Small, pretty bookshelf speakers that sound good

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LiveJazz

Junior Audioholic
I have reached an agreement with my wife regarding audio setup:

I get full say in the design and placement of the main system downstairs. She gets to determine which speakers are acceptable for the somewhat fancier upstairs dining/living area and where they shall fit best. Namely, they must be small and pretty, and if at all possible, they must sound as rich as possible given their design constraints...Front- or non-ported may be best as they could be jammed against a wall or something :)eek: hey, downstairs is mine. Happy wife, happy life.).

I have some NHT SuperZeros, but they are going to be my surround rears, and really I don't think their crystalline sound is appropriate for the environment. I also have some B/W bookshelves. They have been deemed sufficiently pretty, but insufficiently petite (about 14" tall). They sound great in the space, with a relatively full lower end. They'll go in the office.

Really, they goal is for these speakers to be gentle, round, laid-back people pleasers. And pretty and small.

Ideas?? Ideas so far include the Paradigm Atom, Aperion Intimus 4B, and the Cambridge S30.
 
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Matt34

Matt34

Moderator
Take a look at Orb Audio, they might be a good fit for constraints.
 
tmurnin

tmurnin

Full Audioholic
The Intimus are nice, but the Verus line are really beautiful.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
You said they must be small and pretty, and you mentioned that the B&Ws, at 14" tall, are too big, but you didn't mention price.

I had thought to mention the NHT SuperZeros, but you said their sound is to too "crystalline". By that, do you mean their neutral sound balance isn't warm enough? Did you try them in the intended area? You can always turn down the treble to warm up their sound. I hope they are small enough, and it's hard to beat their price.

In case $1200 per pair isn't too much, you might consider Salk WOW1 speakers. Their sound is excellent, and they are small, 7" wide × 9" deep × 10¾" tall. At that base price, a wide choice of excellent looking veneers (curly maple, curly cherry, curly walnut, red oak, white oak, and straight mahogany) is available. At additional cost, you could choose any veneer available. Click on the Photos link below in my signature line to see an example of unstained curly cherry speakers.

For less, $895 per pair, you might also consider Salk SongSurround I speakers. They are 8" wide × 10" deep × 13" tall, and come in the same standard finishes. They are marketed as home theater surround speakers, but by themselves make excellent stereo speakers.

If it helps, let your wife coordinate the finish and final color tone by talking with Jim Salk. His speakers and wood finishes are first rate, and he can easily dye the veneer to match wood furniture you now have.
 
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BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
How about EMPTek's E41 or KEF XQ10 ?
and if you spouse don't mind the looks of Mirage OMD-5's
 
L

LiveJazz

Junior Audioholic
You said they must be small and pretty, and you mentioned that the B&Ws, at 14" tall, are too big, but you didn't mention price.

I had thought to mention the NHT SuperZeros, but you said their sound is to too "crystalline". By that, do you mean their neutral sound balance isn't warm enough? Did you try them in the intended area? You can always turn down the treble to warm up their sound. I hope they are small enough, and it's hard to beat their price.
Yes and yes. It's just a rather large space, and as great as the SuperZeros sound, they just seem a bit underwhelming and, well, small, in the space. Also, I really like them as surround rears.

I like the idea of Salk's custom finishes. I think if the speakers were just gorgeous things to look at and match the rest of the room, size wouldn't be so much of an issue.
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
As far as filling the room with sound, physics plays a good part of that. To fill the room with sound, the speaker has to move the air in that room. The larger the driver, the more air it can successfully move.

Look it lkinda like a space heater. A small 6x4x4 ceramic heater might work in a small space but in a large room it's virtually useless unless you're right on top of it.
 
A

alphaiii

Audioholic General
The Cambridge S30 is quite a bit more capable than the Aperion 4B or NHT Super Zero... How big is your room?

I wouldn't quite call the S30 pretty though... but maybe unobtrusive...
 
