recently got a pair of newer jbl's, hsl610, very nice highs, bass is good for such small speakers. so whats the best sounding speaker you've heard with a woofer thats 8" or less?
http://www.harmanaudio.com/images/products/small/hls610.jpg

I have a pair of Bose 601's Series I with 8" Velodyne woofers........not really small....but two 8" woofers (Good ones) in each speaker really sounds nice. I only like a few older Bose models. The rest are useless. I know, I know all you Bose haters......flame away. Ha.

so whats the best sounding speaker you've heard with a woofer thats 8" or less?



Martin Logan Vistas.



http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh92/Irishtom29/hi%20fi/026.jpg

Martin Logan Vistas.



http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh92/Irishtom29/011.jpgYou think those compare favorably with the others, Tom?

I've played aound with the small Axiom's and was a little impressed.

Not a very esoteric response, but the best for me remains the venerable nearfield monitors built to the BBC LS-3/5A specification with KEF drivers (maunfactured by Rogers, Chartwell, Spendor, etc.). Yeah, I know all about the flaws and inaccuracies; but to my taste they are durned satisfying. Love to own a pair someday.

Any of the aDs/ADS or a/d/s/ 200 variants, 200C, L210 etc. if you want to talk about truly small but spectacularly good speaker systems.

John

AVID 60ab. I know it's a weird one but boy, they are impressive for jazz listening.

You think those compare favorably with the others, Tom?



Other MLs? They sound better (and look MUCH better) than the Source and Purity. The only other current ML I heard was the big CLX (the dealer didn't carry anything in between the Vista and CLX) and the Vista was very much like it in sound though I suppose the CLX would have better dynamics.

But then if I wanted a speaker as big as a CLX and with better dynamics than the Vistas I would've kept my Altec Model 19s. ;)

I like my Allisons!

recently got a pair of newer jbl's, hsl610, very nice highs, bass is good for such small speakers. so whats the best sounding speaker you've heard with a woofer thats 8" or less?
http://www.harmanaudio.com/images/products/small/hls610.jpg

I would not class the Hsl-610 an audiophile speaker, but used with matching center and sub, formed the best surround for the money I've heard.

I'll vote for A/D/S or Avid too :)

sonus-faber concertino.

The B&W DM302 is a very sweet speaker.

dew.

Dahlquist DQ-8 or JBL L19

I haven't heard a lot of small speakers, but for me it is the DCM CX-17s.

Dlk 1 1/2.

i had a pair of optimus lx-5's with the lenimum(spelling?) designed tweaters.
they were small and sounded/imaged very good imo-and yes i just put my flame suit on.:D


-vic

Im not into small speakers either, but the little JBL 18-TI is hard to beat

Definitely the Rogers LS-3/5A for me.

The first time I heard them, I wept.

(OK, just kidding on the weeping part. But they ARE incredible).

I did tear up a little the first time I heard a decent vacuum tube amplifier (Decware Zen SE-84B) on my erstwhile Cornwalls (Sarah McLachlan's Angel, which is a bit weepy anyway and a beautiful song).

Not exactly small speakers, though, so not exactly on topic...

.....the best sounding small speakers I've ever heard, are the 4 bookshelves I currently have....the floorstanders have an 8 inch woofer also, but I assume we're talkin' smaller enclosures....when the first pair of bookshelves arrived, (my first encounter with this line of speakers), the mains I was using at the time were moved out to the son-in-law within a week....I had a pair of these bookshelves and the two black subs, and that was it for awhile....about 8 months later, more Speaker Art speakers started arriving....this line of speakers has the most "live presence" from the low-mids to the highs I've ever heard.....

http://speakerart.com/

I'm sure these don't match up to many speakers listed here, but for a small speaker, the best that has ever been played in my system is the BA A40.

Regards,

D-Ray

my current set is a pair of B&W CM1's...simply amazing lil speakers for a smaller room,approx 5" woofers and no need for a sub at all..they sound HUGE and just get better with every upgrade,these are more mid level than entry level b&w tho,they should sound good for the 4 figure price...

i was always impressed with the wharfedale diamond series in the lower price category,not so sure what they offer today tho...i was also more than once totally blown away by some of the smaller castle speakers when a mostly video dealer i used to stop by carried them....hooked up to truly low end electronics they still amazed me and i could only imagine what they would be like powered by something better than a BOTL technics receiver/cd changer from the late 90's...man i wanted a pair of those

The Spendor BC1s are my favorites.
I have 2 sets of small speakers:
Tannoy Reveal 5s which are excellent and
MB Quart QLS 530s- great for rears.

Best small 2-way speaker? JBL 18Ti (uppers)

I have a set of HLS610's. OK for an HT surround speaker at that price point but don't hold a candle to the $500/pr Def Techs I run in my HT.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zaWkuvOim1Q/SejTomiry0I/AAAAAAAABCw/wNbml0a3ttM/s800/DSC_3165.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zaWkuvOim1Q/SsAMHV3g6EI/AAAAAAAAC5M/yqC91M4hdJM/s800/DSC_2792.JPG

The best?

Probably a toss up:

Eminent Technologies LFT-16B
JBL 18Ti
ADS L710

...in the realm of the really small, the Silverline Minuet. Spendy but mighty good.

Anyone know the "brand" of the little speakers at the Mercer Island DIY meet? They would be pretty high up there for me. Maybe a tad bright, but pretty impressive.

Best small speakers I've ever heard are my NHT Super One's. Not tremendously bassy, but smooth and tight. I'm running them with an active sub, and it's some of the best sound I've heard, period. The NHT's remind me very much of the sound of my (gone) ADS L-1290's, minus the bottom octave.

For 20.00 bucks just picked up a pair of JBL 2600 for the computer and they surprised me with a very nice sound. They are little, even smaller then a pair of Advent model 9's that i gave my folks to compliment there Sansui 5000a.

Who can forget the tiny Braun speakers in the 70's? People could not believe the sound coming out of such small boxes. ADS took the concept with their 200 and 300 series speakers.

I think the c300 series is a good value for a decent speaker in a very small box.

Probably the Linn Kan 1. Amazing soundstage for such a small speaker, very articulate.

For really small speakers, the Videoton D132E MiniMax II. They were about 9" tall 4-1/2" wide and 7" deep. Weight was about 10 lbs each. Cost me less than $70 for the pair, new.

Paradigm Mini-Monitors.

I just got a set of Fraizer mark IV's. OMG!!!
A lifetime keeper. They take backseat to my altec 19's, and my forte's(but not by much with the forte's)

Still got goosebumps from them.


Highly recomend these.

Epicure Model 5's that I have on my office. My sister has a little set of B&W's (don't know the model number) that sound mighty sweet.

Aural Ecstasy TAD 805 c (pair)

no cross-over, 4" carbon fiber woofers w/phase plug and piezo tweet. They had the most incredible imaging I remember hearing after being played for a good while (got them new). Sold them as I needed something more dynamic though.

I never heard a truly high quality small speakers, but the best ones I have heard are my Sony's that I just bought. They sound better than my Pure Acoustic bookshelf speakers (a lot better). They're SSB1000's. 5 1/8" Woofer with a 1" Dome Tweeter. Fairly inexpensive considering the sound. Only $100 for the pair.

I was at Best Buy looking at a set of Infinity's (can't remember model, but they had a funny front grill. The top curved around the top of the speaker cabinet). They sounded pretty good, but I can't really comment on those because Best Buy is noisy, it's open and they weren't on a very good amp. Just some Insignia thingy. I imagine they'd have been pretty good.

Indignias.

Karma Indignias.... :yes:

Of all the speakers I have had the Spendor BC1's I recently found are by far the best overall sounding speaker I have heard in any price range to date.

Spendor S3/5. Sort of like a BBC monitor but more recent. I'm also a big big fan of my Celestion SL-6s.

Dyanco A-25's and Paradigm Titan Version 1

The B&W DM302 is a very sweet speaker.

dew.

I have a pair of the DM-302, bought them for my mother, but she doesn't listem much anymore. For $250/pr new, yes, a decent speaker, but a little bit bass light. Guess that can be expected for thier size.

One of my fav small spealers is the Pro-Ac 1SC. Properly paired with a good sub, I liked these better than a pair of $6K Dunlavy SC-IV. Very coherent, detailed, nice soundstage. Mark

Bozak MB 80. Amazing speaker for the size.

I've got a pair of HLS-610 packed away and although a bit dark sounding and having limited sweet spot because of the horn driver, I think they sound pretty dang good. Corey Greenberg praised them to no end in the Nov 1998 issue of Audio magazine, he liked them even better than the Paradigm Mini Monitors and NHT Super Ones!

