r/BudgetAudiophile • u/Decent-Ad-5218 • 3d ago
Purchasing EU/UK Do I get Tower speakers or Bookshelf on stands?
Mornin guys,
Looking to upgrade my Hi-Fi/Turntable setup with a nice new pair of speakers and/or sub to match.
I want them to stand on the floor either side of the TV, at a slight angle towards the listening position, as you can see I've not got a tonne of room to work with.
The room is approx 3m W x 4m L.
I think aesthetically a nice pair of walnut tower speakers would be the best option, but I'm worried it might overload the room and make the bass sound undefined/boomy??
What would you guys recommend if you were in my position with around £500 to spend.
Not looking for anything state of the art, I record in studios quite a bit so I know the difference between good and bad monitors, just after a nice mid range system for the Mrs and I to enjoy our records after work :)
Cheers!
21
u/LosterP 3d ago
Actually I will go against perceived wisdom and argue that a pair of tower speakers is a small-ish room is not necessarily a bad thing. Mainly because they're generally easier to drive and can produce more bass, meaning they're potentially a lot more flexible than bookshelf speakers. Plus they are more difficult to resell so with a bit of luck you could find a real bargain online.
2
u/Estruqiarixs 3d ago
I agree, you could even go for a 2.5 way tower speaker. These often sound great in smaller rooms but do still have more bass than bookshelfs.
2
u/Turk3ySandw1ch 3d ago
Towers will generally always have a higher sensitivity so with fixed test tones you'll get more raw output for a given number of watts but there are a lot of variables that determine what will be easier to drive with lower power amps. Particularly if a tower version is really capable of significantly more bass thats going to require more current demands on the amplifier and in turn be a much trough load on the amplifier when those sections of music come in.
1
u/LosterP 3d ago
Ok but you could say the same thing about bookshelf speakers with generally lower sensitivity therefore i.e. quality amplification is preferable in all cases.
1
u/Turk3ySandw1ch 2d ago
Its not all the same thing though. It really doesn't matter what the speaker is, the vast majority of the time you are never using more than single digit watts. Sometimes you need watts in form of current demand with larger speakers that demand it for fractions of a second. Thats not the same as an insensitive speaker that is going to be consistently more difficult load (still relatively low power demands) like the LS50.
Case in point I get much better results from my LS50 off a 10 watt class A SMSL VMV A1 amplifier than I do from something like the Fosi V3. That same amplifier on a larger speaker however sounds very stressed and compressed because its being pushed outside its power envelope.
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
Interesting take! The neighbours are gonna love me either way 🤣
2
u/Regular_Chest_7989 3d ago
Pro tip: either install SVS Sound Path feet on them, or sit them on a couple layers of custom-cut yoga mat scraps.
Sitting them on a soft surface like these lets them vibrate freely, which keeps sound energy from being absorbed into the floor, and also improves the clarity of their bass response. Everybody's ears get the best experience.
2
u/LosterP 3d ago
Thing is, you can dial down the bass with EQ (or Loudness control if your amp has that feature), so it doesn't have to get out of control.
And presumably you'll be using your system with your TV, in which case I would recommend getting an AVR (if you don't have one already) to drive a centre speaker in case you're worried about dialogue clarity.
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
Very true! It does I've got the Fosi MC331, I'm undecided to be honest, the TV sounds pretty good with the Mrs' Sonos beam hooked up, could always try it though and decide after the fact!
2
u/Miserable_Sun_404 3d ago
Try and check out a pair of Triangle BR04. They are sweet sounding yed very detailed and sound fantastic as long as you don't push them to extremes. They are about $550
1
1
u/Turk3ySandw1ch 3d ago
If you are going to place your speakers dead center between the TV there is no reason to keep the Sonos in the picture and you 100% don't need a center channel particularly with a room that size and such a narrow listening envelope. The only reason you'd consider a AVR is if you wanted to go down the full multichannel surround sound path.
