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Best speakers for small-room, near-wall situation

Should add I had them about 20cm from back wall and listening about 5-6ft away. As clownfish says about regular Iotas, while not shrill by any means, hey're not a smooth sound mind you, so will depend on your preference and amp pairing
 
Standmounts or small floorstanders, easy to drive, not too fussy with near wall placement (30-40cm from front wall), balanced, full sounding, musical and non fatiguing (not bright) w/ good non-boomy bass - what should I look at?

Any speakers that ended your quest for the perfect speaker in that type of scenario?

Budget under £1.5k used or new.

If they can be placed right up against the rear wall, then the Larsen speakers are ideal for this. I had a pair of the 4.2s and they are designed for that exact scenario.
Really good deep bass from such a small cabinet too.

Other than that, Rega speakers tend to work near the rear walls, even the rear-ported ones such as the Alya and up to the R9s with their boundary compensation. Of that I have had, only the older Jura was not suitable, not great bass on those, too loose.

The KEF Reference 201/2 also works well in that 30-40cm distance, again they have built in attenuation for the bass and an up-firing bass port. Probably one of, if not the best stand-mount I have heard. They are quite chunky though, depth wise.

I like ATC standmounts, my favorite are the SCM10 but while impedance wise, they are easy to drive, they do soak up a lot of power given their low sensitivity.

I've had a pair of Harbeth P3-ES and Spendor S3/5R and was not a fan of either, too dynamically compromised in the bass compared to the SCM10.

Also, if you don't mind a little DIY, the flat-packed Frugelhorn kits from KJF Audio are really easy and designed to work up against a rear wall. A few different sizes to suit your room. Being single-driver they are generally somewhat efficient and easy to drive.
 
What’s your amp?

I had Neat Motive SX3 around 25cm from a rear wall in a small to medium room and worked brilliantly. I demoed against a load of speakers including kef ls50, b&w 706, Harbeth P3esr and thought the Neats were the best balance between speed, bass detail etc. I was using a Brio 2017 model with them which had plenty of power for them.

They are around 1150 new but would get a good used pair for less than 600.
 
If you can home the speakers a few inches from the rear wall I'd say take a very close look at the Neat Iota's. The most riotous fun I've ever heard (and owned) in a box that size. If its a good time you are looking for, look no further. If its the drier LS3/5A kind of sound you are looking for then they probably arent right for you. Kan's will work really well too. FWIW, a friend bought my Iota's when I moved the hi fi to a larger room and I've never quite recaptured the sheer joy of them.


Seconded . I have a pair in my bedroom system driven by a Nait 2 and they are great .

A more expensive alternative ( which I have in my main system) is Shahinian Larcs, designed to sit on floor despite their size. A very different , more forward sound and more money, second had prices are around 1400. They are less forgiving on the amplifier front but actually more efficient than Iotas
 
What’s your amp?

I had Neat Motive SX3 around 25cm from a rear wall in a small to medium room and worked brilliantly. I demoed against a load of speakers including kef ls50, b&w 706, Harbeth P3esr and thought the Neats were the best balance between speed, bass detail etc. I was using a Brio 2017 model with them which had plenty of power for them.

They are around 1150 new but would get a good used pair for less than 600.
I don't have one yet but I'm considering something like a Rega Io or Brio - solid state, small footprint, musicality, ability to get into the heart of music and present it in a balanced, cohesive way but with a fair amount of detail (also, not shrill in the upper mids). Any recommendations would be most welcome!

Those Neats are interesting, thanks. They're not on the bright side, are they?
 
1. About 6-6.5 feet away.
2. That's hard, because my tastes are all over the place. Mostly it's rock and its subgenres (from 50s to current, incl. prog, art, folk, psych, hard, blues-rock, etc), classic 50s-60s jazz and blues, various singer-songwriters (think Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell), '80s-current new wave/alternative/indie rock/post-punk, some funk and reggae, instrumental classical (excl. opera), etc etc. I rarely if ever listen to opera, hip hop, modern mainstream pop, some extreme genres of metal (I do love some NWOBHM!), plus I'm not a huge electronic music head (I don't mind it but it's not a big chunk of my listening).
1. About 6-6.5 feet away.
2. That's hard, because my tastes are all over the place. Mostly it's rock and its subgenres (from 50s to current, incl. prog, art, folk, psych, hard, blues-rock, etc), classic 50s-60s jazz and blues, various singer-songwriters (think Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell), '80s-current new wave/alternative/indie rock/post-punk, some funk and reggae, instrumental classical (excl. opera), etc etc. I rarely if ever listen to opera, hip hop, modern mainstream pop, some extreme genres of metal (I do love some NWOBHM!), plus I'm not a huge electronic music head (I don't mind it but it's not a big chunk of my listening).
If you have a beefy amp? AE1Mk2s or leema xeros..
 
