speaker recomendations for a small room & close to wall

[Trumpton_Rioter]

Hi,

I currently have a pair of LV Auditoriums but need to change them for a pair of speakers that work well in a small room (12ft x 11ft) and can be mounted near the wall.

I am looking to sell or part exchange the LV's to fund them and also toying with the idea of also selling my Woo Audio 6 headphone amp which includes a Sophia Princess Mesh Plate 274B rectifier tube and also a pair of HD 6550 headphones with a Cardass cable (I think). I am not sure of what price to put on the amp and if I do actually want to sell it - depends on the price of what is out there.

I will be using them with an Icon Audio valve amp

Budget is about £500ish and can be either floor standers or stand mounts.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks in advance

[jandl100]

Epos speakers work well close to walls, ime. Clear, dynamic sound.

I had a pair of larger ES30 for quite a while, and they def preferred near-wall siting.

[Effem]

Your room is cavernous compared to mine :lol:

I have a pair of JPW AP3s and they live very happily in such a tiny room close to a wall, so they should thrive in a room your size :eyebrows:

Not power hungry either so your Icon Audio will drive them no problem.

[Trumpton_Rioter]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I will have a search for some of them and see whats about.

[Jimbo]

KEF LS50's. There were a pair for sale on AOS for £500. Will work very well in that size room.

[walpurgis]

It may seem strange, but my Tannoy Cheviot II speakers work fine in a room slightly smaller than yours. They are near the back wall and driven by valve or SS Class A amps. No boom or thickness to the sound and perceived bass extends well down.

[mr sneff]

I started a similar thread a while back, my room is slightly smaller than yours. I ended up getting a pair of Rega RS1s, they're rear ported but can be used close to the wall or even wall mounted (Rega make brackets specifically for this). I'd heartily recommend them, detailed, good soundstageing and the mid/bass paper cone makes them 'fast'. The sensitivity is quoted at 90dB so I should think the Icon valve amp would drive them OK.

[Elephantears]

I've got two pairs of small speakers that work very close to walls. One are Totem Arros, which would be very good in that room. The other are Linn Majik 109. I think it's forbidden to mention Linn speakers on the forums, but they are very good for a small office system. The Kef LS50 are great, but you need a bit of space behind them.

[Haselsh1]

Those tiny Harbeths would be up there on a similar level as your Auditoriums and would suit a small room but I am not sure how they would fare with a valve amplifier. Maybe get the opinions of some more hi-fi fans and see how things go. Ah, I remember now, HLP3Es's.

[mr sneff]

I think Stereophile gave the Majik 109 a very good review.

[Trumpton_Rioter]

hmmm, I am going to have to hunt down some local shops to hear some of these suggestions

[Naughty Nigel]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Quad? I am currently using a pair of Quad 11L's (the original design) in a room about 14' 6" x 10' 6" (4.5 x 3.1 Metres), usually driven by a Pioneer A-300 (30 WPC), or the A-400 if I am not using it elsewhere.

Mid range and treble is smooth but incredibly detailed, whilst bass is tight and punchy, and more than adequate even for organ music. In short, these are probably the best loudspeakers that I have ever used. Indeed, I keep on noticing detail in recordings that I have simply never heard before. The 12L is slightly bigger, and should have more bass if needed. These are quite small speakers, but they create a large sound-stage, and sound much bigger than they are.

I got mine from the Devil's own internet auction site for £150 in virtually new condition. I have not heard the current model (the 11L2), but opinion seems t be that the original 11L sounds better, more musical, and much less clinical.

Nigel.

[Blueflash]

Would you be able to treat the room instead ? I have ATC50A`s working fine in my 9 x 9 1/2 Ft listening room

[trio leo]

I don't know how to do the linky thing but, there's a pair of Allison 4 stand mount speakers on ebay, these speakers are superb IMO, they are cheap, but in the USA. As with all Allison's they go with their backs to the wall. enter "Allison speakers", it will take you straight to them.

enjoy your music

regards Al

[DSJR]

SOME big speakers work a treat in small rooms. I used Isobariks, NS1000's and Epos 14's in a room where I could reach forward from my seat and touch them. Was notorious for my then 'giant headphone' systems :lol: Conversely, the mid period Snell E's I tried were horrible, boomy and with a harshness at crossover totally inaudible in my pal's huge space and with AI amplification..

If you're looking at new, I have it on trusted authority that the current KEF Q series are now really good, the Uni-Q design now fully mature. The LS50's are well received for smaller ones, but I have no idea just how much 'better' they are from the more sales-volume orientated models. I'd avoid smeary MA's and others with metal-cone drivers as the nasties further up will be too audible listened to close-up.

For used, there's a HUGE choice out there, but my suggestion is to go for less 'port-laden' models.

[Elephantears]

Fine though they are, the LS50 are not one of the less 'port-laden' mini-monitors. You can bung the ports but you can't ignore them.