the new GoldenEar BRX and the Martin Logan 35XTi, perhaps a 2.5 floorstander with 5" drivers like a Monitor Audio Bronze or Silver 200 series, they flank you pricepoint by a couple hundred dollars each way, and will offer better dynamics and bass. The LS3/5a or clones (Harbeth P3ESR, et al) are another route, one I might have taken 20 or 30 years ago but today your budget will buy either an old pair or exactly one new speaker. Not a value. My personal choice would be KEF LS-50s, hands down. From 50Hz up, there is simply no other speaker that has the overall imaging, resolution, neutrality, versatility, technology, and, well, breeding of the LS-50. There are reasons why the LS-50 is the least expensive Class A (Restricted LF) rated speaked by Stereophile - by a factor of 10! It’s because they hold their own with the biggest and most expensive speakers out there and your room size is just about perfect for them. Down the road, when and if you want the last octave of bass, and even better dynamics, a subwoofer (REL?) will provide it. Budget for some decent stands (Pangaea seems to have a good handle on those, without charging an arm and a leg) and decent cables. The only downside, if it is one, is the LS-50s like good clean power, 50-60 watts/ch is the realistic minimum, and 100 watts a side is really the sweet spot. The amp should also be comfortable with 4 Ohm loads. That said,I have heard LS-50s driven by 40W/Channel tubes and were more than engaging, Acoustical treatment - A few fabric wrapped panels from https://acousticalsolutions.com/ are definitely the way to go. There are lots of DIY options, but most people simply don’t have the experience, tools, time, or space to build your own. They even have entire room kits (549.99 for the Small, your choice of 10 colors) that will do wonders. I’m using their panels in both my theatre/studio and living room listening areas. I like Acoustical Solutions because they are very high quality, and very reasonably priced. |
I’d agree with the Omega suggestion. Great tone and imaging and you can power them with a 2 watt tube amp or more powerful ss amp so you have flexibility. I’m demo’ing a pair of KEF LS50 Meta’s right now. They are also excellent at $1500 new. Really big improvement over the original. Really big engaging sound from these small speakers. I’m using a pair of REL T5i’s and with a sub they’re pretty amazing for $1500. However, they’re not as efficient as the Omegas and they sound better at louder volumes. The Omegas, being more sensitive, are more dynamic at lower volumes. You really can’t go wrong with either but the KEFs may want more oomph from the amp so take that into consideration. |
I auditioned a number of speaker systems through my upper-tier C-J pre-amp, C-J amp, and Lampizator DAC tubed system and I keep coming back to the almost-crossoverless design of the Gallo Reference 3.1 (which is now discontinued). You can get a similar sound profile (fast response, huge soundstage, non-boxy, non-fatiguing output) with a pair of Gallo Strada 2 speakers combined with the Gallo TR-3 subwoofer (the latter outputting very taut, controlled bass). The physical footprint of this system is very small-room friendly while providing a full, uncolored, dynamic sound that excells in near-field listening. And the Stradas look pretty dang cool on their optional floor stands. Buying used can get you pretty close to your $1500 price point. Good luck! |
- 107 posts total