The bestest, smallest, budget bookshelf speakers?

[Revolutions]

Trying to put together a hit list for auditioning with my brother. We’re both in the market for small speakers- although I think he wants bass & fun. And needing to fill a living room/kitchen space.

I’m going to want detailed. For a bedroom, so often low-level listening. And small is important.

Current list to check out:
- Q Acoustics 3030i (might be too big)
- Elac debut 5.2
- Triangle BR03
- Dali Oberon 1
- B&W 607 S2

I’m mostly interested in the Elac & Triangle, but the B&Ws are always a wildcard.

Any obvious contenders missing from the list? And any on the list that are unlikely to fulfil either brief of fun or detailed?

 

[Al ears]

I think you are both likely to be disappointed for differing reasons....

 

[Revolutions]

I think you are both likely to be disappointed for differing reasons....

He’s upgrading from a mono Bose WiFi speaker, so I’m banking on almost every option will be an upgrade for him, at least in the sitting in front of & listening to stakes.

For me, yes. I’m hoping an open mind might leave me open to being surprised though.

 

[DougK1]

Harbeth P3's

 

[Fandango Andy]

Trying to put together a hit list for auditioning with my brother. We’re both in the market for small speakers- although I think he wants bass & fun. And needing to fill a living room/kitchen space.

I’m going to want detailed. For a bedroom, so often low-level listening. And small is important.

Current list to check out:
- Q Acoustics 3030i (might be too big)
- Elac debut 5.2
- Triangle BR03
- Dali Oberon 1
- B&W 607 S2

I’m mostly interested in the Elac & Triangle, but the B&Ws are always a wildcard.

Any obvious contenders missing from the list? And any on the list that are unlikely to fulfil either brief of fun or detailed?

Small is relative, do you have dimensions?

Small and bass is a somewhat impossible combination. a discreet sub may be the answer.

The Q Acoustics 3030i are relatively small in two dimensions, and huge in another! Triangle BR03 are great speakers.

If you want to look second hand there are some great small turn of the century speakers, Tannoy M1 or R1, or Mission M71. Or more recently Q Acoustics Concept 20.

If you are looing for small great sounding speakers you will still struggle to better BBC Monitors LS3/5A, or one of their derivatives. But they do start at about £2,500.

Having said all of that, if you are concerned about size, are you limited where you place them? Some speakers are forgiving of their placement, others aren't!

 

[Witterings]

Current list to check out:
- Q Acoustics 3030i (might be too big)
- Elac debut 5.2
- Triangle BR03
- Dali Oberon 1
- B&W 607 S2

I was looking at the same a year ago and much the same had limited space, I bought and owned the B&W's for a while but they were too bright so sold them for quite a loss ... from research rather than experience the BR03's can be bright as well.

I back to backed Dali Spektor 2's vs Elac 5.2's and chose the Elac's, the Dali's were incredibly similar bit not so forgiving of a bad recording ... the Oberon 1's are a step up, would like to hear them in comparison.

I'd get both pf those off Amazon or if you have a local retailer that'll let you home trial and return the one you like least.

The 607 s3's are meant to have addressed the brightness the S2's suffered but I'm guessing are more money.

 

[Revolutions]

Harbeth P3's

If you are looing for small great sounding speakers you will still struggle to better BBC Monitors LS3/5A, or one of their derivatives. But they do start at about £2,500.

hmm, these might be a slight stretch beyond the budget 😁

@Fandango Andy for size, I think the Elac will be about largest my brother would do. Just looking at my space, I’m not sure I even have room for that. 80cm wide. I might need to rapidly lower expectations 😬

I was looking at the same a year ago and much the same had limited space,

This is really helpful, thanks! Good news is Richer Sounds seem stock most speakers, so will try and arrange some demos with the bro first.

