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Do Bigger Speakers Mean a Bigger Window?

I enjoy listening to small loudspeakers, in fact a lot of my listening is done via my Logitech desktop computer speakers (2 SATs + 1 small sub) or those in the car.

However ultimately there's nothing like the sense of ease of listening via a big pair of speakers such as big Harbeths, vintage JBLs or Tannoys etc.

I wouldn't say that the bigger speakers (8 inch+ cone) are more accurate, in fact the Logitech's have an uncanny way of getting voices stunningly right as  
watching home movies on the PC demonstrates. It's just that the larger loudspeakers seem to reveal more of the recording quality and bandwidth. So much so that sometimes you can easily hear the limitations of the original tapes sometimes.

So, if you are after high fidelity sound, why would you buy small speakers? 



cd318
cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@wolf_garcia  wide, short, fat but definitely not small.

I wonder whether efficiency (or should I also say ease of drive?) is a key factor in creating the illusion of reality. Ease of drive has been a Klipsch hallmark since the beginning of audio history as we know it.
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cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@kosst_amojan, yes I can remember reading Ken Kessler writing about how the fabulous Apogee Scintilla's with their 1 ohm load only came to life spectacularly with Krell amps.

Unfortunately reading about them is as far as I will ever get with such audio exotica. There's no denying that power is important especially if you enjoy a wide range of musical genres, and it never hurts to have too much as long as you're careful with that volume control!


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larryi
4,093 posts
 
If you place a pair of small speakers correctly (well away from the back wall and the side walls), you can achieve an amazingly large soundstage.  In that sense, they can sound "big".  That actually is the case with any sized speaker, proper placement gets you a big soundstage.  But, there is something about the weight, sense of ease and effortlessness that one gets with physically big speakers and drivers that is missing with most smaller speakers.  If one listens at reasonable levels, small speaker certainly don't sound like they are straining in their delivery, but there is something not quite as convincing about the size of the musicians and the stage with small speakers even when the positions of the instruments are the same.  If at all practical, I would take large speakers over most smaller ones.
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