Standmount speaker help please!!

[admin_exported]

Hi All - I have Micromega CD / Unison Research Unico Amp and Transparent cables & Interconnect, and Tailor Made (?) Tube stands. My small room has a tendency to boom due to thin walls. I just can't seem to find a pair of small speakers that both sound great, look tolerable, and don't boom - front ported speakers seem to work best. I have tried so many now I seem to have run out of options - any suggestions please??. In decreasing order of sound quality, I have tried at home: B&W PM1 (superb sound but so ugly I'd be divorced); Mordaunt Short Performance 2 (agan, superb sound but large polished lump of plastic & looks cheap); Monitor Audio PL100 (sounds ok but not £2,600 ok. Shame becuase they look great); PMC DB1i (not bad, but sound like they're trying too hard); Quad 12l2 (Ok, but boom); Quald 21L2 (good, but boom); EB Acoustics EB1 (ok but boom); Harbeth (too aggressive sounding).... Any help appreciated...... I'm looking for the sound of the PM1s or the Performance 2s, and am prepared to pay that price, but with no plastic in sight if possible, and front ported, I think. Thanks in advance!

 

[CnoEvil]

Have you thought of Spendor SA1...or something from Harbeth (HLP3ESR or 7ES-3).

 

[CJSF]

. . . 'Booming room'? . . . how about a bit of wall damping, pictures, hanging rugs . . . how much soft furnishing have you got in the room?

CJSF

 

[Rethep]

What about taking the speakers about 1m (3 ft.) out of the corners, and from the backwall ? I think this solves your problem. As about every speaker "booms" the cause will not be the speaker!

 

[Macspur]

Hi,
Either try ProAc response D2 (front ported) or ATC SCM19 sealed cabinet, no boom and no problems with room positioning.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Sounds like a candidate for Sonus Faber to me, especially if you found the Harbeths too aggressive.

 

[CnoEvil]

Have you thought of Spendor SA1...or something from Harbeth (HLP3ESR or 7ES-3).

Apologies, I missed your comment on Harbeth. The treble on the SA1s is a little rolled off in comparison - they are my favorite small speaker under £2k.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody - I do have carpet, soft furnishings, etc, but it's a thin-walled London flat with v.limited space. I didn't mention that I tried the Sonus Faber (albeit not at home - not bad, though sounded a bit inert and the stands wouldn't squeeze into my space) and the Spendor SA1s which were blown away by the B&W PM1s. Will try the Proacs, thanks! If that doesn't work I'll probably try to live with the black or gray plastic Performance 2s as they seemed to sound superb no matter what I threw at them.

 

[Rethep]

Even if you live in a small room, you could maybe take the speakers a little bit out of the corners and from the backwall. I am listening quite nearfield too. And i'm enjoying!

 

[CJSF]

I Still suspect the 'thin walls', as the impression given, almost every speaker 'booms', selectively placed wall hangings and/or pictures would be high on my list . . .

CJSF

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi All - I have Micromega CD / Unison Research Unico Amp and Transparent cables & Interconnect, and Tailor Made (?) Tube stands. My small room has a tendency to boom due to thin walls. I just can't seem to find a pair of small speakers that both sound great, look tolerable, and don't boom - front ported speakers seem to work best. I have tried so many now I seem to have run out of options - any suggestions please??. In decreasing order of sound quality, I have tried at home: B&W PM1 (superb sound but so ugly I'd be divorced); Mordaunt Short Performance 2 (agan, superb sound but large polished lump of plastic & looks cheap); Monitor Audio PL100 (sounds ok but not £2,600 ok. Shame becuase they look great); PMC DB1i (not bad, but sound like they're trying too hard); Quad 12l2 (Ok, but boom); Quald 21L2 (good, but boom); EB Acoustics EB1 (ok but boom); Harbeth (too aggressive sounding).... Any help appreciated...... I'm looking for the sound of the PM1s or the Performance 2s, and am prepared to pay that price, but with no plastic in sight if possible, and front ported, I think. Thanks in advance!

These may fit the bill.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/neat-petite-sx/specs

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Neats might be hard to find in Brisbane.

 

[plastic penguin]

Neats might be hard to find in Brisbane.

Well, maybe the ideal speaker for him doesn't exist. There needs to be a compromise.