I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to
spend very much - up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any
recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880

Rob wrote...

I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to
spend very much - up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any
recommendations

Keep an eye out for a pair of Q Acoustics 1010 speakers or the mark II
version, the 1010i.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160721544461#ht_500wt_1206

Over the last couple of years I've tried several small bookshelf
speakers in an effort to replace my B&W floor standers which were just
to big for my 16x12x8 room, they only sounded balanced when 4ft from
the walls and on 2ft high stands and in that location took up too much
space and dominated the room but male and female voices still had too
much bass emphasis and had that annoying chesty boomph. (My favourite
test for voice is the shipping forecast).

Nearly all of the small speakers I tried, mostly cheap and cheerful
sounded rough in the treble, had lumpy bass or made people sound like
robots so th B&W's kept their domination.

I came across a pair of 1010's in a charity shop, grabbed them, and the
B&W's have now gone.
Over the years I've had several generations of Wharfedale Diamonds and
small Tannoy's and these Q's sound as good as any and better than many.

The tweeter is extended but smooth with no spit or fizzle and the
midrange is beautiful, people sound like people whether talking or
singing. They image very well indeed. Bass is not deep but in
proportion to the rest and being front ported they work well against
walls and on shelves and are amenable to experimenting with partial
blocking of the port to adjust the balance to suit.

I'm very pleased with them and think I got a real bargain, they came
with a nice Denon midi size amp for £55.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/denon_upa_f10.html
The Denon is now doing sterling service amplifying the output of my
laptop sound card.

The later generations of these speakers 2010's etc seem to have moved
to a rear port position so may not be so suitable for near wall use.


--
Ken O'Meara
http://www.btinternet.com/~unsteadyken/

On 29/01/2012 11:53, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend
very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880


Excellent, thanks - to be borne in mind! I had heard those a while ago
and was impressed, 'big sound small box'. But that was on stands etc.
Have you heard them against a wall?

Thanks, Rob

On 29/01/2012 16:16, UnsteadyKen wrote:

Rob wrote...

I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to
spend very much - up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any
recommendations

Keep an eye out for a pair of Q Acoustics 1010 speakers or the mark II
version, the 1010i.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160721544461#ht_500wt_1206

Over the last couple of years I've tried several small bookshelf
speakers in an effort to replace my B&W floor standers which were just
to big for my 16x12x8 room, they only sounded balanced when 4ft from
the walls and on 2ft high stands and in that location took up too much
space and dominated the room but male and female voices still had too
much bass emphasis and had that annoying chesty boomph. (My favourite
test for voice is the shipping forecast).


Thanks for that. I see the 1010i may be different, from a What Hifi
review. It is irritating that speakers are not marketed (or tested in
some cases, seemingly) with regard to placement. I've never found any
speakers that work well against a wall.

Nearly all of the small speakers I tried, mostly cheap and cheerful
sounded rough in the treble, had lumpy bass or made people sound like
robots so th B&W's kept their domination.

I came across a pair of 1010's in a charity shop, grabbed them, and the
B&W's have now gone.
Over the years I've had several generations of Wharfedale Diamonds and
small Tannoy's and these Q's sound as good as any and better than many.

The tweeter is extended but smooth with no spit or fizzle and the
midrange is beautiful, people sound like people whether talking or
singing. They image very well indeed. Bass is not deep but in
proportion to the rest and being front ported they work well against
walls and on shelves and are amenable to experimenting with partial
blocking of the port to adjust the balance to suit.


I bought some second hand small ATC (7s) and Dynaudio (Contour 1.1 I
think) speakers when I had some money, and like(d) them a lot. But they
don't work too well in this little room.

Cheers, Rob

On 29/01/2012 17:51, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:53, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend
very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880



Excellent, thanks - to be borne in mind! I had heard those a while ago and was
impressed, 'big sound small box'. But that was on stands etc. Have you heard
them against a wall?


Yes I have have and they were still excellent but I should say it was a
relatively absorbent (plasterboard) wall with the speakers about four feet of
the floor (on free-standing furniture) in a small(ish) room. I was driving them
with a Yamaha AX-497 amp. (the subject of a recent thread). I should add that I
am a Tannoy fanboy (particularly of their larger speakers) but as you say even
their smaller ones generally out perform their size IMHO.

