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Best S/H £500ish small loudspeaker

oneills

oneills

pfm Member
Just after a few candidates for a short list of the best small loudspeaker available on the second hand market around £500ish.
Not into rock or metal but after good imaging and realistic vocals. Decent power handling too.
Shahainian super elves, Leema Xen are already on the list.

Any views or opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
Sonus Faber Concertino Home would match your description and is good enough to be on a short list .

However you will get better answers if we know where you want to place the speakers in your room . Some small speakers can need acres of space around them .
 
Elac 310 Jets (or one of their other Jet tweeter equipped small speakers but the 310 I'm most familiar with.) They're possibly a touch light on deep-deep bass, though subjectively (in relation to their size) they seem to defy physics with how much bass they can put out! They image superbly though and the Jet tweeter really is something special. Have seen a pair with stands offered for £700 before, which I've seen Super Elves go for on their own...
 
I use a pair of Spendor S3/5R2 in a study system. They are placed very close to the rear wall but away from corners. They are perfect for the small room.
They sit on the ends of a 4x2 IKEA Kallax unit which also houses the amp and TT between the speakers. I use 4 (old style) Black Ravioli dual pads under each speaker and have no vibration issues even when using the TT.

With a little perseverance you should be able to find a pair at around your price level.
 
I’ll dive in with a somewhat predictable recommendation for JR149s! They are happy fairly close to the back wall, even on bookshelves, though I like them best about 8-10” away. Pretty much an LS3/5A for a fraction of the cash. They fail on the ‘decent power handling’ requirement, but I don’t understand why that is there - small speakers do not go loud with good grace and dignity, if at all, so why not go for a pair that are easy to drive? I’d add various Royds and ARs to the list too, but buy wisely as the drivers are no longer available (they are for 149s, but are not cheap). Neats are a good option too, despite a rear port they will work close to a back wall, as will some of the little Audio Note/Snells.

PS ProAcs would be on my list too were it not for the back wall/corner, as would the Kef LS50.
 
^^^ Yes the LS50 is a great little speaker, when I had them they were out 22 inches from the back wall so a deal breaker here.

I'm gonna be predictable too and say Linn Kans!

Epos ES11s would also be a contender.

Linn Majik 109s just scrape in budget, not heard them but am interested in them and they get a superb Stereophile review.
 
Linn M109s work very near a wall as they are very well braced. I've used them in my office on actual bookshelves. Niether LS50s nor P3ESR are any use in that situation. The M109s are pretty satisfying when used in a very small space. However the OP hasn't said exactly how small the room is.
 
Thanks for the comments so far Gents.

The room is small say 10 X10

The power handling was only in there as the amp I am using is 150w it's a Leema Tucana - hence my interest in the Leema Xen.

Any views on the Super Elf and Leema.
 
You couldn't have picked two more different speakers there! The Leema is effectively a very good (indeed I believe was originally designed as a) near field monitor...The Elf is enjoyable, "bouncy" I would tend to say, but has anything but a flat response! This is one of those "Horses for Courses" things - the colouration of Shahinians is an intentional part of his designs and particular approach to sound reproduction.
 
Oneills, from our previous conversation I think you should consider changing the Amp, rather than the speakers, or look at attenuators etc. - given that your concern is that the Amp is too powerful for the power handing capabilities of the 149s. It’s something of a coincidence that Tony recommends 149s for your speaker needs! :)
 
I wouldn't worry about the power output of the Leema,better to have more than you need to drive the speakers which is usually better than an underpowered amp.
 
Indeed. FWIW I’d happily hang 149s, LS3/5As or other low volume mini-monitors off the very best Krell, Mark Levinson or whoever has to offer. Too much high quality power is no issue as long as you don’t ask a little driver to do more than physics allows volume wise. I happily ran Kans with 135s and as long as I was very careful with warped vinyl or footfall with the LP12 (which could bottom the B110s) it sounded great.
 
How about Neat Petite or Iota, both are great small speakers. Or for even less, my predictable choice, Linn Katans.
 
Yes I have the 149's and Tony has given me great advice on driving them.
They sound great with the Tucana but as my experience is limited mostly to stuff I have had or heard only briefly I was wanting to pull on the vast experience that is possessed by you guys on here as to what else might be worth checking out.

Thanks again.
 
oneills said:
Just after a few candidates for a short list of the best small loudspeaker available on the second hand market around £500ish.
Not into rock or metal but after good imaging and realistic vocals. Decent power handling too.
Shahainian super elves, Leema Xen are already on the list.

Any views or opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Maybe add the Amphion Argon0 to your list? They image really well. Very enjoyable midrange and treble and quite impressive bass too given its tiny dimensions.
 
I would be tempted to try these out:
 
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I would support the Leema Xen choice, I had the xone for a few years, beautiful with voices and just so well behaved. The Xen is similar but has a more transparency. Unique construction with the bitumen lined steel box and bracing bolt. Lee from Leema runs them in his main system with a couple of subs..
 
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