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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 17:57:19 GMT
Which small/medium (bookshelf) sized speakers, do well at high volume levels? Also contain their composure etc.
S.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 5, 2018 18:33:59 GMT
Great idea for a thread. Neat Petite 1 would be a starter for me. Although I’ve only heard them in shops, I suspect Bose 301 would be worth a shout too. Never had em but AE1s usually get a mention. AE2 even more so.
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Post by nonuffin on Jul 5, 2018 18:45:22 GMT
Find a pair of Arcam Alto's. Very compact and very competent too as they are actually rebadged Audiovectors.
One small tip with them though; if they are to be shipped then the packaging must be bomb proof. The bass units have an enormous magnet swinging on the end of a die cast spider which will fracture with rough handling by cowboy couriers. It happened to me but Arcam bless them came to the rescue.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 19:04:16 GMT
Wouldn't mind trying the newer style ATC SCM 11. From what I've read they have improved more smoother tweeter. These have a reputation for sounding composed, even at very SPL. But do need decent power though.
S.
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Post by nonuffin on Jul 5, 2018 19:09:18 GMT
Wouldn't mind trying the newer style ATC SCM 11. From what I've read they have improved more smoother tweeter. These have a reputation for sounding composed, even at very SPL. But do need decent power though. S. The tweeters are much improved on the latest models. They soak up power like a sponge and they have a bass truncated below 50hz. I don't mean rolled off, I mean completely chopped off. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 19:33:58 GMT
Proac Tablette and Tablette 2000?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 20:01:45 GMT
I built a pair of speakers that really 'Kicked Ass' using a two five inch drivers in each. I'm cheating here really. They were four foot tall folded horns!  |
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Post by dsjr on Jul 5, 2018 20:41:38 GMT
Wouldn't mind trying the newer style ATC SCM 11. From what I've read they have improved more smoother tweeter. These have a reputation for sounding composed, even at very SPL. But do need decent power though. S. The tweeters are much improved on the latest models. They soak up power like a sponge and they have a bass truncated below 50hz. I don't mean rolled off, I mean completely chopped off. Yeah, the main issue of ATC's is that they absorb power. They don't need current as such, just good old fashioned voltage based watts - if you can stretch to it, active is always better with these... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 21:00:57 GMT
Proac Tablette and Tablette 2000? Always liked the look of the Proac 1SC. The Sugden fans go crazy for that particular model. S. |
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Post by dsjr on Jul 6, 2018 10:26:02 GMT
Pro-Ac loudness switch responses eh Shame? Boom for bass in larger ones and Whistle for highs? Many audio people loved them so I must be wrong...
I still rate the JBL Control One for eighty quid from richer Sounds. Designed for shelf or wall mounting (they come with brackets) the bass perception is very Kan-like, but the midrange is rather better/clearer/more musical I think than Kans ever were and the highs don't intrude as in many Naim-centric small speakers these days. Far better than the cheap AV-bar-restaurant-small club kind of venues they're most often found in. The Pro version has a different crossover but no real idea how this impacts sonics (I remain to be convinced on the tweeter colours)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2019 18:14:51 GMT
Those JBls are cracking. I always had a soft spot for JPW Sonatas too.
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Post by dsjr on Feb 26, 2019 18:22:55 GMT
To be honest, 'kicking arse' and 'small size speakers' just don't go hand in hand at all.. Recent listening to Clutch (thanks jammy) through headphones and speakers told me that in no uncertain terms, as a tiny box loses most of the bass energy, or will pop trying to reproduce it!
One thing I can't take is a tiny bass unit doubling/tripling low bass notes - clouds the midrange too rather badly. I think this is as much 'physics' as anything else... Mid sized 'BBC Inspired' boxes trade any bass extension for mid-bass bloat and that's even worse imo...
