Is my room too small

I have a dedicated room that is 10x11. In a room this size, I think you are forced to use a speaker that is small(ish) and that does not reproduce much bass below about 50hz. Trying to shoehorn a speaker that is too large for your room is probably a recipe for failure IMHO.

The challenges of a small room include:

a) Early onset of reflections, much of which is inevitable. Coloration and image shift are both more likely to arise from early-onset reflections than from later-arriving ones, although direction of arrival and spectral content also play a role.

b) Room-induced gain over-emphasize the bass region, often resulting in boominess.

c) Room modes are more likely to be audibly detrimental in the bass region because modal behavior will set in at a higher frequency than in a larger room. This can cause or contribute to one-note bass/boominess/otherwise unnatural-sounding bass.

d) Some speakers need a fair amount of power to "come to life", which can work against getting good sound at the modest power levels typically required for adequate SPLs in a small room.

e) Placement constraints are often especially severe in a small room, which makes it more difficult to address the first three issues by optimizing speaker placement.

All of these problems can be addressed to some extent at the design stage. Unfortunately I don't know enough about the VR4 Jr. to comment on its suitability for a small room.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer

A buddy has Avalon Eidelons in a 10' x 9' room. The equipment sits between and back of speakers. He has exacted an incredibly musical sound in this most unconventional space...like having superb headphones.

Thanks Rhyno, are you suggesting that my speakers should go on the long wall?

Long wall placement would be my suggestion as well. As mentioned previously the Audio Physics speaker placement method works very well, even with other brands of speakers. I used this method with a pair of Spendor speakers with great success. Don't be afraid to put your listening chair within a few feet of the rear wall. As mentioned, just make sure you have some thick absorption panels on that wall.