Reccomendation for small, efficient speakers

[marklings]

Hello forum,
Here's my situation: I have small secondary system in the kitchen, based on an old all in one Linn Classik. Being where it is it happens to get used a lot. The speakers are very old and it's time to change them.

My requirements are rather stringent though:
- They need to be small, less than 35 cm high
- They have to be efficient, the classik is just 50 W on 8 Ohm
- I listen to FM, Ipod, streaming Qobuz via Chromecast, all sorts of genres really
- I don't expect huge bass, I can live without it as long as the rest is good SQ
- I will take analytical any time over warm and cozy
- Budget is 1K, I can stretch it to 15 hundreds for the right stuff

Suggestions ?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[buscon]

Did you consider the Micromedia Iloud micro monitor?
I got them recently and they are very good.

IK Multimedia - iLoud Micro Monitor

iLoud Micro Monitor is the smallest studio reference monitor in the world

www.ikmultimedia.com

Considering your budget, you can think of the Iloud mtm, which have been reviewed by amirm too, they are supposed to be excellent.

iLoud MTM MKII

iLoud MTM MKII high-resolution compact studio monitor with more efficient drivers and twice the processing power to turn any space into the ideal mixing and mastering setup

www.ikmultimedia.com

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Klipsch makes some small and efficient speakers. They make my ears bleed, but that's my recommendation.

 

[pjug]

Do you really need super efficient speakers, when you have 50W into 8 ohms in a kitchen?

 

[Prana Ferox]

This is entirely up to you (and the size of your kitchen) but when I hear "small secondary system in my kitchen" I don't suspect dB levels where 50w@8o is going to be an issue. I run 87db-efficient speakers off an even lower-wattage old Onkyo in a smallish room and rarely get past 10 o'clock.

If your kitchen is open to the rest of your house which happens to be a converted barn, that'll be a different manner, but then presumably that's where your large primary system comes into play.

 

[mhardy6647]

Do you really need super efficient speakers, when you have 50W into 8 ohms in a kitchen?

He/she/they shouldn't -- unless they're... I dunno... listening to The Planets in a 30 x 50 foot room with a cathedral ceiling at concert SPL.

I use 'super efficient' (more correctly, super sensitive) loudspeakers -- but that's mostly because the amplifier is capable of about 3 watts per channel (single-ended 2A3) and the room's fairly large.

A good 50 watt amplifier should work pretty well in the real world with most loudspeakers -- discounting things like Infinity IRS Betas, Ohm Walsh Fs, and of course the Magenpan (Magneplanar) fine family of products.

 

[mhardy6647]

Klipsch makes some small and efficient speakers. They make my ears bleed, but that's my recommendation.

Those guyses you used to work with made some pretty good ones BITD... most of 'em not so small, though.
The, umm, Capri (e.g.) wasn't anything special -- but it wasn't bad, either.

I was gonna suggest looking at Fostex.

 

[Prana Ferox]

A good 50 watt amplifier should work pretty well in the real world with most loudspeakers -- discounting things like Infinity IRS Betas, Ohm Walsh Fs, and of course the Magenpan (Magneplanar) fine family of products.

Now I want to see the Magnepan-equipped kitchen

 

[Triliza]

Revel M16 maybe (37cm x 22cm x 27cm), although in Europe they aren't as cheap as in US. Would active speakers work with your existing setup?

 

[Robin L]

Small, efficient, cheap, no longer in production, the Paradigm Titan checks off most boxes. Think the bottom limit is about 60hz. Definitely the kind of speaker I'd use in a kitchen, sounds pleasant enough, easy enough to find [used]. I've seen them used in big public venues [restaurants, record stores], had a pair, much nicer than the Paradigm Atoms. The Titans are 13" x 7" x 10", usually go for around $100 the pair, used.