C

cornelius

Full Audioholic
My wife and I got finished with a big reno a couple years ago, and I ended up with a pair of Harbeth P3's. I didn't want big ugly speakers any more then she did... They're only about a foot tall, no ports and come in really nice finishes. You said that you're looking for a rich laid back sound - that's where these speakers excel - they're room filling for such a small speaker. They're designed to be listened to, all day long in recording and television studios - even though they're laid back, they're detailed too - it's that combo that makes them sound so great...
 
champster

champster

Audiophyte
I'm currently using B&W CM5. I think they look nice and sound very nice! However, for big rooms you need a sub to fill in the sound.

Meridian dsp3200 also sound very good and look sexy if you have the cash!
 
theJman

theJman

Audioholic Chief
Depending upon how large your room is the Monitor Audio Silver series might work, or the Martin Logan Motion's. PSB also makes some nice bookshelf speakers.
 
E

Ears to you

Junior Audioholic
How about KEF LS50s for their small size (11.9" H) but great sound? Some folks like the look (I personally don't), and when I heard them at the NYC Audio Show this year, they sounded pretty incredible.

Like champster, I also have B&W CM5s, and use them with a Hsu VTF1 in my 15' x 15' living room, which gives me the type of "easy", full bodied sound (along with great imaging, soundstage, musicians-in-the-room experience) that you mentioned earlier. Given your screen name, I assume that you listen mostly to jazz, as do I, and the B&W do really well with both acoustic and electric jazz. I bought mine used on Craigslist for $630, but I wouldn't pay $1500 new for them, as I think for that money, there are more cost effective choices out there.

The Philharmonitors by Dennis Murphy ( Monitors~Philharmonic Audio) at $850/pair I'll bet are quite good, they seem to look nice, and might actually sound better than the CM5s, but probably too big for your needs at 17" tall? Good luck in your search, and it will be interesting to see what you end up with!
 
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L

LiveJazz

Junior Audioholic
Thanks all for the suggestions. Definitely a few models I'd forgotten about in there. I do like the B/W CM5, but the problem is I don't remember liking it twice as much as the 685, so i'd be paying mainly for the smaller size. Maybe that's OK.

I'll definitely check out the KEF LS50; that looks like a great option, and it may even fit the decor (somewhat mod and clean). I'm not too familiar with the whole KEF line...need to get to a dealer asap. I also really like the look of those Monitor Silver RX1s.

The Harbeths look lovely but are probably out of $ range.

The Orbs are intriguing, but I'm dubious about using them as a stand-alone speakers. Does anyone have experience using them as 2.0 stereo speakers?

Another that just came to mind is the PSB Imagine Mini. I remember hearing them at a dealer and being shocked how full and clear they sound for the size.
 
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LiveJazz

Junior Audioholic
Hot damn, those WOW1s are gorgeous!! Especially that Mappa [wipes slobber] burl! I may be saving up for those babies on looks alone, and I know Salk won't disappoint on sound. Though I am a bit concerned about that 83db sensitivity...may need a more powerful amp to go with...

3db, I did hear the Imagine Mini's, and actually just remembered them before checking back here earlier. Extremely impressive speaker for the size! I was in the demo room with them and the sound was so rich, tight and clear that I kept checking to see if I had switched to the Imagine B by accident. Definitely a contender here.
 
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Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
… Though I am a bit concerned about that 83db sensitivity...may need a more powerful amp to go with...
The WOW1s can go down to 48 Hz at -3 dB using a 12 cm (4¾") woofer. You can't have bass depth and high sensitivity and small size all in one speaker without paying through the nose.

Salk also tends to be very conservative on his sensitivity ratings. I have SongTowers which are rated at 88 dB. I have heard them side-by-side with other tower speakers rated at 90 dB. With the same amp, in the same room, with the same volume settings, the STs were without question louder.

If you are serious about these speakers, talk to Jim Salk and ask him what size amp he would recommend. I doubt if they require a big hoss of an amp.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
3db, I did hear the Imagine Mini's, and actually just remembered them before checking back here earlier. Extremely impressive speaker for the size! I was in the demo room with them and the sound was so rich, tight and clear that I kept checking to see if I had switched to the Imagine B by accident. Definitely a contender here.
They put my much larger Image 1B which I use as surrounds to shame. They truly are an impressive speaker independent of size but given their diminutive size makes them truly something to behold. You could not go wrong with either PSB or the Salks.
 
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