Have you moved away from full range to standmount speakers + subs?


I want to know if you have been on a journey moving from a large full range speaker to a smaller one paired wit subs, maybe even four subs.


Maybe you moved away from the big speakers because you had too much bass or you got a better soundstage from the smaller speakers. Let me know what motivated you and if you think it’s better now.


My motivation for wanting to try smaller speakers.


I have the Tekton DI and until a month ago I was using a LM845P SET amp to drive them.

It only sounded good on simple jazz and vocals but on complex music everything was falling apart.

I am not playing loud but I think it was the low 2 ohm load in the midrange that made the LM break down.


I bought a used PS Audio BHK250 and pre and it was like getting new speakers. Never ever had it occurred to me that speaker and amp matching could have such a profound effect.


So I am enjoying my speakers now and listen to music I have avoided like the plague and enjoying it (:


But all of this got me thinking, what if I paired my LM845P with an easy to drive speaker and paired it with some subs?


Then the LM845 could do what it's best at, playing glorious midrange and the subs could play the bass.

So that's my motivation for trying smaller speakers.


I am also hoping that maybe I could get better and more even bass with 2 or 4 subs. Maybe a better soundstage because the small speakers have a very small baffle.

martin-andersen
I drift between different configurations. I’ve got a large stock of full range and stand mounted and one massive combo pair where two sections are bolted together. They all have their strengths. For a video setup, in wall or stand mount with subs are more than adequate. I still do a lot of two channel listening. I like my big full range speakers for this. 

All a matter of taste and budget. 
QUESTION:   I have the Tekton Pendragons and love them....Why does Tekton push the 4 ohm option when ordering.. I would not buy them in 4 ohm...Mine are 8 ohm for easier amp matching...Is 4 ohm cheaper than 8 ohm to produce. Eric also make them in 2 ohm...Whats up with that....
QUESTION:  I have the Tekton Pendragons and love them....Why does Tekton push the 4 ohm option when ordering.. I would not buy them in 4 ohm...Mine are 8 ohm for easier amp matching...Is 4 ohm cheaper than 8 ohm to produce. Eric also make them in 2 ohm...Whats up with that....

Ask Eric, not here.  You'll get mostly negative reactions to the question.  I think one of the things that bother me the most about his speakers is the obvious notion that he wants to make a speaker for every single situation and type of stereo setup.  You can't truly master what you are doing by spreading yourself that thin.  Have 6-8 speakers that you have put your heart and soul into, not FOURTY (I just went to the site to count) different speakers/subwoofers. 

That isn't counting the variations of each of those speakers with different upgrades to tweeters, crossovers, ohm ratings. At times it seems like he's taken just a few designs and then said "screw it, let's add 10 more drivers to it and give it a new name".

I do like my DI's though, not gonna lie.
My experience has been that you have to give the room what it wants for best results. With bigger rooms that offer listening distances ~10 ft. or more from ear to tweeter, the best fit is usually full-range towers or designs of similar scale. In smaller rooms, with listening distances significantly under 10 ft., it's difficult to get proper integration of the drivers in a big multi-way loudspeaker, giving smaller speakers the advantage on integration…and some of that may translate to improved imaging. Perhaps, this is where the "myth" comes from…

Cabinet resonances are easier (less expensive) to tame in small speakers, so that can be a factor when comparing monitors and towers in the same line, especially at lower price-points. With proper attention, resonances can be adequately addressed regardless of speaker size.

I do think proper subwoofer integration is beneficial regardless of the main loudspeaker's bandwidth because the best placement for soundstage and imaging is rarely also the best place for low and sub bass wave launch. The ability to optimize these concerns independently is advantageous to achieving the best setup.

Personally, I had a pair of Legacy Audio FOCUS SE towers in a 19 x 21 ft room with a 10 ft ceiling. They worked very well there, but when I moved from the east to west coast (USA), I could not afford a listening room of that size. Cramming them into the new 15.5 x 10.1 ft room with 8 ft ceiling simply did not work, no matter what I did with room treatments. I could not get my ears far enough away from those six drivers for them to seamlessly integrate. Wonderful speakers, but they sounded like stadium speakers in my small room compared to a good 2-way monitor, like the Fritz Carrera 7 BE.

Again, lesson learned…give the room what it wants, and it will treat you right.
Years ago I had very large floorstanders w/strong integrated subwoofers (Vandersteen 4s). In an average size living room, this was a heavenly sound. I'm not sure I would mess w/standmounted 2-ways + subs in a living room of reasonable size. In my experience, that's a job for floorstanders + subs.

But in a 13' x 13' home office, where my audio gear is now--that's another matter altogether. Floorstanders couldn't fit here, but 2-ways can fit on the desktop. Currently they're vintage KEF 103.2s supplemented by one sub (JL Audio e110). Within the space limits of this environment, the sound is very satisfying--though 2-ways, even sealed/acoustic suspensions like the KEFs, trade off air & soundstage when situated on a desktop near the front wall.