Best you find a dealer that will let you borrow demo speakers, otherwise it is a crap shoot. Nothing, and I mean nothing is a substitute for listening in your environment with your equipment driving them, and your favorite music playing. Acoustic wrinkles in your listening space, as noted, will play havoc with 'buying on paper', or the dealer's room. Dealer demo's are typically 'broken in' and often they come with cables that the dealer has found make them shine. In over five decades of being involved in audio, I have never purchased a speaker that was not provided as a demo to try in my 'chain/enviroment'. Interestingly, in most cases I purchased the demo's at a nice discount. Two weeks should be the amount of time needed for you to make a judgement. In these economic times, dealers are going the extra mile to make sales, so take advantage of it. Hey, with gas at $1.50 you can make 'sleping' pay.
Optimal speaker size for given room, or drivers?
How do I determine what speaker size to buy and how many drivers are appropriate for my room? My room is 14x22, with an opening at the back into a hallway. I also have another 6x8 foot arm toward the front. Ceilings are an average of 9 feet tall. Listening position will be 13 feet from the front, speakers 4 feet from the wall and 8 to 9 feet from each other. I can't try any of these at home without committing to a purchase.
Considering a full range like the B&W 802d, Thiel 3.7, Tyler Decade D1 or D2, or Sonus Faber Cremona M. These are examples of the size I am looking at, not speakers I have settled into (I have only heard the 803s, Cremona and older 3.6, for example). Something not too big (150lbs or so) and full, but not overwhelming. This isn't a long-term house for us and although a larger speaker would sound fine in this room, I may be using them in a smaller room in the future.
Some of these speakers feature many drivers and midranges, such as the Tyler D1, whereas others such as the 802D are essentially 1 midrange and 1 driver. The Cremona M is somewhere in the middle. What are advantages and disadvantages to each type of design? Is a larger array more complicated and harder to pull off, or is it simply a matter of cost of manufacture?
Considering a full range like the B&W 802d, Thiel 3.7, Tyler Decade D1 or D2, or Sonus Faber Cremona M. These are examples of the size I am looking at, not speakers I have settled into (I have only heard the 803s, Cremona and older 3.6, for example). Something not too big (150lbs or so) and full, but not overwhelming. This isn't a long-term house for us and although a larger speaker would sound fine in this room, I may be using them in a smaller room in the future.
Some of these speakers feature many drivers and midranges, such as the Tyler D1, whereas others such as the 802D are essentially 1 midrange and 1 driver. The Cremona M is somewhere in the middle. What are advantages and disadvantages to each type of design? Is a larger array more complicated and harder to pull off, or is it simply a matter of cost of manufacture?