Floorstanding vs. bookshelf + sub

[fahrenheights]

Hi I'm new to this forum been lurking for the past week or so and would greatly appreciate an opinion.

I'm looking to buy some new speakers for a bedroom (11' x 15' approx.)

Right now I've got a Yamaha YST 315 subwoofer and MY QUESTION IS if I should get a pair of decent bookshelves (looking at NHT classic 3, B&W 602) to go with the sub, OR sell/remove the sub and instead get some decent floorstanders (like the B&W 603 or 604).

Solely for music not movies, i listen at varying volume levels; loud at times, quiet at times. All types of music (lots of electronic); both analog and digital recordings.

My amp is an old JVC which i will most likely replace after a speaker purchase with a budget NAD or Rotel intergrated.

One concern w/ floorstanders is if they might be too big for a bedroom (sound-wise not physically).

Any other brand recommendations would be great, too. Budget is ~$750 USD.

Thanks!

[Ajani]

Floorstanders would work just fine in your room.... Bookshelves & Sub versus floorstanders tends to come down to personal tastes more than anything else...

I favor floorstanders for a few reasons:

1) I've never heard a sub that I liked... they've all sounded way too boomy and more like HT than music (Though to be fair, most subs I've heard were clearly aimed more at HT than Music)...

2) By the time I add the cost of stands and a sub, I've usually reached or exceeded the cost of the comparable floorstander (which I find sounds better)

3) Floorstanders look better to me than a book/stand/sub setup....

However, if you find that the Yamaha sub sounds acceptable to you, then you might be able to pair it with a nice pair of bookshelves and a cheap stand.... But in your position I'd just sell the sub and get some nice towers... either the B&Ws you mentioned or maybe some used Monitor Audio RS6s.....

[Kevio]

As for the sound, it is a matter of preference. I personally prefer to have bass come from the same speaker enclosures as the rest of the music. You have a system with sub now and seem to be OK with it. When compared to reasonable sized floorstanding speakers, a system with a sub will probably give you a more extended bass response. You'll probably appreciate that for electronic music.

As for logistics, speakers that have good bass response (floor standing and subwoofer) can be sensitive to placement. In a small room, you're probably going to have limited placement options to experiment with. The bookshelves probably won't be fussy - you'll just have to mess with the placement and setup of the sub (and you've probably already done that).

[blackraven]

Go with the B&W 683's. They have better bass and a bigger and better sound than the 684's which are not really an improvement over the 685 bookshelfs. I listened to all three as well as the NHT Classic Three's which I really like.

The NHT's have a totally different sound than the B&W's. The Classic 3 has excellent bass and a warmer, smoother sound compared to the B&W's. The B&W's have better resolution and more prominent treble and sound a little brighter which some people take as sounding better. I find that after about 30 minutes this becomes fatiguing.

But it all boils down to what you personally prefer. If you go with the bookshelf's you will need to spend about $100-150 for a good pair of speaker stands.

Good luck!

As far as the sub goes, you may find that you don't need it with the NHT's.

[hotroady]

I had front firing bass port RB-25's at ceiling corner's. They could really move the music around that way. I added a sub for fuller sound. Could have lived with this set-up for years. You will get fuller bass with tower speaker's, more cabinet volume is key. Slimmer towers help them to disappear sonically. Height helps raise the soundstage. Can be real difficult to attain a balanced sound with satelites and sub.

[02audionoob]

It's a matter of personal preference, but keep in mind the larger enclosure will change the tone of speakers...even within the same line. A 2-way bookshelf might sound bright compared to a 3-way tower with the same or similar drivers. The tower could sound boomy or muffled by direct comparison to the bookshelf. Neither is inherently better or worse, but they'll be different.

My own opinion...I'm on the market for larger speakers and they seem to be disappointing when I listen to them. I guess I subconsciously want them to sound like my bookshelf + sub setup.

[fahrenheights]

Thanks y'all for your input. I'm still not sure what the heck to get. :mad2:

Guess I should go for some listening tests at the audio store tomorrow and hear a bit of variety... Last time I only heard B&Ws but am curious about the NHTs now. Though I must admit looks do matter which is why I like the B&Ws and saw those Monitor Audio's as well they look quite respectable.

