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Anyone Successfully Go from Floor Standers to Bookshelf Monitors w/ Subs?

My system is in a Large Living room which opens to dining room & Kitchen. I figure about 6k cu ft. I have Silverline Sonata speakers now with subs. Unfortunately I did not build my addition when I should have 10-15 yrs ago. Now I'm not really up to the task. Too old & wore out. So I'd love to make the LR a prettier room for my wife. One thing we talked about was the large speakers, and possibly using Watkins Gen 4 monitors. But as good as they sound, I am concerned about the ability to fill the room, or at least my listening area. As I understand, it is about moving air. I cannot see how a 6.5 & 1 inch speaker can move as much as a 10, 7, 3 & 1 inch. So I am quite concerned about that. Right now, the system sounds very pleasing to both of us. We don't want to take a backward step but can live with a sideways step if it is more visually pleasing.

Has anyone made this kind of a step from floor standers to monitors, both with subs, in a large room, with success? Or am I thinking correctly about the small speakers inability to move the proper amount of air for the room size? Thanks for your help.

OH, FWIW, The addition may not be completely out of the picture. But it depends on whether I can get one of my previous sub contractors to do a large part of it. 
128x128artemus_5
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,218 posts
 
I have owned many floor standers ,a good monitors disappears better and images great . I mod all the Xovers in every loudspeakers I buy for even in $20k+ speakers and up many are 
not what I would consider great parts quality in their Xover which is the heart of all Loudspeakers.
i recently bought the very good Elac Vela 403 monitors with their latest gen -5 Jet AMT tweeter ,and Diamond sandwich Mid-bass,
very well thought out design and sounded very good even before Xover upgrades,and uses the excellent SVS  SB 3000 subwoofers with their excellent app. Loading the stands with sand ,lead shot 
makes a noticable improvement , and I had custom cut black granite tops  for monitors and subs which makes great mass loading for resonance absorption and increased imaging for  under $6k this setup competes very well with floorstanders 2x+ the cost.and does several things better.
james633
1,048 posts
 
Subs and monitors take up more room than just floor standers. 
I am of the option that subs integrate best with large speakers. The power band transition between the two is closer. 
I would just get some floor standers she likes the look of. Sonus faber is alway a hit with the wives. 
speakermaster
738 posts
 
When you go from a large floorstander to a small bookshelf model you not only lose bass but you also lose image size and projection of the sound that is what a large baffle is for to better couple the drivers to the room and this very thing causes the sound and image to suffer.
jrpnde
271 posts
 
   Moving air? What kind of bass do you prefer? Tooth rattling or well integrated or both? Bass is a personal preference. "Moving air" isn't the whole part of it. There will be scads of advice on this topic. The best sound and the physical appeal seems to be your goal. I have heard book standers with subs that out perform floor standers and others that do not.
   Speaker placement, especially with subs, is paramount. When I say subs that means more than one. Ask millercarbon about the swamp effect. Room correction, room treatments, and other tools can help to achieve a good sound. If you go the bookshelf path with subs be prepared to tune them to your room and your music tastes. Especially speaker placement if the room geometry allows. Here's an informative article on subs......
https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/all-you-wanted-know-about-subwoofers

larryincmh
77 posts
 
I went from large Axiom M80 floor standing speakers in my family room, to Focal 906 bookcase sized on stands. The Focals sounded much better and filled the room just as well.  They also visually were much more appealing to look at and my wife was happy with the look.  I opted for dual subs which lived at the back of the room (and for a time actually acted as rear stands for my surround speakers LOL). Very satisfying to listen to in a less than perfect room.

Then I moved to a new house and even though the family room was larger every wall was glass so no room for speakers of any kind ha ha. I went back to floor standers in my basement listening cave but only because I scored some on Craigslist that a guy didn’t know what he had for 100 bucks when they should’ve been 1000 or more. Vintage 90s floor standers but I still use the dual subs even with them.  I do miss the Focals however and keep my eye out for a used pair of 926 or 936 floor standers (which again would be much more visually appealing the older 80s and 90s speakers are not very attractive boxes for the most part). 
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