Best small speaker with an 8" woofer or smaller, I'd say in the $400 and under price you have one of em', nice find jaymayisback. :thmbsp:

Best small 2-way speaker? JBL 18Ti (uppers)

I have a set of HLS610's. OK for an HT surround speaker at that price point but don't hold a candle to the $500/pr Def Techs I run in my HT.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zaWkuvOim1Q/SejTomiry0I/AAAAAAAABCw/wNbml0a3ttM/s800/DSC_3165.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zaWkuvOim1Q/SsAMHV3g6EI/AAAAAAAAC5M/yqC91M4hdJM/s800/DSC_2792.JPG

You just had to post a pic of those 250-TI, One of the best speakers JBL has ever made, in my opinion. Very nice setup.

Indignias.

Karma Indignias.... :yes:

I hope to find out for myself soon!

You just had to post a pic of those 250-TI, One of the best speakers JBL has ever made, in my opinion. Very nice setup.

Thanks. Great minds think alike! I secretly lusted after a pair for 20 years before the vintage bug bit again a few years ago and having the means, I just had to have a pair.

Visonik David . truly small.

New KEF bookshelfs are not too bad and so is the new B&W 6 series.

Rogers LS-3/5A :thmbsp:

chapman L250 - similar to above with all the same drivers. only 12" tall!

Energy RC-10. They have a big speaker sound and make the windows rattle.

I'm sure these don't match up to many speakers listed here, but for a small speaker, the best that has ever been played in my system is the BA A40.

Regards,

D-Ray

Ha. I aswell have something that really doesn't match up.

BA HD8's

small you say?.. :D
ElectroVoice Sentry 30..

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq305/southpeak/ElectroVoice%20Sentry%2030/DSC_0058.jpg

I would have to say 1) Polk Monitor 4's 2) Boston Acoustic A40's, 3) Koss M65, and a set of JVC speakers that I upgraded with Koss components(the are similar in size and perfomance to the Polk Monitor 4's, I call them my Poke Moniker Fores)

Probably the best SMALL speakers I've heard:

Westlake Audio's mini monitors.
Genelec's mini monitors.
Infinitesimals
Infinity Modulus



Honorable mentions:

Sequerra Met 7s (With the right amps only; with the wrong ones, they don't quite cut it.)
Rauna Tyr IIs (Cement(!) cabinet speakers; again, need the right power behind them, to shine.)


Not a specific speaker, but the "Great" Heil AMT, matched with anything that can fill out the lower end well enough, even if you cap that at 8" (which might be the best size to cap it at, given that you want to cross it over high enough (ca. 2500 Hz) to not strain the AMT).

(Plus a few of the speakers that others have already mentioned.)

Infinity Modulus (original)
KEF Reference 102's

One of the world's finest: Sonus Faber Electa Amator

http://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/amatorpic1.jpg

....you can't go wrong with Genelec or Meyer Sound HD-1's

Two votes, RS Minimus 7, Spica TC-50. Not in the same class but for the bucks each was very impressive.

Definitely the Rogers LS-3/5A for me.

The first time I heard them, I wept.

(OK, just kidding on the weeping part. But they ARE incredible).

Well I don't think they are the best sounding small speakers ever, but, one can listen for hours or years or even decades and not tire.

Mine are Chartwell 15 Ohm LS3/5a, will probably be buried with me!

Quad 11L2's

AR7's Great presence from a small box.

The ones in the Bose Wave Radio. :) Sorry....I had to.......

To the poster who listed the Martin-Logans.....the question was what was the best sounding SMALL speaker. Your Vista's don't exactly qualify as small.

In no particular order:.....

JBL S-26 II

Paradigm Titan

Energy C-200

Athena LS-100

All excellent....and I own them all. Small speakers are so well made and sound good now, I have only ONE pair of floor-standing speakers. Small speakers are so much more versatile, especially with placement. And nothing images like a small speaker! Give me a pair of bookshelf (such a misnomer!!) speakers anytime!

Steve

recently got a pair of newer jbl's, hsl610, very nice highs, bass is good for such small speakers. so whats the best sounding speaker you've heard with a woofer thats 8" or less?
http://www.harmanaudio.com/images/products/small/hls610.jpg


I heard a set of the self powered JBL's with matching subwoofer studio monitors recently. They come with a mic and reset themselves based on the room that they are in. I'd have to say that they were some of the most impressive things I've ever heard.

In the studio, then the Living Room, then the Kitchen, then the shower in the bathroom... I couldn't believe how well the darn things did. The technology is way beyond me (but so are complex machines like the "wheel" and the "ramp") but I have to give them kudos, they worked.

Still very dry and not really "musical", but man, the little computer thing inside just dealt with almost anything I could dream up as a bad mixing space. I really have to give props to JBL.

As far as what I actually listen to rather than coveting other people's studio gear? I have a pair of Infinity sterling's on my desk that I like very much, but I have heard better. :idunno:

Clearly my budget is a tad smaller than my friends. :D

Realistic Minimus 7... with an 8" cambridge soundworks subwoofer. The minimus 7 is a "real" small speaker, and sounds quite nice stock. (Better with recap & extra fiberglass, and even better with Zilch's custom crossover, I'm sure)

The best?

Probably a toss up:

Eminent Technologies LFT-16B
JBL 18Ti
ADS L710

Cosmos,

Do you have a set of the ET LFTs? I've been thinking about purchasing these lately. What does the "B" designate?

Scott

I don't have extenxive experience with small speakers, nor do I have a budget that will allow for the newer offerings. However, I have a pair of Advent 3's that surprised the heck out of me, expecially the amount of bass they deliver. I also have a pair of Frazier Monte Carlo A's that are very clear, with excellent midrange. There are others out there that are better, I am sure, but I am also sure that there are way more out there that are not nearly as good as these two.

To the poster who listed the Martin-Logans.....the question was what was the best sounding SMALL speaker. Your Vista's don't exactly qualify as small.




The OP specified speakers with woofers 8" or smaller.

Cosmos,

Do you have a set of the ET LFTs? I've been thinking about purchasing these lately. What does the "B" designate?

Scott

Scott,

No, I do not own the ET LFT. However, I have a friend who owns the LFT-8B and they are spectacular. He runs Rogue Zeus amp and 99 pre (I think). I believe the LFT-8B to be the best buy in all of audio. Yep, I like them.. :D

I have auditioned the LFT16(guess I was wrong on the "B") against the LFT-8B and they are very nice for their size and comparable in sound quality. THe LFT-8B is the winner in the comparison, but given the size... the 16 is very nice. There's a dealer in Detroit.. I don't know about Pittsburgh...

There is (or at least were) a pair of used LFT-8B on NY city CL for $800 an incredible bargain.. along the same lines, there is a pair of Carver amazing on Cleveland CL for $ 700.

Dan

I heard a set of the self powered JBL's with matching subwoofer studio monitors recently. They come with a mic and reset themselves based on the room that they are in. I'd have to say that they were some of the most impressive things I've ever heard.These guys?

http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/General/ProductFamily.aspx?FId=73&MId=5

Audition at Guitar Center or equal.

Smaller? there's also these.... :yes:

http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/ProductFamily.aspx?FId=64&MId=5

The OP specified speakers with woofers 8" or smaller.

In that case my Acoustat Spectra 22's qualify. The SPW-1 woofer cabinet has four 6" woofers.

Realistic Minimus 7... with an 8" cambridge soundworks subwoofer. The minimus 7 is a "real" small speaker, and sounds quite nice stock. (Better with recap & extra fiberglass, and even better with Zilch's custom crossover, I'm sure)

That's exactly what I'm running on my office system with the Zilchover and it RULES

My vote for minimonitors?
Spendor SP1/5. Small production run. Tried to come in at a price point and failed. Only about 100 pair made. 6" woofer and Vifa tweeter. Great crossover components. I prefer them to the Spendor S3/5, any LS3/5A and the Celestion SL600.

In that case my Acoustat Spectra 22's qualify. The SPW-1 woofer cabinet has four 6" woofers.

The OP said "A woofer thats 8" or less?" (my emphasis on "A")

Roger that..A single woofer 8" or less. AR4x, Insignia (which I'm listening to at this moment). Polk Monitor 30. The Dynaco A25's had a 10" woofer, but would be at the top of the heap if they could be included.:music:

In the small speaker category most of the Dynaudios were great sounding, however I'd have to choose the Spendor SP-1's.

My DIY's

7" woofer
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/1637/frontfinal.jpg

The bass they can produce is startling. F3 of woofer is 45Hz, cabinet tuned to 40Hz :music:

Pair of stand-mount Sonus Faber Concertos in Tweeter (RIP). I couldn't believe all that sound was coming out of such small speakers. Wouldn't mind a used pair someday... :scratch2:

Tom

EPI 100. Gotta be at least one vote in a thread this big. :D

The best I've ever heard are the Sonus Faber Concertino and Usher BE-718 Tiny Dancer.

