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Small but efficient speakers - what should I look for?

ex brickie

ex brickie

pfm Member
From looking around on line I realise this could be a contradiction in terms….. but I’ll ask just in case

I need a small pair of speakers with decent sound but with an emphasis on being easier to drive. My comparator speakers so you know where I’m coming from are Linn Tukans - 87dB and 4 ohms.

The context is I’m using a vintage early 1980s receiver which has had problems with its output stages (distortion) and is currently being repaired. If I can I’d like to give it an easier time when it is out of hospital :D

I’ve looked at all the latest rave reviewed small bookshelf models - for example Q Acoustics 3010 or 3020 , Dali Spector 1 or 2 - and whilst they are 6ohms their efficiency is only 83 - 86 dB

The speakers have to be no taller or wider than Tukans - preferably smaller. The models above are smaller which is helpful for what I need. Even better is if they come in a white finish - but that is secondary at the moment

I don’t need them to go loud as they will be in a relatively small room but I would like them to be easy to drive. So my questions are:

Are there any small speakers that are decent sounding and easier to drive than the models above?

If by design they will always be no more than 6 ohms and low DB - which of these figures makes the biggest difference to the ease of load for the amplifier? Would the 6 ohms make a significant difference compared to Tukans?

Later Linn Kans are quite attractive but they too are 4 ohm (manual says 88dB)

I’m happy to buy secondhand and I could pay up to £200 .

Any suggestions?
 
It isn’t the efficiency that is the issue, it will be the load. Try and find an 8 Ohm speaker that doesn’t drop below about 6 Ohms. Classic examples are LS3/5As, JR149s etc. Inefficiency doesn’t matter as they have low power handling and no one wants to hear a pair of mini-monitors loud. The load is so easy a 10 Watt valve amp is perfectly happy driving these.

Little modern ported speakers with huge power handling and reactive loads are a new thing. Vintage amps just weren’t designed for it. Maybe consider something of the amp’s era? What was it typically partnered with in its day? If it was a 70s Japanese receiver than Ditton 15s, ARs etc come to mind. Not so sure about the 80s.

PS Spendor S3/5R might be an option. I’m running a pair very happily on a Quad 303 and that hates low or reactive impedances. I think the Spendors dip to 6 Ohm, but they don’t seem hard to drive.
 
Another vote for the Spendor S3/5Rs. I had these on the end of a Nait 2 and they sounded fantastic. I’ve now moved on to the 4/5s which are sublime and a fair bit smaller.

I think your budget might be a little low unfortunately.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I can stretch the budget a bit.

The speakers you mention I think are too big (JR149 way too big - haven’t looked up Spendor). Around the day of the receiver there would have been AR8s - the smallest I can recall from that era or just after. In fact my receiver is probably 1978 era. I just don’t think they made small bookshelf speakers back in the day?

I agree @Tony L that 8ohm speakers would be great - but I’m not finding more modern speakers with that rating (certainly not among the small ones hence my question)

The size is critical - they need to be small footprint

In another thread I mentioned Rega Kyte (I can get hold of a pair) but I can’t find on line their specifications or footprint / size
 
I'd look out for some AVI Neutrons of any flavour (apart from the V, which was a bit budgety). 8 ohms, stupidly tiny and fabulous sounding - hearing these fill a largeish room with Black Sabbath at reasonable volume is like an optical illusion. I've run mine with a Leak stereo 20 and they were fine

£200 is about right for a pair, although earlier ones (the plain neutron and NuNeutron) might be a bit cheaper and the IVs attract a slight premium. Amongst the best 5 litre or less speakers I have ever heard.
 
JPW Gold Monitor or Mini Monitor. Fugly tiny little sealed boxes. The former is better but perhaps less common. Both sell for FAR less than 200 quid. 87dB, 6W, easily driven by an A&R A60.

Cross brace the walls inside with a dowel that's very slightly too long, wedged into place. Make sure the brace is above the driver. Put a tight fistful of extra stuffing behind the driver. You will then have a gem of a speaker that IMO competes with the best small monitors. My modified Golds are the equals of my LS/5As in detail retrieval, have a pleasing openness lacking in the latter, and have more drive & better dynamics. I find them thoroughly engaging. The tonal balance is closer to the LS3etc than you'd expect.
 
Think about the Kef Cresta 1, they had good reviews at the time (2004?).
I have 2 pairs and I find them easy to drive with an old NAD 3020.
I think they are nominal 4ohm with 88dB sensitivity.
 
I don't mind something cheap like Maxims or JPWs - wondering whether I'll be disappointed with the sound after Tukans.

That said (and I should have said this in the opening message!) I'll only be listening to radio as background music - very occasional CDs but again background only :D

So maybe those cheap options are the ones to go for .....
 
I've looked on line and the Rogers LS1 are 6 ohm and the review said you ideally need an amp that likes down to 4 ohm. The JPW Gold Monitor are 6 ohm too.

Still hoping for an 8ohm easy load in a small box :D
 
Rogers/AX1: Depends how hard you want to drive them. Background music they’d be just fine. You need to find a speaker that sounds alive at low level.
 
How about some early ProAc Tablettes? 8 Ohms but inefficient. Sound good at low level. (You’ll be glad to know this is my last try).
 
£200 should get you a secondhand pair of Elac Debut B6.2s.

87dB efficiency, nicely benign 6 Ohm load and an absolutely cracking pair of little speakers. Genuinely one of the best budget boxes I’ve reviewed in years.
 
If I end up deciding to look at 6 ohm speakers - would I notice a significant improvement in sound quality from say the Q Acoustics 3010i (£100 ish) to Elac Debuts mentioned above (£200-225 ish) to Proac Tablettes (£250 - 300 ish)? I'm buying blind here...

A like decent detail and clarity - doesn't need big bass . Mainly for radio as I mention (but music radio as well as speech)
 
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