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Small Floor Standers

I'm looking to create a short list of speakers for music only. The room is 15x28 with 9' ceilings and hard surfaces, except a few padded chairs and light fabric window covers. The main listening area is 15x18 and the rest of the room is my kitchen which opens up to it.

Musically, I listen to rock, jazz, and a variety classical but no hip hop or electronic to speak of. The ideal speaker will provide smooth tonal response, good dynamics and importantly freedom from stridency which the live room will only accentuate. High SPL's and subterranean bass are not required but I don't want something that gets lost in the space. The speakers must be compact - 35" or so tall and not more than 8-12" wide and deep. I prefer floor standing designs because of the room volume and as protection against a 6 year old. My budget is around $1k used, maybe a bit higher for the right choice.

A few of my early thoughts are the smaller Spendors and Quad L series as well as Totems and Dynaudio.

The source will be a Squeezebox playing lossless digital and the amp is TBA, but will be matched to the speakers which I think should be picked first.

Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.
wdrazek
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Often read where someone wants to acommodate a "bright" piece of gear with "gentle" ICs or other equipment somewhere in the chain. That can be a mistake because that piece is more likely exposing a weakness than being the fault. The same goes for the room. It will perform it's best when you feed it the best.

There are some old Kappa 7s up for auction. No relation.
bdgregory
1,715 posts
 
The only Totems you'll find under $1000 are Sttafs and Arro. Neither is really a rock speaker and they're probably not adequate for your room. If you add a subwoofer (you may be able to get a decent one if you squeeze a little more budget, and buy them used) to complement the Sttafs they may do nicely, especially if you don't need hi volume (they play loud, just not real loud. They do really nicely with Jazz and Vocal music. Given the child, you will want to mass-load the bases, and maybe even consider adding a larger plinth or outriggers as they can be a little tipsy.

Another option that isn't a floor stander but is a great rock and jazz speaker IMO is the GMA Europa. If you get good heavy stands they can be pretty stable. Again with them you may need a subwoofer to fill that room.

The good part is you can add the subwoofer after trying any of these and determined you need it.

Finally - if you can squeeze more $ (ie closer to $1500), the VonSchweikert VR2's may be an ideal choice.
jax2
3,031 posts
 
Any of the Soliloquy floor standers would definitely fit the bill. They are no longer in business, but are a great bargain on the used market these days. Better to find a pair local to you as they are very HEAVY, and really require better packing than the factory provided for them in order to safely use a ground shipper. Great value for the money! I'd suggest a pair of 5.3's - two on A'gon for $600 but one marked sold. That is an outright steal for the quality of both sound and construction you will get.

Marco
veroman's avatar
veroman
299 posts
 
meadowlark kestral 2's are great, but i just saw an ad for their big brother shearwater hotrods on a-gon this A.M. for @$1,200! snap up those guys and you will have bought a heckuva speaker for a great price! they will deliver extra bass the room calls for.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll check into the Dali and JM Labs lines. Someone here in Chicago must have them. I like the Kestrels a lot but worry that they and the Totem's might be too small for the space. It's really a system for lower level background listening but the room could swallow up a small system.
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