The best I've heard in my house are the Axiom M3 V2s. I've owned about a dozen bookshelves/monitors including several pairs of Polks, Bose 201s, Radio Shack Linaeums, and Bozak B-201 Sonoras. The Axioms are my reference speaker in the dedicated 2 channel room.

My DIY's

7" woofer


The bass they can produce is startling. F3 of woofer is 45Hz, cabinet tuned to 40Hz :music:


Interesting. Pray tell us the story.

Fond memories of my A40IIs :)

For me MFSL OML 1s. ProAc 1SC takes honorable mention. MA's RS1 isn't bad, and Canton's Plus S combined with their Plus C sub is nice for pedestrian duty.

Would love to hear ACI's Sapphire XL.

Interesting. Pray tell us the story.

You can check them out over in this thread http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247232

I cant believe no one has mentioned the Harbeth Compact 7s

My vote goes for the Merlin VSM-MXe

Easy, my Tyler Acoustics D4Ms:

http://pic5.audiogon.com/i/s/f/1241110397.jpg

:yes:




Retro

The OP's example were a set of JBL HLS610 2-ways that are this big:

Dimensions: Width 8.31 in. Depth 9.44". Height 16.25"

That's 21 liters. AR4ax sized right? My little Fultons are the best I've ever heard in 24 l cabs. A little bigger I'd go with my M&K Sat1B's. It is fun to see some of your larger, expensive exotics though. But this thread seems to have strayed way far from spirit of the OP's original intent... :dunno:



---JBL HLS610---
1997-1999
Nominal Power 15 Watt RMS
Construction 2-Way
Peak Power Handling: 125 Watt
FR: 55 Hz - 20000 kHz
Sensitivity: 88 dB
Impedance: 8 ohm
Magnetically Shielded
Woofer Material: Polymer Composite
Woofer Size: 6.5"
Tweeter Size: 0.39"

Weight 14 lb.

-- Probably meant to have a JBL PSW-1000 Subwoofer...

my ohm walsh 2's. not the 1's in my avatar. 6 1/2" and even flatter through most of the range than my 4xo's. They can play anything well.

2nd would be a pair of AR2ax's I modded for my dad.

To be honest, I haven't really demoed anything new in years.

EPI 100. Gotta be at least one vote in a thread this big. :D

Still use mine with a Marantz 4240 receiver. They really sound great. They occasionally share the other 2 channels with a modded pair of bose 4.2's.
4 channel is great in the bedroom :boink:

sonus-faber concertino.
I heard these with a Danish amp and was quite impressed.

EPI T/E 70 or ADS L420's

Ok, my eyes have started to blur, and I'm getting writer's cramp, but this is what I have so far...

93 posts, and 90 different speaker models suggested.

Only eight received more than one vote:

BBC LS 3/5A variants: (Rogers, Spendor, Chartwell, et al.): Approx. 4.
Sonus-Faber Concertino: 4.
JBL 18-TI: 3
BA A-40: 3.
Minimus 7: 3.
Three received 2 votes each.

(No guarantee I didn't miss something..)

Alrighty, jaymayisback, knock yourself out.

Alrighty, jaymayisback, knock yourself out.Heh!

I did similar analyses of the "Speakers I'll NEVER Sell" and "World's Worst Speakers" threads, and "Other" ALWAYS wins. :tongue:

Not that it's a matter of pointless inquiry; always fun to speak up for our favorites, but the question of what is "Best" or "Worst" seems likely to remain unrelentingly indeterminate -- quoting Celt, our forum moderator, "There's an ass for every seat."

We can likely have some degree of confidence in the results of one poll conducted not so long ago, though: AK's most owned and most loved speaker is the Large Advent, widely available for chump change at thrift stores and yard sales everywhere.... :thmbsp:

The speakers I've owned the longest are Rogers LS3/5As - since 1978. I haven't run them more than 5 hours in the last 20 years, though. Don't like the sound any more but can't part with them yet.

My current favorite minis are my homebrew EconoWaves with Kef B110 midwoofers (as in LS3/5A) and JBL waveguides and compression drivers.

Bowers and Wilkins DM23, the only little speaker I have heard that didn't scream at me. Excellent mid range and bass.

They sent a pair of Rogers LS7 to e-bay, among others. IMO

Should have been two or three :thmbsp: on the small ADS... 200/300 models, we can call it.

John

Ok, my eyes have started to blur, and I'm getting writer's cramp, but this is what I have so far...

93 posts, and 90 different speaker models suggested.

Only eight received more than one vote:

BBC LS 3/5A variants: (Rogers, Spendor, Chartwell, et al.): Approx. 4.
Sonus-Faber Concertino: 4.
JBL 18-TI: 3
BA A-40: 3.
Minimus 7: 3.
Three received 2 votes each.

(No guarantee I didn't miss something..)

Alrighty, jaymayisback, knock yourself out.

EPI 100's

I have a pair of Castle Acoustics "Clyde" speakers. Very impressive for their size

i've only heard budget 2 way brit boxes....but often on the end of some very expensive electronics and source


B&W DM110 ( my favorite budget 2 way speaker of all time and still my main listening pair since 1985)

Wharfedale 505/2 ( my 2nd favorite 2 way)

Castle Durham ( practically zero bass below 80hz..but unmatched for clarity at the lowest listening volumes..these have really grown on me for late night listening)

Celestion DL4 ( humble yet very capable little 2 ways)

Mission 780se and 751 ( i HAVE to get a pair of these one day :scratch2:...they literally disappear on acoustic guitar)

Heybrook hb1..( almost bought these as my first speakers..but the b&w dm110 were a bit smoother on audition..still very good though)

a few others i've heard include mordaunt short's, kefs, boston a40s , mission 760i....all very capable budget boxes..

the thing that impressed me the most about all of the above small two way speakers i've heard was that...despite a lack of deepest bass..and despite all being targetted mostly at the entry level to upper budget level end of the market...every one of them was good enough to differentiate between a budget analog source, a mid priced analog source..and an upmarket analog source...

the first four in particular when placed on good spiked stands and aligned well.. will easily tell you the difference in 'resolution' between a dual cs 505/2 deluxe, a rega planar 3 , a linn sondek and a roksan xerxes...:scratch2:

I'd have define 'small' (for me, anyway) speakers is something having less than an eight inch driver. More like five inches, or so is how I interpreted this thread.

I'm sure these don't rank with the big boys, but I ran across a set of JPW 310's for cheap and I really like them. Used for satellites with an active 12' sub, these little things rock in a small room..

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f67/rdhouston/AAAA_3.jpg

Speakerlab .1 satellites :thmbsp: I have had them since 1978 and still use them. Ugly after all these years... As far as BIG speakers are concerned, my EPI 90s are wonderful (especially in new big enclosures) :banana:

Castle Durham ( practically zero bass below 80hz..but unmatched for clarity at the lowest listening volumes..these have really grown on me for late night listening)


They are great speakers, another even smaller model is Castle " Trent ":thmbsp:
I got them for my sister who is moving into an apartment next spring.

All the way with Visonik David!

I am thoroughly enjoying both my Pinnacle AC 400's and my Optimus Pro 77's. Both deliver a surprising amount of bass for their size.

And if I squint after poking my eyes, the Pinnacles kind of look like LS3/5a's (uh-huh). ;)

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to redo the Optimus 77's woofer surrounds -- started hearing a rattle from them a few weeks ago and it was the foam....d'oh!

Rogers BBC LS3/5A field monitors
http://www.mhennessy3.f9.co.uk/rogers/ls35a.htm

If EPI 100's are considered small, I'm very surprised that Dynaco A-25's didn't get more votes. If availability, price and excellent sound quality are all factored in , I think they're very hard to beat. I just picked up a second pair (because they were there, and I couldn't say no!) and I love them.

Clements-" Little D " had a 5" woofer and ribbon tweeter.

I have a pair of ADS 2001 which are biamplified and I can honestly say no others even come close.

I've really been enjoying my Celestion DL8's. Good clean sound, even into some of the low stuff.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs225.snc1/7232_568624235595_28409448_33570205_2260582_n.jpg

Rogers LS3/5A

IMF ALS 40

Mirage MRM-1

Energy C2

Focal JM Lab Micro Utopia Be

my da ps1010 although they have a 10" woofer they are really pretty small

Surprisingly, the old Polk Monitor 4's are excellent small speakers, if you define "small" as <14" tall. Everytime I use mine for testing an amplifier, I am impressed with their openess and clarity. You can pick a pair up for around $40-$50.

