• 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!

New Passive Speakers for Small Space

madmanmandzu

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
18
Likes
6
My listening space is in a small room 14x9 where 1/3 of it is occupied by my home office therefore my actual listening space is about 10x9.

I am currently using a pair of Kanto YU6. 90% of my listening are on high end headphones but I am slowly moving away from that so i'd like to invest a little more in speakers.

Seeing as space is limited, i sold off a few headphone amps and picked up a NAD C700 (i had a budget and limited space to work with and this checked off a bunch of boxes)

I wanted to pick up a pair of speakers which would be paired with a SVS SB-1000 that I already own. I already own a set of Kanto SP26 stands and don't feel like upgrading those for the time being. There is zero acoustic paneling or the such in that room.

I am looking for neutrality, clarity with accurate imaging and extensive dynamic range. I like when vocals are pushed slightly forward.

Been researching these but man there's just so much out there that i dont want to miss anything. My budget is about $1100 USD for the pair

Elac Unifi Reference
Monitor Audio Silver 50 7G
Wharfedale Denton 85th
Wharfedale EVO 4.2
Klipsch RP500M

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • room.jpg
    room.jpg
    63.4 KB · Views: 86

dominikz

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
803
Likes
2,626
Hi there!

If it was me I'd probably try to listen to:
  • Revel M16 - I'm a happy owner of these and actually pair it with a single SVS SB-1000 as well :), though in a slightly larger room (but slightly shorter listening distance)
  • KEF Q350
  • Polk R200
  • Elac DBR-62
  • Possibly Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 (though only 12.1 is measured here, so no guarantee the bigger one would be as good)
Whichever you choose I'd also suggest to leave some room in the budget to invest in a nice calibrated measurement microphone (like e.g. UMIK-1 or EMM-6 or similar) and a way to implement DSP to do corrective room EQ with (not sure if your NAD already has this built-in by any chance), as that often makes a big audible difference for the better.

Good luck with your search! :)
 
OP
M

madmanmandzu

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
18
Likes
6
Thanks for the recommendations! I looked into the Revel M16 and seems to be something that i'd want to continue to look in to. Thing is, i also took a look at some of their other models and I am considering the M105. VERY difficult to find in Canada but i saw one dealer liquidating for about my budget.

I do own a UMIK-1 !

This is all overwhelming :) Just so many brands, models and reviews are just so much more difficult to discern vs headphone reviews since there is so much more involved.
 

sweetchaos

Major Contributor
The Curator
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Messages
3,872
Likes
11,551
Location
BC, Canada
OP
M

madmanmandzu

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
18
Likes
6
Take a look at my posts:
1. Passive Speaker Recommendations for USA. It should give you some ideas that you haven't considered yet.
2. List of Canadian Speaker,Headphone,Subwoofer Resellers/Dealers. It will help you find dealers/resellers.
3. List of Amir's Recommended Speakers, for Canadians. I started collecting all the dealers/resellers deals for 'highly recommended speakers' that Amir reviewed.

Hello from fellow Canadian.

Hey sweetchaos, awesome info and yes, i've already seen those posts and thought what you put together was awesome. Actually really helped me locate something, i hope.
 

sweetchaos

Major Contributor
The Curator
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Messages
3,872
Likes
11,551
Location
BC, Canada
Personal opinion, I wouldn't buy a speaker that hasn't been measured using quasi-anechoic or Klippel NFS.
So from your list, there's too many unknowns.

If you narrow down the list to something that was measured by Amir or Erin, we can help you to explain the differences and when it matters.
This way, you're guaranteed getting great sound for your money, as opposed to buying a speaker blind (that's my analogy and I'm sticking to it).
No measurements, no purchase, I say.

Please, no Klipsch.
Here's the upgrade to the version you were thinking (RP-600M):
CEA2034.jpg

Yikes, what happened to that midrange? The panther ran away after seeing that. :eek:
 

dominikz

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
803
Likes
2,626
Thanks for the recommendations! I looked into the Revel M16 and seems to be something that i'd want to continue to look in to. Thing is, i also took a look at some of their other models and I am considering the M105. VERY difficult to find in Canada but i saw one dealer liquidating for about my budget.
No worries - glad if it helped!

Regarding M105 vs M16 - this was also my dilemma a year ago, but have to say I'm glad I went with M16 in the end. It has a bigger woofer and really quite amazing directivity for the format (conventional 2-way bookshelf). Actually, looking at the spins, it seems to have less DI error between 2-4kHz than either M105 or M106.

If you look a this post you will also find that the calculated preference score of M16 takes quite a bit of a hit because of its bass hump. If you remove the bass hump with EQ and don't touch anything else the M16 preference score jumps from ~5.3 to ~6.0.
Not that I would remove the bass hump to begin with, mind you - this is in the frequency region where one would anyway need to apply room EQ based in in-room measurements, and the extra bass energy gives you more useful energy (headroom) for subtractive EQ.

The downside of M16 is the worse measured midrange distortion performance vs the M105/M106. Perhaps something to take into account, especially if you require relatively high SPL capability. Personally I haven't noticed any increase in midrange distortion on the Revels vs e.g. my Neumann KH120A.
I do own a UMIK-1 !
That's great! Measuring really helps to take some guesswork out of it all, and especially with subwoofer integration.
This is all overwhelming :) Just so many brands, models and reviews are just so much more difficult to discern vs headphone reviews since there is so much more involved.
Yeah - a lot of work for sure, but also quite satisfying once it all comes together and sounds nice :) Enjoy your search and good luck!
 
OP
M

madmanmandzu

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
18
Likes
6
No worries - glad if it helped!

Regarding M105 vs M16 - this was also my dilemma a year ago, but have to say I'm glad I went with M16 in the end. It has a bigger woofer and really quite amazing directivity for the format (conventional 2-way bookshelf). Actually, looking at the spins, it seems to have less DI error between 2-4kHz than either M105 or M106.

If you look a this post you will also find that the calculated preference score of M16 takes quite a bit of a hit because of its bass hump. If you remove the bass hump with EQ and don't touch anything else the M16 preference score jumps from ~5.3 to ~6.0.
Not that I would remove the bass hump to begin with, mind you - this is in the frequency region where one would anyway need to apply room EQ based in in-room measurements, and the extra bass energy gives you more useful energy (headroom) for subtractive EQ.

The downside of M16 is the worse measured midrange distortion performance vs the M105/M106. Perhaps something to take into account, especially if you require relatively high SPL capability. Personally I haven't noticed any increase in midrange distortion on the Revels vs e.g. my Neumann KH120A.

That's great! Measuring really helps to take some guesswork out of it all, and especially with subwoofer integration.

Yeah - a lot of work for sure, but also quite satisfying once it all comes together and sounds nice :) Enjoy your search and good luck!

I found a demo pair of the M105 for $790. They are liquidating all their inventory. Problem is i need to drive 5 hours to pick them up :(
 
Top Bottom