On 29/01/2012 18:26, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 17:51, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:53, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend
very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880




Excellent, thanks - to be borne in mind! I had heard those a while ago
and was
impressed, 'big sound small box'. But that was on stands etc. Have you
heard
them against a wall?


Yes I have have and they were still excellent but I should say it was a
relatively absorbent (plasterboard) wall with the speakers about four
feet of the floor (on free-standing furniture) in a small(ish) room. I
was driving them with a Yamaha AX-497 amp. (the subject of a recent
thread). I should add that I am a Tannoy fanboy (particularly of their
larger speakers) but as you say even their smaller ones generally out
perform their size IMHO.

Grand, thanks. I did have a pair of their cheaper floorstanders, M3 I
think, and not that impressed. But the smaller ones, although I've never
owned, I have liked. in fact one of the first 'proper' stereos I heard
had original Tannoy Mercury speakers - stunning.

Rob

On 29/01/2012 19:58, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 18:26, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 17:51, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:53, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend
very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880





Excellent, thanks - to be borne in mind! I had heard those a while ago
and was
impressed, 'big sound small box'. But that was on stands etc. Have you
heard
them against a wall?


Yes I have have and they were still excellent but I should say it was a
relatively absorbent (plasterboard) wall with the speakers about four
feet of the floor (on free-standing furniture) in a small(ish) room. I
was driving them with a Yamaha AX-497 amp. (the subject of a recent
thread). I should add that I am a Tannoy fanboy (particularly of their
larger speakers) but as you say even their smaller ones generally out
perform their size IMHO.

Grand, thanks. I did have a pair of their cheaper floorstanders, M3 I think, and
not that impressed.

Uh yes I agree, their multi unit floor standers weren't that good, by bigger I
meant any of their trademark dual concentric speaker range, preferably the 15"
versions but you have to have the room size to go with them of course.

On 29/01/2012 20:33, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 19:58, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 18:26, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 17:51, Rob wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:53, recursor wrote:
On 29/01/2012 11:45, Rob wrote:
I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a
bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to spend
very much -
up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tannoy-Mer...item3f13154880






Excellent, thanks - to be borne in mind! I had heard those a while ago
and was
impressed, 'big sound small box'. But that was on stands etc. Have you
heard
them against a wall?


Yes I have have and they were still excellent but I should say it was a
relatively absorbent (plasterboard) wall with the speakers about four
feet of the floor (on free-standing furniture) in a small(ish) room. I
was driving them with a Yamaha AX-497 amp. (the subject of a recent
thread). I should add that I am a Tannoy fanboy (particularly of their
larger speakers) but as you say even their smaller ones generally out
perform their size IMHO.

Grand, thanks. I did have a pair of their cheaper floorstanders, M3 I think, and
not that impressed.

Uh yes I agree, their multi unit floor standers weren't that good, by bigger I
meant any of their trademark dual concentric speaker range, preferably the 15"
versions but you have to have the room size to go with them of course.

I should add to this that my current small speakers are a pair of old Tannoy
Sixes. I've opened the box a few times and I'm always impressed by the rigidity
of the internal bracing. Sound great too but they are probably a bit big to use
as bookshelf speakers. Of course I use a 12" sub with them too which does help.

I was tweaking the configuration of my BodhiLinux box when this
bit of business by *Rob * caught my eye:

I'd like some speakers for a small room/office, and they'll be tucked
into a bookshelf. The room is about 10'x8'x7'(H). I'm not looking to
spend very much - up to £100 second hand. Amplifier 20WPC SS. Any
recommendations?

Thanks, Rob

You might search for a used pair of Radio Shack Optimus Pro 7's or one of
it's close cousins in the Optimus line. I have a pair of 7's , and they
sound wonderful. Think I paid about $30 USD, or so a few years ago. They
are small and use a sealed box design. The bass is tight and punchy, and
the highs are reined in without being dull.

I just went on Ebay, and wouldn't you know it, there's a pair for sale right
now for $25.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Shack-...em3f130 668a6

Good luck, and let us know what you get!

*R* *H*
--
Gaudium mundi, nova stella cæli, BodhiLinux 1.1.0
procreans solem, pariens parentem, Newsreader: slrn pre1.0.0-16
da manum lapsis, fer opem caducis,
virgo Maria.