Totem Model-1 Signature

NHT SuperZero.

my Electro-Voice ms-802 (also known as sentry 100a studio monitors), 8" woofer, 1" dome tweeter in ported cab with lots of wild varying density foam around the tweeter as a wave guide. Incredible speakers.

or my infinity rs-6b pair if you consider them small (I don't, I consider them mid-sized by traditional shaped speaker sizes: 8"woof, 2" dome mid, emit planar tweeter in closed cab) with after market woofers I choose/installed myself. Although the original woofers are very good, I found them simply a little bit inefficient compared to these woofers which otherwise sound at least equally amazing.

I've also heard several 8" and smaller woofer speakers that I strongly disliked over the years...

The best small speakers I ever heard not that I've heard that many are my B&W Matrix 1's. I snagged them from 12.99 mint condition . . . they listed for 1800.00 in 1986!! Which is insane!! Some day I'll add a quality sub.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn205/1902783das/Miscellaneous12/bwmatrix1.jpg

The best small speakers I ever heard not that I've heard that many are my B&W Matrix 1's. I snagged them from 12.99 mint condition . . . they listed for 1800.00 in 1986!! Which is insane!! Some day I'll add a quality sub.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn205/1902783das/bwmatrix1.jpg

Now that's a score (scroe).

Man that was quite a score there CB.Wow!

Sure is there CB.Wow!

They lived in a sea of Soundesign & Emerson at a Thrift . . . :yes:

This past weekend heard a pair of Fritz loudspeakers http://www.fritzspeakers.com/ outstanding!!!!!!


I have no affiliation with this product.

I have a set of Fritz. The FE167E's. Great fullrange models. The woodwork is outstanding. It's like you are looking into layers of wood and this is walnut.

Spendor SA1, Ohm Walsh 2, Acoustic Energy Aego-2, Minimus-7, in those value ranges.

Well, I gotta say that I love all my speakers. That's why I bought 'em. It doesn't make sense to buy speakers you don't love.

B&W DM603 s3 (main left and right)
B&W LCR600 (center channel)
NHT 1.3A (surrounds)

Sound Dynamic RT3

IMF Compact II and the larger Super Compact. Wish I could find a pair.

Back in the mid 70s, I used to walk around audio shops listening to whatever I could, but my favorite were these tiny Sonab cube-style speakers. Amazing sound.

The only small speakers I own are a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers (model SS-MB100H). They sound pretty good for the $2 I paid for them.

Minimus 7, especially with the Zilch crossover.
The Wharfedale Diamond 7.3's I recently rescued from the neighbours garbage sound quite nice.

http://www.roundsound.com/micro-satellite-speakers.htm
http://www.roundsound.com/mps-stereo-subwoofers.htm

I own a set and they are the best sounding speakers pound for pound around .

Will surprise you on how much sound is produced .




Barney

Grundig (super hifi) Box 350

For 50 cent a piece on a flea market they sound damn Impressive.

Probably the best SMALL speakers I've heard:

Westlake Audio's mini monitors.
Genelec's mini monitors.
Infinitesimals
Infinity Modulus



Honorable mentions:

Sequerra Met 7s (With the right amps only; with the wrong ones, they don't quite cut it.)
Rauna Tyr IIs (Cement(!) cabinet speakers; again, need the right power behind them, to shine.)


Not a specific speaker, but the "Great" Heil AMT, matched with anything that can fill out the lower end well enough, even if you cap that at 8" (which might be the best size to cap it at, given that you want to cross it over high enough (ca. 2500 Hz) to not strain the AMT).

(Plus a few of the speakers that others have already mentioned.)

The Infinitessimals are definitely my favourite small speakers so far and I'd love to find a pair for sale at a reasonable price. Of the small speakers I've owned the EPI M50s are by far the best. They give an amazingly convincing idea that they are really full-range (good bottom end; I've had them try to walk off the bookshelf when cranked a bit), have the sweet masonite tweeter and image like crazy with a minimum of care in set-up. I have to say that I've heard more small speakers that turned me off than on, but that's just me.

my da ps1010 although they have a 10" woofer they are really pretty smallIf DA PS 10s count as small speakers then they get my vote out of my lot (whatever I might have said already). Mine just sound like they're twice their size and image beautifully. Getting them set up so they do their best can be a pain, though.

Minimus 7, hands down. I still have a black set in mint condition.
i won't part with em at any price.
A buddy of mine has a set on the meter bridge of his soundcraft 2400 console.
A associate of mine put 52 minimus 7 in walnut in a bed and breakfast on a 70V system,and it still sounds better than the JBL control series install spkrs.

For really great results in a living room, use a set of these with a nice flat proffessional sub.

Another vote here for the Minimus 7

Reference 3A Dulcet.

I have a set of Minimus 7Ws and I like them alot, but to my ears they aren't in the same league as my EPI's and DA's, but then they're much smaller. Not sure where the cutoff in size comes for "small", though.

Focal Chorus. I have the series V but I think they're up to series VII.

Quad 11L's and the finish is just stunning.. but need to go on the end of a good system..

B&W DM-4......amazing for jazz and classical.
That Coles super tweeter is just the ticket for cymbals and strings.

A friend has 4 vintage 3-way, 8" rubber surround woofers, by Philips of Holland. Excellent sound!!! I don't know the model number.

AR connoiseur 19 i bought for 6bux and replaced the woofers with responce 6.5" paper cones they are the best 2 way i have heard yet and loud...

Best small speakers with woofers 8" or less? My Spica TC-50s, with woofers so small (6.5") that some AK "members" could personally match or surpass it.

Clarity and imaging so vivid that even my teenage kid can locate individual instruments in the soundstage.

And I got these handsome little sandwich boxes for free!

Mission 761s rock!

Without a doubt, the biggest sounding small speakers are the Usher BE-718's.

Simply amazing and worlds above most "big" speakers.

I was fortunate to be at the 2007 CES in NYC when I walked into a room and heard amazing sound. I asked what speakers were playing, as there were more than one pair set up, and I was pointed to the BE-718's. My jaw dropped, as they sounded sooooo amazing.:tresbon:

You must listen to them and only then would you know just how good they really are.

Do a Google search and you will find a host of information, including reviews, uniformly praising these Ushers.

Cheers

Haven't listened to many small speakers, but I really like the B&W 602 S3's and the PSB Alpha B1's.

Paradigm Titans v1
or
Paradigm Mini Monitors v2

Polk SDA Plus

Indignias.

Karma Indignias.... :yes:

Hell YEAH!!!! I love mine, that's for sure!!!!!

Ron

Wow, this thread shows how people can recommend basically "toy" speakers. A minimus 7! What a joke.

I have tested various Minimus (Radio Shack), Wharfedale Diamonds, NHT, Totem, B&W 600 series and CMD1 and 2, Yamaha, Insignia, Boston, Polk, JBL, Sonus Faber, Martin Logan, and others. The only compact bookshelf I have ever tested that sounded commanding and respectful, that can hold its own in front of a large floorstander is the B&W 805V Matrix.

The B&W 805V was my laboratory "measure tape" for over 10 years. During all these years we tested many speakers and never found a better design than this. Just the tuned port power spectrum was a masterpiece to behold. Compared to all the other speakers we tested the 805V is a true masterpiece. Every time we put the microphone to it we got a picture of what is possible. Truly amazing to listen to, and to measure.

Actually, at one time we setup to find "any" speaker that will compare for less money. During this quest we made a listening room, computer optimized, with full acoustical treatment, sound absorbers, traps, and diffusors. We listen first, discussed the perceived quality, then measured to see where was the big flaws. Most have terrible sound compression, and poor bass extension. All the other offerings by B&W, 600, CDM, and so on were plagued with compromises.

This speaker reign unmatched for many years and many challengers.

I attribute the exceptional performance to the matrix enclosure because we tried other Kevlar speakers with so so results, even by B&W. Most people think the B&W 600s and other domestic speakers are close to the 800s series but it is wrong. The 800 series are far, very far superior.

I cannot claim the 805V is the best, but it is the best I have ever hold in my hands. I did listen to a Reference 3A and it was very impressive, but it was not under my control, and I was unable to do a A/B neither measure it.

Wow, this thread shows how people can recommend basically "toy" speakers. A minimus 7! What a joke.



Howdy, and welcome to AudioKarma. I see you're fairly new hear and would just like to mention something to you for future reference. You see, not everyone here can afford B&W speakers, so when they mention Minimus 7s, that could very well be the best they've heard. Also, maybe some have heard the B&W 805V Matrix and liked the Minimus 7s better, who are you, or I for that matter, to tell anybody what "they" like or not. Just remember, "All Audio, No Attitude"

Thanks for listening.





Retro

Soliloquy 5.0S sound pretty amazing, the best small speaker I've ever owned. It's a shame they're no longer in business.

