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Bookshelfs or monitors with deep extension for less than 1000usd?

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Yes, I know the laws of physics are working against me. I have a firm understanding that I can only hope for so much. One of the monitors that has impressed me so far is the the Adam T8V. A Bookshelf speaker that I considered was the Sierra by Ascend Acoustics. I of course want something that measures pretty flat and I would love to be able to get something with paper cones and a lot of speed, but given how limitations bookshelf speakers, I know there will be some compromises. I could Maybe even do mini towers/small floor standers given the space.

The placement will be for a bedroom set up with a 7 foot wide desk that is 3 feet deep, on mini stands I will build to cut out reflections and add some height to get things to ear level. Above the motorized sit/stand desk is a 50inch TV for bedroom viewing. I have a smaller desk amp by Emotiva that does an okay job but I think it only pushes 50watts at 8ohms. Its pretty inexpensive, but I am fine with monitors as I will be moving toward a decoder and DAC set up before long as well as NAS unit and maybe Roon.

Any suggestions I would appreciate. Feel free to flex your knowledge about the selections you have in mind and or link reviews from Amir or other sources as well as show technical data etc. I have been considering this for months now and looked over a lot of models, and I think the 2 models I've mentioned are some of the better ones for the price point I am trying to stay under. I just want to see other perspectives before pushing any place order buttons and this seems like the best place to ask.
 

dfuller

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A question: why are you after paper cones, exactly?

Anyway, that is doable - to a degree. Depends how deep is deep. Plenty of decent 8" woofer 2-ways that will get into the 40s somewhere.
 

taner

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I suggest you to look for 70's 80's European bookshelf speakers with dome mids and twitters. Especially made by German manufacturers like Heco, Grundig, Telefunken, Saba etc.
 
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I actually have some Grundig M800 on the desktop now, HA. They do sound great and I actually was considering dual subs beneathe them and updating the caps. Do you know if they would improve form No Rez? I saw a video showing they are stacked full of fiberglass stuffing and wasn't sure how additional No Rez damping sheets would do in there.
 

jonfitch

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The Sierras have a lot of bass for their size, but in general if you want bass you need larger drivers and more volume. Some smaller speakers like the Sierras or Salk Silk have a ton of bass in a small cab but the tradeoff made is in sensitivity.

I don't know what your listening levels are but generally on a desk setup it's safe enough to boost the bass a few db without cutting into the dynamics of the speakers, so consider EQ as a solution.
 

mohragk

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So, why not the Adam T8V's?

Anyway, the only small factor speakers that are quite linear and go deep are the iLoud MTM's imho. They easily compete with my HS80M's but are much smaller. They also image a bit better.
 

Belobog

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They are a bit bigger than the T8V, but KRK ROKIT 10-3 G4 could be worth a look.
 

q3cpma

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Last edited:
OP
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KRK ROKIT 10-3 G4

Thanks for the rec. as I hadnt seen these before and at first they did seem promising after looking the specs over and inspecting some marketing information. I then found a video doing a three way comparison between the smaller 8in model from the same line compared to the original track and also compared to the T8V. While there wasnt a whole lot of differences down low I noted the highs seemed very veiled compared to the T8V. This with the extra cost makes the T8V a winner, thanks though.

So, why not the Adam T8V

I am leaning to them but as stated I really want to flesh out all options. I dont shop much for this price point and application (though I do have much more expensive pairs in other rooms) but you know how it goes if ya ever been married. YOu drag a wife through an obsession that cost far more than the worth they think you are getting out of it, and one day youre on your 20th "last purchase" so ya gotta make it count!

What I would search for: RCF Mytho 8 (double the price, though), Mackie HR824.

Edging me to divorce court at algorithmic rate! Heh, I will check into them but I dont think I will even be able to cross my fingers and take a deep breath over these.
 
OP
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I can assure you this is wrong. In fact, it was reviewed here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...imedia-iloud-mtm-review-active-monitor.18347/
It's -3 dB at 50 Hz, which is nice, but doesn't have any headroom compared to any reasonably sized speaker.

