Seeking Nice Speakers for a Small Space. Quality Travel Trailer Sound System.

nikmills

New Member
I'm outfitting a 21' travel trailer with a sound system. It's basically a small room full of furniture. I'm starting with a Sansui AU-101 amp.

I'm looking for opinions on stereo speakers that are relatively small but of high quality.
Just two, no more.

I'd like to mirror the Big Sound of my home system.
My home speakers are Sansui SP-5000. And the massive SP-5500 driven by a Sansui au-717 or an au-999. Mostly playing vinyl. I plan to have a TT in the trailer. Yes, LPs in the woods.

Mine are not normal, junky Sansui speakers but imported sets brought back by Vietnam officers. They have that giant 1970's sound that I like. I know I will not get the same sound in the trailer, but that's the sound I'm aiming for.

Hopefully under 16" tall and 10" wide (approx). Depth isn't so critical.
I'm willing to give up space for better sound. These need not be miniature, just small. That said, if there's something tiny and great, all the better.

Thanks for your opinions.

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Wow, i think anything of any sort of size is gonna get big quick in there. Small scale to everything seems to be the trick in those situations. Hard to match the size of the Sansui's and that big woofer. Many choices otherwise.
 
With that Sansui's horn, my first thought was Klipsch. I am impressed with my KG 1.5, as I am with SB-3. For their size, they sound good. You are going to be limited in the lower end with the size you are looking for, though.
 
Not sure of your budget, but check out Holt Hill Audio. Great small speakers. The owner is an AK member. Baco99.
IMHO.
 
With that Sansui's horn, my first thought was Klipsch. I am impressed with my KG 1.5, as I am with SB-3. For their size, they sound good. You are going to be limited in the lower end with the size you are looking for, though.

Thank you for the suggestion. I would certainly consider those two. I had a pair of KG4 in lovely walnut. I found they lacked mid-range. Could be they wanted recapping. I'm not an expert, so I don't know for sure. I'd buy - try - trade - sell those smaller Klipsch as definite contenders. Thanks.
 
Not sure of your budget, but check out Holt Hill Audio. Great small speakers. The owner is an AK member. Baco99.
IMHO.

Thanks, that Compact Monitor fits the bill. Be nice to try them before buying at that price. I was hoping for $500 or under. But I'm not discounting more for something really excellent. Priorities, in order, are: Space, Quality, Price (though I should recognize in audio that price might get really pricey). I like that these compact monitors are well under my size limit. That helps stretch the the budget. Honestly I want to dream big. No price, too high - I say with some trepidation.
 
On my last boat I used a Kenwood car stereo. It was a 36 foot sailboat and the car stereo worked great.
 
Thanks, that Compact Monitor fits the bill. Be nice to try them before buying at that price. I was hoping for $500 or under. But I'm not discounting more for something really excellent. Priorities, in order, are: Space, Quality, Price (though I should recognize in audio that price might get really pricey). I like that these compact monitors are well under my size limit. That helps stretch the the budget. Honestly I want to dream big. No price, too high - I say with some trepidation.
Reach out to Baco99. He did some work for me and did an amazing job.
 
Bowers and Wilkins DM301, I cannot say enough good things about these little guys. Can be had for less than $100. "Stereophile" magazine loved them too.

Are you running those DM301 (BTW, do you mean 310, not 301?) without a subwoofer? I am reading about other, presently available, B&W bookshelf units like the 686 model, which I find for about $200 a pair. Some insist on the need of a sub. I do not like subwoofers. I don't get them. I don't like that artificial boom-car bass feeling.

Clearly I'm going to have to experiment a little. Just curious if you're running a sub or not with your B&W.
 
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I'd try hard to find space for a sub (build it in to a cabinet maybe?) if you're trying to keep the main speakers that small.
 
I'd try hard to find space for a sub (build it in to a cabinet maybe?) if you're trying to keep the main speakers that small.

What I would rather do then is go a little bigger on speakers. Clearly I have to start buying - trying - trading - selling and see what works. It not that I want to avoid wiring a sub, I just never found that thumping attractive.
 
What I would rather do then is go a little bigger on speakers. Clearly I have to start buying - trying - trading - selling and see what works. It not that I want to avoid wiring a sub, I just never found that thumping attractive.

Totally get where you're coming from and I had similar opinions before, but a couple of my friends have well integrated sub setups and they're anything but thumpy.

I don't need one as my speakers basically have integrated subs and the room they're in is smaller than the trailer you're discussing. If I went to something smaller I'd think hard on it.
 
Active speaker, JBL LSR 305/ 308 or its older brother, 2325/2328? Each series has a sub available, if so desired.

That said, there is no replacement for displacement, if you know what I mean...
 
Some insist on the need of a sub. I do not like subwoofers. I don't get them. I don't like that artificial boom-car bass feeling.
If it sounds like that, it is not set up correctly. In a home audio system, properly set up, they are not even noticed...until they are turned off and the low bass disappears. (Even my computer desktop system has a small subwoofer, set up that way.)

Having said that, in a travel trailer, you are not working with much room for strong lower bass, and positioning would be difficult.

Give a look at the ELAC line of speakers, like the Debut 2.0 B6 and B5, and also the UniFi series UB5 which puts out really nice bass for its size. That is one speaker I've heard personally that might work well in a smaller space.
 
I don't have an opinion on the need for a sub-woofer; my question is to how a sub-woofer sounds from the outside of the trailer? Is it going to be heard as well by others nearby?
Just a thought.
 
Personally, I'd go for higher end car speakers. JL Audio makes a fine line of 2 way seperats. That way it'll go in wall so zero space lost, and let me tell you, set it up right, and they're very fine transducers.
 
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