small room floorstanding vs bookshelf debate

[Lafe]

I listen to music (no movies or games) in a 15x10. Would a small tower or a bookshelf be better? my budget is 800 dollars for towers or 400 for bookshelf speakers and a sub. Although, this may be end up being a more expensive option since I cant find an amp with a low frequency cross over to integrate a sub. Any opinions? I'm looking at the emotive T1 towers. or, should I disregard the sub and get a 800 dollar pair of bookshelf speakers? I listen to music rock music (my favorite band currently is tool) so I don't know if I really need a sub as long as I have sufficient power and decent speakers.
If you were me? what would you do?

 

[Bucknekked]

I listen to music (no movies or games) in a 15x10. Would a small tower or a bookshelf be better? my budget is 800 dollars for towers or 400 for bookshelf speakers and a sub. Although, this may be end up being a more expensive option since I cant find an amp with a low frequency cross over to integrate a sub. Any opinions? I'm looking at the emotive T1 towers. or, should I disregard the sub and get a 800 dollar pair of bookshelf speakers? I listen to music rock music (my favorite band currently is tool) so I don't know if I really need a sub as long as I have sufficient power and decent speakers.
If you were me? what would you do?

you say you can't find an amp with an LFE connection for a sub. What are you using now to power your existing sound system, or will this essentially be a new system? Most AVRs have a connection for a sub these days.

I think you will get an earful on the "what should I choose topic". I think I would summarize one point of view that says you will get more sound benefit from a pair of bookshelf speakers + sub for a modest price than trying to get the same level of sound in a pair of inexpensive towers. Many members here drive bookshelves + subs or standmounts + subs and do so with great results on a budget. Not nearly as many recommend going to towers or floor standers as the best budget approach.

YMMV, caveat, caveat, caveat. Just one point of view and one fellows opinion. Although, I must say, that opinion is worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[lovinthehd]

What do you have to drive the speakers with now? Or are looking at? A lot of 2ch gear has no bass management, but avrs do have bass management....

I personally prefer a sub even with floorstanders, even with an f3 of 37hz as the Emotiva T1 specs indicate (and how capable are they for higher spl in the low end?), as I want deep bass capabilities even just for music (and I like movies too) so either much larger and more capable floorstanders or simply support the speakers with subs.

I'm listening to some Tool now both in plain 2.0 and then in various modes with subs and surrounds....much prefer the support of subs, and my towers have a similar low end capability to the T1. I also listen to a lot of bass heavy music otherwise and wouldn't consider no subs unless maybe I had JTR 215RTs or something.

Ask @Pogre if he thinks Tool is better supported by subs and speakers....

 

[Pogre]

Once you hear your music with subs you won't want to go without. I have every cd Tool has put out and they do have some bass friendly songs. They're my favorite band too, for the last 2 decades.

I have a pair of SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers and they are very rock/metal friendly. They dig pretty deep for a bookshelf speaker, but a sub (or 2) really brings them to life. If it were me I'd consider getting a nice pair of bookshelf speakers and save for a sub. For 800 you can get some pretty nice ones of better quality than towers on the same budget.

If you're in a rush though, there are other options within your budget. I haven't heard them, but a lot of guys recommend the AA Philharmonics here. I've not heard them personally, but they measure very flat, which is good, and they play above their price tag.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Long time Tool lover here too. I'm a proponent of towers with subs. Like Hd, my f3 is 35hz but I still cross them at 80. The reason why I choose towers is their more sensitive, and the extra/larger drivers deliver better dynamics. Not to say bookshelf speakers won't get loud. Kind of like my Polk sub hits 100db, but not the same way as my SVS's do. This room however is pretty small, and a bookshelf sub combo will probably work best. Especially considering the expense of towers that are better than their bookshelf counterparts. The other hard part is 800 bucks. These guys will give you good advice on models and pricing.

 

[shadyJ]

Typically I would suggest a set of bookshelf speakers and a sub, but if you have a large room you might want to consider some Fluance Signature towers in that budget. They have very powerful bass for the cost, and they have a pretty good frequency response too. Another great choice would be a Hsu Hybrid 2.1 package, very good speakers and sub that have good dynamic range for rock music. I think another great choice would be a couple of these Pioneer SP towers and this Premiere Acoustics subwoofer. I think Philharmonic AAs and the Emotiva speakers would be solid choices as well.

 

[Lafe]

What do you have to drive the speakers with now? Or are looking at? A lot of 2ch gear has no bass management, but avrs do have bass management....

I personally prefer a sub even with floorstanders, even with an f3 of 37hz as the Emotiva T1 specs indicate (and how capable are they for higher spl in the low end?), as I want deep bass capabilities even just for music (and I like movies too) so either much larger and more capable floorstanders or simply support the speakers with subs.

