home theater in a small room, bookshelf speakers recommendations

[Goldhamster916]

Hello,

i am currently building my first ever home theater (7.1.4) in a small 4x3m room. I am mainly concerned about immersion in games with some movie watching here and there. i listen at rather moderate/low levels, so i really dont need speakers with a lot of output. I will use them with a denon x3800h for Auro3D upmixing and dolby atmos. i will have a klipsch rp 1400sw subwoofer, so they dont need good bass extension below 80 or 100hz. what i do need is good detail retrieval and attributes which help creating a convincing wide soundstage and precise imaging.



would be nice if the speakers would be under 500 dolars a pair. it would also be nice to have a white version and dimensions rather on the smaller side. but that is not a must. i am located in europe (germany).


my current favourite is the monitor audio bronze 50, so you get an idea what i am looking for.

any insights and suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[staticV3]

are you planning on buying the same bookshelf speaker eleven times to populate every channel? Or are you only looking for recommendations for the L/R Mains?

 

[Goldhamster916]

i am planning on using the same speaker 11 times yes, maybe with a different center channel though.

 

[kemmler3D]

This is noticeably over your $500/pair ask, but the Genelec 8010 fits your criteria really well and comes in white.

 

[staticV3]

i am planning on using the same speaker 11 times yes, maybe with a different center channel though.

Hm not sure that's a good idea. Usually, it's smarter to get more powerful L/C/R speakers and smaller surrounds.

Putting that aside for now, three compact, white bookshelf speakers in your budget would be the KEF Q150 (400€), the Polk S15 (200€), or the newer ES15 (210€).

KEF Q150 measurments and review: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kef_q150/
Polk S15 measurments and review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olk-audio-signature-s15-speaker-review.15437/

We don't have measurements of the ES15 yet, but there are some for its bigger brother:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...re-elite-es20-review-bookshelf-speaker.33834/

Edit: all three are basically identical in size and only slightly taller than the Bronze 50
https://comparesizes.com/comparison/Bronze-50-vs-Q150-vs-Polk-S15-vs-ES15/1700165797517

 

[Steve Dallas]

Hm not sure that's a good idea. Usually, it's smarter to get more powerful L/C/R speakers and smaller surrounds.

Putting that aside for now, three compact, white bookshelf speakers in your budget would be the KEF Q150 (400€), the Polk S15 (200€), or the newer ES15 (210€).

KEF Q150 measurments and review: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kef_q150/
Polk S15 measurments and review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olk-audio-signature-s15-speaker-review.15437/

We don't have measurements of the ES15 yet, but there are some for its bigger brother:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...re-elite-es20-review-bookshelf-speaker.33834/

Edit: all three are basically identical in size and only slightly taller than the Bronze 50
https://comparesizes.com/comparison/Bronze-50-vs-Q150-vs-Polk-S15-vs-ES15/1700165797517

I was going to recommend three KEF Q350s across the front and KEF Q150s for the rest. That is what I would do if I were building new in a small room. I would add a second sub, however.

 

[Goldhamster916]

the kef especially is a very good recommendation from what i am reading. many reviewers mention good soundstage, imaging and detail retrieval capabilities.

the genelec would be perfect, i love that they are so small. however they are a bit expensive and i would have to run power wires from the avr and from the speaker to a power outlet. thats a lot of wires.

 

[Goldhamster916]

the genelec option has me hooked. since i find them a bit pricey, i looked for alternatives and found these little guys:

iLoud Micro Monitors measurements and quasi-anechoic spinorama

I've had these little monitors for a while. I'm a big fan. Their name might sound like a cheap Apple knockoff product, but for $300 a pair, they sound great so long as you intend to use them in the nearfield and don't intend to listen at ridiculous volumes. I'm a 70dB kind of guy, so that's...

www.audiosciencereview.com

they receive praise all over the net. i am just not sure if they have the same good imaging and soundstage like the genelec and if they wouldnt be too far away (aprox 6 feet), since they are meant for nearfield usually. however they cost half the price of the genelec. any thoughts on those for my situation?

 

[staticV3]

any thoughts on those for my situation?

A bit cumbersome as for each pair, you'd have to find an outlet for a power supply and also route the DC cable in addition to RCA:


Also these work as stereo pairs so can't get an uneven amount of them.

