Bookcase speakers... IN a bookcase...

[TooLeveraged]

Hi all,

We've just bought a new place and we're in the process of fitting the living area for an entertainment console/bookcase/display case. Space is at a premium but I also don't want to compromise on sound quality. I am looking for a system that can reproduce music at an "entry" hi-fi level, be it classical or jazz from a vinyl source or more contemporary music from airplay/streaming, as well serve as the audio for my TV/dvd. I do not own any of the components yet, but I have been reading about the Yamaha R-N602 and the ATC SCM7 speakers. I have two related questions:

1) Does this set up make sense? Are the ATCs overkill for the Yamaha receiver? Is a subwoofer recommended?

2) Because of limited space (the room is 5 meters deep, though the seating is approx 3 meters from the wall), the speakers will have to be integrated in some way into the bookcase that we are building. Will this defeat the purpose of shelling out on hi fi components? Is there a way to treat the shelves using, say, acoustic foam? Should I be looking at a different speaker?

Thanks,

TL

 

[davedotco]

The best speaker I know of to work well in the situation you are suggesting would be the Neat Iota.

Placed in a bookshelf as you describe I can think of nothing better.

The small ATCs would are a better speaker, but only if you could stand mount them and work on their positioning, for a less optimum setup, I would prefer the Iotas.

 

[TooLeveraged]

Thanks for the reply.

Would these need a subwoofer paired with them? Is the R-N602 or R-N500 sufficient to drive these or are there quality gains to be made with other amps/receivers in a similar price range?

 

[ID.]

The best speaker I know of to work well in the situation you are suggesting would be the Neat Iota.

Placed in a bookshelf as you describe I can think of nothing better.

The small ATCs would are a better speaker, but only if you could stand mount them and work on their positioning, for a less optimum setup, I would prefer the Iotas.

theres also the argument that the ATCs might be a good compromise due to the sealed cabinet, but the low sensitivity is a red flag for me with that Yamaha. If you don't need much volume then perhaps it might be worth testing them out together first. The speakers are small enough that you may not get too many bass issues. Personally I'd still prefer them on stands, or at least on top of a cabinet to help get the proper stereo effect.

Personally I'd be looking at something like some Genelecs like the G1 or G2, with or without the subwoofer that acts as a preamp and using the switches in the back to try to compensate for placement. There's also the option of the 8010 or 8020 which only seem to differ from the above mentioned home audio Genelecs in terms of the connections required on one end of he cables. I guess this setup is trickier if you don't get the sub because you need something to work as a preamp for everything you want to connect. I guess you could use an AV amp that has pre outs or a Marantz M-CR611.

 

[Leeps]

The best speaker I know of to work well in the situation you are suggesting would be the Neat Iota.

Placed in a bookshelf as you describe I can think of nothing better.

The small ATCs would are a better speaker, but only if you could stand mount them and work on their positioning, for a less optimum setup, I would prefer the Iotas.

+1

The Neats are excellent and don't necessarily need a sub. They do midrange very well indeed and are just really good to listen to. They have an infectious quality that many other (larger) speakers lack.

Not sure on your total budget, but your choice of the ATC SCM-7 would normally be suited to much higher quality (and sadly expensive) amplifiers, especially due to them being sealed. Indeed the Neats too could handle some pretty decent amplification before being embarrassed.

I appreciate you may already have in mind what you want to do for the room, but the Neats are so small, they could very easily be wall-mounted further into the room too.

 

[matthewpiano]

I would suggest the Kralk Audio BC-30 - a compact, sealed monitor designed specifically for the sort of set-up you have in mind. I heard these at the National Audio Show and they are superb. They aren't hard to drive either and also had a very good review in Hi-Fi+ magazine some time ago. Website is http://www.kralkaudio.com/bc-30.html.

 

[davedotco]

I would suggest the Kralk Audio BC-30 - a compact, sealed monitor designed specifically for the sort of set-up you have in mind. I heard these at the National Audio Show and they are superb. They aren't hard to drive either and also had a very good review in Hi-Fi+ magazine some time ago. Website is http://www.kralkaudio.com/bc-30.html.

I heard the BC30 and it very much as you say. The combination of performance and ease of positioning is unusual, a sort of LS3/5a for more practical use.

I was very impressed but the profile of the company is so modest that, having forgotton their name, I could not find them on the net. Shouldn't put anyone off though.