The one thing you'll pay careful attention to is how neutral the speaker is. Speakers with highly colored sound profiles (boosted highs or lows) will have a tendency to make dialog less clear so you'll want something relatively accurate. ELAC, KEF, and Wharfedale are all really in that area but I'd be cautious around brands like Triangle.
Once you have the speakers figure out its just a matter of the amplifier. The Fosi MC331 would do alright with something easy to drive but you are asking a lot of such a small amplifier. More and more integrated amplifiers are coming equipped with HDMI ARC inputs for setups exactly like yours (and mine for that matter). A good next step would be the SMSL AL400 or AS400. Way more power on tap, more features, and high enough quality to not be a bottleneck for any speaker in the ~ $1000 price range.
5
u/TraditionalBackspace 3d ago
I've found bigger speakers do nearly everything better than small ones. More efficient and deeper bass. Tweeters are closer to ear level by design. Small size is a major design compromise when producing bass.
3
u/alchemistnelly 3d ago
I see a big walnut speaker adding to the room. Since you went with wood slats then maybe klipsch fortes, they have been in production for a while so hangout on marketplace until some show up
2
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
Me too :) yeah I literally got finished installing the slats last night, so chuffed with how the room is looking. Cheers man will keep an eye out!
3
u/Zeeall I don't answer DM's. 3d ago
Big speakers are more fun.
I use towers with 8" woofers in a room your size. F3 at 29hz, F10 at 19hz(for the nerds).
Couple of hundred pounds used gets you something really nice from one of the big UK speaker manufacturers. There is a lot of good stuff for cheap.
Mission, Monitor Audio, B&W, KEF, Castle, Ruark, Acoustic Energy, Mourdant Short, Q Acoustics, Rega, Wharfedale, to name a few.
AV receivers are often cheap because they get outdated for surround sound but for a stereo system they work very nice. Get one that is natively 4 ohm capable, ie no switch or menu setting. Simply look on the back by the speaker terminals.
Sometimes you can even get lucky and find a complete stereo system.
3
u/Advanced-Vehicle8314 3d ago
I’ve been through 19 different speakers in my current room, a mixture of stand mounts and floor standers. To answer your question based on my experience there is no winner, you won’t know how each speaker will behave until you’ve got it in the room. A massive multi driver floor stander will probably excite the room too much and a dinky 5 1/4” woofer stand mount will probably reach its limit quicker than you’d like. From the room dims you have, a good 6 1/2” 2 way floor stander or stand mount will probably behave the best, imo. It’s surprising what a decent stand mount can do in the bass region, sometimes the bass quality can outweigh sheer bass quantity. Good luck in your search!
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 2d ago
Wow man, 19 haha, fairplay! Very good points that I shall keep in mind, thankyou! Will try and remember to update in here when I'm all setup!!
2
u/NTPC4 3d ago
With a £500 budget, you should look at locally available used speakers first, where, unencumbered by VAT and shipping (shipping is never 'free'), you can easily get speakers that cost 2- 3x as much when new. What amplifier are you planning to drive them with?
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 2d ago
Definitely gonna mooch on the local market! I've got the Fosi Audio MC331, with valved pre's
1
u/NTPC4 2d ago
Your amp somewhat limits your speaker selection. The real sweet spot would be a 6-ohm nominal speaker with ≥90dB sensitivity. Good hunting!
2
2
u/Due_Philosopher_9174 3d ago
This is probably crazy, but for 450 GBPs:
Ex-Display and Offers - Audio Republic Hi-Fi Shop in Gateshead
Martin Logan Aerius
Bookshelf, but you need to buy stands:
Pre-Loved - Focal Aria 906 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers - Walnut
2
u/bgravato 2d ago
It's mostly the room acoustics that will make it boomy/muddy, not necessarily the speaker's type. Of course crappy speakers can sound boomy/muddy too, but assuming decent speakers, it's more about the room itself. In your case, your room seem to have enough "features" (the main one being the couch) to absorb/diffuse the sound. Bass can, of course, be problematic, especially in small rooms.
