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Versatile, non-fatiguing speakers for a small room under $1500 used or new: advice needed!

Hi, first post here! And not a very original one, my apologies!:)

So after years of listening to music through miscellaneous mid-fi solutions, I am finally thinking about dipping my toes in hi-fi audio and putting together a dedicated stereo setup. Currently I am looking at speakers, and my head is already aching from the abundance of options, so I am looking for suggestions from you guys, primarily from those of you who have had first-hand experience building a stereo in a small room like mine and achieved results they are happy with.

My room is pretty small (approx. 13’ x 10’), and I will be placing my speakers along the long wall. My listening position will be 6 feet away, give or take; plus the speakers will have to sit fairly close to the front wall. 15 inches from the back of the speaker would be nice, but if needed, I definitely I could move them out farther into the room (up to 20 inches from the back of the speaker), for listening sessions and then move them back again. There are several rows of shelves , filled with CDs and stuff, in the middle of the back wall above my head (not wall-to-wall though) - would that work as dispersion? I’m thinking of applying some room treatment behind the speakers, and on the right-hand side wall as well (if needed) - on the left hand side is a window covered with thick curtains.

Budget: under $1500 used or new.
I listen to all kinds of music, primarily rock of all eras and subgenres (blues/folk/prog/hard/art/psych/indie, etc), jazz, blues, classical, acoustic, singer-songwriters, female vocal, 80s new wave/post punk, some heavy metal. So the speakers need to be as versatile as possible. As someone who likes rock music, the bass is important, but I live in an apartment (neighbors!), so I have to find the right balance there as I don’t want to overload the room - the bass has to be there but under control and not boomy. I want as big a sound as possible in my small room without overpowering it. In general, I’m looking for engaging, non-fatiguing, dynamic sound with good midrange and tone, with enough punch to rock out when needed, nuance to play softer, more sparse types of music, and resolution so the details in fast complex passages don’t get lost or smeared. Not a fan of excessive brightness, sibilance, or harshness in the upper midrange.

I’m primarily looking at standmounts, but maybe certain smaller floorstanders would be fine? I’ve seen opinions claiming floorstanders are the way to go, regardless of the size of the room. What do you think would be preferable in my situation - apartment with neighbors, 13’x10’ room, long wall positioning, distance to speakers about 6 feet, maybe less?

Thanks!
mermaid_smiles
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
@mermaid_smiles

The Harbeths are really high on my list - I like a lot of what I hear about them. They do seem rather picky in terms of amplification (so darn inefficient!), so any advice on what to power them with would go a long way.


Actually, no Harbeths are not super inefficient nor are they hard to drive. There is much discussion about what amplification to use with them because so many amps can work well with them, Only issue is a $1500 budget won’t get you into Harbeths and proper stands unless you go with a pretty old pair... which still sound very nice... amplification matching has not changed as all the main Harbeth models have been modernized over time but the updates are minor...

The mini monitor P3 is a few db less efficient than the bigger ones but your room is small, a decent 50-60-75 wpc amp will do just fine.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,695 posts
 
I bought a two-year old P3esr (non-anniversary) for $1300 a couple of years ago, so I think $1500 budget is doable. I agree that they are not that difficult to drive, but they are a good investment in the sense that they scale with better equipment, at least that has been my experience thus far. If I was the OP, my plan of action might look something like this ...
1. Get a used pair of P3esr’s, and used pair of stands
2. Later on, spend another $1500 on used integrated amp -- my experience has been that they work equally well with tubes and SS, unless you’re into heavy metal or rap, in which case these are the wrong speakers to begin with.
3. Add a subwoofer -- for the OP’s room size, something like a REL T Zero will do just fine.

You don’t have to buy everything upfront. Get the speakers first, and then expand as time goes on. These speakers will continue to scale with better equipment.


big_greg
6,670 posts
 
I picked up my P3ESRs for about $1000.  You can find them used under your budget.  I have a pair of Super HL5 Plus and am driving them with a 50 WPC tube integrated.  My P3ESRs are driven by a 125 WPC solid state integrated.  Maybe the best system I've ever heard, one of my friends has 40.2s driven by a 48 WPC Line Magnetic integrated.  You don't have to use a high powered amp to get good sound out of Harbeths.
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
@biggreg and arafiq

in the past year i have typically seen later model no-issues sets of p3’s around $1600-1900 without stands here or on us am - and hence my commentary below

obviously if one is patient, checks the sites very frequently and acts decisively when a very well priced pair is posted, then no doubt one can do better

good luck to the op in pursuing these if that is the inclination, p3’s are excellent, with a good sub they are staggeringly good
bluorion
479 posts
 
I would definitely check out the new KEF LS50 Meta---great reviews so far. They come in some cool colors too. Elac makes a variety of speakers in your price range as well. Good luck and keep us posted. 
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