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You pay for it and you get it...

When it comes to large speakers, IME what you get far more than any other attribute, is the sense of scale...which is what seems to delineate the best large speakers from the best small speakers. As an example, yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to the new Wilson Sabrina X’s and the new Wilson Alexx V’s. While both speakers are from the same manufacturer, and both employ what looks like some of the same drivers, this is basically where the similarity ends. The big Wilson is about seven times the price of the small model! So, besides a much larger cabinet and a few extra drivers what do you get for your money...the answer is SCALE!! This is something that unless heard, is a little hard to fathom. The small Sabrina X’s do most things well..and I was very impressed by them, far superior across the board to the original model Sabrina. The Alexx V’s in a very large room ( which is also a MAJOR requirement for them to work their magic, and if one does not have this I believe then this is the wrong speaker for you) are able to throw a sense of scale that has to be heard to be believed. This is what you pay for with these large speakers, and in the Alexx V’s case, what you get. The frequency response of the larger model is not that different in the highs..and in some extent I think the midrange resolution was similar, but the bass is where it’s at...and this is where I think the sense of scale and enormity comes from. On paper, the smaller model can drop down to within probably ten Hz’s of the larger model, yet in a room of commensurate size, the little Sabrina X’s will never be able to portray the scale of the Alexx V’s. This aspect seems to apply to all large speakers in large room vs small/middle size speakers in large rooms.
Question is is it even possible to get scale with a smaller speaker in any size room, so far I have not heard this...anyone else?
128x128daveyf
contuzzi
413 posts
 
How high up are the midrange drivers on the Alexx V in comparison to the Sabrina?

Rhetorical question, of course.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Back in 2010 I did a review for Dagogo.com on the Wharfedale Opus 2-3 Speaker and the Opus 2-M2 Bookshelf Speaker along with the SW380 Subwoofer; it can be found at Dagogo.com

Over the years I have several times tried to create monitor/bookshelf/sub systems in a bid to gain similar characteristics of larger speaker systems. This review was an intentional effort to use one brand and a close resemblance of build and drivers, crossover, etc. to see just how close one can come to accomplishing it. I think you will find the review enlightening. 

I caution you; if you think that putting any given bookshelf with any given sub is going to get anywhere close to any given larger floor standing speaker, you are sadly mistaken. People who operate from specifications in such decisions are ignorant of real world HiFi system building. 

ONLY if you have the same brand, the same driver, crossover, etc. THEN you may come very close to accomplishing your goal. I very nearly bought the Opus bookshelf speakers, and several times have pined for them. But, long term, it was probably the best decision to stay with all larger floor standing speakers. I probably would not have used the bookshelf sub combo much. Just the differences in nuances of bass due to the different cabinet volume is for me a strong enough reason to go the direction of a floor standing speaker. 

Note well; if you elect to put together an ad hoc configuration, neither you, nor anyone here can tell you what the result will be, and whether you would enjoy it as much as a floor standing speaker. Only comparison would tell. All the rest of the discussion here is guessing. 

Frankly, now I am moving away from dynamic speakers for the most part. I am increasingly being drawn to Open Baffle, Dipole and hybrid array type speakers. There is one hybrid dynamic that I just bought, and the community will get to see it soon as the article is published. But, for the most part, I'm doing open speakers, a bit of Omni, too. Well, there is some Horn action as well... Too many genres to settle on one!  :) 

contuzzi thinks his question is rhetorical; actually it is not, but it is an important part of differentiating between the sound of a smallish speaker and a larger speaker.   
dletch2
455 posts
 
I caution you; if you think that putting any given bookshelf with any given sub is going to get anywhere close to any given larger floor standing speaker, you are sadly mistaken. People who operate from specifications in such decisions are ignorant of real world HiFi system building.


If you don't know what you are doing. If you know what you are doing and use bass management software to do the integration of the mains and subs, then you can place the mains for ideal imaging, and place the subs in the ideal place for smooth bass response. Done right, you are right, it won't be the same. In most cases, you can make it better, especially in the typical untreated room. However, you must do it right, and in all your posts, I have not detected that you have the knowledge, nor equipment to do that.
ejr1953
907 posts
 
I experienced the difference in my former home.  I used to have my system with a pair of excellent two way stand mounts and a good but modest sub woofer with a 10" driver from our 13x24' living room to my 24x26' family room, the setup just would not "fill the room".  I upgraded to a pair of three way floor standing speakers and a pair of subs each with a 13.5" driver and 3000 watt amp, and that setup DID fill the room.  In both cases, the same source, preamp and power amp were in the chain.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf OP
2,842 posts
 
Once again, I think we should stress that we are NOT talking about dynamics here. The sense of scale is the only aspect. I have never heard large scale with any smaller stand mount or smaller floor standing speaker with or without subs, regardless of the room size. The closest I came was with a pair of the Wilson DAW's, but even these were nowhere near what the Alexx V brought to the overall SQ. 
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