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 26, 2019 18:52:57 GMT
I’d say Neats often kick ass. Naturally they won’t do really deep bass but they still create an impactful presentation. I guess we are probably talking apples and oranges. It takes a big speaker for you to feel the bass but little ones can still have impact and satisfy in that respect.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2019 18:57:11 GMT
To be honest, 'kicking arse' and 'small size speakers' just don't go hand in hand at all.. Recent listening to Clutch (thanks jammy) through headphones and speakers told me that in no uncertain terms, as a tiny box loses most of the bass energy, or will pop trying to reproduce it! One thing I can't take is a tiny bass unit doubling/tripling low bass notes - clouds the midrange too rather badly. I think this is as much 'physics' as anything else... Mid sized 'BBC Inspired' boxes trade any bass extension for mid-bass bloat and that's even worse imo... Oh, indeed, Dave. What an absolute oxymoron I am  S. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2019 7:54:56 GMT
To be honest, 'kicking arse' and 'small size speakers' just don't go hand in hand at all.. Recent listening to Clutch (thanks jammy) through headphones and speakers told me that in no uncertain terms, True......you'll want a big speaker for that. Though quite why anyone would want or bare high SPL's in a small domestic listeninng room beats me ? You planning a garden party or something Shane. I had a pair of small standmount Mission 751's in me younger days, fuk they were indestructible, many a party had at Vol 11. |
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Post by dsjr on Feb 27, 2019 9:03:03 GMT
My old smallish IMF's do that, but I don't thrash them now as they're irreplaceable. In comparison, the Spendors sound as if they're going to fall apart at quite modest volume levels |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2019 9:26:25 GMT
Small speakers that work within their limitations can sound really good. With a decent amp you can shove them against the wall and get controlled reinforcement of the bass that is there. On the other hand, small speakers that try too hard (Kef Coda 7's anyone...) just go blob-blob-blob and sound shocking beyond 'wow, they're bassy mate' type responses. Hence I probably prefer un-ported small speakers as that over-bassed tendency is less likely.
Stands also make a big difference to getting the best out of little speakers. Moving from flimsy stands to KAN stands for some old ARs (18s I think) really improved the bass. A better amp meant they could go nearer the wall which improved them further.
But as the yanks say, there aint no substitute for CC... big drivers in big boxes are always (to me) going to be the best option.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2019 12:45:50 GMT
Two many compromises with a small speaker, I use Wharfedale Diamond 10.1's on my desk they image perfectly sitting right on top of them, they put a smile on my face and sound more than excellent for the price. Paid 55 quid for them new on close out. Sold B&W 303's and put the difference of 85 pounds back in my pocket, the Wharfedales are much better.
The last set of stand mounts I had were B&W 805 Matrix with the bass alignment filter. When I got the Vandersteen 2CE signatures it became so blatantly obvious what I was missing out on, I flogged the 805's the next day. Will I ever buy a stand mount speaker for serious listening again I do not think so.
Maybe a Klipsch Palladium P-17B but they are hellish pricey. I thinking about trading the Wharfedales for Klipsch RP 160-150 if I can find at the right price.
Every small Klipsch I have listen'd to certainly kicks ass.
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Post by pauld on Feb 28, 2019 19:15:04 GMT
I would lump the Wharfedale Diamond IV into this. They have quite an impressive punchy sound for what was a £100 speaker.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 28, 2019 19:25:09 GMT
I haven’t heard those. The styling was a bit ahead of its time.
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Post by macca on Feb 28, 2019 20:06:44 GMT
I would lump the Wharfedale Diamond IV into this. They have quite an impressive punchy sound for what was a £100 speaker. Would be £300 in today's money though. They were well-judged though weren't they? JBL Control One would be my other pick. Still have a pair of them. There's also the B&W Solid. DSJR might remember them. |
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Post by dsjr on Mar 1, 2019 7:28:11 GMT
I would lump the Wharfedale Diamond IV into this. They have quite an impressive punchy sound for what was a £100 speaker. Would be £300 in today's money though. They were well-judged though weren't they? JBL Control One would be my other pick. Still have a pair of them. There's also the B&W Solid. DSJR might remember them. They were good car speakers, sat on an ample parcel shelf, but no good for domestic music use I recall
I replaced some later mint Diamond IV's with the Control Ones. For me, no contest, the JBL's wipe them, especialy in the midrange, although the lean balance won't suit everyone.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 1, 2019 7:32:17 GMT
Would be £300 in today's money though. They were well-judged though weren't they? JBL Control One would be my other pick. Still have a pair of them. There's also the B&W Solid. DSJR might remember them. They were good car speakers, sat on an ample parcel shelf, but no good for domestic music use I recall I replaced some later mint Diamond IV's with the Control Ones. For me, no contest, the JBL's wipe them, especialy in the midrange, although the lean balance won't suit everyone.
