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Afraid to buy new speakers

I'm stuck with hideous acoustics that simply couldn't be worse, and I have to place speakers close to a concrete block wall. There's no getting around it. I have decent CD player and integrated amp recently bought new (NAD 365BEE) as well as a Parasound P3 and PS Audio HCA2. Given my sorry room configuration I fear any speaker I buy will be a mere shadow of itself in a different environment, and I cannot change this environment. I'm finding that a set of small monitors and a sub seems to work, but these speakers have their own limitations. I've got a max $3K budget for a pair of speakers, but read time and again how any speaker will sound like crap when their back panel is placed close to a wall. If true that kills anything and I might as well stick with my monitors or if I want to play really loud when the wife's out put my old Advent 2s on and launch the cones. Is there ANY speaker in the 2-3 thou range that is designed to function well close to a wall save an in-wall unit? I look at these long ribbons of 3-4" drivers and can't help but think they'll sound horrible, but who knows. I'm probably going to be here for some years, so I have to make the most of it.
rg500g
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,465 posts
 
Get yourself a speaker with a sealed woofer. The Harbeth P3ESR or Spendor 3/5r's are both excellent and can be placed anywhere. If you think you need a sub, mate them with a SVS SB-1000 and you will have an ouststanding system within your budget.
royj's avatar
royj
151 posts
 
The closeness to the wall behind certainly boosts any speaker's bass loudness, as I am sure you know. And many speakers are designed with midrange and highs much louder than their bass output, because they 'are designed' for that wall to boost their bass.

However, as soon as you choose to play it loud, what will upset you the most are the reflections coming off the wall all around the speaker cabinet, followed not too far behind by the reflections from all other walls and perhaps your floor.

If you absorb sound in the main voice range (middle of the piano), behind the speakers, it makes a huge difference in how you enjoy your tunes.

We recommend at least one 24 x 48 inch, 2" thick mineral-fiber panel, cloth covered, hung sideways behind each speaker, even though you said nothing can be done about your environment, acoustically. The ones from Auralex are nice, as well as those from Acoustics First.

FYI, the next reflections to treat, besides those from a bare floor, would be those off the sidewalls' points of first reflection.

Adding furniture helps to break up longer-term echoes, of course.

Good luck!
Roy
seditious3
184 posts
 
Some NHT speakers are designed to go against the wall. I'm a fan (but don't own them).
ohlala
1,231 posts
 

AudioKinesis Prisma
or AudioKinesis Rhythm Prism

are a couple designed for it. I have heard the latter in a small room and they were good. I do not know what you have been reading, but there are a variety that will do fine against a wall. Easy examples: the ones I own (sealed three-ways) sound better in a Cardas room config but are perfectly enjoyable against a wall. Robert Lee told me his Crescendos should be placed under two feet or over five feet away from the front wall.

Speakers will sound better when no placement variables are fixed but most of us have some constraints still and do okay.
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
The Gallo Reference AV speakers are designed to use the wall as a backplane. Read up on them, they may be exactly what you are looking for...

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo6/av.html

-RW-
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