Am I Better Off With Limited Low Frequency Speaker In A Small Room?

Downside is that the speaker can sound bright but at the same time, not all that airy in the soundstage. And tonally, it sounds a bit gray. Nothing is so harmonically fleshed out that I believe it’s real.

This largely seems odd (except the airy part) and begs several questions:

- What’s the rest of the equipment in your system?

- What sound characteristics are most important to you?

- What improvements are you looking for over your current speakers?

- Where are you located and what speakers do you have access to?

- Can you purchase from the US?

You really haven’t given much to go on here, and the more info you provide the more effective and productive this post will be.

I heard those Harbeth's and found them too relaxed sounding and no snap to the sound. Just not engaging and a bit dry sounding. Agree did not sound real and always like a speaker was playing. 

Listened to the new model stand mounted Vienna Acoustic “Hayden” speakers last week in a dealers large room.  I was surprised at their performance as far as musicality and the range they projected.   I heard a previous Hayden model a few years ago and these are a definite step forward in sound quality. Worth an audition for a room your size.  

Downside is that the speaker can sound bright but at the same time, not all that airy in the soundstage. And tonally, it sounds a bit gray. Nothing is so harmonically fleshed out that I believe it's real. It also. never feels like it really lets loose. 

In a smaller room, diffusion can really break up the reflections into smaller pieces so all speakers can sound their best, especially speakers like Harbeth that don't have a waveguide or horn so they spray sound more indiscriminately. Diffusion is really how you get a hi-end sound in the mid frequencies (vocals and instruments).