In article .com,
andy
wrote:

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005 13:33:09 -0800, "andy" wrote:

The audio world is fine, but very few speakers are actually designed
to be used close to a wall, regardless of their size.

Speakers sold as "bookshelf" are not designed to be used close to walls?

Alas the term "bookshelf" in this context tends to mean "quite small, so
could be placed on a (large) shelf even if that isn't where they are
designed to be used." :-)

I agree that rear port designs would seem to be designed to radiate into
something other than a half space. However, what is the point of small
bookshelf sized loudspeakers with rear ports designed, presumably, to be
placed on stands away from walls?

Well, one possible point would be that having a port at the back means that
when you place the speaker near a wall there is a trade-off. Covering the
port may reduce the bass output, trading against the bass enhancement that
comes from placing a speaker adjacent to a wall. Thus I suppose in some
cases this may be quite deliberate. You'd have to ask the makers if this
were so in a given case. However I suspect a lot of the time the assumption
is that the "bookshelf" speaker is to be used on a stand well clear of
walls.


For the price of the stands one could have more volume and a significant
improvement in performance? Is it a fashion thing in the sense that
small is considered good?

A small speaker may be said to have the 'advantage' of being closer to a
point source at low/mid frequencies. Also being smaller, could be more
rigid and have box resonances that fade quickly. Thus it may give good
results in terms of imaging and low colouration by using these factors to
advantage, but accepting the drawbacks of being small as a trade-off.

When looking at placing an order for a pair speakers I also looked at
ordering a pair of cables to save going to the shops. Do you really
think the world of audio is fine? OK so nobody who is technically
literate is going to buy these cables but the huge range and
unbelievable prices cannot indicate a healthy audio world.

You may say that, but I could not possibly comment. 8-]

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

On 11 Feb 2005 13:33:09 -0800, "andy" wrote:

I have started looking for some modestly priced bookshelf loudspeakers
for the kitchen. The loudspeakers are to be placed on a bookshelf and I
have come across an unexpected problem. Almost all the loudspeakers
advertised as "bookshelf" I have come across so far have a port at the
rear requiring a few inches clearance. Trying to place such a
loudspeaker on a bookshelf will lead to the speakers toppling forward
onto the floor. Am I missing something or has the audio world gone nuts
since the 70s when I last took a serious interest?

You could try a speaker with a front-mounted reflex port - the B&W
DM602, for example. These seem to work better than most when mounted
on a shelf.


--
Chris Isbell
Southampton, UK

"andy" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have started looking for some modestly priced bookshelf loudspeakers
for the kitchen. The loudspeakers are to be placed on a bookshelf and I
have come across an unexpected problem. Almost all the loudspeakers
advertised as "bookshelf" I have come across so far have a port at the
rear requiring a few inches clearance. Trying to place such a
loudspeaker on a bookshelf will lead to the speakers toppling forward
onto the floor. Am I missing something or has the audio world gone nuts
since the 70s when I last took a serious interest?


Mission 731i has a port in the frontside.
They sound OK (surely in a kitchen!), were not too expensive, but don't know
if they are still around.

FWIW, Folkert, NL (with a pair of 731i powered by Quad 303+34, in the study)