Small speaker recommendation

[TSX]

Hi,

I’m looking for a pair of small cheap passive speakers for my mother. She’s got a Marantz Melody something mini integrated with radio and cd player. The speakers are going to be placed on a storage unit under the tv, and we got approx 15~18cm of space. We could place the speakers horizontally if needed. I’m not expecting any spectacular results sound wise, just better than a radio with built in speakers. The KEF Q150 are too large unfortunately.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[staticV3]

The speakers are going to be placed on a storage unit under the tv, and we got approx 15~18cm of space.

15-18cm height, width, or depth?

And what are the other size constraints?

Which country are you in?

What's you're budget, approximately?
Cheap means different things to different people.

 

[TSX]

15-18cm height, width, or depth?

Depends on how you place the speakers I guess you could say height. It’s a kallax unit, that they can be placed on, and there’s approximately 15-18cm of clearance between the kallax and the tv.

 

[TSX]

It’s exactly 17cm in total clearance.

 

[staticV3]

It’s exactly 17cm in total clearance.

So, 17cm high and 39cm deep. Is the width constrained as well?

Also, what's your budget approximately and which country are you in?

 

[TSX]

So, 17cm high and 39cm deep. Is the width constrained as well?

Also, what's your budget and which country are you in?

as cheap as possible and I’m in Denmark.

 

[Rhodo]

Looked up that Kallax Ikea thing and looks like you could fit lots of popular compact speakers in that.

Kef Q150 price range things that come to mind:
Wharfedale Diamond 12.0 ($349)
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES10 ($249)

Really cheap things that would be decent:
Neumi Silk 4 ($150)
Micca rb42 ($150) or OoOs ($100) - I own some OoOs and despite being a bit messy they are perfectly decent to listen to and have surprising bass

Sounds like your worried about the space but honestly I think there's a ton of different things to pick from in that size category.

 

[Rhodo]

Oh you're in Europe, are Cambridge Audio speakers cheaper over there? When I was speaker hunting recently I was really curious about their Minx Min22 speakers but was to cheap to try them out, might give those a look too for the truly tiny form factor.

 

[TSX]

It seems that the amp has sub out https://www.marantz.com/en-us/product/network-audio-players/m-cr612/137273.html

maybe a pair of small satellites and a sub?

 

[TSX]

I was really curious about their Minx Min22 speakers

They are indeed small. Do they sound any better than a teacup?

Edit; they are approximatelay 130 USD in Denmark with 30 day return. They might work.

 

[Martinvb]

If for a simple media system, I can highly recommend Panasonic SB-PMX2(/3) speakers: 3 way, 40-80 watt, not very sensitive (81 dB), but with an amazing sound and depth, unreal for such small bookshelf speakers. They come with the typical mini-systems by Panasonic, which themselves are not built too well, so the speakers tend to end up on Ebay or thrift shops. Actually, I buy every set that I can get hold of, because they go well with almost any simple sound system.

 

[Rhodo]

They are indeed small. Do they sound any better than a teacup?

Honestly, I do not know... They're using interesting speakers, flat 'balanced mode radiator' types, which is why I was curious about them. I read plenty of positive and negative feedback online but that's just opinion so who knows. If you do try them please let me know what you think!

Also, a sub would definitely improve any of these speakers and is recommended if you're considering it.

 

[staticV3]

Looked up that Kallax Ikea thing and looks like you could fit lots of popular compact speakers in that.

Keep in mind that OP doesn't want to place the speakers inside the Kallax, but on top of it, below the TV. That limits height to 17cm.

The speakers you've suggested are all taller than 17cm, so would have to be placed horizontally, which isn't ideal as they're not coax.

 

[Rhodo]

Keep in mind that OP doesn't want to place the speakers inside the Kallax, but on top of it, below the TV. That limits height to 17cm.

The speakers you've suggested are all taller than 17cm, so would have to be placed horizontally, which is of course not ideal as they're not coax.

Ah, my misunderstanding... The OoOs would still work for that I suppose but they're a bit deep which might be a problem.

Speaking of coax there are coaxial satellites from Monoprice and Micca, but they look pretty messy measurement wise. With a sub maybe they'd be decent though.

 

[staticV3]

The Monoprice THX Satellite wouldn't been my recommendation, but it's only sold in the US unfortunately.

 

[staticV3]

Less than 17cm high, passive, available for cheap in Denmark, and objectively good is one criterion too many for my abilities.

I can't find anything, sorry.

 

[somebodyelse]

They are indeed small. Do they sound any better than a teacup?

Edit; they are approximatelay 130 USD in Denmark with 30 day return. They might work.

Not exactly a comprehensive set of measurements, but the best I've seen: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...enginerding-with-weeb-labs.21131/post-1689916

 

[Petevid]

Q Acoustics 3010i, small and sound great for their size. They are 150mm wide.

 

[Zapper]

Choices are limited. Some ideas:
- desktop soundbar with aux input, like Mackie CR-X Series, CR StealthBar Desktop PC Soundbar with Bluetooth
' cube speakers
' small two-way speakers, set on side.
' two small center channel speakers

Setting speaker on side makes a narrow sweet spot, due to phase cancellation effects between 2 drivers. But it's ok if you have a fixed listening position.

 

[Overseas]

Some DENON sch I guess, around 100 euro.