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Size matters...need smaller speakers

It pains me to write this but alas I have finally accepted the fact that I am never going to have my own large listening room (not with real estate prices the way they are here in SoCal). The best I can hope for is my current corner of the living room or my yet to be built loft or a small den. For those of you who have read some of my posts, you know I love my Usher BE-10 speakers. They are some of the most accurate and transparent speakers I have heard. The problem is that I think they are just too big for the space I have alloted them. In the past year, I have complained a lot about my soundstaging issues (too low, too narrow). I know I can use room treatments but this is not possible in my living room and even with them, I still feel that my speakers are too darn big. I tried different toe in angles, pulling them out as far as I could, moving them away from side walls, etc. There is simply not enough room for them to breathe. Will monitors work better in smaller spaces, especially with regard to imaging and soundstaging? I think perhaps monitors with a sub could be the right way for me to go given my domestic situation.

Anyway, I do not know much about monitors and would appreciate a starting point. I prefer my speakers to be as accurate and transparent as possible. I prefer a dynamic sound that is true to the upstream components. Price does not really matter but I guess for monitors I would hope to spend less than $10K. One option is the new Usher "tiny dancer" monitor. Another is the Focal BE series. Are there others I should look that fit my preferences?

Thanks in advance.
128x128tboooe
eweedhome
227 posts
 
I downsized from floor standing Vandersteens to Harbeth Monitor 30's and am quite happy. The positive buzz about Harbeths is true--they are unusually musical. They image well, but some other speakers are more holographic. Yet their midrange is really something--you might read about them, see if they seem interesting, and try to hear some. Personally, I'd take them over the Focals and the Revels, though I don't doubt some would disagree.
ttowntony
145 posts
 
I'm somewhat biased as a Dynaudio dealer myself. However, if you can get an audition of the Dynaudio Confidence C1 monitors, you would be hard pressed to better their performance regardless of price. An excellent review of them can be found in the November issue of Stereophile magazine. You have an excellent dealer near to you..www.theaudioarchitect.com. Matt is a dear friend and an excellent person to work with.

Imaging can become more precise with monitors and placement is much easier when a dedicated listening room cannot be achieved. Setting up a sub can be somewhat tricky at times, but's it's possible. Depending on the monitor chosen, a sub may not even be needed. The Dynaudio Confidence C1 is quite good on it's own. I do own these myself, so that should say something. I could own any speaker I want and I chose the C1's. For fun I have these with stereo subs running with the Parasound Halo JC2/JC1 combo. They are a lot of fun indeed.

You did not mention your components.?. As with any highend speaker careful consideration should be given to it's amplification.
gsm18439
895 posts
 
I love your space. However, one issue that is often overlooked by space-challenged audiophiles is speaker placement and the real estate involved. You should consider speakers that are designed to be placed against the wall rather than speakers that must be free standing.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe OP
1,009 posts
 
Thanks for the responses everyone. It seems I have a lot of choices to sort through. I forgot to mention one other requirement for me is low volume performance. I rarely listen above 75db so a speaker's ability to sound its best at low volume is critical for me.

Here are some thoughts:

1. I have heard the Focal Utopias and these speakers remind me of the Ushers, probably because they both use beryllium.
2. My friend has the Harbeths and they do indeed sound so musical but I am afraid I thought they sounded a bit colored and not as dynamic as I would prefer.
3. I cannot imagine spending the kind of money it will take to get the Magico Minis (especially for a monitor).
4. I will be powering them with Ayre MX-R amps.
newbee
4,751 posts
 
FWIW small speakers on stands are just as demanding as large full range systems when it comes to high quality soundstaging. As a pratical matter all you do by going small is give up LF information and reducing visual impact. The foot print won't change all that much. Whether you can fill in that lost LF information depends a lot on the LF capabilities of the mains and your choice of subs and their locations. For high quality integration its not a walk in the park!

If it is visual impact that is bothering you, personally, I'd just get some smaller high qualty floorstanders and adjust to the loss of a half octave or so of LF info. You;d likely have more coherrent sound than by trying to match small stand mounted speakers and a sub(s).
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