Bookshelf Speakers

[beneteau45]

I'm looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers.... budget ~~600. Will not be used on stands and will rest on a mantle that stretches accross the width (approx 15') of a family room.... will be used with Dennon amp....Sony lcd rear projection and aperion 200 watt sub...currently using (don't laugh) 25 yr old Bose 301's now matched with a Bose center channel speaker and rear surrounds.

Please educate me between the difference of "monitor" vs "full range"....
Thanks for your opinions

[markw]

Many speakers are "ported", or have specifically designed holes to enhance the bass response. These require space in front of those holes to operate properly. Many of these speakers choose to put this hole on the back, which preclude placing them too close to the back wall.

This will., or should have, have a lot of impact on what people will recommend

[kexodusc]

Hang on now, markw..I agree with your concerned approach about wall proximity, but if beneteau45 is using a sub, presumably crossed at 60-80 Hz, those ports won't be too active anyway. In this case he'll get something of midbass hump with a lot of speakers, with some, he'll be correcting a short-cut.

Just make sure you demo speakers placed as close to a wall as you would have in your own setup.

[topspeed]

You might be a bit confused with the "monitor vs. full range" argument. Perhaps more succinctly, the terms might be standmount (monitor) vs. floorstander. You can have full range standmounts, such as Audio Note, a standmount speaker with an in-room response in the 20's, IIRC.

"Full range" merely reflects a speakers ability to reproduce the full spectrum of audible sound, normally generalized as 20Hz-20kHz. However, most speakers, whether standmount or floorstander, aren't capable of 20-20 reproduction. This is fine as most music either doesn't have a lot of information to reproduce at the extremes or you couldn't hear it anyway. If a speaker dropped into the low 30's, I think most would consider it to be a full range speaker.

As for your question, there are lot of excellent options around your price point. Mark has a good point about the rear ports. Crossed over not, if you like to crank the volume, there is a chance for port noise or other weirdness. Focus on either front ported or sealed enclosure speakers. Some speakers you might want to audition would be the Paradigm Studio 20, Energy C series, and Von Schweikert VR1. The VR1 is rear ported, but it isn't a port in the traditional sense. Albert calls a "pressure release" port that allows the driver to "see" a bigger cabinet than there really is. Whatever you call it, the result is that they are the most dynamic standmounts I've heard with a measured response down to 40hz. This is about as close as you come to "full range" from a standmount, short of the AN's (which are barely standmounts, in the traditional sense). You can read about the VSA VR1 here. (http://vonschweikert.com/vr1.html)

That's a tough location for any speaker and one that will likely place the tweeter well above your listening position. You will definitely need to heed Kexo's advice and audtion speakers in a similar location, if not your own room. If you can place them on the wall instead, you should consider Maggie MMGW's. They are in your price range and you already have a sub to fill in the lower octaves.

As always, audition everything you can find and pick what sounds best to you.

Hope this helps.

[beneteau45]

Many speakers are "ported", or have specifically designed holes to enhance the bass response. These require space in front of those holes to operate properly. Many of these speakers choose to put this hole on the back, which preclude placing them too close to the back wall.

This will., or should have, have a lot of impact on what people will recommend

The shelf is approx 7" deep and the current speakers overhang a couple of inches..... with my sub...just how important is this "bass response".....

[beneteau45]

Hang on now, markw..I agree with your concerned approach about wall proximity, but if beneteau45 is using a sub, presumably crossed at 60-80 Hz, those ports won't be too active anyway. In this case he'll get something of midbass hump with a lot of speakers, with some, he'll be correcting a short-cut.

Just make sure you demo speakers placed as close to a wall as you would have in your own setup.

Thanks for your post.... I thought a good place to make my purchase was a used set from audiogon....the problem that I have is that most of the local retailers only carry the commercially acceptable brands like Polk for example....nothing to exotic.... I don't think I will able to hear up close and personal too many of the recommendations.....but pls make them....thanks

[markw]

The shelf is approx 7" deep and the current speakers overhang a couple of inches..... with my sub...just how important is this "bass response".....
It's all a tradeoff game.

Some people don't even notice a realtively large dip in their system in the upper bass/lower midrange areas from subs set too low for the mains to properly blend with them. That's what keeps Bose alive.

Conversely, some don't mind voices coming from subs set at too high a crossover frequency to blend with speakers that are "bass challanged".

Personally, I would not feel comfortable with much of an overhang which would limit me to smaller speakers, particularly when most speakers perform better with a little breathing room between them and the rear wall (reflections, dispersion, little stuff like that) but then again, that's your choice and I respect that.

.

[3db]

I'm looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers.... budget ~~600. Will not be used on stands and will rest on a mantle that stretches accross the width (approx 15') of a family room.... will be used with Dennon amp....Sony lcd rear projection and aperion 200 watt sub...currently using (don't laugh) 25 yr old Bose 301's now matched with a Bose center channel speaker and rear surrounds.

Please educate me between the difference of "monitor" vs "full range"....
Thanks for your opinions

affect imaging? But if your stuck your stuck. Here's a fronted ported design from PSB that lies well within your budget/

http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=15&sId=3

Heres' what Sterophile had to say about them;
http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1204psb/

My speaker set consists entirely of PSB products and I really do like their sound. Although I don't own the B25s, I;ve heard them and they are a remarkable little speaker