Does size matter?

Bill in MD

Hi there: My wife (an organist/choral conductor) and I are kicking around the possibility of ditching the old Cerwin-Vegas in favor of something that's:

• Pretty small--longest dimension around 12" max
• Able to go up around 6-7 feet above the floor, though this has some flexibility
• As inexpensive as possible; college expenses are taking practically everything right now
• Great for classical music, especially pipe organ stuff but definitely not limited to that

The room in question is the living room, which is about 10x15 with an 8-foot ceiling?and with absolutely no possibility of adding any acoustic treatment. So it's not all that big?which is why we'd like to get away from anything floor-standing. As for listening levels, generally speaking they would not be extreme, but there would definitely be occasional moments when we'd want to rattle the windows. And they would be free-standing on top of shelves (or potentially wall-mounted), not enclosed within shelves. So:

• Can something that small really deliver the kind of bass oomph that pipe organs can generate? (Not to mention the overall dynamic range of the music we like.)
• Would that proximity to the ceiling be detrimental?
• Is a sub-woofer absolutely essential? (I?m thinking partly about placement and partly about cost.)
• Am I crazy to hope to keep the expense at maybe $200? I haven't been in the market for decades so I know next to nothing about what's out there and what we might have to pay.
• How on earth do I buy speakers nowadays? Can't hear 'em over the Internet, can't hear much of anything in a big-box store, can't find many old-fashioned retail shops with the kind of quiet listening environment we'd need

I'll continue to dig around but will be glad to add your views to the mix. My thanks in advance!

McLoki

For bass response - yes, it does.

You can go with a bookshelf speaker with a decent midrange and tweeter and add a sub. For your budget, you are really limited, but I highly recommend used and you never know what you will find.

I am thinking classic Monitor 5's and a small sub may fit in your budget. something like these, decide if you want more bass and then add a sub if needed. They would be just a little tall at 19", but may work for you.

if you can go 20" wide but still under 12" tall (and can find a pair in your budget) the SDA CRS would be a great option.


Sorry for the music you want to reproduce, it will be hard to get good sound out of something under 12"x12"x12".

Good Luck,

Michael

naturallight

Wow... What your asking for, and a $200 budget...almost impossiable. Plus you didn't say what your powering them with. Maybe a set of old large advents. They were supposedly "bookshelf" type, but really need to sit on the floor for the bass you want. Pipe organ...not easy to sound good.

cnh

200? Ain't going to happen unless you go "used" or vintage. But you already have the CVs?

Classical and Organ? Large Advents will run you 100-200 depending on conditions and almost reach low enough for that with enough power! They're not small, but physics dictates that if you're going below 40 hz you need a certain minimal amount of volume to produce that, or an unbelievable amount of woofer excursion and Uber-wattage!

cnh

nhhiep

keep checking on newegg.com, they regularly have a pair of monitor 70 ii for like 180 shipped.

Dawgfish

No, it's all about placement! ;-)

pitdogg2

according to my wife yes....wait a minute......dang wrong forum:loneranger:

delete delete delete.....dadgumit....

Phasewolf

For organ music you should have a good sub and even used your looking at more then $200.

At times on Craigslist you will find subs that may fit the bill but that will still leave you looking for good speakers.

20hz

gotta go used and built your own subs , I would go a used 12-15 inch 4 ohm speaker and a used plate amp .
my first system was a dayton quatro 15" , dayton sa240 amp and Polk monitor 5s all that can be had used under $200

Phasewolf wrote: »

For organ music you should have a good sub and even used your looking at more then $200.

At times on Craigslist you will find subs that may fit the bill but that will still leave you looking for good speakers.

rooftop59

I am actually going to go against the grain and say yes its possible with a pair of rt25is and a small but capable sub. And yes with some patience and research u can do it for around 200 or slightly more. Here is what u do: eBay is your friend. Set up a saved search for Polk rt25i. If you're patient you can get them for Around 75 shipped (I seen them go for that many times). Then do another saved search for a mirage omni s8 or energy s8.3 (essentially the same sub). These are very musical subs the can hit solid down into the upper 20s Hz range. U should be able to get one for between 125-150 shipped. Again it might take a couple months for these prices to come up, but it does happen fairly regularly. And this will give u a very musical, small, nearly full range set up. Goodluck!

sponger

Have you tried lipoflavanoids for the tinnitus?