Also, just looking at the specs, the floorstanders go down to about 30-40hz whereas a sub goes down to 20hz or lower (can't hear that low but you can feel it!). :yesnod:

[winston]

(personal tastes & preference)
I'll say the same,.... my vote goes for floor-standers, for music (stereo) BUT even if your choice is (bookshelf) subs add boomings to 80 percent of the diffrent types of music that we listen to........ speaking of which i use two POLK- PSW505 for my HT however when its music/stereo time" OFF THEY GO as l like to hear lows (not feel my lows).....

[Ajani]

(personal tastes & preference)
I'll say the same,.... my vote goes for floor-standers, for music (stereo) BUT even if your choice is (bookshelf) subs add boomings to 80 percent of the diffrent types of music that we listen to........ speaking of which i use two POLK- PSW505 for my HT however when its music/stereo time" OFF THEY GO as l like to hear lows (not feel my lows).....

I'm with you on that... rattling windows and vibrations in my chest are great for explosions in movies, but are just distracting and annoying with music...

[02audionoob]

In my 2-channel setup, I have the sub level knob set to about the 9:00 position. In my HT setup, it's around the 1:00 position.

[fahrenheights]

Yeah I too have my sub cutoff around 60hz as I do dislike the boomy or muddy bass that most subs produce in their upper ranges. I'm just worried if I get floorstanders I'll miss those low end sub bass tones... of course, I suppose I can get floorstanders and keep the sub as well O.o

That being said, it's rare that a musical recording emphasizes that low of bass as an important part of the music, dub & dubstep really are the only genres I can think of.

I'm leaning towards floorstanding speakers now as I do enjoy a more 'fuller' sound...

[blackraven]

Get some PSB Synchrony's and they will make you forget about a sub. Stereophile Class A all the way! They have great sound and great bass.

If your interested in Monitor Audio, check out www.saturdayaudio.com I bought a pair of S1 bookshelfs for my bedroom from them.

[02audionoob]

That being said, it's rare that a musical recording emphasizes that low of bass as an important part of the music, dub & dubstep really are the only genres I can think of.




Perhaps...but Diana Krall's The Look of Love makes my sub work pretty hard.





I'm leaning towards floorstanding speakers now as I do enjoy a more 'fuller' sound...

If you make the move to floorstanding, I would suggest you pay close attention to the midrange when you audition them.

[E-Stat]

MY QUESTION IS if I should get a pair of decent bookshelves (looking at NHT classic 3, B&W 602) to go with the sub, OR sell/remove the sub and instead get some decent floorstanders
I favor the small monitor / EQed subs (plural) route for two reasons:

1. Ideally, one would have complete flexibility of speaker and furniture placement along with employing enough bass traps to adequately battle room modes and ensure truly neutral bass response. Unfortunately, such is not practical in most environments. (I am quite fortunate in that one of my systems does use that approach) Using a parametric or third octave EQ on the subs only (crossed over high enough to be valuable), however, can achieve that goal in less flexible spaces without compromising the integrity of the full range signal.

2. Since the low end tends to require more power and thus tendency to clip amplifiers, bi-amping separates the sins of the woofers from that of the rest of the signal.



...it's rare that a musical recording emphasizes that low of bass as an important part of the music
I'll disagree there. "Weight" is as important to classical music as it is to many popular genres.

rw

[sallysue]

I'm looking to buy some new speakers for a bedroom (11' x 15' approx.)

That's a pretty small space, I'd go with bookshelves for sure. I'd recommend some JBL L830's, they are inexpensive and good quality. A inexpensive Rotel amp would power these nicely.

I own these and posted about them on the "reviews" section. My advise ( if you're asking) is don't be dazzled and awed by high priced speakers and assume that more money gets more perfomance - not always so. Are the Array Series from JBL better than the L830's? You betcha, but look at the price differential. Remember that most of what you are listening to is the room itself. I'm not bad mouthing B & W or NHT - not at all - but don't dismiss JBL or Energy as mass-market budget crap. These two companies (and others) have science and scientists behind thier products, many many speaker companies do not have the financial backing to accomplish repeated excellence through scientific testing - the R & D is too expensive for most speaker companies.( Keep in mind this advice and the products I'm suggesting are geared to your price point. )

I was in the speaker business and I drank a lot of the Cool-Aid fed to me by smooth talking reps. and I'm wiser for the experience.

