Standmount virgin

[Effem]

For more years than I care to remember I have been a great fan of. and owned many pairs too of, floorstanding speakers. This is because I have a sceptical vein in me that says small bass speaker cones simply don't move enough air to get the power of a good bass note delivered with authority, so it is 8" or more cones for me and never owned a pair of standmount/bookshelf speakers apart from maybe a pair of Ditton 15's I had back in the 70's. :eyebrows: No. I tell a lie here; I had a pair of JM Lab Focal's which lasted a couple of days and still have a pair of Eltax compact monitor thingies that are doing AV duties in the living room.

However, we are contemplating moving house in the not too distant future so to try and pre-empt one day finding myself having to have a small listening room ( :( ) I decided to try a pair of standmounts in the meantime and keep them for that eventuality.

Have been scouring the classifieds and ebay for over a week now and looking for something reasonably cheap, with a decent badge on it with a good pedigree too, so if plans change and I need to sell them on again they won't stick. Over the weekend I bought a pair of Ruark Epilogue speakers and a pair of very heavy sand filled 24" Atacama stands. This choice is from hearing these aforesaid speakers way back in 1991 during a visit to the Trading Station in Peterborough and they sounded half decent to me way back then, even from just a brief listen. I picked up the stands yesterday locally and the Ruarks are due to be here on Thursday.

So chaps, what are the odds that I will lose my standmounter virginity and actually enjoy owning a pair of Ruark Epilogues?

[Reid Malenfant]

You'll probably enjoy them for there musicality, but unless positioned very carefully i think you'll be missing some bottom octaves.

Great speakers though, incredibly well built as well & looking superb, just don't expect too much ;)

Get a decent sub & hide it :eyebrows:

[Effem]

Get a decent sub & hide it :eyebrows:

I am looking to downsize the speakers Mark, not spreading them around :lol:

[Reid Malenfant]

I guess it depends on how loud you listen then Frank at the end of the day. There are small speakers out there that'll do a pretty good job of bottom octave activity as long as you don't expect them to do party levels as well ;)

[Effem]

I listen at what I would deem to be sensible levels - you can still hold a conversation with someone, without raising your voice.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Sometimes there are compromises to be made, Mark - the loss of deep, deep bass is one of the easiest ones to live with for most people.

[Spectral Morn]

Great speakers I used to own a pair of these once. I really like the sound of this particular range including the two larger sets of floorstanders they also made Preludes and Prologues.

Its a shame that Seven Oaks switch to Monitor Audio nearly killed Ruark off. I have a set of Equinox's and they are lovely speakers.


Regards D S D L

[Butuz]

Unless your wall mounting or on bookshelves I really do not see the point of standmounts? They take up exactly the same amount of room as thei floorstanding versions but they generally compromise on bass. So why bother??

Floorstanders are just standmounts with built in stands that go lower.

Butuz

[Stratmangler]

Unless your wall mounting or on bookshelves I really do not see the point of standmounts? They take up exactly the same amount of room as thei floorstanding versions but they generally compromise on bass. So why bother??

Floorstanders are just standmounts with built in stands that go lower.

Butuz

:D

Where did you hear that one then ?

[Macca]

Unless your wall mounting or on bookshelves I really do not see the point of standmounts? They take up exactly the same amount of room as thei floorstanding versions but they generally compromise on bass. So why bother??

Floorstanders are just standmounts with built in stands that go lower.

Butuz

Good point - Once on stands they do effectively take up the same amount of real estate so where is the gain in using a standmount? The only reason I can think of is if you don't want too much bass due to neighbours complaining or something.

[Effem]

Unless your wall mounting or on bookshelves I really do not see the point of standmounts? They take up exactly the same amount of room as thei floorstanding versions but they generally compromise on bass. So why bother??



Butuz

This I already know, but I have a cunning plan :eyebrows:

While still in this house the Ruarks will be up on stands, but I if/when move to the house which is intended, then my music will be in bedroom number 2 so the speakers will be sited on a pair of bedside tables, part of the built in wardrobe system already there. I did say the new listening room will be a LOT smaller and I aint kidding :lol:

[The Grand Wazoo]

Unless your wall mounting or on bookshelves I really do not see the point of standmounts? They take up exactly the same amount of room as thei floorstanding versions but they generally compromise on bass. So why bother??


Why bother? - because quality is often severely compromised in order to make an impressive looking big box. I'd rather have less bass if having more means it's crap bass.

The well known phrase a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un is true but there is that important word - 'good' to bear in mind.

A good little one is far, far better than a bad big one!

[Effem]

A good little one is far, far better than a bad big one!

Amen to that :clap:

[Marco]

A good little one is far, far better than a bad big one!


Well, that's defo NOT what she said last night! :eyebrows: :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Why bother? - because quality is often severely compromised in order to make an impressive looking big box. I'd rather have less bass if having more means it's crap bass.

The well known phrase a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un is true but there is that important word - 'good' to bear in mind.

A good little one is far, far better than a bad big one!

Exactly right. Quite often less is more when it comes to speaker room interfaces.

Regards D S D L

[Spectral Morn]

Well, that's defo NOT what she said last night! :eyebrows: :eyebrows:

Marco.

Its not the size, its what you do with it.


Regards D S D L

[Marco]

Well, I've met a few 'size queens' in my time.... And their mantra was: 'Never mind the quality, feel the girth!' ;)

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

I hope you are talikng about bass drivers :lolsign:

[Marco]

Aye, things that involve a 'pistonic' action........ :bum:

Marco.

[Effem]

The smut just had to appear eventually with the word "virgin" in the thread title innit :rolleyes: :lol:

:uhho:

[Reid Malenfant]

Aye, things that involve a 'pistonic' action........ :bum:

Marco.
:lolsign:

OBN33UVQWSo

Apologies Frank, but well you know - he must be out stroked :lol: Not by me i should add :eyebrows:

[Jac Hawk]

You'll probably enjoy them for there musicality, but unless positioned very carefully i think you'll be missing some bottom octaves.

Great speakers though, incredibly well built as well & looking superb, just don't expect too much ;)

Get a decent sub & hide it :eyebrows:

touché i was gonna say that :ner:

[vinylspinner]

Hi Frank,

Ruark make some fine speakers, I have owned prologue 1 and 2 and enjoyed them both, nice sound and nice boxes, very well made.

I am using Musical Fidelity MC2 stand mounts in my second system, these are nice little speakers (apart from the dated black ash) a little soft in the bass but enjoyable all the same, more than happy with them.

Nigel

[Effem]

They arrived yesterday and gave them a brief hearing last night. I didn't realise just how small they are :doh:

Had them well out into the room plonked on to 24" Atacama stands and by heck they sound a whole heap different to my Dali Suites. Naturally, as you would expect, there is no competition in the bass registers, but having said that they do sound clean and open nonetheless, with a tad more top end detail.

Bunged some blutak betwixt speaker and stand, then moved them back to within 30cm of the wall and that helped to bring up the low bass output, although the upper bass/lower midband wasn't quite as full as I am used to. For such a small box though, they do not sound like a small box speaker. Pleasant surprise.

These observations are not a serious issue because they are a very listenable speaker no offensive traits right now and will sound different again no doubt once I get relocated into a much smaller listening room.