Bookshelf speakers for a bedroom.

i can't comment on the harbeths, but in my own search for a near wall monitor i found that the pardigm signature s2 sounded great and was indifferent to placement. if you want to spend less, check out the rega rs1--a real sleeper.

Used Triangle Titus XS speakers for less than $400/pr used and call it a day.

I remember reading about the Triangle Titus XS a little while back. I don't know how they will match with the Quad 405-2 though??

The Triangles are fairly efficient and easy to drive, and very small and compact. Not much below 50hz or so but what is there above is top notch. They can go pretty loud with a good amp, but their most distinguishing quality is their clarity and detail at lower volumes which is as good as I have heard anywhere. They are more towards the analytic and revealing end of the scale than the "warm" one. the right ICs might tame the top end a bit if that were an issue with certain brighter sounding amps. I would use DNM Reson ICs so as to not have to worry about that if needed.

You know, the older acoustic suspension designs are excellent for such situations. I have some Boston Acoustics A170 speakers for a simple dvd/bluray system in a 12'x11' bedroom. With a very shallow depth and no ports, they're well designed to be placed with backs VERY close to (if not against) the wall. I also use them in a 6-ft near field-ish setup. They're efficient enough (~ 90dB/Watt IIRC) to run off 20-35 Watts/ch push-pull tube amps and still push out some extremely impressive bass with no sub. The acoustic suspension designs tend to rolloff in bass earlier but also less sharply than ported designs - I think this can be a very good attribute for small rooms.

Not sure what might be some higher end and/or more modern offerings with similar design, but once properly restored (re-foamed surrounds), the Boston Acoustics gear of that era is deceivingly good for the money.

Thanks for the replies. I will bare the speakers mentioned in mind.

I am seriously considering in getting the Stirling LS/5a speakers, Or the Harbeths.

I am using a pair of Celestion SL700s for just this purpose. Also, older Linn speakers were designed for placemect close to the wall.

What kind of music are you playing & how loud, do you have stands and how big is the room? Also, how lively is the room (clap test)? Budget?

I had to go through a similar situation for my bedroom and due to the wife factor had to keep the speakers near the wall (16" from face to wall).

A couple of things I realized was how easy it was to bass load the room, greatly reducing the quality of sound. I was trying to improve the sound in my room so I tried all sorts but most speakers were too big, monitors with a 7" woofer were overkill, they sounded terrible (my room is lively & 16x14x 14'H & listening 10' away from speakers).

You'll find that pretty small monitors will give the best results. For my room, at the end of auditioning many speakers I ended up very happy with Totem Ones (not for you) even though they prefer being a bit farther away from the wall.

I also bought some JohnBlue JB3's on Audiogon for my girlfriends office. Surprisingly, These blew me away with there sound. I hooked them up in my bedroom system to check out and was very happy with the sound, I would pay twice the amount for them. They completely disappear with an awesome soundstage, the mids were beautiful, very musical. Bass wasn't bad either for such a small speaker in my room but you can't play them loud (party level) as the sound gets compressed and falls apart. These could work quite well for you.

Your amp is considered neutral & 100w@8ohm so that helps. Look for a forward venting or sealed monitor. Remember that keeping the speaker close to the wall will really hurt soundstage and depth, there's not much that can be done to avoid that issue. When comparing different speakers, keeping the front of speaker at a known spot, I did notice the smaller/shallower the speaker was, the better it did with this issue, it helped that there was more space between the back wall and the back panel of speaker.

The Harbeth P3ESR are bigger than Totem Ones with less bass, they are recommended to keep back panel 11" away from rear wall. They are a very relaxed sound, they are not fatiguing in any way. This can be a good thing for a bedroom system. They are pricey but beautiful finish (go for Rosewood). 83db@6ohm will require juice but you have enough with the Quad.

I'm having a hard time at this moment remembering at the top of head recommending other speakers. Take a look at the J.M. Reynaud Trenté, these were a pair I kept coming across as a potential candidate.

The LS3/5a can be ruled out, they are not a bookshelf type of speaker and recommended to keep well away from walls.

I also recommend a very good solid stand/base or if you have them placed on a table, make sure it's very, very solid. I only mention this as I keep seeing bedroom systems with alternative ways of positioning speakers on desk, , benches, tables, weak stands, shelves...etc. Speakers near walls can sound boomy and you want to try to keep that to an absolute minimum, solid non-vibrating bases will really help your speakers sound nice & tight.

I'll now step off my soapbox. Cheers

I use Triangle Titus ES monitors in a 7x9 bedroom. The floor-to-ceiling
height is the longest dimension: 9.5 feet. The bass output from the 5"
woofers is just about right for the room. My amp is a 35 wpc Audio Space
As-3i with EL34 tubes.

These speakers image wonderfully well out of the box but getting the best
out of them in such a small room was a challenge. I have been adding sound
absorption gradually. (Diffusion measures haven't made much difference.) As
of now there are either wool rugs or floor-to-ceiling curtains on three walls
and the ceiling. The speakers are placed across a corner, which is the only
way to separate them enough to throw a credible image without overloading
part of the frequency range by putting them too near a wall. Fortunately they
behave well near a back wall.

As has been mentioned, they have excellent definition at low volumes. In a
bedroom system this counts for a lot.

If I were setting up a system in a small room, having to place speakers near
the wall, and I had the amp power you have, I would look at a North Creek
design. Their Near-wall-specific series is made to work best at less than a
foot from the back walll. These speakers are overdesigned at all price points
(and way overbuilt at the high end).