Smallish floorstander that sounds good placed just

Grannyring,

I have the Sonus Faber Concerto Domus. I bought these
for my bedroom system - small footprint, 6" woofer,
ported in the front & they have very nice outrigger feet.
I paid $1800.00 new, I've seen them under $1200.00 used.
They sound very nice, to me..

The older version of the Merlin VSM (SE or earlier) actually benefits tonally from such placement (tho the imaging is slightly traded off). The speaker was a little lean thru the mid/upper bass and the reinforcement/rise in cancellation frequency from near wall placement fleshes it out nicely. It might be a bit pricey for use with a Nova in a second system (but I bet it mates very well, sonically). You might find a 10+ year old that makes sense $-wise.

Good Luck,

Marty

Sorry, I just saw the budget note. Merlins will almost certainly be too expensive. I also use Preludes (in my gym) as recommended above. They sit near wall with pretty good results.

Marty

What about the Ohm Micro Walsh Tall? A used pair should be under $1000. Output is attenuated in the rear, to prevent problems with reflections. Might be a great choice.

I second the Rega RS3 or RS5 speakers. Great floor standers. They have a front facing port on the bottom. That makes them more easy to place near a wall. They are also easy enough to drive with your Nova.