Recommended

JBL - L830's on stands
Rotel Amp - You can get a pretty good used one on ebay - cheap
Sub? - that's your call, see how the speaker sound first. A good sub is expensive and may be beyond what you are ready to spend right now.

Hope this helps........

[GMichael]

I am leaning more towards Estat's comments. Placement of a sub is easier than trying to place speakers to accommodate the highs and the lows at the same time. An Eq for the sub will help with that HT (one note wonder) sound. Plus it reduces the drain on your amp. Smaller speakers are normally easier to drive than full range speakers. They are easier to place. And the money you are sending is going strictly towards the mids and highs. This can let you get a notch better quality on the drivers.

[fahrenheights]

Hi guys thanks for the thorough responses.
I picked up a pair of Classic Three's :)
I got them for a good price brand new... I heard they take awhile to break in, so here goes..


I favor the small monitor / EQed subs (plural) route for two reasons:

1. Ideally, one would have complete flexibility of speaker and furniture placement along with employing enough bass traps to adequately battle room modes and ensure truly neutral bass response. Unfortunately, such is not practical in most environments. (I am quite fortunate in that one of my systems does use that approach) Using a parametric or third octave EQ on the subs only (crossed over high enough to be valuable), however, can achieve that goal in less flexible spaces without compromising the integrity of the full range signal.

2. Since the low end tends to require more power and thus tendency to clip amplifiers, bi-amping separates the sins of the woofers from that of the rest of the signal.

rw
Hi E-stat. I'm not sure I completely understand the setup your trying to describe...
How many amps does it require?
Thanks

[emesbee]

My personal preference is to go for floorstanders, unless you are constrained by space (which might be the case here).

With bookshelf speakers and a sub, you may face the problem of getting the crossover point right. There could be a danger of a 'hole in the middle' effect, if the lower frequency response of the speakers tails off too much before the subwoofer kicks in. Careful matching may be important.

[fahrenheights]

I ended up going with bookshelves because, well space is limited, it's a smal//med size bdrm and i didn't want to get floorstanders if i couldn't "open" them up as they deserve to be. These NHT's seem plenty loud and punchy, and a considerable upgrade from what I had going on before... and they do match my room quite well ;)

As for the crossover, right now i have it set at 60hz and playing with the volume

[Jimmy C]

I ended up going with bookshelves because, well space is limited, it's a smal//med size bdrm and i didn't want to get floorstanders if i couldn't "open" them up as they deserve to be. These NHT's seem plenty loud and punchy, and a considerable upgrade from what I had going on before... and they do match my room quite well ;)

As for the crossover, right now i have it set at 60hz and playing with the volume

...I'm getting great results with my JMRs and a REL Strata III as well.

I don't feel a 3-piece system will save any space (probably uses more), but it can allow one (budget-wise) to get the mids and HF "right", then add the bass/foundation whenever.

Yes, a floor-stander usually plays louder, is more sensitive, and obviously doesn't need stands... BUT, let's see... $1300 for my mains, $1300 for the REL, so it's $2600 - I haven't heard a floor speaker in that price range that can pressurize the room as well. Granted, I like it a little "fat" at times... at least I can adjust the amount of bass vs. the specific recording...

Many times a sub in general will get a bad rap... that's usually because they are misused. Mine is set at about 36 cycles, just enough to compliment the Twins. Try a lower x-over setting if you have any problems w/ "boominess".

That's another thing you touched on... a multi-driver speaker will need space to coalesce, or "gel". If I had a huge livingroom, I might have to look up the JMR line!

Things get expensive in a hurry there... :*)

[littleredhulk]

I would go for a decent set of floorstanders because the sound quality in all frequency ranges are more accurate, but i would advise on keeping the sub just to add that bit of bass if ever needed

[emesbee]

I'm with you on that... rattling windows and vibrations in my chest are great for explosions in movies, but are just distracting and annoying with music...

But wouldn't the subwoofer only kick in when there are frequencies low enough for it? I would expect that most music simply wouldn't go sufficiently low for that to happen (with the possible exception of pipe organ music).

In contrast, the low frequency rumbles and explosions in movie soundtracks are special effects that are deliberately added to sound impressive.

[blackraven]

Great choice on the NHT Classic Three's. I really like the sound, warm and good midbass punch for a bookshelf. Being a three way speaker it sounds less strained in the midrange. I prefer it over the B&W 685's.

