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Bookshelf Speakers

My latest favorite "bookshelf" speakers are my Dahlquist M907s. They only fit on my bookshelf sideways though. There are so many good speakers to choose from, just look at local listings and start shopping.. Don't be afraid to start small and inexpensive, like a pair of Boston Acoustics A40s or Polk Audio Monitor 4s (or any of 100s of other good speakers). Listen to them a while to help you figure what you really want in your room.

And learn to re-foam woofers. It will save you lots of money.
 
I appreciate that members here are helpful for somewhat of a dummy on the subject. A couple oof things if anybody can help. The Snell speakers may have been OK but not for me right now. The only quality source I have now is the little tuner (DL F-11). The local college station playing classical music sounded fine through those speakers. They failed when I played CDs or LPs with a lot of vocals. It is possible that the sources were a problem for those speakers but not for the Boston Acoustics I was comparing them with. Any thoughts on that?

Another issue is with 4 Ohm vs 8 Ohm speakers. I have a couple of speaker design books coming but am a little dense on impedance. The rating is only nominal at the crossover point, I think, but it does make a difference. From what I've been reading, 4 Ohm speakers are supposed to sound more natural, but the bigger, more expensive units tend to be 8 Ohms and only the smaller speakers from the same manufacturer are 6 or 4 Ohm. So, I'm a little unsure about what I'm reading online.

I'm starting to consider DIY but some kits seem expensive. I did find plans and components for a relatively small set from Norway. The bass/mid is a 7" diameter, long throw speaker with an 8 Ohm impedance. The tweeter a little over 1" (27mm) w/ a 6 Ohm impedance. I'm not capable of figuring out impedance from their circuit diagram for the crossovers so I emailed them. The unit impedance would be 4 Ohms. If I went for this, would I be happy with them on my entry system? I do have a good TT (a Thorens that I have to install a new arm on) but have been hoping to get by with my NAD 3130. The NAD has a switch for 8 Ohm vs 4-6 Ohm speakers. Would I use that on the 4 Ohm setting? The manual indicates I should.
 
DennisK2021 said:
I appreciate that members here are helpful for somewhat of a dummy on the subject. A couple oof things if anybody can help. The Snell speakers may have been OK but not for me right now. The only quality source I have now is the little tuner (DL F-11). The local college station playing classical music sounded fine through those speakers. They failed when I played CDs or LPs with a lot of vocals. It is possible that the sources were a problem for those speakers but not for the Boston Acoustics I was comparing them with. Any thoughts on that?

Another issue is with 4 Ohm vs 8 Ohm speakers. I have a couple of speaker design books coming but am a little dense on impedance. The rating is only nominal at the crossover point, I think, but it does make a difference. From what I've been reading, 4 Ohm speakers are supposed to sound more natural, but the bigger, more expensive units tend to be 8 Ohms and only the smaller speakers from the same manufacturer are 6 or 4 Ohm. So, I'm a little unsure about what I'm reading online.

I'm starting to consider DIY but some kits seem expensive. I did find plans and components for a relatively small set from Norway. The bass/mid is a 7" diameter, long throw speaker with an 8 Ohm impedance. The tweeter a little over 1" (27mm) w/ a 6 Ohm impedance. I'm not capable of figuring out impedance from their circuit diagram for the crossovers so I emailed them. The unit impedance would be 4 Ohms. If I went for this, would I be happy with them on my entry system? I do have a good TT (a Thorens that I have to install a new arm on) but have been hoping to get by with my NAD 3130. The NAD has a switch for 8 Ohm vs 4-6 Ohm speakers. Would I use that on the 4 Ohm setting? The manual indicates I should.
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For me ProAcs I tried were very sensitive to source versus most other speakers I've tried. It's a possibility.

I think ohms have more to do with amp/system matching and overall speaker design/goals than a certain resistance sounding better in all situations.

Maybe if you describe what traits you didn't like in the Snells, you will get additional suggestions.
 
It is amazing what some on here consider to be "bookshelf speakers"..........

8-10" woofers? Really? On a bookshelf?

Isn't a "bookshelf" generally made to hold......hmmmmmm, I dunno........Books?

With that in mind, shouldn't a "bookshelf speaker" be at least somewhat comparable to the size of a large book?

Be helpful it the OP chimed in with a maximum set of physical size restrictions for said speakers, otherwise end up with some overbearing, too large, small set of floor standing speakers.

Personally, I really like the Phasetech PC-60's and think they at least fit the definition of "bookshelf", any thing larger than that, is not a bookshelf speaker IMO.
 
I wouldn't limit my selection by size unless it's imperative. I've had a 40 pound turntable and a set of Altec Boleros on shelves and the Boleros are huge but were called bookshelf speakers. I've had plenty of bookshelf speakers and none as good as they were had bass anywhere near approaching what you get from a larger woofer. Doesn't matter the accolades they gathered a 6-in woofer or less while it might be accurate, there's just not much of it. Doesn't mean that they weren't pleasurable to listen to. That may be different if you start spending a couple grand but the ones I've heard ranging up to around 600 just couldn't go very deep.