 

[HooStat]

Genelec 8030 or 8330

 

[pseudoid]

Welcome aboard, @marklings,
If I may recommend and especially since speaker selection becomes more of a personal/subjective decision (re: other audio hardware):
ASR has a wealth of great speaker reviews with the help of the commentariat... please jump in and look at the great reviews and information provided.
I notice there appears to be much praise for the Revel and the ELAC brands, here << imo.
But I have learned a few things in my last speaker purchase. 1)Don't go strictly by brand name, 2)Audition the potential speakers in-home (or otherwise), 3)Trust the ASR brain-trust' objective/subjective information, in making your decision. 3)PinkPanthers are also very informative, if you are too lazy to make your own decisions...

 

[theyellowspecial]

Klipsch RP-150m/RP-500m are efficient and measure neutral.

 

[marklings]

Thank you all for the useful suggestions and comments

Active is not an option due to the setup

I have perused Amir's speaker reviews and came up with this short list:
- Revel M16 (cost here 1200 Euro)
- Focal Aria 906 (950 Euro)
- Elac DBR 62 (500 Euro)

Quite a difference in pricing. Any comment on those ?

Thanks,

C.

 

[mhardy6647]

Now I want to see the Magnepan-equipped kitchen

I know a fellow who had a pair of EPI 1000s in his kitchen. Srsly. Big kitchen.
In full disclosure, he replaced them with a pair of Cain & Cain Abbys -- which were more svelte, but just about as tall.

EPI 1000s and their creator, Win Burhoe, for scale
source: https://www.humanspeakers.com/

 

[daftcombo]

Is oil going to be projected on them? If so, don't spend too much.

 

[anotherhobby]

Thank you all for the useful suggestions and comments

Active is not an option due to the setup

I have perused Amir's speaker reviews and came up with this short list:
- Revel M16 (cost here 1200 Euro)
- Focal Aria 906 (950 Euro)
- Elac DBR 62 (500 Euro)

Quite a difference in pricing. Any comment on those ?

Thanks,

C.

I've had the Focal Aria 906's for 2 years that I eventually upgraded to Aria 936's. I think they are really fantastic speakers, especially at that price (they are quite a bit more here in the US). I highly recommend them, and given the price between the Revel and the Focal, I'd pick the Focal without a second thought. I've never heard the Elac.

 

[pseudoid]

I don't know if you have seen/read this:
Passive Speaker Recommendations for USA
by @sweetchaos

 

[SloPoke]

Thank you all for the useful suggestions and comments

Active is not an option due to the setup

I have perused Amir's speaker reviews and came up with this short list:
- Revel M16 (cost here 1200 Euro)
- Focal Aria 906 (950 Euro)
- Elac DBR 62 (500 Euro)

Quite a difference in pricing. Any comment on those ?

Thanks,

C.

Have heard 2 of these 3 (not the Focal) and have heard the Classik (but not with these speakers).

Neither the Revel nor the Elac is "small". The Revel is 37cm high and the Elac isn't tiny either. In most circumstances I'd think of these as too big for kitchen speakers,....but I don't know your kitchen.

Of the two, I was most impressed with the Revel (though liked both).

A very good sounding and room friendly system would be the Classik feeding Revel S16 (ostensibly a surround speaker, but is good),...with maybe a little hidden sub.

If it was me, with your budget, I'd go for Genelec G Three speakers (if the Classik has pre-out? ...can't remember).

Someone in the UK was selling Revel M105 speakers on this forum's sale page (still?). The M105 is smaller than any you've mentioned and I like them better. (only real thing I have against the M16 and Elac for your purpose is their size..., biggish)

 

[digitalfrost]

I have perused Amir's speaker reviews and came up with this short list:
- Revel M16 (cost here 1200 Euro)
- Focal Aria 906 (950 Euro)
- Elac DBR 62 (500 Euro)

I wanted to suggest the Aria when first reading this post, but they are too high. 39cm. The M16 measure 37cm. The DBR 62 are 36cm.

So is your 35cm a hard requirement or not? All of those will not fit.