[audio amateur]

Great choice on the NHT Classic Three's. I really like the sound, warm and good midbass punch for a bookshelf. Being a three way speaker it sounds less strained in the midrange. I prefer it over the B&W 685's.
So in effect you're saying your 1.6's sound more strained in the midrange? :yesnod:

[Ajani]

But wouldn't the subwoofer only kick in when there are frequencies low enough for it? I would expect that most music simply wouldn't go sufficiently low for that to happen (with the possible exception of pipe organ music).

In contrast, the low frequency rumbles and explosions in movie soundtracks are special effects that are deliberately added to sound impressive.

Subwoofers can be set fairly high, into the frequency range already covered by a pair of small monitors... In my experiences (so far) with SUB/Monitor combos, the sub tends to dominate the proceedings and just makes itself too obvious... It reminds me of when you press the Extra Bass button on a cheapy mini-system... suddenly even songs that were not bass heavy sound like the belong on a Dr Dre album... Maybe one day I'll hear a properly integrated sub/monitor combo that will change my mind... but so far I've just not been impressed...

[audio amateur]

Subwoofers can be set fairly high, into the frequency range already covered by a pair of small monitors... In my experiences (so far) with SUB/Monitor combos, the sub tends to dominate the proceedings and just makes itself too obvious... It reminds me of when you press the Extra Bass button on a cheapy mini-system... suddenly even songs that were not bass heavy sound like the belong on a Dr Dre album... Maybe one day I'll hear a properly integrated sub/monitor combo that will change my mind... but so far I've just not been impressed...
Subs need time to be set up in order to integrate properly. It's a long exercise, and is easier done in pairs. But IMO the end result can be very good. I'm guessing you've never heard a good quality sub that was set up properly for stereo listening.

[Luvin Da Blues]

[QUOTE=audio amateur]........It's a long exercise, and is easier done in pairs. But IMO the end result can be very good.....[QUOTE]

Very Very good indeed but "a long exercise" is an understatement.

[Kevio]

I tried two positions and three crossover settings and a bit of diddling with the level and all is good now for me. There's a bit more to it than setting up a stereo pair but its fun and didn't seem to take too long for me. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

One thing I did not appreciate going in to this is that although my mains gave me a satisfying amount of low frequency output, they also put out a fair amount of distortion in doing so. Now that they're being helped by the sub, I've got a much cleaner bottom end ;)

[audio amateur]

I tried two positions and three crossover settings and a bit of diddling with the level and all is good now for me. There's a bit more to it than setting up a stereo pair but its fun and didn't seem to take too long for me. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

One thing I did not appreciate going in to this is that although my mains gave me a satisfying amount of low frequency output, they also put out a fair amount of distortion in doing so. Now that they're being helped by the sub, I've got a much cleaner bottom end ;)
You mean that your mains are now high-passed? Or does it mean you play them less loud now that you have the subs?

[02audionoob]

Although I will decline to comment on how clean a bottom end I have, I will agree it's a bit a challenge to get a sub really sounding good. I tinker with it quite a bit in search of optimum. Right now, I have the port plugged up with a small towel. I might actually stick with that...not sure yet.

[Kevio]

You mean that your mains are now high-passed? Or does it mean you play them less loud now that you have the subs?Yes, mains are high passed. I play at the same overall level as before. Maybe a little louder because it sounds better now.

[Ajani]

Although I will decline to comment on how clean a bottom end I have, I will agree it's a bit a challenge to get a sub really sounding good. I tinker with it quite a bit in search of optimum. Right now, I have the port plugged up with a small towel. I might actually stick with that...not sure yet.

You plugged a dirty bottom with a small towel? uggggg :shocked:

[02audionoob]

You plugged a dirty bottom with a small towel? uggggg :shocked:


It's better than having a muddy bottom end.

[audio amateur]

Yes, mains are high passed. I play at the same overall level as before. Maybe a little louder because it sounds better now.
If I may ask, how is it all set-up to be high-passed?

[StevenSurprenant]

The reason subs are hard to integrate is mostly because of crossover slopes and volume. If you are designing a full range speaker with a large woofer for bass you have to adjust the crossover so that where it overlaps with the midrange driver it doesn't cause a peak in the speaker output at those frequences. This is what causes boom and muddy midrange.

