Floorstanders for a small room

[SuperTeeJay]

Hi folks. I use my speakers - a 3.1 Wharfedale Diamond 9 set up (2x 9.1; SW150; 9.CS) - for a mix of movies, games and music. My AV receiver is a Denon 2113.

The sitting room is actually quite small - 12ft x 11ft or 12sqm - and I want to remove some of the clutter while upgrading my speakers. I thought that a pair of quality floorstanders would be a good choice.

My budget is £400-600 and I am happy to buy second hand. Which speakers would be recommended? The local Gumtree has a pair of B&W CM7s and MA Silver RX8s in this price range. I understand the RX8s can be boomy, but I can shove plugs/socks into the ports if needed (plus it would be nice to have speakers that are also suitable for a larger room when I eventually move).

Thanks!

 

[Frank Harvey]

With a small room, I wouldn't really be looking at floorstanders with strong bass output. From B&W, you could look at the 684 S2 or possibly the CM8. Monitor Audio would be the BX5. Also, look at the a Dali Zensor 5, or the KEF Q500.

Plugging up the reflex ports of any speaker may be the answer to reducing boom, but it is something I would strongly recommend avoiding. A speaker that has been designed as a ported speaker won't necessarily work as a "sealed" speaker, in much the same way as making a hole in a sealed speaker isn't going to be the answer to a lack of bass. Plugging ports usually end up with the speaker sounding dull and lifeless.

 

[luckylion100]

PMC GB1's (non i) version can be picked up for around £600 or less. Worked really well in my small room when had a pair.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Agree luckylion, well worth looking at (I was trying to remember the letters - FB/GB etc).

Superteejay - the only thing with looking at used speakers is that they well be a little more demanding, requiring more stable amplification or something with better current delivery. Your choice will be limited to what your 2113 can comfortably drive and control.

 

[iQ Speakers]

The GB1's would be fine in room that size and a brilliant choice. New the Q Acoustics 3050 are good.

 

[SuperTeeJay]

Cool, thanks for the advice.

I will head to Richer Sounds and listen to the Q Acoustics 3050, Monitor Audio BX5 and the Dali Zensor 5. Would any of them pair particularly well with my Denon 2113?

Edit: Actually, I'm going to rule out the 3050 - my TV/speakers are placed diagonally across a corner and the 3050 is rear ported. The Zensor 5 is my current favourite based just on the specs, but should I be worried about its maximum power draw of 150W/6 ohms? 125W is the maximum output of the 2113.

 

[iQ Speakers]

No, yep the Dali 5 looks good. The PMC's would be the better sounding choice and have a forward facing port.

 

[SuperTeeJay]

Thanks, I will keep an eye out for the PMCs - they don't come up for sale regularly, it seems.

 

[iQ Speakers]

There's always plenty on EBay most in excellent condition.

 

[matthewpiano]

The Diamond 9.1s are particularly outstanding budget speakers with a lovely, natural and involving sound. Make sure you really do get a listen to your choice before you actually plump for it as your current speakers aren't going to be as easy to dramatically improve upon as you might think.

Big Q floorstanders and small rooms don't go together. I learnt this from experience with a pair of 1030i some time ago and although aspects of the drive units and enclosure have improved with more recent models, the 2050i were still a big sounding speaker which need space.

 

[DIB]

Since the arrival of the new Epos K series speakers, the older Elan 30 model can be had new from Peter Tyson for under £600 these days, worth considering.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Epos-Elan-30-Floorstanding-Speakers-Rosewood-Finish-/231495696915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e6380213

.

 

[SuperTeeJay]

Thanks Matthew. I listened to the Zensor 5 this afternoon and it's a clear step up, but not worth £550 to me. I'll wait for a pair to appear on Ebay - the going rate of £300ish is much more like it.

 

[SuperTeeJay]

Alas, I'm back.

Does anyone have an opinion on the PMC FB1? It seems to come up for sale as often as the GB1 so I thought I'd ask. Can the Denon 2113 drive the various PMC speakers (GB1, GB1i, FB1) and would they all work in a small room?

I'm leaning towards buying a great 2.0 set than the beginnings of a decent 5.1 system. Is this sensible for someone who watches a lot more TV, etc, than listens to music? Thanks.

 

[iQ Speakers]

The FB1 would be to large for your room would be boomy.

GB1's just come up Ebay.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PMC-GB1-/251908092556?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa6e4728c

 

[iceman16]

There's a pair of Totem arro's on ebay you might want to consider.

 

[james_LR90]

Totem Arro as mentioned above would be well worth having a think about.

 

[SuperTeeJay]

Since the arrival of the new Epos K series speakers, the older Elan 30 model can be had new from Peter Tyson for under £600 these days, worth considering.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Epos-Elan-30-Floorstanding-Speakers-Rosewood-Finish-/231495696915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e6380213

?

.

Does anyone else have an opinion on these? Useful comments online are few and far between.

I am more or less settled on a PMC but sorting the logistics of moving the speakers is a bit of a pain. Life is hard!

 

[davedotco]

Since the arrival of the new Epos K series speakers, the older Elan 30 model can be had new from Peter Tyson for under £600 these days, worth considering.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Epos-Elan-30-Floorstanding-Speakers-Rosewood-Finish-/231495696915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e6380213

.

Does anyone else have an opinion on these? Useful comments online are few and far between.

I am more or less settled on a PMC but sorting the logistics of moving the speakers is a bit of a pain. Life is hard!

It is indeed, Mrs DDC threw a right strop at Waitrose for running out of smoked salmon over the easter weekend.

 

[Waxy]

Just to throw another possible in the mix. Not sure how much these go for second hand, but I had them set up in a 4.5m x 3.5m room (facing across the smaller side and roughly 2.5m apart). They just seemed to suit the room very well, and the low level listening was excellent.

 

[Fulci]

Rega RS3 work great in small rooms, never boomy, they have side firing woofers so you can tune speaker placement by switching their sides and are very fun and musical speakers. Not to everyones taste though, so you should try to hear them first.

Neat Motive 2 are also very small, but heavier on the bass, but sound great too.