Speakers for a small room, looking for feedback

I heard the two JM Labs today against two Linn models. Both nice, but different. I could probably live with either, but prefered the JM Labs. The JM Labs seemed more open with more inner detail. The midrange and lower bass was great. The tweeter was fine, extended but bright. A little raspy/gritty with certain disc.

I prefered the 926 over the 906. The 926 has the midrange warmth the little speaker cannot convey. Imaging, however, was better with the 906. I think the 926's, however, may be too much in a 12X13 room (6-9 inches from the wall). Will they work in such a small room? Is this an invitation to muddy bass?

At this point, I think it is between the ATC 20's and the JM Labs 926. I also like the ATC 35's, but the tweeter is not as clean (but more bass) & its only available in a natural cherry. I still want to try out the PMC speakers, but at this point I am pretty tired of demoing speakers.

I do not know the rest of your system, but if you are starting from scratch, look at the new high tech active ATC 20's. Built in amplification is the key here and the dynamics will startle you vs the passive plain jane but fabulous 20's. the active 20's are (one of) the best two way speakers I have heard. (and owned) When you get down to it, what with the amps built in, they are sort of a bargin,if anything in high quality hi fi is.

I have receive a lot a good advice over the weeks and it is very much appreciated. D_edwards - your advice has been great & I can relate to the comparisons. Our conversation got me thinking & has brougt up some additional questions. Feedback is defintely appreciated.

I have decided on the ATC 20-2 (high-tech passive), but now wonder if going the active route may be beter in the long run. I would also add a center channel (either passive or active) & leave my existing rear speakers for the foreseeable future.

Going active will cost more in the near term, but I would eventually be able to downize my amp (Cary Cinema 5 amp) & sell off my existing speaker cable (fronts & center).

I have not heard the active speakers, however, and wonder about the tonal qualities of the amp. The 20sl is my room with the Cary amp were very neutral, dynamic and clear without any listener fatigue. Will the ATC amps be more similar to the Cary SS or more neutral like a Krell? Does it have any tendency to be bright? Does the dynamic attributes of going active offset the ability to match the amp to your other components?

What type of balanced cables would be a good match? Given I would need 3 - 3m cables they can get expensive & just make going active too expensive.

I would also want to keep my rear speakers on the low -end of the scale with a lower-end 2 channel amp. The speakers are only used for HT & I feel the expense of going active would be overkill. Is this approach reasonanble?

I realize I have asked a lot of questions. I have searched the internet & the people familar with active tend to prefer it. I just don't have that experience & the intent is to have these speakers at least 10 years. If I am not happy, I think it would pretty hard to sell active speakers that don't have a big name behind them.

Once again, thank you for your thoughts.

The passive speakers are usually a less exacting sound, the nature of passive crossovers is to smear the sound a little which makes them more forgiving. There is nothing wrong with the active amplifiers in the ATC's they remind me of McCormack or Pass amplifiers not dry but not wet and no weird stuff going on. They are very good. I am not familiar with the Cary SS amps. A guess would be that they are softer sounding than the on board amplifiers.

The advantage is the direct drive of each driver and the high current capabilities of the amps make the SCM20's some of the most brutally revealing speakers and dynamic compact speakers you can own at any price. But not because they are bright. These speakers will reveal the recording in such a away that even the weird noises you once thought were flaws become background instruments and other discernable glitches etc. Matching components is over rated unless you're dealing with marginal gear. Which many people are.

You won't need expensive cables to make the speakers sound good with your surround processor. I can think of some cables under $100 for all three that will do the job more than adequately. So no worries there. Cables are your last worry. No cable will make or break this system.

So should you go active? If your near future likely holds a larger room and the thought of more detail and dynamic range seem enticing then go active.

Remember if you get a good surround processor your days of listening to two channel are over and god will not punish you for occasionally using a tone control. This concept is foriegn here, but two channel is a compromise especially for digital playback. Use all the resources that are available to you in your system. The most idiotic thing on the planet is a surround processor optimized for 2 channel. Because its like bringing five players to the basketball game and only playing two at a time. But that's another issue.

Lastly SCM7's make very good matching rear channels $800 and the Concept 5 Center channel will require you to remove animals and small children from your room while playing.

I will probabaly be using this room for quite a while. I like the idea of going active, albeit it might be overkill for the room. I would also need to use a smaller center, C4a. Since I already know I like the overall sound of the speaker (passive), the only potential risk is the speaker may be too revealing. At this point, I want to ask my dealer if its possible to hear the actives before deciding.

thank you.