Most subs I have heard have a gentle slope (6 db/octave) at the crossover point. What happens with subs of this type is that they allow a great deal of higher frequencies to come from the sub itself so that when you adjust the crossover near the ideal setting, you get a combined peak from both the woofer and midwoofer resulting in muddy midrange and boomy bass. In addition, it is very easy to localize the sub which is a bad thing. If you turn the sub volume down to lower this peak at the crossover point, you loose your lower bass, but the midrange sounds better. If you set your crossover at a lower setting, your midrange gets better and you get the bass that you paid for, but now there is a hole in the sound between where the mid drivers leave off and the where the sub begins. In addition, you begin to find it harder to localize the sub in the room.

In an ideal world we would use a crossover on the mid driver to adjust it's output both at high frequencies and the lower frequencies. Then we would build a crossover for the woofer that has a slope that when added to the the slope of the midrange driver on the low end that would produce a flat output through the crossover region.

A better sub, IMO, is one that has a higher slope at its higher frequencies. These are easier to integrate with speakers because the overlap between the woofer and midwoofer is less.

By the way, I have also found that subs with a gentle slope integrate better with small speakers with very limited bass. (Less over lap)

If you cannot afford a better sub, the solution is to buy an equalizer or electronic crossover just for the sub. For instance, the Behringer DCX 2496 will allow you to set your slope to 48db/octave and it has built in EQ's including parametric EQ's. If you wanted to, you could also use it to set your slopes on your main speakers too. Actually, it does a great many things. Then there is the Behringer DEQ2496 which is a great equalizer for the money. You cannot adjust slopes but it does give you a great deal of control of frequency output. There are other brands, but Behringer is great for the money.

As for people thinking that subs don't integrate well, it's because most people don't know how to adjust them. It's a balance between slope, volume, and crossover point. Since most subs don't allow you to adjust slope then it will be more difficult. When a sub is adjusted correctly, you will not be aware that is is even on. What you will hear, for instance, is that drums will be more dynamic and as a side effect, your soundstage becomes more expansive. If you can hear (detect) your sub at all, means that you need to adjust it.

The bottom line in adjusting a sub is to think like a speaker designer. To integrate a woofer in a full range speaker, you need to select a crossover point, volume, and slope that allows it to merge together with the mid driver so that they sound like a single driver.

Well that should be as clear as mud.

Hope it helps...

One more thing...

One big advantage of subs is that bass interacts with a room more so than higher frequencies and subs can be moved and adjusted to correct these interactions. For instance, if you have standing waves at your listening position, you can move the sub to minimize the effect.

[Ajani]

The reason subs are hard to integrate is mostly because of crossover slopes and volume. If you are designing a full range speaker with a large woofer for bass you have to adjust the crossover so that where it overlaps with the midrange driver it doesn't cause a peak in the speaker output at those frequences. This is what causes boom and muddy midrange.

Most subs I have heard have a gentle slope (6 db/octave) at the crossover point. What happens with subs of this type is that they allow a great deal of higher frequencies to come from the sub itself so that when you adjust the crossover near the ideal setting, you get a combined peak from both the woofer and midwoofer resulting in muddy midrange and boomy bass. In addition, it is very easy to localize the sub which is a bad thing. If you turn the sub volume down to lower this peak at the crossover point, you loose your lower bass, but the midrange sounds better. If you set your crossover at a lower setting, your midrange gets better and you get the bass that you paid for, but now there is a hole in the sound between where the mid drivers leave off and the where the sub begins. In addition, you begin to find it harder to localize the sub in the room.

In an ideal world we would use a crossover on the mid driver to adjust it's output both at high frequencies and the lower frequencies. Then we would build a crossover for the woofer that has a slope that when added to the the slope of the midrange driver on the low end that would produce a flat output through the crossover region.

A better sub, IMO, is one that has a higher slope at its higher frequencies. These are easier to integrate with speakers because the overlap between the woofer and midwoofer is less.

By the way, I have also found that subs with a gentle slope integrate better with small speakers with very limited bass. (Less over lap)

If you cannot afford a better sub, the solution is to buy an equalizer or electronic crossover just for the sub. For instance, the Behringer DCX 2496 will allow you to set your slope to 48db/octave and it has built in EQ's including parametric EQ's. If you wanted to, you could also use it to set your slopes on your main speakers too. Actually, it does a great many things. Then there is the Behringer DEQ2496 which is a great equalizer for the money. You cannot adjust slopes but it does give you a great deal of control of frequency output. There are other brands, but Behringer is great for the money.

