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Should I graduate to floor standers or will larger bookshelves suffice?

Hey guys,
I moved into a larger space several years ago, more of an open floor plan, and soon realized that my current speakers, Legacy Studio HD, in a surround array, might be a bit overwhelmed. It’s a weird, asymmetrical space, but it’s also significantly larger than my previous one. So the title of my post says it all…can I still get adequate coverage with bookshelf speakers, or do I now need floor standers? A friend told me to basically “sit closer to the tv” but that isn’t practical.

I thought about the Calibres from Legacy as an option, which is about my price range…up to 7k or so. I also see all these great internet only brands, like Fritz, or Philharmonic, etc, and I hear about their prodigious extension and sound stage, but can these bookshelves fill my room, or any room for that matter?

Let me also add, I have no problem graduating to floor standers, so suggestions are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

jonasandezekiel
kennyc
2,994 posts
 

OP- I heard the Revel be speakers at audio shows and I liked the sound. Also got some favorable reviews. But I know some didn’t care for the sound.

Like most thing high-end audio it’s a matter of subjective sonic preferences - it’s best to listen for yourself to find what “you” like.

Floorstanders are generally superior because of the added bass extension which was tuned to match the midrange and tweeter.  While one could get a stand mount and supplement with subwoofers, but matching is typically difficult and usually subpar than a floorstander.

On a side note many use a subwoofer fill out and/or add bass energy. However, some including myself plan to use “articulate” subwoofers to match my “articulate” full range floorstanders to reach lower bass AND to support the rest of the upper frequencies (it fill it out for a more full/complete sound).

bubba12's avatar
bubba12
503 posts
 

It’s possible that the suggestion of being closer to the speakers is correct. You own good speakers. I’m not sure location of your listening position isn’t the problem. Putting different speakers in the same spot might not fix the problem.

kennymacc
726 posts
 

Floor standers!!!

twhitezzz
57 posts
 

I’m just going to weigh in on this from a enjoy the music point of view.

I have a unique tune Amp and Harbeth P3ESRs running from a Node2 in my office. It’s nice.

I have a Cary Audi front end into Fritz bookshelves in my formal living room.

My floorstanders aren’t even in tje same discussion. They are both awesome...but graduate and have some fun with a big 2 channel system that doesn’t ever make you think about a sub.

jonasandezekiel OP
161 posts
 

@kennyc yeah, I agree, but no way can I find and demo all these different brands and models, especially of course the internet only ones. Unfortunately, this has become a common way to buy speakers these days. And yes to the stand mount/floorstander dilemma as well. But I’ve always had a soft spot for stand mounts. Though I think the only way I’m getting another stand mount is if it’s larger than what I have, with more output in the bass. 

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