Should I graduate to floor standers or will larger bookshelves suffice?


Hey guys,
I moved into a larger space several years ago, more of an open floor plan, and soon realized that my current speakers, Legacy Studio HD, in a surround array, might be a bit overwhelmed. It’s a weird, asymmetrical space, but it’s also significantly larger than my previous one. So the title of my post says it all…can I still get adequate coverage with bookshelf speakers, or do I now need floor standers? A friend told me to basically “sit closer to the tv” but that isn’t practical.

I thought about the Calibres from Legacy as an option, which is about my price range…up to 7k or so. I also see all these great internet only brands, like Fritz, or Philharmonic, etc, and I hear about their prodigious extension and sound stage, but can these bookshelves fill my room, or any room for that matter?

Let me also add, I have no problem graduating to floor standers, so suggestions are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

jonasandezekiel

if you really love your current speakers, try a pair of subs...otherwise get floor standers - and maybe subs also...I prefer floor standers, but have friends who in small rooms love the sound of smaller monitors, and yes, they know they take up the same space...

@drmuso thats a good point. I think my room really sucks for acoustics, and it may be a large part of my problem. These speakers sounded a helluva lot better at my old place....at least their weaknesses weren’t so pronounced.

@erik_squires I wish Fritz made floor standers, but he’s obviously more enamored with the virtues of stand mounts.

OP: 

I'm sure it's not a matter strictly of what he's anamored with.  He's a tiny tiny operation and with his trial at home model this is probably all he can afford.

As I've said elsewhere, I'd hate to try to be a speaker maker today.