|
Bronze Member Username: DarrenmcWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada Post Number: 23 Registered: Mar-04 | Can bookshelf speakers compete with floorstanding speakers in a small to mid-size room? Other than the obvious of wanting more power out of your speakers are there any other benefits to owning floorstanding speakers vs. bookshelf speakers? Where is the cutoff to move up to a larger floorstanding speaker? Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. |
|
Silver Member Username: StefanomVienna, VA United States Post Number: 461 Registered: Apr-06 | It depends on a lot of things. Do you have some specifics of your situation, eg room size and speakers considered? |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2013 Registered: Sep-04 | Darren, Bookshelf vs floorstander is just another decision in a long list that a designer takes in producing a speaker. Both bookshelf and floorstander have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Typically, it is easier for a floorstander to produce deep bass, but the weakness is that it very often is associated with less accurate bass due to the requirement to control the much larger panels of the floorstander. On the other hand, the designer can elect to make the bookshelf reproduce deep bass, but the weakness will be that the bookshelf becomes hard to drive which limits its potential partnering amplifiers. In the shop where I work on Saturdays, we have excellent floorstanders at the $1000 bracket (where floorstanders start to become interesting), and yet we also have excellent bookshelf speakers in the $5000 bracket. Focal's 714V floorstander is a great speaker for the money, but it's not in the same league in terms of performance as the Focal 1007be standmount, as is reflected by the price. This just demonstrates the point that a floorstander and a bookshelf are simply a reflection of different design choices, not necessarily inherently better - at least at prices where one worries about price. At stratospheric price levels, it's unusual to find standmounts, although the stratosphere seems to keep getting higher as I see more highly priced standmounts coming onto the market quite regularly. It's true that floorstanders generally have more scale than their smaller brethren but this only becomes an issue in genuinely large rooms. We have a demo room 7.5m x 5.5m and we regularly fill that room with more than enough good sound with small speakers such as Totem Dreamcatchers, provided (and this is very important) the amplifier is capable of controlling and driving the speakers properly. Regards, Frank. |
|
Bronze Member Username: DarrenmcWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada Post Number: 24 Registered: Mar-04 | Thanks for the informative info Frank! Right now I have Monitor Audio RS1's(just bought 2 weeks ago) and may look to upgrade somewhere down the line. I'm using a brand new Arcam AVR300 to drive them. For some reason my prior bookshelfs seemed a lot louder/fuller, maybe because I was used to them. In a month I went from an Onkyo TX-SR701 a/v receiver, Denon DCM-340 cd player and Agstrom Modular 2 bookshelf speakers to the Arcam AVR300 a/v receiver, NAD C542 cd player, and Monitor Audio RS1 bookshelf speakers. All this cost me a hefty price and these are all of higher quality products so I'm expecting to hear a big difference but I don't? Is it because of how new these products are, I have to give them time? |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2025 Registered: Sep-04 | Difficult to say Darren! The Monitor Audios are probably still running in but they should be giving you their full range by now. If you've left the Arcam on most of the time (or at least a few hours a day) it should be run in by now, as is true of the NAD. Here's some questions: In what way is the sound deficient? Where does it let you down? What cabling are you using? It's one thing to be an unbeliever but another to use really awful cables (such as what comes out of the box in the case of the NAD). How or where in the room are the speakers situated? What stands have you got under them? Regards, Frank. |
|
Bronze Member Username: Sukhoi30New Zealand Post Number: 91 Registered: Jun-06 | "For some reason my prior bookshelfs seemed a lot louder/fuller" I am assuming that you are missing bass to an extent. After running in there will be an improvement but not a lot with the RS1 (on the bass side of things), i mean they are one of the best value for money speakers around but the RS1 just dont dip enough in the lower frequency, but what you get is a nice and tight bass slightly on the bouncy side. However you could experiment with cables (as Frank is probing), placement, interconnects etc. all of the options will make small difference but every thing together can make a good difference. I would start off with placement as it wont cost any money, Second look at the cables and interconnects finally. But i would also say that once you get used to the RS1 sound you shall start liking them a lot. Very nice speakers to my ears superb HF and very precise mids though i would like a sightly more organic sound. Are you listening to bass heavy music? Cheers |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 6660 Registered: Dec-04 | Hey guys, what's the 542's output voltage compared to the Arcam's input sensitivity? |
|
Bronze Member Username: DarrenmcWinnipeg, Manitoba Canada Post Number: 29 Registered: Mar-04 | Frank, Thanks for your time & info I appreciate it, as well to the others! The Monitor Audio's have only been used for maybe 20 hours if that so I may need a lot more time with them. The Arcam has even less time used and the NAD cd player has about the same as the Audio's. I guess I was just expecting a big difference out of the box being I paid a lot of money for these upgrades. The sound doesn't seem to have that same punch as before, definately less bass than the Angstrom Mod 2's. Just watching satellite tv I have to turn up the receiver to about 50db to get that same volume as what I got with my Onkyo TX-SR701 at 45db???? Now cabling that I'm using is Tara-Labs Prisim Bi-wire for the RS1's, Ultralink Adavnced Perfromance Series subwoofer cables for the Angstrom Modular 8's and just regular 12 gauge for my Monitor Audio RS LCR centre channel and the Angstrom Mod 4's for rears. Interconnects for the cd player is Tara-Labs Spectrum 2, and the DVD player & deck are Ultralink Advanced Performance Series. The Monitor Audio RS1's are located at the back of the room on top of the Angstrom Modular 8's(can be used as stands see link) http://www.angstromloudspeakers.com/docs/products/modular/modular_details.htm about 7 feet apart and 2 feet away from the back and side walls. Hope this info helps!!!! |