Help with "small" speaker selection 20x30 room

[David cook]

Hello, I've read several threads here that say a small speaker cannot produce the sound that a larger one can.

Having said that, my room is 20x30, but listening area is 20x15. I need to stay with a speaker that is 6" wide or less. My question is can the NHT Superzero compete in sound quality with the RSL CG4 or B&W M1 and/or will any of these 3 work for my listening area & room size? THANK YOU!

 

[afterlife2]

Welcome. Music 2.1 or HT 5.1, etc?

 

[psbfan9]

Hello, I've read several threads here that say a small speaker cannot produce the sound that a larger one can.

Having said that, my room is 20x30, but listening area is 20x15. I need to stay with a speaker that is 6" wide or less. My question is can the NHT Superzero compete in sound quality with the RSL CG4 or B&W M1 and/or will any of these 3 work for my listening area & room size? THANK YOU!

Hey David,

I would say reread those articles. There have been recent, and not so recent, posts that are contrary to what you've said. YMMV.

Are planning you on adding a sub? At what volume do you listen? Are these being placed into cut out space in a cabinet?
I would say the RSL's would be the way to go. They will have more bass output, which is not much, then the other choices. They also produce massive sound for an affordable price. Plus, return shipping paid, full 30 days in home trial, and excellent customer service.

 

[David cook]

5.1 with a Teac AG-H500 which is rated for 55 watts per channel unless someone here says I need to upgrade the receiver. 50/50 music/tv. Thank you

 

[David cook]

When I said small sound I was referring to the satellites. Yes I am planning on having a sub. I just have a defined area for my tv and dont want to change cabinets.

 

[highfigh]

5.1 with a Teac AG-H500 which is rated for 55 watts per channel unless someone here says I need to upgrade the receiver. 50/50 music/tv. Thank you

How loud does it need to be and how far from the speakers will you be? Sitting most of the time, or in a room that is used for more than sitting, e.g., kitchen that opens into living room or family room?

20' x 30' is a large room for small speakers, but a pair at each end can sound good if they interact well. Part of the problem with small speakers/large room is that you may be sitting closer to the speakers, but the speakers are interacting with the whole room.

While they're not inexpensive by any means, the Dynaudio Excite 14 speakers I installed do a great job in a house with one large space that includes the Kitchen & Sun Room and opens to the Living Room, main hall and another room through 6' wide doorways. I added another pair in the Living Room and when I walk around that part of the house, the low end is very nice- he had originally asked about a sub and we decided that it really wasn't needed. These speakers are 5-1/4" two-way.

These people don't listen to hard rock but they do listen to music that demands a lot from the speakers. Your musical preferences will determine what you need.

 

[afterlife2]

5.1 with a Teac AG-H500 which is rated for 55 watts per channel unless someone here says I need to upgrade the receiver. 50/50 music/tv. Thank you

If you don't mind used these are a great bargain: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Boston-Acoustics-CR65-CRC7-Audiophile-2-Way-Stereo-Bookshelf-Speakers/222648156569?epid=2158511649&hash=item33d6dd4199:g:iZoAAOSwa8dZvstR


Surrounds. I have these and they are dang good: https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Audio-AA321B-Surround-Speakers/dp/B00KSLX5QM/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1/136-7188455-6848865?ie=UTF8&qid=1515079414&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=acoustic+sattelite+speakers

 

[David cook]

Thanks for all the help.
The sitting area is 20x15. I have 2 recliners thst are 10' or less from the tv, couch is about 10-15'. Yes the room is open to the kichen & nook. I mainly listen to rock. I have up to $1200 to spend on speakers and a sub just wasn't sure if it took that to get good quality sound? Thanks again!

 

[psbfan9]

When I said small sound I was referring to the satellites. Yes I am planning on having a sub. I just have a defined area for my tv and dont want to change cabinets.

Wow, that is a tight space. Does it measure exactly 6"? You could try Focal Birds which are 6-9/16" wide. They also offer more placement options.

https://www.focal.com/us/home-theater/bird/bird

After seeing the pic. of the room I'm thinking soundbar. You can get a mount to place a soundbar on top of the tv.

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/audio/sound-bars.51/

https://www.amazon.com/Impact-Mounts-Universal-Soundbar-Speaker/dp/B00JMWF3AE

Or

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-ATS-124-Shelf-Large-24-Inch-Width/dp/B00T8U6CHS/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1515084617&sr=1-17&keywords=tv+mount+for+soundbar

 

[2channel lover]

Thanks for all the help.
The sitting area is 20x15. I have 2 recliners thst are 10' or less from the tv, couch is about 10-15'. Yes the room is open to the kichen & nook. I mainly listen to rock. I have up to $1200 to spend on speakers and a sub just wasn't sure if it took that to get good quality sound? Thanks again!View attachment 23269

I think $1200 can get you a nice pair of speakers, and a decent sub, but I think you might be a little under funded for both.

