Speakers for small listening room


I need some help/advice for getting the 'right' sound for my system that I have in my small listening room.
The available space is only 11ft wide by 18ft long, and I currently have Kef RDM3's with a Marantz PM17-A integrated amp. I listen to mostly classical and jazz with some pop/rock.
My problem is that given the width of the room I dont seem to be able to get a good soundstage or decent imaging compared to the same set up in a larger room (our main living room where my wife refuses to have the Kefs set up).
Given the size of the room, would I have better luck with a smaller high quality monitor speaker? I am willing to pay around 3k to get something that does more for me than the current set up, and would also consider changing amplification if necessary.
Worst case... is there something about this size room that will prevent me from getting the kind of soundstage that seeems to come with a larger room.
I am kind of new to this and no acoustic engineer, so bear with me if these questions are naive or stupid!!!
peteinvicta1

Showing 1 response by gunbei

Hi Pete. Knowing the dimensions, but not the exact environment of your room, I would suggest experimenting with placing the speakers at BOTH the long and short walls and see which you like best. Do you have a local shop that will let you audition different speakers with your gear?

The reason I ask is because it's hard to say if you should go with a floorstander or monitors. I have a 12 x 14 room and am using small monitors with a sub with good results. I feel you might have a little more flexibility finding the right "imaging" position for a pair of monitors rather than having to deal with that issue ALONG with finding the best placement for bass reproduction in a full range speaker. Yes, if you go with mini monitors you'll need to find the right place for the sub too, but at least you can handle these two issues separately.

Also, your wife might prefer having the small monitors as opposed to larger floorstanders in your room. Another thing to consider before looking at specific brands is the flavor or character of musical reproduction you favor. That is, do you like your classical and jazz more toward the sweet, warm and romantic or more towards bold, detailed and dynamic. And if you're not a bass freak, maybe you won't have a need for a sub at all.

Good luck, have fun doing the research and shopping, and I'm sure some good advice will follow from the experienced members here.