Who is happy with just 'bookshelf' loudspeakers?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by felix.scerri, Jan 25, 2014.

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  1. nbakid2000

    nbakid2000 On Indie's Cutting Edge

    Location:
    Springfield, MO
    I use Wharfedale Diamond 7 bookshelf speakers in the living room. They sound fantastic. Very happy with the results.
     
  2. Jim T

    Jim T Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mars
    ----------------
    Yes, the Big-Dog of bookshelf speakers.
     
    aoxomoxoa likes this.
  3. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    PSB Alpha B1 (stand mounted) and Subseries 1. I took a tour through floor standing speakers over the last three years and I returned to my well loved PSBs. It helps that they are efficient as they are now coupled with a NuForce DDA-100.
     
    Jerry Horne likes this.
  4. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    Nice looking setup there man.
     
  5. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I've owned AR3a's and now my favorites are my refurbished KLH Model 5's made in 1968. They were both bookshelf speakers as you point out.
     
    aoxomoxoa likes this.
  6. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    And I have The Advent Loudspeaker on my bookshelves. Kloss continued.
     
  7. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    I love bookshelf speakers (obviously) but every now and then you want VOLUME and BASS and you'll get that from a tower.

    I had a pair of PMC FB1i's for a few years. Still miss them when it's Black Sabbath time.

    I'm toying with the idea of a pair of KEF R500 towers.
     
  8. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    I have a pair of Advents "Larger Advent" in the attic. They sound ok but someone replaced the woofers at some point. I got them dirt cheap. Wife wonders why I keep such things!
     
  9. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    For me it is not about the bass but rather the midrange- especially the vocal range. Since most decent bookshelf speakers do not house a dedicated midrange driver- i.e. a 3-way system- I find the need to move to floorstanders that do.
    True, a good bookshelf speaker will reproduce mid frequencies with some clarity but once you hear a properly designed and executed 3-way with dedicated midrange (example B&W 683) it becomes a game changing necessity to have such a system. The mid frequencies come out from under the blanket.
     
  10. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Many thanks! I'm hoping to upgrade the speakers very soon.
     
  11. chrischerm

    chrischerm Forum Resident

    It may also depends on your listening environment(s.) I don't have an integrated system, but a separate digital and analog setup.

    When at my computer, I really fond of my Emotiva Airmotiv 5 bookshelf speakers. They sound great and work in good compliment with my Bifrost Uber.

    That said, when at my TT, I do prefer the DCM TimeWindow towers.
     
  12. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    I have some Scott tube gear of about the same vintage.I can't imagine using bookshelf speakers with it.I love my early 80s vintage Hereseys I bought cheap on Craigslist.But I do the Japanese are crazier about tubes than just about anybody else in the world,and most of them live in pretty small quarters.
     
  13. Doctorcilantro

    Doctorcilantro Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle East
    I've been more than pleased with the mid-range on many bookshelf speakers. Full-rangers like Blumenstein Audio, Omega, Fritz Speakers, Zu Union come to mind.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. felix.scerri

    felix.scerri Forum Resident Thread Starter

    G'day all, I found these old scans of the bookshelf speakers that I use, along with test results. It's been quite a while since good loudspeakers were that cheap! I've since replaced the woofers with higher power equivalents but the tweeters are still originals and they still sound great.

    At the time that I bought these 'Merlins', there were several others in the range, but they all had the Richter family 'sound'. Regards, Felix.
     

    Attached Files:

  15. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    They sound very, very, very good.
     
  16. felix.scerri

    felix.scerri Forum Resident Thread Starter

    G'day all, and now the test results: Regards, Felix.
     

    Attached Files:

  17. DragonQ

    DragonQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Moon
    When I first started looking for speakers for my home cinema system last year it didn't take me long to decide to go with floorstanders. For the models I was looking at in my price range they always had more bass response and worked out the same price as bookshelves anyway once the price of decent stands were taken into account. Plus I haven't felt the need for a subwoofer yet since they're rated to go down to 25 Hz, which saves more money. It came down to three brands which had excellent reviews, one of which wasn't on sale in the UK. Out of the other two, one was on offer at a local dealer and the other wasn't, so I had a listen and bought a pair. I then decided to wait until the matching surrounds were reduced in price before buying them, which happened this month. Nearly half the price they were at the time of buying the front floorstanders due to the product line being replaced, and I managed to get the full versions rather than the smaller "surround" versions (which are meant to be smaller and cheaper).

    The only thing I'm missing now is stands for my rear speakers but I won't need any until I move (right now they rest on chairs which I have no other use or space for anyway).
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2014
    Doctorcilantro likes this.
  18. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Me. My Usher 520's sound very nice and have good bass in my small room.
     
    Dan DRC likes this.
  19. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident


    I'm happy with the sound and bass response that my Eico HF-81 tube amp and Dynaco A25's deliver. In the small bedroom where the system is set up. It's more than enough for less critical/casual listening.
     
  20. reb

    reb Money Beats Soul

    Location:
    Long Island
    I have a pair of Yamaha 3 way monitor ((bookshelf) speakers that have an 8 inch woofer and a 5inch midrarange. Dimensions are 14hx10.25wx12d.
    Small footprint and capable of big sound.
     
  21. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    Additionally, I would not use the terminology "bookshelf speaker" when referring to a hi-end stand mount. There are stand mount loudspeakers in every price range up to and over $30 grand, many of which will produce bass below 50hz more accurately than most of us have ever heard it. The room boom and the lack of detail presented by slow woofers may satisfy on some level, but it isn't part of the recording.
     
  22. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    But you have accepted a compromise anyhow. Less musical detail, transient speed, tonality, soundstage size, etc. Some will go that way and others will go another. There are no shortcuts to having it all at the highest level.
     
  23. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I truly wish manufacturers made more speakers like these. I believe Sony makes a comparable but low end set that gets poor reviews.
    Most bookshelf speakers are your typical 2-way, with either a 5-1/2 or 6-1/2 inch mid-woofer and a tweeter. Owning and listening to many over the years I find their sound can go into 1 of 2 directions- bias towards true midrange / vocal clarity and lacking in bass (your typical studio monitor sound) or bias towards the low end, which puts a veil / warm blanket over the midrange. While one of these options may be OK, once you experience the clarity of a good three-way you can easily spot the sound of the bookshelf and what it is missing.
     
  24. Sandy8

    Sandy8 Active Member

    Location:
    Squamish BC Canada
    No complaints with bookshelves here. Then again the room is 9 x 12 and i live in a condo…

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Ellsworth

    Ellsworth Forum Resident

    I have a fairly big room and the Harbeth P3ES2s just did not get low enough without a sub for me. In a smaller room, I bet they do better. I would love to try the Compact 7s.

    In reality, good bookshelf speakers take up just as much or more room than floor standers. Without good stands and placement, it seems you are really cheating yourself on the bookshelf speakers.
     
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