Small speakers generally will struggle in a room as large as your space to produce loud sound (say 80 db spl), but not all.

Pair these with a sub and I don't think you'll will have much problem filling the room with rocking music or movies.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/Mini-Monitor.html

 

[Montucky]

Gotta laugh at how architects just LOVE to place the TV locations in such awkward spots for proper viewing/listening. One of my pet peeves for sure.

In your situation, my suggestion would honestly be for a 2.1 setup like the SVS Prime Satellites + one of their subs. They're $135 each and honestly can really jam. They have a basic 2.1 kit that includes an SB-1000 for $699.99, (https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-satellite-2-1) I've seen them let customers swap it for a PB-1000. Honestly if you can fit it in though, your room might demand a larger sub due to its dimensions. Still, even an SB/PB-1000 plus the SVS Sats would absolutely smoke the setup I see in your picture.

EDIT: FWIW, the SVS Prime Satellite dimensions are 8.75" (H) X 4.9" (W) X 6" (D). They've been just the right tool for the job with many of my customers who were stuck with a less than ideal offset layout. With a stereo pair of speakers, one thing that is nice is how you can toe them in/out to get your stereo imaging dialed to your main listening position. That's the one downside to most soundbars, although a sound bar may honestly be the right way to go in your situation if you can't find traditional speakers that will work out for you.

 

[afterlife2]

One more. I own these and can get loud without distortion. I recommended them to another forum member and he loved these: https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-AESS5-BL-Architectural-Expansion-Satellite/dp/B0018N57OM/ref=sr_1_sc_1/136-7188455-6848865?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1515086144&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=JBL+sattelite+speakers&th=1

Massive deal used: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leviton-JBL-AEH50-Home-Theater-Satellite-5-Speakers-With-2-Mount-Brackets-Black/132414713057?epid=2170348372&hash=item1ed4882ce1:g:f5wAAOSwcXpZmijT

With a PB1000 as mentioned above you'll be in glory: https://www.svsound.com/collections/outlet-specials/products/pb-1000-outlet-1

or this big sale: https://www.amazon.com/SVS-SB12-NSD-400-watt-Controlled-Subwoofer/dp/B009F8Y7SO/ref=sr_1_2/139-2262969-9889745?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1515086790&sr=1-2&keywords=svs+pb12-nsd

 

[David cook]

Thank you for the input I do appreciate it!

 

[zieglj01]

5.3 inches wide Canton CD-310 speakers -- Canton makes good stuff
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/cantcd310bga/canton-cd-310-4-2-way-on-wall-speaker-gloss-black-pair/1.html#!specifications

 

[David cook]

Gotta laugh at how architects just LOVE to place the TV locations in such awkward spots for proper viewing/listening. One of my pet peeves for sure.

In your situation, my suggestion would honestly be for a 2.1 setup like the SVS Prime Satellites + one of their subs. They're $135 each and honestly can really jam. They have a basic 2.1 kit that includes an SB-1000 for $699.99, (https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-satellite-2-1) I've seen them let customers swap it for a PB-1000. Honestly if you can fit it in though, your room might demand a larger sub due to its dimensions. Still, even an SB/PB-1000 plus the SVS Sats would absolutely smoke the setup I see in your picture.

EDIT: FWIW, the SVS Prime Satellite dimensions are 8.75" (H) X 4.9" (W) X 6" (D). They've been just the right tool for the job with many of my customers who were stuck with a less than ideal offset layout. With a stereo pair of speakers, one thing that is nice is how you can toe them in/out to get your stereo imaging dialed to your main listening position. That's the one downside to most soundbars, although a sound bar may honestly be the right way to go in your situation if you can't find traditional speakers that will work out for you.

I was going to lift my tv 6 inches to accommodate something like the SVS primes and lay them on their sides and buy a center channel and lay it on top of a sub. Any concerns with that set up?

 

[afterlife2]

This sub also would be good in your room: https://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-Audio-Subwoofer-BasX-Sub8/dp/B0725D13VC

 

[panteragstk]

I feel your pain. I have a very expensive hutch we bought for another house that let me have floor standers next to it. New house, not so much. Ended up going all in-ceiling which actually sounds pretty good for what it is. Wouldn't have done it had I not two other rooms with full surround systems.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I was going to lift my tv 6 inches to accommodate something like the SVS primes and lay them on their sides and buy a center channel and lay it on top of a sub. Any concerns with that set up?

I like this idea. Not sure laying on their sides will be great for imaging, but I don’t see a sweet spot so I would definitely build/Buy/find a riser to go under the tv.