Small Bookshelf Speakers for Near-Field with High Sensitivity

[grotesque]

Hi everyone,

There may be an identical question asked elsewhere, but I couldn't find it so hopefully you can help me out. I'm looking for some small bookshelf speakers for near-field listening with high sensitivity. I'm located in the UK so that may affect recommended brands/options.

• Maximum speaker depth of 230mm (9"), preferably around 200mm (or ~8") to fit on the monitor shelf on my desk
• Room is approximately 3.0 x 3.0m (10 x 10ft) with my desk up against one wall
• My amp is rated to 10W at 8Ohm so ideally it would be an 8Ohm rated speaker with >86dB sensitivity
• Price in the range of £200-300 (or $250-400) ideally
• Bonus points for being visually appealing though this is secondary to the audio qualities

Based on these requirements I made a short-list of 3 4 potential options within my price range while also being less than 230mm deep. I could find reviews/measurements of some of the larger models but I'm not sure if it's safe to assume they scale down and I can expect similarly good performance for the smaller version.

1. Wharfedale Diamond 12.0 available for £199 -> 12.1 model measures well (Amirm's Review / Erin's measurements)
2. Mission LX-1 Mk2 available for £184 -> LX-3 model measures reasonably well but needs EQ for best performance (Amirm's Review)
3. Dali Spektor 1 available for £179 -> Dali seem to be well liked but this model didn't measure very well (Amirm's Review)
4. Polk XT15 available for £139 -> Added to the list following staticV3's suggestion. Cheaper option that also measures well (Erin's Measurements)

Looking just at the measurements of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, and hoping that translates to the 12.0, it seems like the clear best choice. Are there any other models that might be good for my requirements or anything I've overlooked?

Thanks,
John

 

[staticV3]

Hi @grotesque!

Polk XT15 would be my choice:

Polk Monitor XT15 Bookshelf Speaker Review

Polk Monitor XT15 Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Performs just as well as the 12.1, but at half the price:

Wharfedale 12.1 Speaker Review

Wharfedale 12.1 Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

 

[grotesque]

Thanks for the recommendation @staticV3. I'm less familiar with Polk and, as far as I'm aware, they aren't as widely available in the UK but I do see them from a reputable shop here for £139, so that's about 30% cheaper than the Wharfedale 12.0 option. I will definitely add them to the short-list for consideration.