Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound

I have a pair of Genesis Physics model 7s sitting in the basement because my wife thinks they are too big. They have some of the best tweeters I've ever heard. PSB Imagine XBs are the largest she would let me get. Thank goodness for the man cave where I call the shots!) The PSBs are pretty good. Amazing bass and vocals. I can't vouch for the sound stage because their placement is compromised by she-who-must-be-obeyed.

I wish I had know that the guy who designed the Genesis is in business on his own His name is Huw Powell of Human Speakers and I believe I read that the Adcom 545 is his preferred amp. I would strongly encourage you to visit his site and give him a call. He has a small but devoted following and would definitely have some suggestions that optimize your amp. BTW, the Model 7s were an absolute steal when I bought them around 1990 for $100 I think, and no, I will NOT sell them. I would sell the PSBs and buy the Human QT 2+ in a heartbeat. (the Model 61s are too big)

http://www.humanspeakers.com/human/products.htm

Best of luck!

I saw that you were advised to listen to the larger PSB bookshelf, the PSB Imagine B. I have owned a pair for about 4 years now and can say with some confidence that they would make it past the aesthetics committee, particularly the Dark Cherry finish. Great fit and finish. You and I appear to have similar musical tastes. And I am pleased with the sound overall. More about that below.

I normally listen to these with a Bryston B60 integrated amp, but I have hooked them up to my ancient Adcom GFA 535 and they sound fine. No comparison with the Bryston, obviously. And they sound even better with my newer Benchmark AFB2 amp. (And by the way, I hated parting with my old Adcom CD player too, probably the best piece of equipment I’ve ever owned in terms of price/performance.)

Regardless of the amp used, you’ll probably want at least a small sub-woofer for fuller sound, though they do sound pretty good without. You’d have room in your budget for that, and I find that it is easier to hide a subwoofer out of the way than to negotiate for big speakers.

These sound best at least 12" from the wall behind them, the bass port being at the back. I would recommend against this speaker if you’re planning on actually putting them on a shelf. You’ll want at least 24" stands for them - I prefer them on my 28" stands - so you might try to stretch your budget for the Imagine T2 and forego the sub. These have only a slightly larger footprint, but they are floor-standers with the same drivers as the B, just an extra woofer and cabinet volume for more low end.

About the sound: The tweeters in these are very good and will give you a nice, reasonably tight image for critical listening, albeit in a pretty narrow sweet spot. Don’t be afraid to toe them in - in my room, I like them pointed just wide of my shoulders. The bass is tight and accurate. And both work well together - you’ll be surprised at their sound for their size. Once broken in, I was amazed at how well they play even loud, complex passages (i.e. Staind). They might struggle with this type of music, however, if you have a huge living room. These speakers aren’t my first choice for classical music, though.

I’ve taken a while here to say that I think these are pretty decent speakers for the money, and I’ve heard them respond well to most of the other tweaks I’ve made in my system - power, interconnects, new amp, etc. I don’t think you’d be at all disappointed with the addition to your current gear. Hope this helps.

Oh, by the way, do listen to the Joseph Audio speakers recommended by an earlier writer, if you get a chance. The only thing is, my spouse HATES my similarly-shaped Pulsars, so you’d want to check that box before you fall in love with the speakers. I don’t quite get her reaction to them, but mine are placed deep in the man-audio cave where she doesn’t have to see them. Good luck!

The Khorns are a good suggestion, like you say ,if you have good corners.
One thing for certain, you will never have to say," if I only had a better pair of speakers" .
I have Khorns and that's why I bought them, and have never regretted that purchase.

On upgrading the wife, that is a great suggestion unless you like her, then you just have to reminder her how much you love her, but love is a two way street and accepting each other for who they are is part of marriage and love.
So that's why you should accept my speaker choice.

I would check out Saturday Audio Exchange if I lived in your area. I'm in Iowa and get there occasionally. They carry MonitorAudio, PSB, Paradigm, and Golden Ear, so you could listen to several potential solutions in one spot. The Golden Ears may not make the aesthetic cut, but are sonically a contender.  I heard the Monitor Audio GX-50 in a direct comparison with the KEF LS-50 in Florida and strongly preferred the GX-50, (in fairness, neither was set up well physically though and the MA lists closer to $2K). The Saturday Audio Exchange website has a pair of GX-50s, new in Ebony (a gorgeous, jewel-like finish IMO), for $1500- which is a very good price, from what I have seen. Often overlooked, the Paradigm's Prestige 15s are also attractive and have gotten rave reviews.
On a side note I've listen to LS-50s at least 6 different times- really only once where they were positioned well and demoed with decent stuff. They did not light a fire for me. I even wondered if the stores were not really interested in selling them- on the other hand many demos (not just KEF) are poorly executed. The R-300 were much more enjoyable in the same room. I have not listened to the Excite 14s, but have heard the older Dynaudio Excite 12s & 16s several times and liked them a lot. No connection to any retailer or manufacturer. Good Luck.