As for people thinking that subs don't integrate well, it's because most people don't know how to adjust them. It's a balance between slope, volume, and crossover point. Since most subs don't allow you to adjust slope then it will be more difficult. When a sub is adjusted correctly, you will not be aware that is is even on. What you will hear, for instance, is that drums will be more dynamic and as a side effect, your soundstage becomes more expansive. If you can hear (detect) your sub at all, means that you need to adjust it.

The bottom line in adjusting a sub is to think like a speaker designer. To integrate a woofer in a full range speaker, you need to select a crossover point, volume, and slope that allows it to merge together with the mid driver so that they sound like a single driver.

Well that should be as clear as mud.

Hope it helps...

One more thing...

One big advantage of subs is that bass interacts with a room more so than higher frequencies and subs can be moved and adjusted to correct these interactions. For instance, if you have standing waves at your listening position, you can move the sub to minimize the effect.

Thanks for that very detailed explanation. I suspect (though I don't know crap, so I might be wrong) that the peak in certain mid-range frequencies from a poorly integrated sub is the same peak that I hear reviewers talk about with some 2 1/2 way designs (especially the ones that use triple of the same drivers - for example 3 6.5 inch woofers - 1 as mid/bass and the other 2 as just bass).... while 3 ways (with dedicated mid range drivers) don't have that problem...

[Kevio]

If I may ask, how is it all set-up to be high-passed?My Sony AV receiver does it for me.

[Kevio]

Well that should be as clear as mud.Crossover design is a fairly complex topic. You've scratched at some of the variables and tradeoffs involved.

[StevenSurprenant]

Thanks for that very detailed explanation. I suspect (though I don't know crap, so I might be wrong) that the peak in certain mid-range frequencies from a poorly integrated sub is the same peak that I hear reviewers talk about with some 2 1/2 way designs (especially the ones that use triple of the same drivers - for example 3 6.5 inch woofers - 1 as mid/bass and the other 2 as just bass).... while 3 ways (with dedicated mid range drivers) don't have that problem...

You could very well be right about that.

Speaker design is an art mixed in with a little science. It's incredible how many ways there are to make speakers, What's more incredible is that many of the higher end speakers are made from parts that can be had on the open market for a very small percentage of the cost of the finished speakers. Think hundreds of dollars for the parts and thousands for the finished product. This isn't totally out of line because the amount of research and testing that goes into each model. To that, add in advertising, shipping, and dealer profit and the price begins to climb.

The two most important parts of a speaker is the crossover and the box. If either one is off just a little it can destroy any hope of having a soundstage or coherence. It's easy to run a computer program to tell you how to build the box and crossover, but then the hard part begins, testing and adjusting by ear. Sometimes it takes years to get it right.

It seems that many speaker manufacturers just whip speakers together to fit into everyone's price range. They just add more drivers or bigger drivers and increase the price. From the way their speakers sound, they spend very little time listening to them. Still, they sell them and people seem to be happy, go figure.

I realize that it seems like I got way off topic, but just wait.

There is a fairly new device available. It's called a DEQX and it's a type of auto calibrating crossover.

What it does is set crossover points for each driver and then adjust the frequency response across the entire spectrum for the entire speaker, but it doesn't stop there. Speakers have phase differences depending on the frequency and it adjusts those phase differences so that there is 0 phase variances. Then after that, It adjusts the speakers for the room effects. After all that is done, it is said that it can make an average speaker sound like a high end speaker. You can do a little research if you're interested. One of our members at audioreview has one of these.

The moral of the story is that crossover points and types, equalization of the frequency spectrum, phase variances, and room effects determine the final sound of a speaker system. Wha this tells me is that it's not so much the speakers that are used that determine the sound, but rather the crossover.

A speaker maker can control the crossover point and type, equalization of the frequency spectrum and to a degree, phase variances. This is why creating great speakers is so expensive. It is also the reason why great speakers sound so much better than speakers with mediocre crossovers. Under normal conditions, it is up to the owner to control room effects with sound absorbtion and diffusion.

You can read about it here: http://www.deqx.com/news.php

Sorry, got carried away with this, but I thought that you might be interested in knowing about this and how adjusting speaker parameters can effect the speaker sound.

It's very expensive, but it's kind of a cool thing.