Any small monitors that dont sound thin and bright


Love the sound of Spendors...they do that "space thing" so right...especially with vocals...which is one of my most demanding criteria...but they are pricey...and have limited dynamics and bass...any more affordable options that offer same level of transparency? I have a small room...so mega bass is really not needed...I am also considering Castle Richmonds and Totem mites...are these anywhere near the Spendors?
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Axioms really are that good. Very cheap, especially used and quite rich in sound.
Check out Spendor (any of their speakers are not bright), Dynaudio 1.3mkII (Carefully position closer to a rear wall to reinforce a bit of the bass), Meadowlark Swift is a great rec. Amazing sound out of a small package and the bass is VERY impressive. Actually some of the best low end I have ever heard from a small speaker.
I would caution the PSB Stratus Mini's just because they need so much power to sound right. I owned them for a while, but didn't have any luck at all. Perhaps it was the wrong amplifier choice on my part.
Revel M20s. Great bass, female vocal, upper end-- definitive, not bright, detailed, and tremendous soundstage. Don't use the Revel stands. I use the Sistrum Mini Monitor Platforms. Pricely, but worth every dime. Unfortunately, most people do not place a large enough empahsis on the speaker stands, when buying monitors. Stands are a fundemental extension of your speaker, and the actual price of the monitor purchase is not the real deal, after one purchases killer stands. Definitely something to consider. Although killer monitors with matching stands and sub are hard to beat. You can find the M20s nicely discounted. I shopped for months and listened to just about everything. At this leve, of course, I don't like to use the term "they blow everthing away," but given my amplicfication, and love of jazz, these were the ones.
Nice thread....I couldn't help but sample a dozen or so shops while I was in Scotland last summer, and EVERY time I asked about mini-monitors the guys waded through the new KEFs, B&W, Monitor Audio, Missions, even the Quad 11L, and ended up at the Spendor S3! Yet their 84db/w (in)efficiency
is unfortunately necessary for voicing that 5" in an acoustic suspension small box. And at 450L VAT-free, discounted ($700), I passed. Glad I did, as I found their big brother, the WONDERFUL Spendor S3/1p in ROSEWOOD used here on A'gon for $800!($1400 list). Sure they're bigger, as they use phenomenally well-matched 6.5" with a Scanspeak tweeter (NOT the cheaper VIFA in the 3/5 or new floorstanders). At 89dB/w they meld completely seamlessly with the SC3 center as my HT front trio (which is also used for FM music)....Yes, Spendor pads the tweeter down a bit to be forgiving (NOT like the aforementioned B&W 60XS3), but if you want some really quick, reasonably extended bass at highish efficiency, look no further....unless you can spend twice as much and get the impressive Revel M20: flatter, more neutral high frequency response is more "high-endish", but not at all as forgiving.
Note also that the Spendor SC3 is simply one and a half S3/5
(two 5" woofers and that Vifa 19mm) in a longer, vented cabinet. I've already suggested to the Spendor rep that they turn this great center sideways to make a tall and narrow L+R pair for HT, or for S3/5 lovers who want more bass and efficiency. But then again that's what the S3/1p is for. So you can pick D'Appolito 2x5+3/4 (18.5"x6"x10") or more tradtional 6.5"+3/4 (8.5x15.5x11") and get that great Spendor midrange and soft treble magic WITH extended bass and high efficiency for about $1100 new (hard to find two used SC3, I'd guess), or $800 used (S3/1p).
Sorry that I'm not familiar with the Swift....
I put the S3/1p on some great 'n cheap ($200) Plateau V23 (inch) sand-filled Target-clone stands. Ellen likes the elegant look, but more (?) importantly they solidify the Spendors' bottom really well.
Happy hunting, and a fine Thanksgiving and Hannukah!