Plus they're really not designed for midfield work. I've heard of port chuffing at higher volumes (which might be just normal volumes in midfield).

 

[JustJones]

The Elac DBR62 is on sale for $525.

ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 Bookshelf Speakers

Looking for more information on ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 Bookshelf Speakers? Click to learn more and shop now from ELAC!

www.elac.com

Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 bookshelf speaker. It was kindly purchased new and drop shipped to me for testing. The DBR-62 costs US $600 a pair from multiple sources/dealers. The DBR-62 comes in black and walnut finish or the distressed Oak and...

audiosciencereview.com

I'm not sure how good their Atmos add on is but they are on sale for $200

ELAC Debut 2.0 Dolby Atmos Module Speakers - DA42

Looking for more information on ELAC Debut 2.0 Dolby Atmos Module Speakers - DA42? Click to learn more and shop now from ELAC!

www.elac.com

 

[staticV3]

The Elac DBR62 is on sale for $525.

Here it is next to OP's example speaker that's meant as reference:

Bronze 50 vs DBR62

comparesizes.com

Placing 11 of those speakers in a small HT room may perhaps look a bit silly, especially up on the ceiling as Atmos height speakers

 

[Goldhamster916]

A bit cumbersome as for each pair, you'd have to find an outlet for a power supply and also route the DC cable in addition to RCA:
View attachment 326756

Also these work as stereo pairs so can't get an uneven amount of them.

Plus they're really not designed for midfield work. I've heard of port chuffing at higher volumes (which might be just normal volumes in midfield).

thanks a lot for the response!



yes the wiring would be a hassle but i would rather try to find a way to get clean wiring and have small speakera than big boxes all over the place. i found some data which suggests their audio qualities dont degrade until around 90db. i think that would be enough for my use case.

 

[staticV3]

yes the wiring would be a hassle but i would rather try to find a way to get clean wiring and have small speakera than big boxes all over the place.

Understandable. In a room of your size, I'd probably get some bigger speakers for L/C/R and use the Monoprice THX Satellites for the remaining eight surround channels. Perhaps with some white spray paint to get a nicer look.

Here's a review: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/monoprice_comp_thx_sat/

Now if only those were available in the EU

 

[JustJones]

I didn't notice the post he wanted to use the same speaker 11 times. I was thinking 4 would be height and the surrounds could be smaller. ELAC makes on wall models which could clean it up a bit.

Best On Wall Speakers from ELAC

Looking for our best on wall speakers from ELAC? Click to learn more and checkout our entire product line. Every product we create delivers stunning performance, exquisite craftsmanship and unequalled value.

www.elac.com

 

[Chrispy]

Where will seating be in that room? In a room that size I tend to think 5ch bed layer instead of 7....

 

[JustJones]

That small Do the whole room in on wall.

 

[Goldhamster916]

i appreciate the replies!

i have a window to one side and door to other so on wall is difficult without breaking up speaker model unity, but good idea.

i really prefer 7 channel bed layer for more directional ques while gaming, its a one seat only set up.

i roughly have 6 foot to each side and front and 1 meter to back. my room isnt symetrical though unfortunately. currently looking for a passive, small but capable solution. a passive, little cheaper genelec type of speaker would be perfect.

 

[Chrispy]

will look into to on wall solutions.

i really prefer 7 channel bed layer for more directional ques while gaming.

i roughly have 6 foot to each side and front and 1 meter to back. my room isnt symetrical though unfortunately. currently looking for a passive, small but capable solution.

So just the one seat at that position I can see 7ch bed layer being an option Using boxes on the ceiling how are you planning to mount?

 

[Goldhamster916]

i will mount rather on the wall than ceiling since the celing is quite high, what would make the angle too steep at such a small room. also planning to try auro 3d where you rather want flater angles. currently i am looking at the q acoustics 30120i and the kef q150 which would be perfect if they would be a little smaller. really wish there would be a passive genelec type of speaker.

 

[kemmler3D]

My thought on the iLoud: Possible good for surround channels, but the power cord looks awful and you're going to have power bricks hanging around everywhere. For me a nonstarter. IMO not good enough for LR channels at least.

I think you should try to talk yourself into bigger speakers, and capitalize on the deal of the Elacs.