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matching speaker to room size?

I have a 14 x 16 room with 9 ft ceilings and looking for new speakers. Presenlty using large old Ohm C2 bookshelfs. Listen to broad range from modern and classic jazz (piano, guitar, horns and vocals) to electric blues, tons of female singers, Hawaiian acoustic and fingerstyle guitar, classic rock and even some classical and newgrass like Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss. The one dealer in town suggeted stand mount monitors like Totem One, JM Focal 1007S and similar. I have been more interested in floorstanders like Gallo 3.1, Dali Mentor 6 or Helicon 4. He is saying this will give me too much bass? Is there a way to compute good match from room dimensions? I listen at low to high levels depending on time...Saturday mid-day vs. 11 at night. I have heard all these speakers, not necessarily side by side, trying to make a call but not sure which type to go with so I cant even proceed to which individual speaker to purchase. BTW, I dont have the optoin of bringing any of these home...most were heard on the US Mainland not in Hawaii.
joekapahulu
chashas1
596 posts
 
Hi!
First off, I wouldn't trust that dealer. It sounds like he's trying to sell you something he has. I'm borrowing a fabulous set of new Kudos c-10's (two way stand mounts), and while I think they're great, they still sound, like any other of their ilk, like stand mounts. For some people that's great, for others a floor stander is the only answer. Unless you have great problems with bass in your room already, I wouldn't assume you're going to have bass problems with a floorstander. There are many many good choices now, depending on how much you want to spend and the associated gear. Try and listen before you buy if you can. One's cup of tea is not another's.
Good luck
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,457 posts
 
if you like the C2s, check out their website (www.ohmspeakers.com) for available upgrades that can bring them up to date with other newer speaker technologies.

If you like the OHM sound, for that room, you might also consider either Ohm 100 series 3, or Walsh 5 series 3, depending on budget.

I saw a pair of Walsh 5 series 3 up for sale here on Agon the other day for just over $3000, a pretty good price for those.

BTW , check out my system and you'll see I still run custom upgraded OHM Ls (the C2s little brother) in my system as well as Ohm 100s and 5's series 3. I also run Dynaudio and Triangle speakers as well, but am still very much an OHM fan.
ablang
165 posts
 
I use Vandersteen 2ce Signature IIs in a room almost exactly your size, probably even a little smaller because it's irregularly shaped--14x15 (for half its width)/18 (for the other half) x9. The Vandies go low, and with proper placement they work perfectly--the best sound I've ever had. I've owned the Totem Model One and Dynaudio Focus 140, and in this same room neither had the kind of bass extension and impact I've gotten out of floorstanders. The Vandies would be in your price range. If you like the looks of them OK, you can't do much better at the price, though monitors and sub(s) would be a good route, too--but involving more boxes+stands+power cords...
ablang
165 posts
 
I should add that I've heard Totem's The One, and it outclasses the original Model One by a large margin. When I heard it, I thought the Sonus Faber floorstanders next to it were playing. The Totems were powered by a Cayin 100 watt tube integrated.
bobheinatz
725 posts
 
You have the classic problem of matching a speaker for your
room. I have been through the same situation in a 14 x 18 with a 10 foot vaulted ceiling. In most cases medium size floorstanders should work fine in your room. You didn't state your budget but a quality monitor speaker like Focal 1007 (which I heard & liked) would work awesome in that size room. Most quality monitors put out very good bass in rooms your size. I have owned Harbeth's in the past & they would work great in that size room. BTW I now have a great floorstander that works in my room.
Your dealer is right about the concern of to much speaker in that size room but most medium sized floorstanders should work fine. If your budget can handle it check out Dynaudio C1's.
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