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Speakers for a 12 x 13 room

So I recently moved to a new room. Sure it's small at 12 x 13 but now I can dedicate it to audio complete with as many room treatments and posters of Otis Redding as my heart desires.

For speakers I am looking at monitors like the Devore 3XL, Audio Note J, and Harbeth Compact 7's. I selected these speakers on sonics (I've heard all but the Harbeth's) but mainly because the specs indicate that the speakers when placed out in the room don't go much below 40Hz.

I HATE boomy out of control bass and with a room as small as mine I feel that bass boom could be a problem. Is there a cut of frequency wise I should be looking for in speakers to avoid bloated bass?

I anticipate a number of nodes especially around 60Hz given my room dimensions so my thought was to have speakers that don't go to much lower than 40hz (-6db). Does that make any sense?

Thanks for the advice!
Vik
vikkysingh

Showing 2 responses by nrenter

nrenter's avatar
nrenter
765 posts
 
In that small of a room, you have far more things to consider than just bass nodes:

1. You'll need more acoustic treatments than just bass traps. Consider some serious absorption behind your listening position, and at the first reflection points on the side walls. In a small room, diffusion doesn't cut it.

2. Your speakers need to sound best near-field and on-axis. Off-axis response can be considered either irrelevant or detrimental. It really depends on how well your room is treated.

3. Your speakers (and your associated equipment) need to be able to resolve at very low volumes. Some speakers (and amps) sound best when "the juice gets flowing". In a small room, you'll want your system to sound great with just a drip.

4. Duke nailed it on the head regarding multiple subs in a small room. Two small subs may seem like overkill - it's not.

As you can probably guess, I've gone through this process before. Check out my system to see my equipment choices.
nrenter's avatar
nrenter
765 posts
 
I haven't added treatments up-high primarily for aesthetic reasons. However, I have no doubt they would have a positive impact. While my room sounds good in the seated (listening) position, it's unbearable in the standing position (where your ear is just above the treatments). Since I (literally) only listen in one position, I haven't made an effort to do any more.

While I haven't updated my system description to indicate my approach, I'm using my subs as a converse parametric eq (not sure if that accurately describes it, though). I'm using one sub to create destructive interference at the room's resonance frequency (around 50 Hz), and then using the second sub to fill in the lower end (under 40 Hz). I use 1-Hz incremental test tones and set by ear. I'd be interested to see if ETF package would confirm my settings.

I bought the ML subs out of impatience and cheapness. I really wanted small REL subs, but didn't want to wait for them (or pay for them).

I love my Ayre gear, particularly with my GMA speakers. If you're willing to take a risk, you may want to consider the GMA Rio speakers (and if you really want to take a risk, the GMA Eos HD). The Ayre DAC is on my want list (after the Ayre L-5xe power conditioner).
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