Best small speakers

[sparkle]

Hi guys!

Opinion please?!
What do the honorrable members of this highly graded forum think about some small speakers on speaker stands?
What project to use? What is the latest/best trick to work with?

My room is 4*4 meters. Amplifier are different (tubes and solid state).
best regards
daniel

[454Casull]

What's your budget?

[sreten]

There is no such thing as "Best", there is good value and fit for
purpose, and achieving high enough quality for the system.

There are a lot of good designs (and some not so good).

However checkout (depending on budget) :

http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_files/default.htm
http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=main.html
http://home.hetnet.nl/~geenius/

A well made compact speaker on good stands well placed
is very hard to beat in terms of quality per $ expended.

However a slim floorstander has some advantages for
extending bass without extending foot print, and you
don't have to buy expensive stands.

I like the look of the DD8-II's.

sreten.

[sparkle]

Thanks Casull and sreten!

My budget is not limited yet- I am looking for an information really. There are lots of designs on the net and that is very confusing. I know that I can buy very good speakers for 1000Euro's allready, and if I can get something better for less money or even better for a 1000E it will be o.k.
I forgot to tell that I have good source for Morel drivers so it would be nice to fit them in some good speakers.

Sreten - thanks- I will look the links You have supplied and come back here again..... Sorry for my bad choice of words- I know - what is best..... yes, I know - I have words that You have said on my mind. Thanks. Also I would like small speakers better than some floorstanders- my room is not very big as I have said.....

[sparkle]

oh boy these links are good.......
regards one more time
daniel

[paulspencer]

Sparkle,

What is the difference between bookshelf speakers on stands and floorstanders with the same footprint? They both take up the same space. If you do DIY then it may be cheaper to do a floorstander, and you may get a little more bass. You can then add another woofer and increase the output further.

[sparkle]

Yes, but if I get more bass response than there will be to much of it ..... My room is 16m2 top so. I have had Sonus Faber Minima Amator (o.k.), JmLab Cobalt 805 (I think- the smallest one of the old Cobalts)- o.k., JMlab Elektra 905- NOT O.k. - to much bass - to small room for this speaker. Didn't listen to some foolstanders in it but I supose that the bass would be to much for me . Now I am running on a Rogers LS2a/2 with Onix Preamp/amp/power supply combo- o.k.

Am I wrong???

[paulspencer]

When you say "too much bass" you may be referring to bass problems with the room. The room will introduce peaks and dips in the response. This can give you a boomy sound, and a feeling that there is "too much bass," but this can never be blamed on the speakers if they are well designed. This needs experimenting with speaker placement.

It makes sense to have more output available than you want. Speakers always sound better played well short of their max output. You speakers may be able to handle 100 watts, but they will sound better with 1 watt. Keep this in mind.

[sparkle]

Hey, thanks...
But tell me how can it be that my JMlab Electra 905's didn't sound good in this room and in bigger room they did sound o.k.? O.k I know that I can not blame the speaker for the boomy bass but I can't make new room because of the speakers that I have (although I would like that much - new room). So I like to find speakers that would sound in my room at their best.
I have experienced that little speakers on speaker stands sound o.k. in my room so that what I was looking for....?!

best regards
daniel

[sreten]

Originally posted by sparkle
Yes, but if I get more bass response than there will be to much of it
...... My room is 16m2 top so..... Am I wrong???.........

Hard to say.
You have a square room so major modes at ~ 40Hz and ~ 80Hz.

So a small speaker cutting off around 55Hz probably sounds
about right in your room, the 40hz mode defining the bass limit.

However an overdamped floorstanding bass reflex tuned to
under 40Hz, (any speaker tuned around 40 Hz will tend to
sound boomy) may be able to extend bass in room compared
to the above.

Compare the responses of these two options :

My money's on the bigger speaker will suit your room better.

sreten.