Small speakers...big sound??

I heard a pair of M&D speakers, I believe they were the sapphires. I was very impressed with how much bass they put out for their size. First time I heard something so small go so low. Sounded very good.

My favourite small speaker is the Paradigm Atom. I have owned and listened to dozens of towers and bookshelf speakers and the Paradigm Atom v.3 or v.4 is my favourite speaker.

I have owned the v.6 but feel the v.3 and v.4 sound better. Even A-B'd them with Paradigm Studio 10 v.5 speakers and they were comparable except for the bass and build quality. Although the Atoms have an excellent overall audiophile sound the only caveat is deep bass and high volume capability. The Paradigm Studio 10 v5 or 20 v5 depending on room size would give you greater volume and bass as well as beautiful cabinets and fantastic build quality.

But going back to the Paradigm Atom v.3 or v.4. I think this is a very special small speakers at 10.5"h * 6.5"w * 8.5"d they play big and reproduce music very very well for a relatively small speaker and low price. If you didn't like them for some reason I'm sure you could turn around and sell them for what you paid. After buying used Paradigm v.3's and liking them so well, knowing that Paradigm no longer makes this Performance Series Atom, I bought another used v.4. Highly recommended!

nht Classic 3. Three way speakers in a very compact package, about 14" high. Music is very full, and if you really need the bottom octave, get the Classic Subwoofer 10 or 12, or better yet a pair. But I find the Classic 3 sufficient without subs.

Otherwise, PSB Alpha, Imagine or Image depending on your budget.

You know... normally I don't do the whole "x3" bit, but I agree with the Mark and Daniel recommendations. Honestly... Those little Mini's / Mini+ monitors should work nicely in your situation.

Speaking from an objective point of view, I feel like the Mini's have a 'maturity' to their sound that is lacking in some of the other M&D models that I've heard. They do a lot of great things, and I wish more people knew about them.

Alas, there is a caveat worth mentioning.. These speakers consume rain forests for power. OK.. not really. But for casual to elevated listening volumes, I'd heavily encourage you to pair them with a power amp that is capable of dishing out a muscular 50wpc or more.

Otherwise, you should be good to go!

You might look for a used pair of the (long discontinued) Red Rose ribbon monitor. A shoebox with a midbass hump that sounds much bigger than you'd ever imagine. Not exactly neutral, but they might fit you needs

Marty