Wow, this thread shows how people can recommend basically "toy" speakers. A minimus 7! What a joke.And maybe a bunch of members here put some EFFORT into them for everyone to enjoy.... :yes:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=199790

I use a very battered pair of Minimus-7s as my computer speakers, with the help of an old Yamaha A-700 amp. Someone else mentioned Visonik Davids - when I worked for a summer at Schaak Electronics in the 70s we sold these - they were pretty amazing for tiny speakers. I always thought the Minimus-7s were a Visonik copy.

My favorite small speakers right now are my JBL L20t3s. They sound every bit as good as my erstwhile B&W DM-17s, and present B&W DM 110s. Plus they have considerably greater acoustic output capability.

Celestion Model 3
B&W 601 s3
Pinnacle AC 400

small size with nice sound

My little Edirol MA-15D's are pretty nice sounding near-field monitors. Self-powered, too.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/2/3/1/232231.jpg

DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3XL

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/artkyle/004-15.jpg

Howdy, and welcome to AudioKarma. I see you're fairly new hear and would just like to mention something to you for future reference. You see, not everyone here can afford B&W speakers, so when they mention Minimus 7s, that could very well be the best they've heard. Also, maybe some have heard the B&W 805V Matrix and liked the Minimus 7s better, who are you, or I for that matter, to tell anybody what "they" like or not. Just remember, "All Audio, No Attitude"

Thanks for listening.





Retro

I am not telling people what they like! I am sharing my experience. I have unique opportunities I can share. For some may sound like attitude for others is wisdom...

In short, I was in a "small budget speaker" testing project, all engineers, and the 805V was the one to beat, and was never defeated. Actually, I wanted it to get beaten, we basically failed the goal to find a cheaper replacement for the 805V.

For the testing we used the following equipment:
MIT and Kimber Kable
Sound Anchor heavy stands 2' tall
EAD CD2000, Marantz CD63SE, and a Meridian (506?)
Krell KAV 300i, Sonic Frontiers SFC-1, Conrad Johnson Premier 11A and PV12
Auralex and Sonex room treatments and custom made RPG diffusors and traps.
B&K microphone, HP Dynamic Signal Analyzer, and an HP300 computer.

Now, we did not tested speakers over $3000 a pair (new). I am sure that the Reference 3A was a very good contender, but, was out of price range.

The best small + cheaper speaker I have ever heard? Sorry but it is a B&W again, the CDM 2. It was about 1/2 the price of a 805V.

Single driver. Sound good, only $5. Plus they have lights :banana:

All kidding aside, I vote for the Infinity Primus 150s.

My little Edirol MA-15D's are pretty nice sounding near-field monitors. Self-powered, too.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/2/3/1/232231.jpg

those ARE very good for the money. actually useful for mixing in a tiny low budget home studio, they're that accurate and revealing.

I've worked with them before, leaps and bounds more even and more detailed response than most passive 2 way 4" woofer based speakers. not necessarily better than those, but much more even and yet detailed. very "monitor"ish.

I am not telling people what they like! I am sharing my experience. I have unique opportunities I can share. For some may sound like attitude for others is wisdom...

Not that your wisdom isn't valid, but you could do well by reading the forum carefully to learn about the wisdom of many members on this board.

There are scientists here, audio engineers, professional and amateur speaker designers, musicians, hifi purists, low budget music lovers, audiophiles, and experienced audio gear testers and reviewers such as yourself.

Your posts have both come across as if you feel that you are lecturing the members of this forum, and that you feel that your statement should be taken as the word of someone we all respect.

The problem is that we don't know you, you haven't earned our respect yet, so please don't be surprised if you find that people don't show gratitude to both of your posts in this thread so far.

I do find them mildly interesting, however I have no more respect for your posts than I do for the people pointing out that roland mini monitors and minimus 7s or advent 3s are great small speakers. All of these answers are OBVIOUSLY price dependent. Dismissing minimus 7s outright is showing ignorance of price/performance ratios that most of us have to take into account every day.

So at this point your posts have unfortunately shown a lack of understanding of the range of spending budgets of audiokarma members, and aren't any more helpful, even if 100% accurate, than any of the rest of the posts so far in this thread. It shows that you haven't spent much time reading the forum here. So please take your time and look around, get to know some people. You will hopefully find that there are some valid reasons why someone intelligent and with good ears would recommend a minimus 7 over a much more expensive b&w (price, availability on the used market, size, customize-ability, overall preference in tone, sound quality with a given vintage preamp or receiver, and so on).

cheers,
Don

DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3XL

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/artkyle/004-15.jpg

Really nice looking speakers Art, I dig the stands too.

those ARE very good for the money.

Especially good for the $30 I paid for them off CL :banana:

http://www.sigtheater.com/images/prod/191942608101_mini_v5_ng_lg.jpg

one of my favorites

Jamo Concert 8's. Fabulous although a bit inefficient.

Klipsch KSB1.1- great sound in compact housing- used for $50 per pair!

... In short, I was in a "small budget speaker" testing project, all engineers, and the 805V was the one to beat, and was never defeated.
Actually, I wanted it to get beaten, ... we basically failed the goal to find a cheaper replacement for the 805V.
Now, we did not tested speakers over $3000 a pair (new).
I am sure that the Reference 3A was a very good contender, but, was out of price range.
The best small + cheaper speaker I have ever heard?
Sorry but it is a B&W again, the CDM 2.
It was about 1/2 the price of a 805V.

Good evening, may I ask you to tell us some more about the kind of measurements you performed in order to assess the speakers quality ?
I am very interested in objective methodologies in general.
Kind regards,
gino

I am not telling people what they like! I am sharing my experience. I have unique opportunities I can share. For some may sound like attitude for others is wisdom...

In short, I was in a "small budget speaker" testing project, all engineers, and the 805V was the one to beat, and was never defeated. Actually, I wanted it to get beaten, we basically failed the goal to find a cheaper replacement for the 805V.


Hmmmmmm.......

I have to question the "wisdom" of anyone who would consider a speaker in the 805s range as "budget". I didn't find anything about an 805V online, but 805Ss were priced over $2500/pair several times and I'm pretty sure a significant portion of the members wouldn't call that "budget"

And to attempt to meaningfully compare a $30 set of Minimus 7s to these is just silly....:rolleyes:

Good evening, may I ask you to tell us some more about the kind of measurements you performed in order to assess the speakers quality ?
I am very interested in objective methodologies in general.
Kind regards,
gino

Most of the testing was listening, we took turns on the sweet spot. After we got an idea of the sound then we measured to get a clue of why or to verify our suspicions.

We measured the overall frequency response using an HP3561. We tried to keep it as close as possible so we used 3' on axis to the tweeter. Then we measured the individual drivers and ports at 1/2" from center.
http://www.doe.carleton.ca/~nagui/labequip/pnoise/index_files/hp3561.jpg
Frequency scale was logarithmic. I do not recall which averaging was used. The source was Pink noise generated by the analyzer. Start and stop frequency was (if I recall well) 10Hz to 20KHz. We avoided the zero crossing bump.

Since we do not have an anechoic chamber our 3ft measurements were plagued with room interaction problems, but still gave some picture of the balance in the room. We also tried 1/3 octave measurements but were unable to correlate to the continuous plots.

We were not trying to gauge the speakers via measurements, that was done by ear. The measurements were done to understand more about the major tone issues. For example, we listen to a CMD1 which is basically an 805V but with a more conventional enclosure. The bass did not seem to go as low. When we measured the tweeter, it had a wide mild bump and the tuned port was leaking upper bass/mid range. The measurements showed that the problem was a combination of a tweeter and tuned port problems.

To be as objective as possible we kept the variables to the practical minimum. Same loudness, music, room, stands, cables, and electronics. The measurements were for understanding, fun, but not for judging.

Hmmmmmm.......

I have to question the "wisdom" of anyone who would consider a speaker in the 805s range as "budget". I didn't find anything about an 805V online, but 805Ss were priced over $2500/pair several times and I'm pretty sure a significant portion of the members wouldn't call that "budget"

And to attempt to meaningfully compare a $30 set of Minimus 7s to these is just silly....:rolleyes:

No, the 805V is not a budget speaker. We were searching for a budget speaker that could match or beat the 805V. The 805V is the vertical model the H is horizontal similar to the HTM1.

recently got a pair of newer jbl's, hsl610, very nice highs, bass is good for such small speakers. so whats the best sounding speaker you've heard with a woofer thats 8" or less?

Hmmmmmm.......

I have to question the "wisdom" of anyone who would consider a speaker in the 805s range as "budget". I didn't find anything about an 805V online, but 805Ss were priced over $2500/pair several times and I'm pretty sure a significant portion of the members wouldn't call that "budget"

And to attempt to meaningfully compare a $30 set of Minimus 7s to these is just silly....:rolleyes:

Andy, the OP on this thread was not talking about "budget speakers" that was another thread. This thread was about small speakers with a woofer smaller than 8 inches...I wouldn't have thrown the DeVores in on a budget speaker discussion as you are absolutely right, $2k ain't budget for most of us folks.:no::D

Now that's all been settled, let's stick to the OP's original question.

