Devore O/96 vs Stenheim Alumine 2


Looking for some high efficient speakers for my secondary listening room / Den.   15' wide by 11' deep by 9'5" tall.  I've always wanted the Devore O/96 speakers but worried that I would have to keep them very close to the front, 6", wall and they are ported on the back.  Probably too big of speakers for the room and should look at the O/93 or baby.  Plug the ports on the O/96?

But we will probably move into a larger home where I would have more space.  

A good friend recommended Stenheim Alumine 2, efficient speakers and ported in the front.  Worried they might be too small if/when we move into a larger home.

Want this room to be a warm sounding room, lots of texture, jazz and female vocalist, low volume levels, vinyl, possibly tubes but maybe low power class A.

Thoughts?

 

chauncey

I've tried plugging ports on several speakers over the years and never liked the results, changed the bass to more of a one note sound without the definition when left unpluged. Ported speakers ( in back) usually require to be place at least 2-3 feet from wall. In my experience YMMV

@hilde45 because there's little that will sound excellent close to a wall. It's easy to change amps vs. changing rooms for many. If you're stuck with a room setup, you've got to become more flexible to overcome that.

Saw a nice looking pair of vintage Khorns listed yesterday. Those are highly efficient and made to work on a wall in the corners...another worth consideration.

Cheers,

Spencer

@sbank I agree about wall placement, for sure.

I'm confused. I thought speaker efficiency had to do with the speaker-amp relationship and that while placement affects the acoustical picture, overall, placement is a separate issue.

How about Audio Note speakers? High efficiency and designed for near-wall placement I believe.

@hilde45 You don't sound confused, placement is a separate issue. So:

1)OP says he needs a speaker that will work 6" from the wall. - IMHO, that leaves only a few good choices. This is a more impactful limitation than many choose to admit...often resulting in disappointment(e.g. Devores against a wall looking lovely and sounding a fraction of their potential)

2) Of those few good choices, some are efficient and an easy load and would would work well with low powered tubes, etc. (e.g. Audio Note or Khorns). Others like Larsen would sound great if and only if the OP is willing to pair with a higher powered amp in an effort to overcome issue #1. 

Cheers & goodbye,

Spencer