They also reviewed poorly for quality with many reviewers claiming major failures in short order of buying. I am already on the fence about using on board amplification but a big draw is xlr from a streamer DAC or stand alone desktop DAC, either route with budget decoding. This is why I am keeping the speaker price ceiling low.
 

taner

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I actually have some Grundig M800 on the desktop now, HA. They do sound great and I actually was considering dual subs beneathe them and updating the caps. Do you know if they would improve form No Rez? I saw a video showing they are stacked full of fiberglass stuffing and wasn't sure how additional No Rez damping sheets would do in there.

Replacing all AL electrolyte caps on crossover circuit is a must on vintage speakers, in my opinion. The "wet" AL caps probably won't dry out easily if they "Made in Germany", but film caps are known for being a better alternative over AL caps. I have no idea about "No Rez" but if your speakers damped properly inside, I can say that there is no need to extra effort there.

KLH speakers from same era will bring you best musicality for the buck if you consider them too. KLH used notorious resin caps, you have to replace all of them with film ones. I'm using 50 years old KLH 17 and I see no reason to dump them.
 

mohragk

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Vict0r

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Any reason you won't consider a pair of good bookshelf speakers AND a subwoofer? $1000 can go a long way if you shop smart. :)
 
OP
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Any reason you won't consider a pair of good bookshelf speakers AND a subwoofer?

I have considered dual subs and a single sub to go with bookshelf speakers, but really I just always go back to where I have been, that subwoofer bass seems slow and sluggish and untamed. I know this is a bias due to me never having some really good subwoofer tech around, but whenever I have heard towers with 8's or 10's or 12's I have heard clear bass with more speed and accuracy. Thats the sort of bass that I want. Its not just the quality of bass, but also where it is coming from. I could put dual subs on the desk or put a big sub under it in the middle, but I would rather 2 points and a sweet spot for when I am at it. The desk itself also presents some issues. if I go on top then it is cluttered and there are reflection issues that impact timing across the band, under would present similar issues.
 

Beershaun

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I have considered dual subs and a single sub to go with bookshelf speakers, but really I just always go back to where I have been, that subwoofer bass seems slow and sluggish and untamed. I know this is a bias due to me never having some really good subwoofer tech around, but whenever I have heard towers with 8's or 10's or 12's I have heard clear bass with more speed and accuracy. Thats the sort of bass that I want. Its not just the quality of bass, but also where it is coming from. I could put dual subs on the desk or put a big sub under it in the middle, but I would rather 2 points and a sweet spot for when I am at it. The desk itself also presents some issues. if I go on top then it is cluttered and there are reflection issues that impact timing across the band, under would present similar issues.

Subwoofer Speed is not a thing. You are hearing distortion and clipping due to lack of power. It causes that muddy sound and room reflections causing echos. Check out @sweetchaos subwoofer ratings and find one that performs well. In your small space with lots of reflections choose a sealed box. Give it a try with a home demo and return it if you don't like it. Think 500w continuous and 1000w peak for clean pleasing bass in a small room.
 

richard12511

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I have considered dual subs and a single sub to go with bookshelf speakers, but really I just always go back to where I have been, that subwoofer bass seems slow and sluggish and untamed. I know this is a bias due to me never having some really good subwoofer tech around, but whenever I have heard towers with 8's or 10's or 12's I have heard clear bass with more speed and accuracy. Thats the sort of bass that I want. Its not just the quality of bass, but also where it is coming from. I could put dual subs on the desk or put a big sub under it in the middle, but I would rather 2 points and a sweet spot for when I am at it. The desk itself also presents some issues. if I go on top then it is cluttered and there are reflection issues that impact timing across the band, under would present similar issues.

Probably an implementation issue. A good subwoofer implementation will be better in both quality(tightness, distortion, neutrality) and quantity(headroom, extension).

Really though, you need multiple subs and the ability to place them around the freely, as well as a method to integrate them(ex: miniDSP 2x4HD). With just one sub that has to be placed in a particular location, and no way to control alignment, I tend to agree with you(good towers sound better).
 
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