I'm listening to some Tool now both in plain 2.0 and then in various modes with subs and surrounds....much prefer the support of subs, and my towers have a similar low end capability to the T1. I also listen to a lot of bass heavy music otherwise and wouldn't consider no subs unless maybe I had JTR 215RTs or something.

my current setup is a Yamaha rx-v375 with cerwin vega vs120s and a polk audio psw10 sub. I'm looking for something more accurate and cleaner than the Yamaha. the cerwin vega speakers are ok but they really need a high current amp with atleast 300wpc to reach their full potential. and why would I invest in that when I can get a new set up that sounds more detailed and cleaner than my current one. if I were to get a bookshelf and sub set up it would be with emotiva b1s and a svs sb12nsd. Ive been doing research and most sources say that ht receivers wont sound as good for music as a strict 2 channel setup will. If that's not the case, id still have to look for a new receiver since my Yamaha does not have bass management.

Ask @Pogre if he thinks Tool is better supported by subs and speakers....

 

[Lafe]

on second thought, my receiver does have bass trim. but high signal to noise and high harmonic distortion compared to 2 channel receivers, odd how my response is quoted.

 

[lovinthehd]

my current setup is a Yamaha rx-v375 with cerwin vega vs120s and a polk audio psw10 sub. I'm looking for something more accurate and cleaner than the Yamaha. the cerwin vega speakers are ok but they really need a high current amp with atleast 300wpc to reach their full potential. and why would I invest in that when I can get a new set up that sounds more detailed and cleaner than my current one. if I were to get a bookshelf and sub set up it would be with emotiva b1s and a svs sb12nsd. Ive been doing research and most sources say that ht receivers wont sound as good for music as a strict 2 channel setup will. If that's not the case, id still have to look for a new receiver since my Yamaha does not have bass management.

Watch where you reply, don't do it within the quote tags from who you're replying to....I extracted the above....

Your Yamaha is accurate and clean, you may need more power if you really need it that loud. You can't currently get it loud enough I take it? The sound quality is in your speakers and room for the most part, not the electronics. Full potential in terms of the speakers' maximum power capability is more about your ears spl capabilities; it's not a figure for highest sound quality but more a melting point. I have plenty of gear for both types systems (avr and 2ch separates based, have several of each in various rooms in my house) and still use avrs in my primary setups for their greater capabilities.

Your Yamaha does have bass management.

What have you been reading for research?

 

[Lafe]

Typically I would suggest a set of bookshelf speakers and a sub, but if you have a large room you might want to consider some Fluance Signature towers in that budget. They have very powerful bass for the cost, and they have a pretty good frequency response too. Another great choice would be a Hsu Hybrid 2.1 package, very good speakers and sub that have good dynamic range for rock music. I think another great choice would be a couple of these Pioneer SP towers and this Premiere Acoustics subwoofer. I think Philharmonic AAs and the Emotiva speakers would be solid choices as well.

have you heard the flaunce speakers? ive been interested in them for quite sometime now. the thing is.. theyre huge and I'm not sure they'll work in my small room. my cerwin vegas with 12 inch woofers lack bass in my room but when I put them in my living room they pound. on the other hand, my fathers paradigms reference 7se mkiis have no bass in a big room, but in my room they dip insanely low with ease for just 1 8in woofer.

 

[Lafe]

Watch where you reply, don't do it within the quote tags from who you're replying to....I extracted the above....

Your Yamaha is accurate and clean, you may need more power if you really need it that loud. You can't currently get it loud enough I take it? The sound quality is in your speakers and room for the most part, not the electronics. Full potential in terms of the speakers' maximum power capability is more about your ears spl capabilities; it's not a figure for highest sound quality but more a melting point. I have plenty of gear for both types systems (avr and 2ch separates based, have several of each in various rooms in my house) and still use avrs in my primary setups for their greater capabilities.

Your Yamaha does have bass management.

What have you been reading for research?

thanks for the reply. I don't listen very loud, ive been doing research on a forum called cerwin vega fans, where I found out that a high current amp makes the vegas sound better even at low volumes. every body on that site agrees. Ive been doing research on speakers and amps on websites like what hifi, audioholic's reviews, some youtubers like zero fidelity, and other fourms. on the topic of room acoustics and speaker set up, ive mainly been watching youtube videos. it seems as though my room does not respond well to large speakers. my room is very asymmetrical because one side is sloped because of my roof. wouldn't this be a good thing?

 

[shadyJ]

have you heard the flaunce speakers? ive been interested in them for quite sometime now. the thing is.. theyre huge and I'm not sure they'll work in my small room. my cerwin vegas with 12 inch woofers lack bass in my room but when I put them in my living room they pound. on the other hand, my fathers paradigms reference 7se mkiis have no bass in a big room, but in my room they dip insanely low with ease for just 1 8in woofer.

I have spent some time with the Fluance speakers, but, looking at your room dimensions, I think the Fluance speakers are too large for your room.