Speakers least affected by room acoustics

Not all digital room correction is the same and some go beyond being merely a sophisticated frequency equalizer.

For example, Impulse response correction:

http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/irc.php

I have not used and cannot vouch for any particular processing solution but I believe it is an approach that might be worth a trial.

Good points overall by Audio Doctor I would say. Addressing floor reflections can certainly help as can isolation stands or pads under speakers in many cases where floors have give and are not rigid (at least with cleaning up the bass) .

If smaller monitor speaekrs are used (not tall floorstanders) placement on short isolation stands like Isoacoustics brand with slight tilt up especially if room is not very deep can help to make for a less offensive situation in regards to a more natural sounding soundstage and imaging.


Finally I would add that I find in very lively sounding rooms, less is often more when it comes to speakers and smaller models (floorstander or monitor) often tend to fit in best.   In my problem room, I once tried a refoamed pair of small vintage Boston A30 monitors  (can be had used for used for well under $100) in there and these might have been the best sound of anything I've tried in that particular room,  including other modern monitors and floorstanders costing well into the 4 digit range..    

Yes all good points made. The Lyngdorf 2170 does wonders in my room with high ceilings. It does in fact help!

The advice that most mirrors my experience comes from audiotroy.   If someone come to me asking me to build a speaker for them and they had a lot of boundry room issues.  I would have recommended one of two.  One was nailed above.  An MTM with a rug covering as much of the floor possible in front of the speakers.  Next alternative would be a speaker with a wide front baffle.  
When we build speakers, we use Baffle step compensation to counteract the effects of the sound that shoots around the cabinet.  The wider the cabinet front the less or no compensation is needed.  With a wide front baffle,  it helps keep all drivers firing in the direction the speaker is facing and stops midrange reflections. Still add the rug to the floor to help floor reflections. I then would add to get a sealed box woofer or a front firing port in this case.  Drape as much of the rear wall as possible.  You should be able to pull in some fairly solid results. 

corner loaded speakers like audio note or klipsch can work well with most any room provided it is big enough and you have the freedom to make it work with respect to room layout and furnishings.  

The living rooms (my main listening rooms) in both my previous house and my current house have very high ceilings - 16 feet. I did not have a ceiling echo in either room. The current room is 24 x 14 with speakers on the long wall. All hard surfaces with parallel walls, ceilings, and floors and no treatments - not even an area rug. If I were you, I would speak to a couple of manufacturers such as Sean from Zu and Duke from Audiokinesis.