And I'm sure there's people like me that use bookshelf speakers but got away from bookshelves and transitioned to stands instead. I also wouldn't let size be a consideration unless it absolutely had to play a part in their placement. The best bookshelf speakers I've owned so far are some of the largest. Those would be the Altec Boleros and the new to me Canton Karat 300s. The Cantons have better bass than a good portion of the floor standers I've owned and at 20x12x11 big but not huge. They're made in Germany and their sound signature reminds me a lot of the vintage East Coast sound. Canton has been around since the 70's and has made a lot of very good bookshelf speakers. I've heard several different Canton bookshelf and they were all impressive. New their speakers aren't cheap but since they've made so many different bookshelf speakers over the years the used market may yield a real gem for short money.

The Karat 300's came in both 4 and 8 ohm. Mine are 4's and are driven by a Outlaw 110 watt per RR 2160
 
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Audio makers marketed "bookshelf" as anything that doesn't need to be on the floor. Vintage bookshelf speakers generally were a lot bigger than later ones that were designed to be used with a subwoofer. I think the OP implied at one point he wanted something smaller.

I don't know much about newer bookshelves but I like Hsu HB1s for the HT setup (specs down to 60Hz). I can also recommend Yamaha MSP5 powered monitors - they have DSP built in and supposedly will go to 50Hz, which is impossible for a non-DSP speaker of that size. Both sound terrific.
 
sanford12 said:
I wouldn't limit my selection by size unless it's imperative. I've had a 40 pound turntable and a set of Altec Boleros on shelves and the Boleros are huge but were called bookshelf speakers. I've had plenty of bookshelf speakers and none as good as they were had bass anywhere near approaching what you get from a larger woofer. Doesn't matter the accolades they gathered a 6-in woofer or less while it might be accurate, there's just not much of it. Doesn't mean that they weren't pleasurable to listen to. That may be different if you start spending a couple grand but the ones I've heard ranging up to around 600 just couldn't go very deep.

And I'm sure there's people like me that use bookshelf speakers but got away from bookshelves and transitioned to stands instead. I also wouldn't let size be a consideration unless it absolutely had to play a part in their placement. The best bookshelf speakers I've owned so far are some of the largest. Those would be the Altec Boleros and the new to me Canton Karat 300s. The Cantons have better bass than a good portion of the floor standers I've owned and at 20x12x11 big but not huge. They're made in Germany and their sound signature reminds me a lot of the vintage East Coast sound. Canton has been around since the 70's and has made a lot of very good bookshelf speakers. I've heard several different Canton bookshelf and they were all impressive. New their speakers aren't cheap but since they've made so many different bookshelf speakers over the years the used market may yield a real gem for short money.

The Karat 300's came in both 4 and 8 ohm. Mine are 4's and are driven by a Outlaw 110 watt per RR 2160
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As per the OP......... " I'm thinking 15" or so tall"
 
Not sure I'm a Linnie, but I bought a pair of Linn bookshelf Majik 109s yesterday from local Craigslist. They are bookshelf sized (13' tall), 3-way, 4 Ohm and have a warmer sound than the big Boston Acoustics I've been listening to. They have the ability to be triple amped (like I'm going to do that). I believe I can get brackets from Linn to mount them on the wall. You can see the short piece of wall for the right one. Also got unlazy enough to get the SME arm set up on the Thorens. The stereo holder is temporary, I'll need a custom cabinet.
 

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DennisK2021 said:
Not sure I'm a Linnie, but I bought a pair of Linn bookshelf Majik 109s yesterday from local Craigslist. They are bookshelf sized (13' tall), 3-way, 4 Ohm and have a warmer sound than the big Boston Acoustics I've been listening to. They have the ability to be triple amped (like I'm going to do that). I believe I can get brackets from Linn to mount them on the wall. You can see the short piece of wall for the right one. Also got unlazy enough to get the SME arm set up on the Thorens. The stereo holder is temporary, I'll need a custom cabinet.
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Looks like your on your way. Enjoy.
 
IMF super compacts! I still use these with my newer way more expensive gear. They have this wonderful soft but incredibly punchy sound that sounds so good with anything i play. They way the drum skins sound with these speakers always impresses me due to their modest reputation. The bounce is to die for... tight and deep!
 

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IMFs pair so well with the old luxman amps . I integrated them alongside some local made monster TL designed floorstanders to bring out a bit of that punchiness .
Im not sure what the equivalent replacement ( sound wise) would be for these IMF's.
Synergy is priceless though. My vintage luxman and imfs $800 rig is more enjoyable than my 8k system for the majority of listening.
 
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