I’ve just been having a look at smaller options for me & looks like 90s NHT Super zeros could be an interesting 2nd hand option. Or Dali 1 cabinets aren’t huge… Opticon becomes reasonable at used prices… hmm

 

[AJM1981]

Trying to put together a hit list for auditioning with my brother. We’re both in the market for small speakers- although I think he wants bass & fun. And needing to fill a living room/kitchen space.

I’m going to want detailed. For a bedroom, so often low-level listening. And small is important.

Current list to check out:
- Q Acoustics 3030i (might be too big)
- Elac debut 5.2
- Triangle BR03
- Dali Oberon 1
- B&W 607 S2

I’m mostly interested in the Elac & Triangle, but the B&Ws are always a wildcard.

Any obvious contenders missing from the list? And any on the list that are unlikely to fulfil either brief of fun or detailed?

The smallest possible one that I consider the best sounding hidden gem in its class is the Madison Madbs[yy] (followed by the color code). I once had them connected and compared it to a bigger brand model and someone even more into audio than me said that he would definitely choose the Madisons. 75 euro’s and you’re done. It has this great articulation when playing anything related to acoustic string instruments.

Bit of the category in which Sony also falls with their budget three way system

 

[Fandango Andy]

hmm, these might be a slight stretch beyond the budget 😁

@Fandango Andy for size, I think the Elac will be about largest my brother would do. Just looking at my space, I’m not sure I even have room for that. 80cm wide. I might need to rapidly lower expectations 😬

This is really helpful, thanks! Good news is Richer Sounds seem stock most speakers, so will try and arrange some demos with the bro first.

I’ve just been having a look at smaller options for me & looks like 90s NHT Super zeros could be an interesting 2nd hand option. Or Dali 1 cabinets aren’t huge… Opticon becomes reasonable at used prices… hmm

I a space like that you first concern will be something you can place near a wall. I got a pair of Tannoy Mercury M1 for my bedroom. They are small and fit/looked perfect, but sounded terrible. I swapped then for the Mission 701 from my main system. The 701s are huge but front ported and very forgiving. They sound great. The Tannoy's are still in my main system two years later. With space to breathe they are also great.

Take a look at this for a few options. He is a little sniffy about the Triangle, from what I have heard of them they are really good.

View: https://youtu.be/1a6jxpWSR3o?si=A5j3SfPjbOVozwBX

 

[AJM1981]

I a space like that you first concern will be something you can place near a wall. I got a pair of Tannoy Mercury M1 for my bedroom. They are small and fit/looked perfect, but sounded terrible. I swapped then for the Mission 701 from my main system. The 701s are huge but front ported and very forgiving. They sound great. The Tannoy's are still in my main system two years later. With space to breathe they are also great.

Take a look at this for a few options. He is a little sniffy about the Triangle, from what I have heard of them they are really good.

View: https://youtu.be/1a6jxpWSR3o?si=A5j3SfPjbOVozwBX

Funny, I also briefly had a pair of Mercury M1’s over 20 years ago. They won an ESA award in their class. Despite my room conditions were not ideal those days (bit too much reverb), I remember them as sounding a bit muffled.

In my opinion the world of loudspeakers also changed for the better. There is much more bang for buck than there was in those days.

 

[Messiah]

I would also consider Monitor Audio Radius 90. (I use these in my home cinema and kitchen).

Definitely fit the bill size wise BUT, because of their size, would need a sub to provide decent bass. Might be ok for low level listening but certainly not at 'normal' levels.

 

[nopiano]

It’s a good list that covers quite a range of tonal characteristics, and the caution about the QA being very deep front to back is noted. The 3020i is smaller, but still deep. I like these on stands, but on a shelf the 3010i might be better.

The only wildcard I’d suggest - and you won’t find it at Richer Sounds - is the ATC SCM7. A small, sealed box like the LS3/5a, but without its fussiness and poor power handling. The ATC needs at least 50 wpc, but tolerates placement near walls and shelves. Tinier still, is the Neat Iota, with a ribbon tweeter. For low volumes it might just be ideal, so do try to hear them.

