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Tower Speakers and Room Size

Hello,

I have been considering a speaker upgrade for my modest rig:
Rega Mira 3, Onkyo DX-7555, Infinity Beta 40 speakers with decent IC's and speaker wire.

My listening room is 16.5' by 13.5' with 8.5' ceilings. My guess is this would qualify as a small room?

I recently listened to the Monitor Audio RS6 through the Rega Mira 3 and Rega Saturn CDP. As you probably know, the MA RS6 has gotten rave reviews for the price range. My impression was that yes they have detail -- they had nice timbral detail and air, but something in the treble bothered me. It was as if the treble was almost too crisp sounding, which makes me wonder if they can get fatiguing.

Then I listened to the PSB Imagine T through the same rig. Slightly more recessed in the treble (as compared to the RS6), but with noticeably great imaging. I did feel that the bass was a bit vague compared to the RS6, since I thought bass was a strong point of the RS6. Nonetheless, I believe I found the Imagine T more pleasant to listen to.

The dealer says that they will have the PSB Synchrony series in stock for demo in the fall. My question is will the Synchrony One be too much speaker in my 13.5' by 16.5' room?

Also, neither speaker really blew me away. Sure, I shouldn't expect to be blown away in this price range, but perhaps I need to take another step up in terms of price to really hear a significant improvement.

In terms of feedback, what are your experiences with speaker size vs. room size? I do want towers, but if matching their size to my room size is important, I want to know that so I can narrow my search. Thoughts?
braudio7

Showing 2 responses by braudio7

braudio7 OP
35 posts
 
Thanks for the responses, all. I might add that my music choices are generally jazz, acoustic/roots, some blues and rock, some classical. Also, I do not typically listen at loud volumes.

I wonder also if there is a true definition of room size that is shared by manufacturers. American homes built in the past 10 years or so have much larger living spaces than older homes, or many homes in Europe, for instance. I have to wonder if speakers of European design don't take that into account, ie., what many Americans might consider a *small* room may not seem as small by European standards.
braudio7 OP
35 posts
 
While we're on this subject, I'd like to pose a related question: If I happen to like a speaker that is more difficult to drive, how important will it be to match my integrated amp with an appropriate additional power amp? For instance, if I find a power amp that I like, is it as easy as connecting it to the pre-outs, or is synergy and system matching vitally important when adding additional power amps?

The reason I ask this is that I do not want to rule out a speaker that like but that may require additional power that my Rega integrated cannot produce. Also, my preference would be for floorstanders -- but then again, perhaps I haven't listened to enough high quality monitors. I have towers in my room presently, and though I would never say that they are particularly good in bass reproduction, I have never felt that the bass is out of balance in relation to the room. So I'm wondering if the emphasis on smaller speakers for a small room is overblown if one listens at reasonable volume, as I do. Thoughts?
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