Bookshelf Speakers?

[themissingelf]

Hi,

I'm after some advice... I have a Quad 34 pre-amd with Quad 306 amp, fed FLAC files from a NAS drive via a Sonos Connect. The Quad is connect to a pair of Gale 301 speakers.

Whilst I love the sound of the Gale's they are too large. If I can find smaller alternatives that sound as good or better then I would like to (reluctantly) replace them. Ideally I want some speaker that are small enough to be positioned discretely on shelfs.

I have two questions...

Having read filtered the speaker review on What Hi Fi to "Bookshelf" I kept finding the review always described mounting on a stand. Have I misunderstood the term "Bookshelf"?

Leading neatly on to my second question / request... I would be grateful for some recommendations for speakers that are suitable for my requirements (or am I asking for something that does not exist)?

Many thanks.

 

[ID.]

Yes. Basically they are misnamed. Sure they will fit on a bookshelf (depending on the size of your bookshelf), but they will always sound better on stands.

I know there are certain speakers designed to work in corners or up against walls, so maybe some of the more knowledgable members of the forum might be able to say whether there are speakers designed to sound better on a bookshelf or some other furniture than on solid stands in free space.

 

[rainsoothe]

hi

i think Neat Iotas are designed for bookshelf use.

 

[themissingelf]

Thank you both for your replies.

The Neat speakers look, erm, "neat"... I see an audition coming on! Meanwhile, I experimented replacing the Gales with some Kef Coda 7's I normally use in the cinema system. The Coda's a good, very good, but the Gales are so much better.

I'm keeping an open mind for now but can almost sense the regret I may feel if I replace the Gales! The good news is that my wife noticed the difference in sound too, without any prompting or cajoling by me, and became much more accepting of the Gales remaining!

 

[davedotco]

Once upon a time there were genuine bookshelf speakers that were designed to be used on, ahem, bookshelves.

Generally they sounded so much better on proper stands that the majority of even quite small modern speakers are built for stand use. This is important because such speakers are designed to deliver a fairly generous bass when mounted on stands in a bit od space, so the bass becomes over emphasised when these speakers are mounted on bookshelves.

There are a handful of speakers that are designed for shelf use, the Neat Iotas being one of the better examples that you can actually buy. it is however a pretty small speaker, though it sounds much bigger than it is, it will sound very different to what you are used to.

There is however another, really quite radical solution, involving active speakers which, as a breed, tend to have better bass control than there conventional counterparts. This makes shelf placement somewhat easier, so, for example, a pair of the relatively small AVI DM5s (£699) would be an interesting solution.

 

[luckylion100]

can currently be found for £385.00 plus £15.00 delivery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAIR-SPEAKERS-SONUS-FABER-TOY-SPEAKER-CLASSIC-BLACK-LEATHER-BRAND-NEW-WARRANTY-/231473113939?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e4df6b53