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Floor-standing vs Book-shelf from upper line up?

Hello, 

I’d like to ask your general opinion and experience.

Of course, I plan to hear (if possible) both to make the final call, but would like to know possible long-term experience.

A room is about 14ft x 13ft, a dedicated listening room with couple acoustic panels.


My question is, (specifically or generally)

- Floor stand speaker vs A book shelf type speaker from the upper line up

What would be the better choice?

 Technically, the bookshelf would provide enough sound for a room, and it’s from the upper line up, so I think this might be the optimized solution.

At the same time, I personally prefer floor-standing design (not that important), and though there might be slightly more power than I need, I think having slightly more power would not sound like a bad idea.

https://www.marten.se/products/

I compare Marten Oscar Trio vs Marten Parker Duo

Both are relatively new, and the price is basically same...  
“This price factor” (assuming you pay for what you get, especially from the same company) is a tricky thing.

If this were B&W 805 vs 704 decision. It would be a lot easier.

What would you choose?


Happy New Year! :D 
128x128sangbro
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,272 posts
 
I also have a pair of Fritz Carrera BE's.  Outstanding speakers.  Now that I've had them for awhile, I don't know what I would consider an upgrade from them... maybe some Joseph Audio Pulsar Graphenes?  Honestly, I'm done buying conventional box speakers because the Carreras are just so dang good.  My next speaker purchase will be something entirely different and will be a second set of speakers.  The Carreras are going no where.

I don't think the Carreras can be beat for $3500 for a stand mounted monitor...  

Fritz is exceptional to work with.  Easy to get ahold of and his build times are reasonable if he doesn't already have something available.  A few competitors require a 6 month build time; not so with Fritz.  Usually 4-5 weeks in plenty of time if he's doing a custom / fresh build.

Give Fritz a call and discuss with him what your are looking for and see if it's a good fit for you!

erik_squires
15,690 posts
 
Depends how important and how much work you are willing to put into the lowest octave.

The Fritz bookshelves are excellent choices, and with the Scan speak mid-woofers have amazing bass for the size, plenty for a lot of modest listening rooms. 

If you pair them with a good sub, excellently integrated, you'd have a world beating system. However, as I write here, it's not easy:

https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-to-not-buy-subwoofer.html

Personally, unless you have a dedicated listening room, nothing beats stand mounts plus a sub.  Your ability to locate the sub ideally, and put an EQ in line with it while avoiding degrading your mains results in a wonderful system.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,795 posts
 
@dadork I listened extensively to both and they were very close in sound. There were two main reasons. Besides waiting 7 months for the Salks to be built for me, my space has some constraints that make the front porting on the Salks work well. Also, the finish on the Salks is quite remarkable and they’re quite "bespoke." The Fritz’s are very nice, too, but you can see on Salk’s website what he does with wood. So, kind of just went with the speakers I had semi-committed to, liked equally well, and were better looking. That said, my Salks were about $4k with shipping and tax, and I think the Fritz’s could (depending on specific factors) come in even $700 below that. Again, doing a head-to-head last night, the following thought crossed my mind when I heard the Carreras: "Damn. That's good."
donvito
393 posts
 
@hilde45
Fritz allowed you to tryout his speakers for 8 months and another pair for 5 months and then let you return them at no cost? He must be some swell guy!
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,795 posts
 
@donvito I didn't ask for them. He offered them to me to try out. Shows were cancelled, business was slow, and he had read my posts about putting together a system and my speaker quest. He chose me and I was happy to try them out. Maybe you'll get lucky, too!
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