I don't have one yet but I'm considering something like a Rega Io or Brio - solid state, small footprint, musicality, ability to get into the heart of music and present it in a balanced, cohesive way but with a fair amount of detail. Any recommendations would be most welcome!
If you want a small amp? Try a bantam stealth power amp and use a schiit sys passive pre amp into dynaudio audience 40s or 42s...bantam amp £99, schiit sys £70 or less! How? Its bloody amazing! Dynaudio 40s about £250 spend rest of budget on lfd interconnects and speaker cables..
 
I don't have one yet but I'm considering something like a Rega Io or Brio - solid state, small footprint, musicality, ability to get into the heart of music and present it in a balanced, cohesive way but with a fair amount of detail. Any recommendations would be most welcome!

Those Neats are interesting, thanks. They're not on the bright side, are they?
Look around for a 2nd hand Supernait. I think these are excellent value.
 
1. About 6-6.5 feet away.
2. That's hard, because my tastes are all over the place. Mostly it's rock and its subgenres (from 50s to current, incl. prog, art, folk, psych, hard, blues-rock, etc), classic 50s-60s jazz and blues, various singer-songwriters (think Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell), '80s-current new wave/alternative/indie rock/post-punk, some funk and reggae, instrumental classical (excl. opera), etc etc. I rarely if ever listen to opera, hip hop, modern mainstream pop, some extreme genres of metal (I do love some NWOBHM!), plus I'm not a huge electronic music head (I don't mind it but it's not a big chunk of my listening).

Harbeth P3ESR then.
 
Speakers to be positioned close to the wall have been my quest for years.
From all the ones I tried (and believe me I tried many) only 2 stood out.

Linn Kan II Kustone and Larsen Model 4.2

Much has been said about the Linn. Yeah they do not have much bass but God, are they fun speakers to listen too...
The Larsen are a more all round speaker. Flat against the back wall they just deliver low bass but without unwanted resonances. I really do not know how they do it. Another plus is that due to their design, there is no sweet spot. they sound good anywhere in a room, weather you are sitting or standing up walking around. Endgame speakers they are. Looks won't suit everyone.
I still have the Linn Kans though...
 
Spendor S3/5r2 work for me in a small and difficult room, close to front wall. If I wasn’t happy with them I’d buy Brian’s LS3s in the classifieds, which seem well-priced. But I think if I was listening from 6 feet away I might move up a size.

Did the Larsens in the classifieds go?
 
I don't have one yet but I'm considering something like a Rega Io or Brio - solid state, small footprint, musicality, ability to get into the heart of music and present it in a balanced, cohesive way but with a fair amount of detail (also, not shrill in the upper mids). Any recommendations would be most welcome!

Those Neats are interesting, thanks. They're not on the bright side, are they?

I wouldn’t describe as bright but can be prone to a little siblance but not fatiguing. However if paired with a warm amplifier such as the brio it’s no issue, in fact a very good match.
 
I too highly recommend the Larsens, I had a pair of 4.2's for almost 6 years, enjoyed them, and probably would still have them had I not purchased a pair of Duevel Venus. Another one that might work would be the Duevel Planets. Also, highly recommend Guru Juniors-if you can find them. I do think you can now buy them online, they have really gone up in price though!
 
My current favourite- Spendor D1s. A step up from HLP3ESR, S3/5R, LS3/5a etc in refinement (particularly HF) and power handling. Less tubbiness in close to wall position.
 
@seeformiles I have MonoPulse 42A floorstanders driven by Sonneteer Campion, both for sale as I am leaving hifi for good. Each for under £400. The speakers are 25x24x107cm, down ported, using 8” Audax driver in 1st order and Morel tweeter in 4th order crossover. The drivers are time and phase aligned, efficiency 92dB. The sound is coherent, full bodied, spatious and refined, easy to listen. The Campion matches them nicely.
 


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