Time for a change?

[Good4it]

I think we should add a speaker term.

It should be Bookshelves for those that can be placed on a bookshelf (front ported or sealed )
Stand Mounts for larger or rear ported ones
Floor Stand for just that.

A much more accurate description of each kind. What do you think?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Too many words. I like

1) Monitors (speakers to be placed on something - stand, sub, bass modules)
2) Towers (single unit floor-standers)

 

[shadyJ]

I agree that the term bookshelf speaker should be retired unless the speaker really was designed to be placed in a bookshelf. Very few speakers are.

I associate monitors with studio monitors, personally. I don't know that it would be the best word, that word doesn't bring out the design type of that speaker. The name should be more descriptive.

 

[3db]

I agree that the term bookshelf speaker should be retired unless the speaker really was designed to be placed in a bookshelf. Very few speakers are.

True enough. The only speakers that springs to mind are the original PSB Alphas. Im sure there are more but I don't them.

 

[killdozzer]

It's a good topic, but not a big issue. I also noticed that a lot of clarifying is required when talking about speakers that are suppose to be mounted. Very few home audio bookshelves could be classified as monitors IMO. So I don't even think that the term monitor helps. Whenever I have "studio" people over at my place they all agree without exception that my KEF LS50's have far too much lows for a monitor. And these are being refer to as mini-monitors even by the manufacturer.

Monitor also implies a level of revealing, the name spurs from the process of monitoring what you do while in studio. You need some level of accuracy. Thus Sonus Faber stand mounts/bookshelves are not really monitors as they accentuate the presentation of music in a certain fashion. The philosophy of that company is that the speakers is an instrument (hence the names of the models; Guarneri (a luthier family), Amati (making violins), Serafino (a pupil of Amati, violin maker)...) I think only monitors should be called monitors. IMO none of the 3way stand mounts are really monitors and many of them are not being used in that way (KEF Reference 1 comes to mind).

There are two-way towers and three way bookshelves, so that won't do either, can't call them two-ways. Placing them on the shelf is generally to be avoided, back ported even more so, but front ported as well, it's because of the baffle and furniture resonance, not only the port, so...

I'd be OK with stand mounts and towers.

 

[yepimonfire]

Too many words. I like

1) Monitors (speakers to be placed on something - stand, sub, bass modules)
2) Towers (single unit floor-standers)

Agreed. I think the term “bookshelf speaker” needs to die. Bookshelves are the worst place for speakers and nobody puts them on bookshelves.


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[MrBoat]

I use desktop. If it fits on a desk, it should fit on a shelf.

 

[killdozzer]

I think "bookshelf" was a marketing thing; look, we made it so compact and practical, you can fit it on the shelf, no need to take up any of your living space. I don't think even the manufacturers really meant that placing them on bookshelves would be a long term solution. It's just not.

OTOH, I stick with what I said, so if anyone could point me to ( ) the "monitor part" of these, I'd be thankful:

I don't think the industry sees these as studio speakers of any kind, nor should they do any kind of monitoring job. I also don't think the industry sees these as something you buy if you don't have money or something to hold you through your student days in a small room.

It's a class of its own and most often it is envisioned as something that doesn't need a sub (much to disagreement of quite a few of us here, I admit, I'm guilty as well and can't wait to save enough for a good sub, then again mine are much closer to monitors than these).

And then there are these:

Not to be taken lightly. Sealed enclosures and according to many different sources these are among the best sounding for their size (7.5" tall).