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Small speakers that sound like big ones

OP:There are some things to definitely rule out before you change your speaker. Where in your room are the speakers positioned? What sort of room is it, minimal or plenty of furnishings such as carpeting, curtains or rugs etc?

If it were me I would experiment with placement. Generally speaking, rear ported speakers will probably provide plenty of bass as they tend to be placed close to a rear wall, but the downside may be lots of boom or overhang. Front ported speakers generally work better in rooms that may emphasise low end output but this is by no means a literal rule.

I would try the existing speakers in a different position first. If it’s still not right then perhaps look to borrow or try something different? Most retailers have some sort of try before you buy service and you can always return for a refund within a set time if it’s not right for you.
 
Had 3 pairs of ProAcs and they have sounded much larger than there size would suggest- my current ones Tablette 10 being a prime example, also sounding superb and incredibly musical helps- what is the budget?
 
I wonder what makes a speaker "sound big"...

Is it how big it looks?
How loud it plays?
Its low-end extension capabilities?
 
ossy said:
Is there a small/med standmount that sounds bigger or is that an unrealistic expectation? Small speakers have limitations and floorstanders are designed to do different things, I guess. Should I just use the sabres whilst appreciating them for all the good things they do whilst bearing in mind they are smaller boxes or go looking for something a bit weightier?

I listen mainly to jazz and some acoustic stuff almost always on vinyl. The room is approx 3.5x4m
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What is the listening distance? If you are prepared to go fairly nearfield I suspect you’d be amazed what can be done with say LS3/5As and a really good valve amp. If it’s just you listening and you can run with a listening triangle of 2m or less then mini-monitors can be absolutely superb and produce a massive and believable soundstage within their volume envelope. Lots of other great little speakers that can throw some real scale too, e.g. many ProAcs, LS50s, Spendor S3x etc, plus vintage stuff like JR149s, TC50s, AE1s etc. They all respond to really good amplification though. I’d actually argue you need a far better amp for a high quality little speaker than most really big ones. I could very happily live with any of these speakers for a primary system, though it would be a nearfield installation and have very little compromise on amplification. Nothing is ‘too good’ for speakers of this class, though I am more drawn to the more valve-friendly end myself (LS3/5As, JR149s, some ProAcs etc).
 
big drivers, I guess
I once setup stereo in outside, ordinary sized standmount and 'bookshelf' from JBL. It did not matter how loud I played, smaller one stayed smaller, very obvious noticable. In the room it is not so obvious.
 
I think that the question makes "bis sound" needs to be answered first.

A wide expansive soundstage with a lot of envelopment?
Low-end extension?
Low distortion at high listening levels?

All, some, or none of the above?
 
Durmbo said:
Try a more powerful amplifier. I'm running a pair of JPW Minims in a room of similar size to yours. To date, the only amplifier I've had to bring them properly to life is a mildly serviced 65W into 8 ohm Yamaha that puts 80W into the 6 ohm impedance of the speakers. It's also proven to me that with appropriate amplification these cheap little speakers are NOT to be underestimated! Driven by the Yamaha they sound really really nice and bigger than they have any right to be, and work to surprisingly high levels with no waver in composure. I should imagine you'd get similar results with your Ruarks.
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I’m going to politely disagree. I have tried small speakers on the end of my amp, which is of good breeding, and no matter the provenance and purity of the watts, you just can’t quite get a big, room filling sound from a small driver (in my case AVI Neutron IVs). They sound small compared to my Ardens, all else being equal.

I’d suggest active standmounts are probably your best bet. My old Adam Compact Classic actives ran the ATC100 active towers pretty close up to medium levels, though the ATCs pull away in terms of solidity and ‘ease’ of bass due to their superior 12” drive unit (as compared to 6.5” in the Adam)
 
I heard a pair of Audience Clairaudient 1+1 at the Harrogate show a couple of years ago & was gobsmacked with the sound coming from such tiny speakers .There was a pair for sale in the classified ads which I'm trying desperately to forget about for fear of divorce proceedings .
 
Small speakers tend to sound big until you put them next to something actually big, and realise there’s an octave and a bit missing, with an attempt to make up for it by a 60-80hz hump like so many do

For a half decent chance at small sounding big it’s subs, or a sealed box with a linkwitz transform and accept the loss in headroom and efficiency

Or stick to nearfield
 
To me, the only small speakers that sound big are the isobaric ones like the Linn Sara’s, Totem Manitou or Neat SX3I.
They all need beefy amps to deliver though.
 
Totem Fires with the 7" torrent drivers manage to pull off a convincing large speaker act and deliver a big, juicy sound for want of a better description. I have their baby siblings the Embers with smaller drivers and even they go down very low.
 
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Golden Ear BRX is a BIG sounding small speaker. Quite liked it, but bass was a little heavy for my housemates, and my medium-small den.
The ribbon tweeter was well implemented, I thought, and vocals life-like. Very high VFM, at least in North America.
 
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