Shouldn’t that be “BMW” solid then? 🙂 |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2019 8:09:02 GMT
Small speakers just wont do this..........
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Post by macca on Mar 1, 2019 8:28:15 GMT
Would be £300 in today's money though. They were well-judged though weren't they? JBL Control One would be my other pick. Still have a pair of them. There's also the B&W Solid. DSJR might remember them. They were good car speakers, sat on an ample parcel shelf, but no good for domestic music use I recall
I replaced some later mint Diamond IV's with the Control Ones. For me, no contest, the JBL's wipe them, especialy in the midrange, although the lean balance won't suit everyone.
The Solids were not car speakers www.hifi-review.com/150440-b-w-solid.htmli would not say that the Control One have a 'lean' balance, quite the opposite in fact compared to a lot of miniature speakers. Compare them to a Rega Kyte and come back and tell me they sound lean |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2019 10:32:25 GMT
Small speakers just wont do this..........  |
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Post by dsjr on Mar 1, 2019 11:24:32 GMT
They were good car speakers, sat on an ample parcel shelf, but no good for domestic music use I recall
I replaced some later mint Diamond IV's with the Control Ones. For me, no contest, the JBL's wipe them, especialy in the midrange, although the lean balance won't suit everyone.
The Solids were not car speakers www.hifi-review.com/150440-b-w-solid.htmli would not say that the Control One have a 'lean' balance, quite the opposite in fact compared to a lot of miniature speakers. Compare them to a Rega Kyte and come back and tell me they sound lean I was thinking about this on the car just now (I travel a bit as 'Dad taxi' two days a week) and I was thinking about the LM1 speakers, NOT the Solid - apologies.
I listen regularly to my Control Ones and I assure you the bass to mids is 'Kan shaped' but without the quack at the top of the midrange!!! The difference is that the lower bass, while down a lot in level unless wall/corner mounted, is musical and 'clean' without the corner I heard with the Diamond IV's, where the tubby tones go down so far and then stop. In free space, the Control One bass basically disappears! The main thing for me is that the top is quite restrained and doesn't fizzle or sting, where the Diamond IV had tinsel for high frequencies...
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Post by macca on Mar 1, 2019 12:25:23 GMT
The Solids were not car speakers www.hifi-review.com/150440-b-w-solid.htmli would not say that the Control One have a 'lean' balance, quite the opposite in fact compared to a lot of miniature speakers. Compare them to a Rega Kyte and come back and tell me they sound lean I was thinking about this on the car just now (I travel a bit as 'Dad taxi' two days a week) and I was thinking about the LM1 speakers, NOT the Solid - apologies.
I listen regularly to my Control Ones and I assure you the bass to mids is 'Kan shaped' but without the quack at the top of the midrange!!! The difference is that the lower bass, while down a lot in level unless wall/corner mounted, is musical and 'clean' without the corner I heard with the Diamond IV's, where the tubby tones go down so far and then stop. In free space, the Control One bass basically disappears! The main thing for me is that the top is quite restrained and doesn't fizzle or sting, where the Diamond IV had tinsel for high frequencies...
I'm glad you confirmed about the Solids, thought I was losing my mind.
Never tried the Control One in free space (why would you?). Agree Diamond was a bit tinselly on top but so are the JBLs. So are a lot of cheap speakers really. I thought the Solids were a cut above but that's a long time ago now.
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Post by dsjr on Mar 1, 2019 18:15:26 GMT
I don't know what happened to the Control Ones over the thirty odd years they've been around, but *mine* which by the front badges are mid noughties ones with good driver surrounds, actually sound most un-JBL-like mellow I remember the opriginals sparkling rather a lot... I needed to replace a tweeter as one had split and broken a coil wire and these had stuck in tweeters which needed a gentle use of a hot air gun to soften the adhesive enough to prise it away (they're screwed in too and replacements have gaskets). I have to say the replacement tweeter went in just fine (£38 the pair from Fullers Electrical, a proper JBL parts supplier) and the new tweeter 'sounds' identical to the original in the other speaker.. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em to bits and can often appreciate the mids when shopping in a store which uses them, but they should be regarded as true shelf or wall-mount speakers. Thank heavens the *quality* of bass is so good, so you can get away with it. |
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Post by pauld on Mar 1, 2019 19:10:17 GMT
Small speakers just wont do this.......... Good point, Jammy and great film! |
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