It’s a funny thing running in speakers. You really need to set your expectations. Last time I had a pair to run in I expected about 40 hrs. After this they certainly sounded much nicer but the real jaw drop came at 100hrs which I wasn’t expecting. You make a valid point about adapting to the sound and if it sounds acceptable then that may be the case but if it dramatically improves then for me the speaker has run in.
Which was it for you?
Hello Julius,
The restriction to British bookshelf speakers would be a limiting factor in your choices.
It may be prudent to expand your search to include participants from other destinations that may offer a linear response to at least 40Hz to fulfill your requirements.
I had extremely satisfying results with the original Sonus Faber Electa Amators and the Red Rose Music R3 speakers some years ago, however in both cases the electronics to drive them to optimise performance was demanding. I have yet to experience similar performance from speakers of more recent manufacture.
As an aside, I like buying “used” equipment, speakers particularly, because somebody else has done the hard work of running them in for you.
Hope this helps.
I guess the honest answer is ‘I do not know’. I am certainly very sensitive to rough screechy treble, and it is difficult to imagine bass that is not there. The Guarneri G5s go down to 40Hz which copes perfectly with cellos. Double basses are there in the presentation but may be a bit subdued.
As the years have gone by, I have moved away from large symphonic works. To fully reproduce them at home might require a more powerful amp feeding large floor standers (ideally go and hear them in a concert hall).
The message I would give is that listening to different pieces of kit at a dealer can give little idea of what they can deliver after running in at home.
Thanks a lot for you all’s further inputs there is a very happy and long bucket list of great bookshelf speakers.
At the same time I’m listening to the great album by Charlie Haden and Chris Anderson via 52, powerful bass, mastered by the great Julian, only have smile on my face. 
Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3
It’s on Qobuz.
G
Can the Prophecy speakers be placed freely in the room, or should they be placed closer to a wall?
My listening space is relatively small (3.5 x 4.5 metres) and so I don’t have much real estate when it comes to speaker placement and so mine are about 45cm from the rear wall. I would expect equally great results if placed further into a larger room, mainly due to the transmission line port being a front facing design. They’re definitely worth a demo in my opinion.
Pretty average size for Britain
For me the best bookshelf/standmount speakers split into two. There is deep tight analytical sub bass, and there is warmer bass yet still tight.
For the first Falcon Acoustic Gold L5/3a with room reinforcement is super good. accurate and resolving of sub bass. But can be quite a forward presentation.
The second group, it’s the Russell K Red 50 speakers for me… fantastic for music and balance and good bass. Not as resolving in the sub bass as the Falcons but there is a warmer presentation and one can enjoy music of all mastering types for hours on end..
When setup well in smaller rooms, both appear to avoid ghastly resonant booming bass yet provide a satisfyingly balanced bass response and relatively good sub bass response for smaller speakers.
Both of these speakers are suited for small to medium sized rooms, but their relative small mid bass drivers are great for quality and definition - but are ultimately limited in slam where you will need to displace more air with a larger driver but might sacrifice some detail/definition.
Exactly what I have been looking for. Any thoughts on Neat Momentum JS ? I have been looking for new speaker for new small room ( details in NN50 thread)
I am sorry I don’t. Neat speakers are well regarded = but when it comes to hifi, speakers and rooms, everything is such a relative compromise, it really does come down to personal tastes and preferences - which is what I tried to convey briefly in terms of my tastes above.
I think on balance if listening to mostly pre recorded music - which I guess is what most do on this forum I would drive for a speaker than drives for subjective balance over accuracy across the bandwidth which to be fair is what most hifi speakers do… however the mids are often key for perceived quality and ‘accuracy’ - so I would concentrate on those as our hearing is most sensitive to the mid frequencies .. but you might have to try at home - or at least have the ability to return them if they dont match.
Oh yes stands are critical for optimum performance - and to my mind they are a benefit over floor mounting speakers. The stand can optimally couple, decouple for your environment as well as lower and dissipate resonance points out of harms way etc.
I use Solidsteel SS60 stands currently, they are quite expensive for what they are, but they seem to do the business for me and my speakers.
Thank you. Always regard your views highly. I have QM10 V1 on their stands just want a little more drive/bass on occasion. I can audition Russell K and neats at my dealer (I hope stock both makes). Will pay attention to stands
Standmounts which produce the ‘best’ bass, that’s a tricky question as it’s all relative and in most cases dependent on the room. In small rooms most standmounts would have satisfying bass but they would sound inadequate in mid-sized to larger rooms especially when you compare the options. There are standmounts which do better bass than other standmounts, a bass which not only goes deeper but with better presence and sounds more defined and detailed. Basically a big, robust, punchy and defined bass as opposed to a weak and smeared bass which gets lost in larger rooms.
In mid-sized to larger rooms, I would not pick several options or recommendations mentioned in this thread but larger standmounts which are capable of delivering better bass in both quality and quantity.
Yes I think “bookshelf” in this context really means they would fit on a bookshelf even if they will be mounted on stands.
Great standmounts for bass and definition at volume in larger spaces aren’t rare but they are pretty big. I mean a BB6 is a standmount and fairly easy to drive. But part of the large speaker category.
With these questions it is incredibly difficult to imagine what someone else’s frame of reference is and expectation. One person’s bass is another’s flab.
Right FZ, I started this thread cause ‘bookshelf’ worths a discussion, as quality bass is relatively difficult to get from this category given the ultimately compact size. Apparently many bought ‘bookshelf’ for its mids and highs whilst admittedly bass is a sacrifice.
As I have defo no chance to listen to all the great bookshelf speakers it’s great for everyone to share their best and insights could be come up by forum wisdom. I’m also believe many love Naim for its bass performance so worth an asking here.
IMHO, with bookshelf speakers and bass, one may want to try a 2.1 speaker system? Just dial in a sub and off you go although i would always try to go for a sealed sub as opposed to a ported one.
Have done this in bedroom system. Changed energy point1e to nsat and added a rel Mikro sub. The sub fits perfectly and now I love to listen to music on qute 2 as well 
I think quality bass is often more evident from this category as opposed to floor standers.
The latter can create often greater bass volume into larger spaces, but unless you go very much higher end I find bass quality has often disappointed with floor standers.. it’s the main reason I remain with stand mounts.
There are some great stand mounts with superb bass, but ultimately the smaller the cab, the more the hit on sensitivity, so for quality stand mounts you may need more power.
I registered here to recommend these speakers, although I’ve been reading the forum periodically for about 20 years. The room they live in is about 20 m2. These speakers definitely deserve your attention. I fell in love with them at first sight (listening). They produce such bass that you won’t believe they’re bookshelf speakers. You might not get the same scale as floorstanding speakers with BSO, but everything else is beyond praise.
