I briefly considered the PMCs but I’m not keen on the sloping style, and the matching stands are rather large and bulky. I’ve owned PMCs before and the transmission line bass loading works well in my room, whereas I’ve never found a ported speaker that works here.
I’d had my eye on the ProAcs for a couple of years so they were the obvious choice, but of course it’s sensible to try alternatives, hence trying the ATC 11.
I don’t like the look of the Audiovector and wanted something more classic looking. Some may find that boring of course.
Your mention of the LS50 Meta rather takes me back to the opening post. Perhaps I should have used the Meta as the small speaker example. Both it and the IQ90 cost £999, yet the Meta is way smaller.
In the right room small can prove very deceptive. Eyes closed, listening to this, I think many would be fooled into thinking the Tab 10 Sigs were a much larger ‘speaker.
Respect. Beauty is on the eye of the beholder.
But of course , the two examples that I gave was just for example sake.( of frontal port).
Slightly of topic, take the opportunity to thank you for the sugestion of Marc Johnson album.
Was a good one.
Gave me the right mood to a sweet night while drinking my wine…
If I’m not mistaken your lovely peak consult floorstanders actually are a “standmount” as I believe the top third is sealed completely off from the rest of the cabinet.
Got admite that I have also a weak spot on speakers since I remember. Probably because it’s the final chain of the circuit: when I was a kid I was hipnotized by the movement of the woofer. And “the sound comes from them.”
If you know what I mean.
For me it’s important that i can physically feel the music, the movement of air and a rumble that can be felt in your body. This gives the kind of live sensation that feels the most visceral to me, and is what i enjoy the most. For this reason i always tend to end up with larger speakers and/or subwoofers.
My current floorstanders (Spendor A4) are not too tall, and i think i will be looking for a pair of slightly larger speakers in a while…
Yes they’re great together! I have no complaints… if i would look at other speakers it would mainly be out of boredom, not because i’m discontent with my current setup.
Not really, they are a wee bit too small for that. Their bottom end is around 37-40hz, which is quite good for their size, but for a real ‘rumble’ you need a woofer that can go as low as 15-20hz. Currently i use a separate subwoofer for that part, and the combination works really well overall.
Ideally i would like a full range pair of speakers that i can use without a subwoofer, but they would need to have pretty large bass drivers to reach that low. I’m casually glancing at the Klipsch Cornwall IV and the Pure Audio Project Classic (open baffle) which both have "15 woofers, maybe one day i’ll try one of them out for a demo…
Most big speakers like you mention aren’t really a substitute for a subwoofer. If you still want 20-30 hz you will need some active involvement or a huge amp. Most passive speakers probably only go to 30 hz and are probably rolled off at that frequency. One thing that I have discovered with my large speakers is that the deepest bass becomes a little less relevant as 40, 50, 60 hz played through large woofers sounds quite different and more satisfying. I’m only talking from 12” experience. Not 15”. Must be even better with a 15”.
In my limited experience I prefer large cabinet speakers (even if they are of lower quality) to bookshelf ones (and of better quality). It is a matter of taste that not only depends on the quality of the drivers. The amplitude, scene and spatiality are different.
I consider that the shelves are overpriced because they are in high demand.
In particular, I just discarded a few PMCs that I bought to save space, they lasted me 2 weeks and I returned to my huge and old-fashioned 3-way Infinity of medium quality
The current trend in passive for ultra quality bass is two 10 inch drivers in lieu of one 15 inch driver. I think precision and control is more important than just moving air, even at low frecuencies.
My recollection of very low frequencies when listening to live organ music in a church is getting that part of the spectrum through the floor and bench and maybe reflection of higher harmonics, not really direct audible sound. I wonder if that can be reproduced with speakers, unless your room has stone walls and pointed arches.
In anycase, lows are difficult to get with small speakers.
