What’s your personal best choice of British bookshelf speakers if listening to bass/cello?
Listening to artists like Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Charlie Haden…
(Know floorstanders/subs would sound most satisfying but space limited… 
)
Are you looking for a speaker to actually sit on a shelf or speakers that can sit on stands?
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Yeah I mean small speakers (typically called bookshelf speakers) put on stands. (would never put on shelves)
Sorry but another question - what is your budget? Then I promise to try and be helpful!
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In my experience, also the amplifier makes a lot of difference when it comes to bass and small speaker. I’d suggest to audition the Dynaudio Special 40’s, but I guess that everyone will recommend the speakers he or she owns 
Oh, and use your own system when auditioning speaker.
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Radiant Acoustics Clarity 4.2 seem to get a lot of praise for their low end extension and their other attributes. Haven’t listened to them though.
I’d not assume that more bass will mean you like the rest of the speaker. But if we zero in on bass for size then a transmission line like those from PMC is likely to please. Where many standmounts roll off in the 60-60Hz range, the PMCs roll off in the 28-40Hz range. On bass they are hard to beat but there’s so much more to a speaker.
However, once you put a speaker on a stand, remember it takes the same footprint as a floor standing speaker. The latter may offer wood veneer all the way down and be easier to aesthetically accommodate than a speaker on a black or silver stand.
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If the speakers don’t sbsolutely have to be British, I’d recommend looking at Totem Arros. They’re floorstanding speakers but tiny so they would take up less space than a pair of bookshelf speakers with stands and in a small room they’re supposed to produce surprising amount of bass.
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What about the Totem Rainmakers? One could find some s/h bargain. I think they sounded great with their holographic soundstage and didn’t feel they were that far off the Arrows. If you really care about strong bass should move to speakers like the Sky Towers but that’s not the point of the OP.
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Thanks! I would say whatever you like best speaking of bass performance with Naim system. I’m sure it helps any of us looking for small speakers with any range of budget. Much appreciated!
Floorstanders need not take up any more room space than standmounts on stands… there are slim ones like PMC Twenty5.24, or even slimmer though deeper PMC Fact 12. The latter would be my choice if I was forced to have small speakers, having heard them with a range of music including classical. Of course budget comes into it, however buying secondhand can greatly increase buying power.
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Best bang for your buck undoubtedly Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g - have an 8” low range driver, pair beautifully with Naim amplification, and British! (China made tho). Check out some reviews.
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Hi Julius,
I use PMC DB1+ speakers mounted on KEF S2 stands with my Naim Atom. I am very happy with the sound quality and the aesthetics of my small system.
The bass performance of my speakers is very satisfying and the soundstage and transparency are also very good. My system is located in a small room (approximately 5m x 4m).
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In that case you should definitely audition some PMC’s. I had the 25.21’s and they work really well with Naim and have wonderful bass. You should listen to PMC 25.21i or Prophesy 1. If you want something cheaper then look at the Prodigy 1.
Neat also work really well with Naim and I think the Neat Petite Classic should be on your audition list. Compact but excellent bass.
Finally there is ProAc to think about. I currently have the D2R’s which are standmounts and have lots of bass. They also have ProAc’s fabulous ribbon tweeters - I could never go back to dome tweeters now. However, they are large for standmounts.
If I were in your position, top of my audition list would be the ProAc DB1R’s which have just been announced and are due out soon. The DB1’s are a current model which are small, very musical and have lots of bass - the addition of the ribbon tweeter to make the DB1R should make them fabulous
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I can highly recommend the PMC Prophecy 1 speakers, I am using them with a Naim XS3 amplifier in a small room (11” x 14”) and they produce plenty of fast, tight bass.
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Have a look at the KEF R3 Metas. I have/had LS50s in my lounge, really like the sound, and have tried out a pair of R3s in their place. The R3s definitely go lower and did sound good with classical / choral music. Bass/cello in a highly reflective stone church was pretty wild.
The sound is not for everyone, but worth a listen IMO. And they’re not bank-breakers either. Good luck.
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That is hardly a small room! Maybe not large, but that’s probably about average or slightly larger than average British lounge size!
I would try the slightly larger Spendor Classic standmount series such as the 3/2 or equivalent from the previous models. The way they are able to do and communicate Pedersen, Haden and similar jazz can be very special.
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Kudos Titan 505’s, but you’ll need a damn strong bookshelf 
. Alternatively, the (now) included stands are pretty formidable.
ATB, J
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Will the speakers be placed close to rear wall?
What is your budget?
What kind of amplifier are you using?
What kind of finish do you prefer?
What is the size limit?
Will you use stands or will they be placed inside a book shelf?