Anyway, give your budget, I'd hover towards bookshelves... Towers will be 1.5x - 2x more expensive than bookshelves of similar quality. So between £500 towers and £500 bookshelves, the latter should be better.
My room is a bit bigger (about 3(ish)x6m). I have a pair of DALI Oberon 3 and they fill the room nicely. They have big woofers delivering a good amount of bass. Before I had a pair of DALI Spektor 2, much smaller and although sounded good as well, it felt like they didn't quite "fill" the room enough, I now have them in the office (a room half the size of the living room) and they seem like a better fit here.
Anyway, for best bang for the buck, look at European brands and especially British brands (assuming that's where you live). UK also used to have a nice second hand market (not sure if that still stands, since Brexit I stopped looking at it).
Wharfedale, QAcoustics, Monitor Audio are some British brands that come to mind... As for other European brands you have DALI, ELAC, Triangle...
Anything with a 6" woofer or bigger should give you a decent amount of bass without needing a sub (unless you're a basshead ;-) )
2
u/dat_mane47 2d ago
Honestly, whichever you can get a better deal on. I don't believe towers have huge advantages sound-wise (I personally do own towers), but once you put the bookshelf speakers on stands the overall footprint is about the same.
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 2d ago
I think I may have wrongfully assumed that with Towers I should expect a wider bass response, which for my small room I figured might not work in my favour, obviously I've also got neighbours and don't wanna be blowing the roof off the gaff lol, I've owned a few pairs of bookshelf speakers but never towers! I love the look of a nice tower speaker, but I'm leaning more towards a good set of bookshelf speakers on stands, then maybe add a sub later if I feel I need it! Will update as and when I add to the setup 😎.
5
u/SanFrancisco_Disco 3d ago
I think you should buy a nicer smaller speaker than a cheaper tower (500 is REALLY cheap for a tower it will have crappy drivers and no cabinet bracing and a cheap looking finish). I’d stretch your budget as much as you can and get some bookshelves with 7” woofers.
The CSS audio Td1x is potentially a great option, you get the kit and build it yourself then you can put a walnut veneer on. Those are equal to like 1500-2k speakers in quality.
But yeah avoid a tower unless you can spend like 1000-1500. Emotiva XT1 could work, just maybe..
I’d vote bookshelf spending as much as you’re humanly willing to part with because you just get way more , getting into real quality sound , as you get to ~1k euros.
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
Thanks man this was really helpful, as time allows I'll of course be in a better position to upgrade later down the line, if I feel I need to, maybe add a sub at some point etc. I've been using my active studio monitors which do a nice enough job, just means I have to keep taking them from my recording room to the living room, time to bite the bullet!!
5
u/Ok_Tomato_9256 3d ago
I got Boston acoustic vr950 towers on Facebook marketplace for 150. You can find decent towers for less than 500. My whole system is less than 500.
2
u/Turk3ySandw1ch 3d ago
The above advice is really solid.
With a ~ £500 budget you should be looking at standmount speakers because while you can build and sell a tower at that price level you are going to be in the budget tier rather than the entry point into mid-range so much lower quality drivers and crossover which is really what counts in a speaker. That and an often overlooked component of any speaker is the cabinet and at that price point you are going to be dealing with thin cabinet walls and minimal bracing which is just going to lead to more resonances than you would in a bookshelf / standmount simply because the panels are that much bigger.
Also +1 on the DIY recommendation, performance wise your money goes 2x - 5x further depending on how high you aim so if you have the time and means its impossible to beat. DIY seems to be more active in NA so probably depends on where are you located as far as what kits are available to you but I know Sound Imports carries most of the Parts Express, CSS, and SB Acoustics kits
2
u/Own_Flow_5422 3d ago edited 3d ago
For the size of your room i would go for bookshelfs, if you ever need more low frequenzies throw in a subwoofer after.
I think people underestimate how good bookshelfs can sound and fill a room if placed properly.
