Best "small footprint" speaker between $600-1000

Alon Model I fall in your price range. They are exceptional sounding and disappear effortlessly. They're petite at 9" wide, 13" deep, 38" high, yet have a surprisingly deep bottom end -- better than Arro or Sttaf. They sound particularly sweet with tube amps.

Spendor S5E is a great little speaker.

Mirage OS3FS is a floorstander, 41" tall with a footprint of 5.5x6.12". I have heard these and they have the speed, transparency, and absence of cabinet resonances normally associated with a panel speaker. You can buy new ones for as low as $900/pair, but you may want to find the OS2FS used, whose cabinets are extruded aluminum. These have usable bass down to around 50 Hz, but Mirage makes a couple of great tiny subs to mate with them, the 8" cube MM6 or the 9" cube MM8. If you know where to look you can find the MM8 (which is extremely lively and fast) at around $279 per (down from $799 list).

They have a sensitivity rating around 93 dB and can handle up to 175 watts, making for great dynamics. I've heard them and their ability to convey natural sounding, transparent vocals is excellent. They're also good at keeping things clear and clean while sounding lush and musical. Being omnidirectional, they energize the entire room and expand the sweet spot over conventional speakers.

I have owned the VSA VR-1s and the Green Mountain Audio Europa and I agree those are excellent choices and are great buys, especially on the used market. I also own Mark and Daniel monitors and you should be able to pick these up on the used market for under a grand. These sound like large speakers(good weight, bass, and depth), but you need an amp with at least 100 watts and high current for these. I have also heard the Monitor Audio RS 6s, another great choice but you want to make sure you have warmer electronics and cabling with these. Good Luck

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