small speakers for small room


hello, i would like to set up a bed room system, and hope that you can give me some advice

Currently I have AQ dragonfly USB DAC, a musical fidelity X-A1 vintage int. amp (50W*2), now I am looking for passive speakers

My bed room is very small (2M*3M), so the speakers cannot put too far from the wall (~20cm). And I am looking for small one, less wide than 17cm.

My music taste is mainly pop music and electronic music (kraftwerk, pet shop boys..); but i listen to jazz, rock and classical sometimes too. I dislike bright sound (from the experience of using monitor audio).

My budget is <1200 USD, I have shortlisted the following:
Proac tablette series
PSB imagine mini
Spendor SA1
Rega RS1

I dont mind to use vintage stuff too.
Could you give me some advice? I know it is a great space constraint though.

Thanks a lot in advance.
monster7
That's a pretty tight room so you'll have to be careful and if you don't have any treatment in there, start to think about it if you truly want to get good sound. I've got a small room as well, but not quite as small as yours. I've had good luck with the LS-50's in my room, but I really feel that 1.) They'd sound even better in a larger space and 2.) They are at the limit in my room (11x12ft) in just being too much for that room. Compared to the Harbeth P3ESR and Silverline Minuet's that I also have, it's the Kef's that are the most finicky and require the most treatment in that room. They really do have to be in an exact spot in my room to work well and an inch outside of that spot makes or breaks them for me.

The LS50's..if you are really into imaging and soundstage, may give you fits in your smaller room and I'm betting you'll have to use the plugs in the ports otherwise, your bass in that room with the speakers so close to the wall could become too heavy.

The Harbeth's have a similar sound to the Kefs albeit in with a smaller sound with a little less bass. They probably image just a little bit better than the LS50's, but I suspect in a larger room than mine, that might not be the case. Also because the sealed design of the Harbeths make them easier to place in a tight room. That said, even used, they are probably out of your budget.

I'm a big fan of the Silverlines. Yes, there are many compromises involved with them because of their size but I often think when I'm playing mine that I wished my room was smaller because they'd probably improve in a tighter more intimate space. There's a nice purity about them that I really enjoy and depending on your music choices, their shortcomings may not even be a factor.

Good luck with your decision, I've found that these days, there are so many good small speakers that it's hard to make a bad choice.
Another inside-the-box solution would be speakers that use full-range drivers such as Fostex, Audio Nirvana, Lowther (although these drivers may push your price limit), and others. I recently bought some Audio Nirvana drivers and had cabinets built, all for about $1500, and feel they sound more like live music than other small room speakers I have had that cost up to $40K.
I wonder if any of the responders have used a room that size as both a bedroom and a listening space. My master bedroom was 2.4M X 3M (8' X 10') for 5 years. Other than a queen sized bed, a nightstand, and a tall bookcase tucked in the corner, there wasn't much room for too much else.

My system was an Onkyo receiver, a TEAC CD player, and some Polk speakers placed on top of the bookcase. It sounded great. You could not play the system too loud, because the room would just work against you. Granted this was 15 years ago and was my post-divorce apartment, but it taught me to be very conservative in what to have in a bedroom system.

I would never spend serious money for speakers in a room this size. You will be listening sitting in bed or possibly sitting in a chair (a remote is very useful btw). I would go for speakers that could be wall mounted or placed close to the wall. On the high end, I would go for Rega RS1. I have used the Rega Aras (3 generations removed from the RS1) and these speakers are phenomenal sounding inside bookcases, smashed against walls, etc. On the low end, I would go with NHT Super Zero ($400) or Polk RTi A1 ($325) which work very well on the wall or on shelves.

The other speakers mentioned are all fine ... no criticisms. I just don't believe that you need to spend that much coin to get good sound in a room that size, as the room will not make a $1200 speaker sound like it is worth $1200.

Rich
Some good advice here. I would add the Dali Mentor Menuet to the list. Yep, there is one for sale on Audiogon at this moment, though the price is too high, IMO. One thing to keep in mind is that almost all bookshelf speakers will need stands to sound right, which adds to the cost and may crowd the room. The Dali's may be an exception. You might also check the Naim Forum site for more options. This topic frequently shows up there.
I agree with Rich above, if you are just going to throw the speakers into corners or against a wall and not be able to set the system up with room around both the speakers and listening position, you'll never be able to realize the benefits that more expensive speakers provide.