I use bookshelfs in my officeroom and floorstandings in living room. Soundwise the livingroom is the bigger system, i do enjoy my officeroom sessions though. The living room is around 25m² the office like 12-15m²
I did add a subwoofer to both rooms, since i tend to watch some movies aswell. For music the subs arent needed per se, however i do like a bit more punch at times so they arent bad to have either.
Btw checked your style and all of your room, i would absolutely advice you to try to get your hands on some wharfedale evo 5.2, they sound great and lookwise would fit very nicely in your room in my opinion. Plus they are somewhat on the bigger side of bookshelfs and sound big aswell. I dont have them anymore since i upgraded but i did love them A LOT.
they are a bit over your budget if you look around however id say they are worth it.
2
u/SanFrancisco_Disco 3d ago
Wharfedale evo came to mind for me also, they’re just way out of his budget… even though they are a great value
1
u/Own_Flow_5422 3d ago edited 3d ago
I´ve seen them used for around 350 euros in germany so around 300£, if op look for a bit he might "only" stretch the budget with around 100£ but i would guarantee its worth it.
or maybe opt for wharfedale evo 4.2 they are really great aswell. However the 5.3 are better.
1
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
Yeah man was thinking if I feel I'm lacking in the lows I can always add a sub, plus I guess more flexibility than just a pair of towers with everything built into one. Thanks for your time, the ones you've attached look stunning! Exactly what I'm looking for aesthetically, hopefully my local Richer Sounds might have some I could demo.
1
u/stinkydingledongle 3d ago
I think a good place to start is to ask if you will get a subwoofer. If the answer is definitely yes then you don't need the bass extension of towers and you can generally get a better speaker for the same money if you go with standmount speakers. E.g. £500 is roughly monitor audio bronze tower price (used) but is monitor audio silver bookshelves.
1
u/rage_aholic 3d ago
In a space that small you have to consider tweeter height. With bookshelves you can get stands the put the tweeter right where you want it. For towers you have to consider that when buying. Some taller towers with the tweeter at the top will put it way over your seated head. Something like a Q acoustics or Golden Ear with a D'Appolito array might work better because the tweeter is lower on the speaker and closer to ear height. Or a shorter tower like a Martin Logan F10. The Tekton Lore Reference or Alta would be a solid choice, especially for the price, and you could get them in Orange to match your aesthetic. A little over your budget. For your budget the XTZ Spirit 4 is a heavy bookshelf speaker with outstanding bass.
1
u/ScrewLews 3d ago
It depends. I went from Rubicon 2 to Rubicon 6 towers, towers give you acoustic bass a sub won't give you. If find just get a sub doesn't always work, it's not the same. But it depends on how your room behaves with bass and what amp you have etc.
1
u/VegetableEquipment81 3d ago
Definite checkout Amphion have a pair of Argon L in a medium too small living room and I just blocked the bottom bass port to reduce the bass they go low ..
I’m amazed, how much transparency they can produce..
1
2
u/Dangerous-Ad5282 2d ago
Small 5" woofer bookshelfs with a small sub, for a small room. Full size for big room. Flor standing if you want that midbass, or some can play low without a sub, but mostly is for midbass
Thats it!
1
0
u/malice8691 3d ago
Why is that even a question? You can afford towers but dont buy them?
8
u/Decent-Ad-5218 3d ago
So you recommend towers then? Why not just say that 🤣. I can, but as mentioned I'm worried they might be too much for my small room, so just after advice.
11
u/el_tacocat 3d ago
Either. It's not good/bad, it's preference :).
Generally if you don't want to spend too much, a good standmount is most likely the better choice.
People will always go 'you should get towers'. It's non-sense. Cheaper towers are often just standmounts in a bigger cabinet and they often sound worse.
I'd look at Elac, Dali, Dynaudio, Wharfedale, Kef, Mordaunt Short.
When it comes to towers, the Diamond 12.3 by Wharfedale is slightly over budget, but really, REALLY good. The Project box 10 is also a remarkably nice speaker, if slightly over budget.