Any of the aDs/ADS or a/d/s/ 200 variants, 200C, L210 etc. if you want to talk about truly small but spectacularly good speaker systems.

John

What, no mention of the AW4, I'm hurt.

B&W 805 Matrix. In the right room, they're all one might need. :thmbsp:

p.s. my reference is with the H model 805 (horizontal)

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119434&d=1227474963

Owned: Advent Baby Advent II
Heard: Genelec

Most of the testing was listening, we took turns on the sweet spot.
After we got an idea of the sound then we measured to get a clue of why or to verify our suspicions.
We measured the overall frequency response ......
To be as objective as possible we kept the variables to the practical minimum. Same loudness, music, room, stands, cables, and electronics.
The measurements were for understanding, fun, but not for judging.

Thank you very much indeed.
My kindest regards,
gino

For those on a tight budget who have luck finding odd things, the Calrad Compact 1 is worthy of a listen. Amazingly clear and full sound from some truly tiny boxes. I'm sure quite a few of the speakers here will best them in head-to-head tests, but they have their advantages.

Probably the best SMALL speakers I've heard:

Westlake Audio's mini monitors.
Genelec's mini monitors.
...

+1 on these two. BBSM6's Rock! 7040's are sooo fine nearfield!:music: Literally like wearing 'phones.

I'm using EPI 100's as a bedroom 2-channel system, JBL Control 1 & 5 (Charge Coupled) as computer speaks, and, believe it or not a pair of Auratone RC5's as surrounds in the HT. All sound fine to me.

Does 8" square count? One of my faves is the Sony APM 22ES running in my master bedroom SACD surround system. They are running with a custom APM MTM center, APM sub and APM dipole surrounds... Very detailed at low to medium levels. As 3-channel, they do need the sub for the lowest notes, but do pretty good on their own, definitely NOT West Coast bass!

I kinda agree with AngelRa somewhat. It bugs me that some people buy a Onkyo reciever or the like and call it fantastic sounding, when these old recevier/amps were concidered low budget and bad sounding from published reviews. Electronics are not like wine, they dont get better with age. Just because it is old does not mean it now sounds better. The people that buy this stuff should listen to a high quality system for comparison. Now, having said that, not everyone has the money for a high quality system and that is OK, just dont call this old crap fantastic sounding.....:thumbsdn:

http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac244/spideyjack_photos/minimus.jpg

I just hooked these up, they have a modded crossover and a new tweeter which I got from Andyman. I also have a Walnut pair which are also modded. I am no expert but it sounds great, surprising how much bass they put out.

B&W 805 Matrix. In the right room, they're all one might need. :thmbsp:

p.s. my reference is with the H model 805 (horizontal)

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119434&d=1227474963

+1 :thmbsp:

I was at Best Buy looking at a set of Infinity's (can't remember model, but they had a funny front grill. The top curved around the top of the speaker cabinet). They sounded pretty good, but I can't really comment on those because Best Buy is noisy, it's open and they weren't on a very good amp. Just some Insignia thingy. I imagine they'd have been pretty good.

i have a pair of the little infinities in the series you speak of. mine are primus 150's they have 5 1/4 woofers and a 3/4 tweet. they are slamming little speakers, sound very nice indeed on all kinds of music. I have had them for a few years. i just ordered the matching 8" sub.

Another contender in the 8"-or-under-driver group would be the Allison Four to my ears. Proper placement in the right room can make this little gem shine too.

Mike

ProAc Response One ‘SC’
Totem Acoustic Model 1 Signature
ProAc Tablette Reference 8 Signature
Celestion SL6

to name a few

Got a pair of Celestion5's here that aren't too shabby.

B&W 805 Matrix. In the right room, they're all one might need. :thmbsp:

p.s. my reference is with the H model 805 (horizontal)

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119434&d=1227474963
A very hard speaker to beat for the money. Awesome speakers for critical listening, if a very little too revealing at times, especially with poorly chosen associated equipment. I had a pair of 805V and really enjoyed them for several years, especially once I got a big old McIntosh autoformer amp. I finally went for speakers with more extended bass, but sold the 805s with a tinge of regret.

I love my Alegria Emma's

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x155/Vanevenhoven/audio/emma1.jpg

These are the B&W 805V
http://home.comcast.net/~atmosphere-sonique/B&W_Matrix_805.jpg

Have anybody compared side by side to the Nautilus 805 (photo below)?
http://www.customhometheater.biz/images/speakers/B&W-805.jpg

I did some casual showroom listening and found the Nautilus to be dry and with much less bass extension. But it may have been the setup. Maybe they were connected out of phase. But looking at the specs the old 805 Matrix was able to go down to 35Hz, the 805 Nautilus is 49Hz.

HERE ARE ALL THE SPEAKERS RECOMMENDED SO FAR! 114 models!

Acoustic Energy Aego-2
ADS 200
ADS 2001
ADS L420
ADS L710
Algeria Emma
Allison Four
AR7
Athena LS-100
AVID 60ab
Axiom M3 V2
B&W 601 s3
B&W 805H Matrix
B&W 805V Matrix
B&W CM1
B&W DM110
B&W DM23
B&W DM302
B&W DM-4
B&W Matrix 1
BBC LS-3/5A
Bozak MB 80
Calrad Compact 1
Castle Acoustics Clyde
Celestion DL8
Celestion Model 3
Celestion SL6
Celestion5
chapman L250
Chartwell 15 Ohm LS3/5a
Clements Little D
DA PS 10
Dahlquist DQ-8
DCM CX-17s
DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3XL
Dlk 1 1/2
DM-302
Dyanco A-25
Edirol MA-15D
Electro-Voice ms-802
ElectroVoice Sentry 30
Eminent Technologies LFT-16B
Energy C2
Energy C-200
Energy RC-10
EPI 100
EPI T/E 70
Epicure Model 5
Focal Chorus
Focal JM Lab Micro Utopia Be
Fraizer mark IV
Fritz FE167E
Genelec's mini monitors
Grundig Box 350
Harbeth Compact 7
IMF ALS 40
IMF Compact II
Indignias
Infinitesimals
Infinity Modulus
Infinity primus 150
Jamo Concert 8
JBL 18 Ti
JBL 2600
JBL HSL 610
JBL L19
JBL L20t3
JBL S-26 II
JPW 310
KEF Reference 102
Klipsch KSB1.1
Linn Kan 1
Merlin VSM-MXe
Meyer Sound HD-1
MFSL OML 1
Minimus-7
Mirage M490i
Mirage MRM-1
Mission 761
NHT Super One
NHT Super Zero
Ohm Walsh 2
optimus lx-5
Optimus Pro 77
Paradigm Mini-Monitor
Paradigm Titan
Pinnacle AC 400
Polk Monitor 4
Polk SDA Plus
Pro-Ac 1SC
ProAc Response One ‘SC’
ProAc Tablette Reference 8 Signature
PSB Alpha B1
Quad 11L
Reference 3A Dulcet
Rogers LS-3/5A
Soliloquy 5.0S
Sonus Faber Electa Amator
Sonus-faber concertino
Sony SS-MB100H
Speakerlab .1
Spendor BC1
Spendor S3/5
Spendor SA1
Spendor SP1/5
Spica TC-50
TAD 805 c
Totem Acoustic Model 1 Signature
Tyler Acoustics D4M
Usher BE-718
Videoton D132E MiniMax II
Visonik David
Westlake Audio's mini monitors
Wharfedale Diamond 7.3

Didn't ANYONE mention Dynaudio? I just did. They really shined when I heard them with the Arcam gear I bought used a couple of years ago. If I had the money, I would have bought them right then.
How about the new little Vandersteens? I liked those in the shop, two or three weeks ago. Listened to some Bucky and John Pizzarelli and the guitars sounded really there, mid range and highs had great presence, not dry, no harshness or coloration, Jon's voice sounded real good, but I never heard him live, so it's partly my personal taste, an iffy thing at best.
There were subwoofers, so I couldn't judge the bottom range, except as a good match for the small but then I wasn't listening for that, sort of like you don't buy a sports car for the gas mileage.
I'd like to hear the wall mounted Magneplanars some day soon. How small can they go and still keep the sound so ethereal?
I do still love Rega Camber 2.5s up close, on my desktop, and the Vandersteen 1Bs, but they are floorstanders.

