• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Room size vs speaker size

Alexanderc

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Messages
640
Likes
1,011
Location
Florida, USA
I searched the forum but can’t find an answer: is it true that speakers can be too big for a room? If so, how can one determine the appropriate size speaker for the room? I understand that positioning can be an issue with big speakers in a small room, but what about sound?

I’m probably going to be looking at used speakers in the next year, so I don’t expect to have the chance to do any auditioning at home. I would prefer floor standing speakers reasonably close to full range—something like Revel Performa3 f208 or KEF r11 possibly. The room is 13.75x11.6x8.1 ft (4.2x3.5x2.5 m) with one of the short walls covered with bookshelves and a corner desk.
 

HammerSandwich

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 22, 2018
Messages
1,137
Likes
1,497
Dipoles & cardioids do need some distance to the walls.

With big monopoles, you might run into minimum-distance issues, where the drivers don't combine properly up close. For example, you don't want to listen to Dunlavy VIs at 6'. But that's a serious edge case, which speakers with reasonably close drivers & 12+dB/octave XOs will not resemble. Revel & KEF should be fine here.

In any case, you'll want some sort of EQ, at least for the bass. And I'd say this is more critical in a smaller room.

Smaller rooms pressurize more easily, meaning you'll need less bass from the speakers. Unless your room's leaky, it should have lots of boost below 40-50Hz, so flat-to-20Hz speakers are probably not a good value for you. Using smaller speakers with 2-3 small subwoofers should be a better compromise. Distributed subs will flatten the bass response, so something like R5s with $500-2000 of subs should be able to outperform R11s without, even at a lower total cost.

Finally - and this part's likely to be more contentious - I'd want some damping panels at 1st-reflection points in such a small room. You'll have lots of reflections soon after the direct sound.
 

Soniclife

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
4,499
Likes
5,417
Location
UK
is it true that speakers can be too big for a room?
Yes they can, if you don't have any way to adjust them other than positioning them. The kef's offer port bung options to tune them a bit, but DSP offers much more. Distance to front and side wall matters as well, if you are constrained with options you need to find speakers that work with your room.
 

Count Arthur

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,192
Likes
4,880
If they fit in the room, I say go for it.

1601931451667.png


I laugh at your puny 18" woofers!
 

Soniclife

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
4,499
Likes
5,417
Location
UK
It also depends on how lossy your construction is, solid walls will trap bass, partition walls will let a lot go through.
 

Absolute

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Messages
1,084
Likes
2,125
In my opinion it's about reaching the minimum listening distance for proper driver summation that decides whether or not a speaker is too big for a room. You can probably think up some strange combination of factors that will argue that case, like specific types of speakers, but as a rule I'd say this notion is largely a myth.

I totally understand those that feel that's the case if there's no bass EQ involved because the deeper a speaker can go, the more problems you'll have.

In many ways a speaker like Kii Three or Dutch 8c is in fact acoustically large speakers with the equivalent of about 2 meter wide baffle due to the cardioide dispersion. I don't think anyone would argue that those two are too big for a small room, in fact most people would probably say it's beneficial to get as much dispersion control as possible in a small room.

If that's true, then you'll ideally need acoustically big speakers, like a wide baffle, horn, cardioide, dipole or similar.
 

FeddyLost

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 24, 2020
Messages
752
Likes
542
It also depends on how perfect do you want to get FR without correction and other placement restrictions.
For example, you have speakers, integrating properly at 2 m distance, but you want to avoid SBIR and modal issues, and suddenly there might be no such place in your room or triangle with LP will be 1,5 m max, for example.
Big 3-ways usually work well at least from 2 m.
 

Count Arthur

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,192
Likes
4,880
Why floor standing speakers in particular?

Monitors or standmount speakes with a subwoofer, or two if you like, might give you a lot more flexibility with regard to positioning and might ultimately give better results in a smaller room.
 
OP
Alexanderc

Alexanderc

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Messages
640
Likes
1,011
Location
Florida, USA
Thanks for all the input. I’ve got 8-9 feet (c 2.5m) for a listening distance but only about 1-2 feet from the cabinets to the walls (which could be more with smaller speakers). I’ve been leaning toward Kef r7 or Revel f206 rather than their larger counterparts, and this discussion seems to be indicating that as the right way to go. Room correction is going to be a part of the upgrade as well eventually.

Maybe I’ll have a chance to listen to a couple of these speakers in the room before I make a decision, but the pandemic has slowed down the process for me.
 
OP
Alexanderc

Alexanderc

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Messages
640
Likes
1,011
Location
Florida, USA
Why floor standing speakers in particular?

Monitors or standmount speakes with a subwoofer, or two if you like, might give you a lot more flexibility with regard to positioning and might ultimately give better results in a smaller room.
I have wanted to avoid giving up the floor space to subs in an already crowded room, but this may be what I do.
 

steve59

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Messages
1,017
Likes
726
I noticed on the focal website for the given speaker in a line they tell us the room size they're compatible with, so sopra 2 or sopra 3 look it up. Kef and revel speakers i've owned needed more power to get the bass pumping that I just blamed the xovers for. I brought home a pair of dynaudio audience 80's about 20 years ago I think had 2x7'' woofers and had more bass than just about anything I've ever heard? I had some speakers with side firing woofers, rear ported that were also impressive. I can't predict how bass will sound by measuring total woofer area in my room, it doesn't work for me.
 

stevenswall

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
1,366
Likes
1,075
Location
Orem, UT
Concerning bass, which seems to be the most commonly cited reason, no, it's a lie that something can be too big for the room, so long as you have a way of turning the bass down where there are peaks, and are okay with potential nulls.

Personally I'd rather have bass even if there are a few nulls, than none at all down there, and peaks can be corrected.

But yes, without tuning switches in the back or a DSP, if you're a purist, you'll have impossible to resolve bass issues if the speaker makes too much and you're room is small enough.
 

wgb113

Active Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Messages
145
Likes
151
Location
Pennsylvania
Thanks for all the input. I’ve got 8-9 feet (c 2.5m) for a listening distance but only about 1-2 feet from the cabinets to the walls (which could be more with smaller speakers). I’ve been leaning toward Kef r7 or Revel f206 rather than their larger counterparts, and this discussion seems to be indicating that as the right way to go. Room correction is going to be a part of the upgrade as well eventually.

Maybe I’ll have a chance to listen to a couple of these speakers in the room before I make a decision, but the pandemic has slowed down the process for me.

What did you end up going with and why?
 
OP
Alexanderc

Alexanderc

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Messages
640
Likes
1,011
Location
Florida, USA
What did you end up going with and why?
Thanks for asking! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, all my audio purchases have been on hold. I’m a professional musician and, although I’m luckier than a lot of my friends in the business, I don’t have the extra income I was planning on a year ago. Everything is fine, no worries at all, but no fun money right now :)
 
Top Bottom