Can recommend some non-fatigue SMALL bookshelf for near-field listening?


Hi guys,

I have been searching for a pair of small passive speakers for near-field listening for a long long time. Ideally, something with <27 cm depth would be a great fit. A relaxed/non-fatigue/good bass sound would be preferred. 

I tried these.

B&W 607s2 -- currently using -- can be aggressive/bright quite often

Dynaudio Evoke 10 --- pronounced at 2-5 kHz, sounds thin to me.

LS 50 meta ---- bass a bit tide... need some volume to sound good.

 

Can you guys recommend some other speakers that can do the job? What about Mission QX1 MkII or Wharfedale Denton 80? My amp is Nad c275bee with a Schiit freya+ preamp.  Thanks a lot guys!

 

 

 

 

tension255

Focal Micro Utopia is THE hot ticket, and just a wonderful little speaker; it would be best to use a tube amp with this or a speaker cable having the character of say Cardas's Golden Reference cable that "rounds" off the treble a bit.  That tweeter if paired with something dry and fast like a Constellation amp or something along that line, that would be a bit too much high energy fizz.  

I have the Harbeth p3 40th anniversary that I use with a sub however I have used them without a sub and in a small room and the bass is surprising pretty deep. Great for near field listening 

   I have had  good experience with NAD  amps used with PSB speakers. Very good combination. They once were, or maybe still are, sister companies. I used the PSB Imagine B speakers with a NAD C375BEE integrated. Not sure how your combo would work with your preamp. The Imagine B may be out of production now but some of other PSB bookshelves may fit your taste. As always....audition the speakers with your setup if you can.

 

Two options not yet mentioned (1) the ATC SCM 7 v3. Great, neutral small monitor that provides bass to about 60 Hz. Clean, clear, highly resolving but not tiring. Perfect for near field use. I’ve auditioned them and they’re on my list to replace an old pair of ADS CM5s, compact monitors in my study

https://www.stereophile.com/content/atv-scm7-v3-loudspeaker-specifications

(2) Totem Acoustics Sky bookshelf speakers with same drivers as my small Sky towers in a smaller cabinet. Larger than the ATC. Bass down below 50 Hz and even though ported the speaker can sit 6” from the wall without being “boomy”. They provide a plug for the rear port if needed for placement closer to rear wall on a bookshelf for example. Much bigger sound than the ATC speaker, but as several reviews note, great at low volumes unlike many speakers. 
 

Happy listening!

 

Elac 2.0/6.2b

they are so good but need some power it’s a 6ohm speaker

80-100 watts of power will do

zero fatigue 

excellent Andrew Jones design