HERE ARE ALL THE SPEAKERS RECOMMENDED SO FAR! 114 models!Indeed, as is always the case here on AK, "Other" prevails. :yes:

It's not about speakers, rather, about us and what we like.... :thmbsp:

is going to be "whatever I have"

Indeed, as is always the case here on AK, "Other" prevails. :yes:

It's not about speakers, rather, about us and what we like.... :thmbsp:
Yes. And it shows there are a lot of good speakers out there :yes:

Spica TC-50

Klipsch KG-1.5

I like the Polk Audio M5jrs.

old B&W DM2a's (the 1st version that were handbuilt) ... these are 3 way transmission speakers and use the same tweeters and supertweeters as the old Spendor BC1 ... bass is superb and you can actually 'feel' the bass...

connect to a decent amp (100W+) and these things sing!

Anyone have an opinion on the Boston Acoustic CR (compact reference) series from the late 90s? I bought a pair of CR7's recently and like them but am curious what others think.

old B&W DM2a's (the 1st version that were handbuilt) ... these are 3 way transmission speakers and use the same tweeters and supertweeters as the old Spendor BC1 ... bass is superb and you can actually 'feel' the bass...

connect to a decent amp (100W+) and these things sing!

Good speakers, but small? they are certainly heavy. I have four per channel double double stacked. Bass is incredible.

Good speakers, but small? they are certainly heavy. I have four per channel double double stacked. Bass is incredible.

yea ... pretty good for a medium sized speaker ... 4 per channel must sound awesome! ... funny thing is that these B&W DM2's sell for cheap here in the UK ... a mint condition pair with a start price of £25 attracted no bids at all? (only saw that when I was searching completed items) ... I only paid £50 for mine

I am after a pair of celestion ditton 66 speakers and hoping to get a pair by easter next year ... will try them on my Pioneer Sa-9800 amp first... then later in the year am hoping to upgrade the amp to an old Krell amp system which should do the dittons good justice

Boston Acoustics Micromedia Pc system. I have the old 3 piece cube system with the bass module that goes under the desk. even on concrete the bass pumps the mids and highs are sensible and well placed.

I think the whole setup was 80 bucks new. It's all self powered and LOUD! I wish I had bought the 5.1 setup. The newer B/A Micromedia Solution Pc speakers don't hold a candle.

I'm happy to sit here on AK and listen to DSOTM or Animals, or anything really and listen to them...with a multi K McIntosh setup in the other part of the house and a nice dedicated 2 channel setup upstairs I can't complain about these "little wonders"

Bought new in 2000 still going strong. My best audio investment. At low levels they don't loose detail or focus.

FWIW :thmbsp:

007

HERE ARE ALL THE SPEAKERS RECOMMENDED SO FAR! 114 models!

Acoustic Energy Aego-2
ADS 200
ADS 2001
ADS L420
ADS L710
Algeria Emma
Allison Four
AR7
Athena LS-100
AVID 60ab
Axiom M3 V2
B&W 601 s3
B&W 805H Matrix
B&W 805V Matrix
B&W CM1
B&W DM110
B&W DM23
B&W DM302
B&W DM-4
B&W Matrix 1
BBC LS-3/5A
Bozak MB 80
Calrad Compact 1
Castle Acoustics Clyde
Celestion DL8
Celestion Model 3
Celestion SL6
Celestion5
chapman L250
Chartwell 15 Ohm LS3/5a
Clements Little D
DA PS 10
Dahlquist DQ-8
DCM CX-17s
DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3XL
Dlk 1 1/2
DM-302
Dyanco A-25
Edirol MA-15D
Electro-Voice ms-802
ElectroVoice Sentry 30
Eminent Technologies LFT-16B
Energy C2
Energy C-200
Energy RC-10
EPI 100
EPI T/E 70
Epicure Model 5
Focal Chorus
Focal JM Lab Micro Utopia Be
Fraizer mark IV
Fritz FE167E
Genelec's mini monitors
Grundig Box 350
Harbeth Compact 7
IMF ALS 40
IMF Compact II
Indignias
Infinitesimals
Infinity Modulus
Infinity primus 150
Jamo Concert 8
JBL 18 Ti
JBL 2600
JBL HSL 610
JBL L19
JBL L20t3
JBL S-26 II
JPW 310
KEF Reference 102
Klipsch KSB1.1
Linn Kan 1
Merlin VSM-MXe
Meyer Sound HD-1
MFSL OML 1
Minimus-7
Mirage M490i
Mirage MRM-1
Mission 761
NHT Super One
NHT Super Zero
Ohm Walsh 2
optimus lx-5
Optimus Pro 77
Paradigm Mini-Monitor
Paradigm Titan
Pinnacle AC 400
Polk Monitor 4
Polk SDA Plus
Pro-Ac 1SC
ProAc Response One ‘SC’
ProAc Tablette Reference 8 Signature
PSB Alpha B1
Quad 11L
Reference 3A Dulcet
Rogers LS-3/5A
Soliloquy 5.0S
Sonus Faber Electa Amator
Sonus-faber concertino
Sony SS-MB100H
Speakerlab .1
Spendor BC1
Spendor S3/5
Spendor SA1
Spendor SP1/5
Spica TC-50
TAD 805 c
Totem Acoustic Model 1 Signature
Tyler Acoustics D4M
Usher BE-718
Videoton D132E MiniMax II
Visonik David
Westlake Audio's mini monitors
Wharfedale Diamond 7.3

It's Alegria not Algeria.

linn index

Boston Acoustics Micromedia Pc system. I have the old 3 piece cube system with the bass module that goes under the desk. even on concrete the bass pumps the mids and highs are sensible and well placed.

I think the whole setup was 80 bucks new. It's all self powered and LOUD! I wish I had bought the 5.1 setup. The newer B/A Micromedia Solution Pc speakers don't hold a candle.

I'm happy to sit here on AK and listen to DSOTM or Animals, or anything really and listen to them...with a multi K McIntosh setup in the other part of the house and a nice dedicated 2 channel setup upstairs I can't complain about these "little wonders"

Bought new in 2000 still going strong. My best audio investment. At low levels they don't loose detail or focus.

FWIW :thmbsp:

007

I found a set of boston in the trash. I believe are the same you are talking about.
http://images.fixya.com/B/Boston%20Acoustics/118x100/20809071.JPG

Anyway, they are by no means audiophile quality, but I love them for my PC, they even puff air and shake my jeans. Plus they are really small.

Hell YEAH!!!! I love mine, that's for sure!!!!!

Ron
You dont happen to have a small block in that Vega do ya?

Toss up among three. All somewhat finicky regarding amplification.

Classical and Orchestral Music- Rogers LS3/5A. After all these years. Several identical models with different badges.
Contemporary Jazz- B & W Matrix One. Class A Tube Power a must. S/S a no no, with these.
Pop/Rock- Totem Limited Edition One. @ 3.6K, they SHOULD sound good, and as always, room and placement of utmost importance.

I thought the Ellis Audio 1801s were pretty good.

These (DIYs) are pretty good in my book too...Focal woofers, Morel mids, and Hiquphon tweeters. Not real small at ~21" tall, but they do meet the 8", or less, woofer criteria.

http://webpages.charter.net/whoaru/Old%20Stuff/JH3%20Reference.jpg

Pretty hard to beat Mark and Daniel speakers

http://mark-daniel.com/

I thought the Ellis Audio 1801s were pretty good.

These (DIYs) are pretty good in my book too...Focal woofers, Morel mids, and Hiquphon tweeters. Not real small at ~21" tall, but they do meet the 8", or less, woofer criteria.

http://webpages.charter.net/whoaru/Old%20Stuff/JH3%20Reference.jpg

i like dome mids and the OW1 is one of the best.
My best small speaker is the Seas Excel super mini monitor, c/o design by Troels, which i built last summer. All the builder reviews, me included, say they sound like electrostatics. 5 1/4" mid-bass, 3/4" tweeter.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f366/salamalekos/PICT0054.jpg
I should get the gold OWIs to much the phase plug of the Excel, but Zalytron told me the specs were different.
I later found out that they are exactly the same tweeter and the only difference was the dome color. :(

Those Seas Excels are bee-yoo-tiful!

Green Mountain Audio Europa

These:

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/c/cr/crazyjeeper/2009/11/16/DSCF0229_000.JPG (http://img.phyrefile.com/crazyjeeper/2009/11/16/DSCF0229_000.JPG)

They are one off customs my dad bought in 1982 from a pro audio guy his brother knows. As far as I know, they are the only ones in the world and they sound excellent considering the limitations of only a 5" woofer.

for me it's a toss-up betwixt my nakamichi s1bs or a pair of teac something or others. naks have 5" woofwoofs, teacs, 6"ers.
naks, a bit cleaner, i suppose.

old B&W DM2a's (the 1st version that were handbuilt) ... these are 3 way transmission speakers and use the same tweeters and supertweeters as the old Spendor BC1 ... bass is superb and you can actually 'feel' the bass...

connect to a decent amp (100W+) and these things sing!

