Best Small Office Speakers


I'm looking for a pair of very small speakers (max 12" high) to go with my NAD L-40 CD/Receiver for my office in a bookcase. I listen mostly at very low volume at work, and the NAD is only 20 watts per. Any suggestions for a good, reasonably priced (used?) pair? Maybe a great deal on a pair of used Tukans, or some PSB alpha minis? Thanks for the help.
mateored
12 inches is not a problem. Try 9 inches! norwex B-2 Nisse were designed specifically for placement on a bookshelf or in a wall unit, while being High-End quality! They are also excellent for wall mounting with brackets (4-way adjustable) which we also supply in white or black to match the cabinet finish. Read SoundStage! They tested them in yheir current issue, which you can find on the net: www.soundstage.com. Click on Audio. You can also go to the norwex web site: http://norwex.homepage.com. If interested, contact Harald Aasland at our e-mail address.
Thanks for all of the advice. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to audition all of the recommendations. I just bought a pair of PSB Image 1Bs. So far, they sound great right out of the box, but it will be a while before I can form a truly meaningful opinion. Robba -- the L-40 is perfect for non-audiophiles. It is a truly elegant, compact design that delivers very musical sound in a non-imposing package.
Give the Gallo mircos a listen if you can. They wound great at low to moderate sound levels and are so small you could set them on your desk(about the size of a baseball.) Martin DeWulf of Bound for Sound even gave them a nice mention in his CES 99 or 98 report.
For the price and the performance, Mission 731i on the Audioadvisor for 150, also you can get stands for 50 bucks.
I'm sure that you've already seen it, but there's a very nice article reviewing your NAD paired with a 2.1 PSB speaker set in the current Stereophile. Once you decide on your speaker, could you drop post on your experience. I'm thinking of recommending the L40 to my very non-audiophile parents.
This suggestion might be a bit far afield, but consider small pro studio nearfield monitors. A set of Event 20/20 unpowered monitors list for est. $400, and I've had very good impressions in recording sessions with them. Mind you, they may not be as pretty as some of the suggestions above...rather utilitartian in design.
I'd recommend listening to the Paradigm line. The Atoms and Titans are both fine little speakers and very affordable.
I have a Nad 310 (same amp from the L40 I believe) in a bedroom system and have PSB Alpha A/V's hooked up to them (using Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable) which sounds pretty good. I also have the B&W DM302, which used to be hooked up to the Nad, but like the PSB's fuller bass with the 310.
I can anticipate the heat when I suggest this, but I chose a pair of Boston Acoustics speakers ( $200/pair )for our office at home. As an owner of Martin Logans I'm rather picky about sound quality, yet I found these mass market speakers to have surprisingly good sound.
Got my L40 hooked up to B&W L1's in a bedroom system. Look fine, but, less than ideal. I'd go with B&W DM302's, or Totem Rokk speakers. I own both 302's and Rokk's, tried them with the L40, slight edge to the Rokk's..Jeff
PSB and NAD are great combos to work with. I highly recommend you try these few speaker: PSB A/V PSB 1B Both of these will work great and sound great too. Good Luck
Have you given thought to a pair of NHT Super Twos. I gave up the corporate life some time ago and listen to FM etc in the background now in my GIS Practice Office.