Hi gene3x, I wasn’t going to post in this thread as I don’t have a clear-cut nomination for “best absolute value” in this price range. But at least four times now you’ve brought up a particular subject that is imo worth exploring on its own:
"Okay, so now we are getting into something that is definitely important to me ..... sweet spot , sound stage , over all stereo sound envelope is important to me and willing to pay more for it. I have always wondered why so many audiophiles were satisfied with tiny speakers on a pedestal that could only give you a full representation within a small window. I want to fill as much of the room as possible."
"Can anyone speak to the size of the total sound envelope or active listening area of each of the speakers that you suggested?”
"Soundstage (sound envelope) is very important also.”
So apparently good soundstaging over a wide sweet spot matters a lot to you. It does to me too. I like to feel immersed in the music, including the soundscape on the recording, and I like to share that experience with others without it being limited to the one or two best seats.
You then ask an interesting question:
“Am I wrong to think that a larger speaker in most cases will have a larger soundstage filling the room with more listenable music?”
In my opinion relatively few speakers, large or small, are REALLY optimized for this. The principles involved are not secret, but they are overlooked. To answer your question, yes the larger speaker can do the better job, if it is designed to.
If you’re interested in WHAT it would take to “optimize” a design for a large soundstage that can be enjoyed across a large listening area, let me know. The reason I ask first is, it would be a rather long post and I don’t want to take up a lot of space in your thread uninvited. I’d finish off with a recommendation (of something that I don’t sell), but my recommendation would make no sense without the "backstory".
Duke
dealer/manufacturer