I have a pair of those and completely agree on the sound but you'd call those small? They're as big as large advents! I guess if somebody runs Altec 19s or Magnepan Tympanis...

Very nice sounding speaker and they do fit the smaller than 8" woofer rule I suppose. If that's the rule, I'm throwing in my Sony SS-m7.

The original Allison 4, ADS 620.

-T

Any of the Allison CD series -- those with 8-inch woofers.

As far as small overall -- Allison CD6 cubes.

KG 1.5's are pretty good. I thought they were the greatest.

Until I got my Canton Karat 920's. The Klipsch are wonderful, but the Cantons are even better.

Smooth, with plenty of bass for a small speaker. When they drag me off to the nursing home (probably any day now), they are the ones I'll take with me.

I've always liked my Polk Monitor 5 Jr's:music:

Harbeth monitors. Not sure which model.

My short list would have to include (in no particular order):

Scientific Fidelity Crown Joule;
Eminent Technology LFT-16;
Condor SC7;
ACI Sapphire (original);
Merlin TSM; and
Silverline 17.5

Each different, each wonderful...

Marty

I have Omega Super 3Rs for computer speakers. they are just wonderful speakers and I drive them with a 1.5wpc Decware Zen tube amp.

My vote goes for the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 series... Huge soundstage from a small box... Quite satisfied running them in a 24WPC push-pull setup...

Sound quality aside, these are very well built cabs that are quite pleasing to the eye to boot...

I just recently got a pair of Paradigm Mini monitors v.2.
Wow! So far the best bookshelf speakers I ever heard!

Dayton Wright LCM-1
great little speaker

I found a set of boston in the trash. I believe are the same you are talking about.
http://images.fixya.com/B/Boston%20Acoustics/118x100/20809071.JPG

Anyway, they are by no means audiophile quality, but I love them for my PC, they even puff air and shake my jeans. Plus they are really small.

Close but no that ain't them. Those are the newer ones.Nice score..they still don't sound half bad.

007

Must have been made 45 years ago for some "all in one" system, or a shelf radio with phono input, something like that. Wonder if anybody knew how good they are back then. A 3 watt console pull amp and these speakers and you're in heaven in a small room.:D

Man, I can't believe no one has mentioned the very pleasant JBL L46...??!!??

Was given a pair, refoamed and loved them. Found another pair, 10 bucks, refoamed them as well, (they didn't stack well to my ears) and gave the original pair to my best friend.

Helluva rock speaker. :music::music:

JVC S-M3 : I have these for my daily use now. 12cm-in -diameter full-range unit loaded on a metal diecasting enlosure. They're fairly heavy for its size, and acosstic-suspension type. They sound excellent in middle and bass frequncy range, sound heavy and tight. However it is not perfect, therefore I have indivisual tweeters on them and running a sub-woofer with another amp. I obtained them for $36.00 and it was really a good buy. I have them placed on a marble basis and put a block of it on them too. I'm afraid of an earthquake to hit them............ Another model is "MARKAUDIO Alpair5" Its made by so-called a "garage maker" in HK, and 10cm-in-diameter large full-range unit. Diaphragm is solid alminium. It has excellent reproductiveness in high and high-end frequency range, but has poor bass presence.

Of those I've heard and been impressed with:


ADS 200Cs (my vacation speakers)
ADS 2002 (essentially powered, bi-amped 200Cs)
Indignias (my daily drivers)
Spendor SA2s (bookshelf with an 8" woofer, but not what I'd consider small)
Rega ELAs (floorstander with a 5" TL woofer, but not what I'd consider small)
Epicure Model 4s
AR4xs
Paradigm Titans (heard the newest version at a dealer last week)
B&W CDM-1s

Visonik David 50s.

I bought 'em used more than 25 years ago and they're still going strong. . .

....I just wanted to reiterate/remind you guys that THE best sounding smaller loudspeaker is the B&W 805 Matrix. That is all. Thanks. :D

Mike

Well, I guess this thread is over.

That settles it. :D

Visonik David 50s.

I bought 'em used more than 25 years ago and they're still going strong. . .

+1

In the '70s a friend of mine had a pair of Visonik Davids in a satellite configuration with a passive subwoofer. Amp was a GAS Son of Ampzilla and the preamp was the first Audible Illusions. The Davids had an eerie presence that was addictive to listen to. More importantly, they made beautiful music. He eventually went the Vandersteen route, which I thought was an expensive mistake, good speakers, but the synergy of his system suffered--and rather boring-sounding. :boring:

What was cool was that he hung the Davids from the ceiling with nylon fishing line. With their trailing speaker cables, the visual impression was that of a pair of cobras (to my then-often-stoned view, at least). :smoke:

I have heard most of the smaller speakers and to this day for the size or up to a mid size box [ bose 301 for example] the ads L 300 are by far the best out there.I once did a A/B with the 301 and the ads blew them away.

I may have already replied to this thread, but, if I have, I'll say it again: I really like my NHT 1.3As. They're a bit oddly shaped, but, to me, they have a very neutral, laid-back sound with accurate highs, nice, full lows.

They're kinda large as far as bookshelf speakers go, but they're definitely in the bookshelf size.

By the way, what's our operational definition of a "small" speaker? I mean, my B&Ws have relatively small drivers when compared to vintage speakers (6 1/2 inch woofers), but they go nicely down into the neighborhood of 44 Hz. Oh, and they're floorstanders, too, so I'm not inclined to consider them as small speakers.

So, having a good working definition of what constitutes a "small" speaker would be helpful.

I have heard most of the smaller speakers and to this day for the size or up to a mid size box [ bose 301 for example] the ads L 300 are by far the best out there.I once did a A/B with the 301 and the ads blew them away.

Considering you were a/b-ing against a Bose speaker, does that really surprise anyone?

....I just wanted to reiterate/remind you guys that THE best sounding smaller loudspeaker is the B&W 805 Matrix. That is all. Thanks. :D

Mike

I'm a huge B&W fanboy (without the budget for 800 series speakers), and I don't doubt that the 805 Matrix is an incredible speaker, but hasn't the Matrix series been updated once or twice (805 Nautilus and 805 S), or do I misunderstand B&W's nomenclature (very possible)?

I'm a huge B&W fanboy (without the budget for 800 series speakers), and I don't doubt that the 805 Matrix is an incredible speaker, but hasn't the Matrix series been updated once or twice (805 Nautilus and 805 S), or do I misunderstand B&W's nomenclature (very possible)?

Yes they updated the line to the Nautilus. In my opinion they ruin the 805. The new Nautilus 805 is almost bass-less compared to the older Matrix 805. The old Matrix 805 is a full range sounding speaker with authority down to 35Hz!

I have a pair of vintage JBL L15s and L46s. I really like them. :thmbsp:

Polk Audio Model RT15i

Hmmm..lookin' back, I should've never sold them on the 'bay...:sigh:

One of the best I heard was a small speaker that was part of a system designed for the Xbox -- Spherex (http://theaudiocritic.com/plog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=7&blogId=1)

It works very well as a small speaker in a surround system or as a near field monitor. I currently own 10 of them (but not the subwoofer in the system).

Other than that, I guess I would say the Mission Model 70 MKII (http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=101988)

I have a pair of B & W DM12, but they are a bit "dark" in their rendition of sound to be the best, still enjoyable though.

Polk Audio Model RT15i

Hmmm..lookin' back, I should've never sold them on the 'bay...:sigh:

Me too, Jim! Mine found a home up near Nanaimo, BC Canada with a very happy new owner.... sigh.

Proac Response 1sc

B&W's CM1 is also a good candidate.

avid model 80. feed them good clean power and they pound away with no complaints.
best bass i ever heard on a 8 inch woofer.makes you think your listening to much larger speakers.

Proac Response 1sc

B&W's CM1 is also a good candidate.


Their are a nice set of speakers but mine need the power to really open up .
For small I sure like the my Anthony Gallo's the best IMHO as stated before.



Barney

I like my Mini Advent speakers. Very clear, smooth sounding. I like them better than my Minimus 7's.

B&W DM110 small and sweet sounding, old mission bookshelvs forget the model, #
grille cloth wrapped half around the cab. really small optimas...tiny!! sound great!
thanks
Steve

BBC LS3/5a very natural sound, little bass but they were built for in field monitoring after all.

I just picked up a set of B&W DM5 that absolutely outperform speakers twice their size. For reference they are the same size as the AR4x. You don't see them that often and I was very fortunate to find a set.:yes:

Here is a link to pics. http://www.audiojumble.co.uk/images/Vintage%20Showcase/DSC_0780.JPG