 

[DougK1]

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Revolutions]

Thanks everyone (well, except maybe Doug ), loads of ideas for me to follow up. The video was helpful for a couple of additional brands, too.

Long list for big bro is now longer...! I think I'll split the list by where we can listen, give them a size & price rating and hopefully we can cut the list down a little before trying to audition - I've got endless patience to explore this stuff, but pretty sure I'm the only one in my family who obsesses over sound.

• Q Acoustics 3030i (might be too big)
• Elac debut 5.2
• Elac Reference 5.2
• Triangle BR03
• Dali Oberon 1
• Dali Opticon 2
• B&W 607 S2
• Wharfedale Evo 4.1
• Wharfdale Denton 80th / 85th
• Jamo C93 ii
• Madison Madbs
• Tannoy Mercury M1
• Monitor Audio Radius 90 (these are an interesting choice for my bedroom)

The only wildcard I’d suggest - and you won’t find it at Richer Sounds - is the ATC SCM7. A small, sealed box like the LS3/5a, but without its fussiness and poor power handling. The ATC needs at least 50 wpc, but tolerates placement near walls and shelves. Tinier still, is the Neat Iota, with a ribbon tweeter. For low volumes it might just be ideal, so do try to hear them.

Oh, you just had to go and get me excited about speakers well outside my budget... It appears a shop in Clapham stocks both - that's only a 45 minute walk. Will definitely make a trip to see/hear those, they've piqued my interest for some reason. Maybe as I've not heard of either brand before. Thanks for the suggestion - will report back.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Funny, I also briefly had a pair of Mercury M1’s over 20 years ago. They won an ESA award in their class. Despite my room conditions were not ideal those days (bit too much reverb), I remember them as sounding a bit muffled.

In my opinion the world of loudspeakers also changed for the better. There is much more bang for buck than there was in those days.

I auditioned a pair in the early 2000's and loved them. The 701's where better and I got them ridiculously cheep as and end of line deal.

The Tannoy's where £20 on ebay and where like new. I figured I could always sell them on if I didn't like them. They didn't work how intended but I have been really happy with then in my main system.

 

[Revolutions]

There’s a £25 pair of Tannoy M1s on eBay within commuting distance…

 

[Fandango Andy]

There’s a £25 pair of Tannoy M1s on eBay within commuting distance…

Not the speakers you are looking for. I recommend them before you explained where you would use them. They need space around them at least 50cm to the rear, ideally more. You are going to need something sealed box or front ported.

 

[Revolutions]

Not the speakers you are looking for. I recommend them before you explained where you would use them. They need space around them at least 50cm to the rear, ideally more. You are going to need something sealed box or front ported.

 

[Fandango Andy]

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tenor.com

 

[gasolin]

Triangle BR03 are not small speakers thy are as big as Dali Oberon 3

Dali Oberon 1, B&W 607 S2 are bright sounding

 

[matthewpianist]

If a bargain with enjoyable sound and compact dimensions is the priority, look for a nice example of Mordaunt-Short MS10i. They're a cracking little speaker and, with patience, you should be able to pick up a good pair for dinner money.

If you prefer to stick to new speakers, I can strongly recommend Mission LX1 MkII or QX1 MkII. The difference between them is noticeable and the QX-series are worth the extra layout, but both are very capable.

 

[plastic penguin]

Harbeth P3's

You rascal. Not exactly budget at well over 2k. For less than a grand Amphion Argons 0, if the 1s are anything to go by, are superb VFM, and natural sounding.

 

[DougK1]

You rascal. Not exactly budget at well over 2k. For less than a grand Amphion Argons 0, if the 1s are anything to go by, are superb VFM, and natural sounding.

I did offer another alternative at the other end of the budget spectrum - Harman Kardon soundsticks

 

[plastic penguin]

Harman Kardon soundsticks

Are they salt & vinegar flavour?😆

 

[Revolutions]

Just been offered some Rega RS1 speakers for a decent price. Worth taking a punt for my budget bedroom setup. And stops me thinking about spending silly money on some ATC SCM7