Smooth small modern bookshelves

[Nimbley]

I've heard the MA sound is bright?

I definitely wouldn't call these bright. To me they are more of a warm sounding speaker. I've only really ever seriously listened to one other set of MA and that was the Silver 500, but I'd say they had the same signature sound as mine.

 

[noahBH]

Paradigm (a Canadian speaker maker) bookshelf speakers have a sound that could, in my opinion, be described as smooth. Used pairs can be found pretty damn cheap too.

 

[bhairavi]

Paradigm (a Canadian speaker maker) bookshelf speakers have a sound that could, in my opinion, be described as smooth. Used pairs can be found pretty damn cheap too.

Yeah I had the mini monitor v2s, they were pretty good. I'm not sure they were Energy RC-10 good, but maybe close. At that point I hadn't heard very many speakers!

 

[Lavane]

For a decent budget small Bookshelf speaker I found the Dayton BR-1 kits to sound detailed with good bass, and very smooth. The midrange and top end are nice also. I don't really find anything missing with these. The top end is clean and clear, yet very smooth. I never get ear fatigue listening to them.
Maybe it's the silk dome tweeter? I don't think Partexpress sells the cabinets for them anymore though, just everything else?
I'm glad I took the chance on them. Several years ago. They even sound nice with some of my tube gear.

 

[GlamrLama]

I have been thoroughly impressed by the Wharfedale Diamond bookshelf speakers that I am using. I bought the 10.1 model used and setup them up in a near field configuration with a small subwoofer. Simply a delight to listen to.

 

[cason]

I’ll second the Wharfedales. I bought a pair of Diamond 225s about a year ago. They had been discontinued, but were still in stock with a couple of vendors. I have been totally satisfied with them. Except for very low bass, they hold up very well against my JBL Studio 580s. You can probably find a lightly used pair on that auction site.

 

[bhairavi]

I’ll second the Wharfedales. I bought a pair of Diamond 225s about a year ago. They had been discontinued, but were still in stock with a couple of vendors. I have been totally satisfied with them. Except for very low bass, they hold up very well against my JBL Studio 580s. You can probably find a lightly used pair on that auction site.

I've been looking for Wharfedales (12.1/12.2/225/dentons) for quite a while, almost pulled the trigger on some B-stock, but figured I'd find them cheaper on craigslist/fbm - and I did but they always popped up too far away/out of the way.

Someone informed me that they believe my Canton Karat 20s need a crossover rehaul, because how I characterized them is not how they are known/supposed to sound. So perhaps I will do that at some point.

However today I picked up a pair of Energy RC Minis for 40 bucks. Only 7.5" high and basically the same sound signature as the RC-10s! The bass is not bad! I hear all the basslines on Cowboy Junkies' trinity sessions and I can barely tell which pair I'm listening to. I picked these up for my office - intend to pair them with a smaller Sansui. Saturday I'm driving to see a friend and will be picking up a pair of Superones. The guy also has Superzeroes. Should I?

 

[bhairavi]

For a decent budget small Bookshelf speaker I found the Dayton BR-1 kits to sound detailed with good bass, and very smooth. The midrange and top end are nice also. I don't really find anything missing with these. The top end is clean and clear, yet very smooth. I never get ear fatigue listening to them.
Maybe it's the silk dome tweeter? I don't think Partexpress sells the cabinets for them anymore though, just everything else?
I'm glad I took the chance on them. Several years ago. They even sound nice with some of my tube gear.

How do these compare to the famed Overnight Sensations? I briefly thought about those before I pulled the trigger on the Sierras.

 

[ET16]

I have a pair of Signet SL-260s. They're a little ugly, but sound great.

 

[rickb119]

The guy also has Superzeroes. Should I?

I'd certainly give them a listen. I've heard/read that the Zero's are a bit more detailed than the One's. But, of course, with less bass. I wonder how stacking them (Zero's on One's) would sound?

 

[Lavane]

How do these compare to the famed Overnight Sensations? I briefly thought about those before I pulled the trigger on the Sierras.

The overnight sensations I bought also.
They only have a 25 watt 4" midbass driver and are rated at 84db. Very inefficient. They sound pretty good, but really are just good for near field listening.
The BR-1 kits have a 6" midass driver and can handle more wattage. They're also more efficient. I used them in my living room for awhile with my powered 12" subwoofer. They did well in a larger room that way on stands away from the wall some.

 

[bhairavi]

The Sierra 1v2s are in hand. Although not small like the RC10s or Superones, let alone the RC minis, they are smaller than, say, the B&W 685s that I mounted in the garage. Love the styling, no logo, but really wish I'd have found a pair in plain bamboo. I have them set up in the same spot as the RC10s driven by the same AU-505. So far, only nighttime/quiettime listening.

Incidentally, you bring enough speakers home and they start blurring together to your spouse. Which means you can sneak in some more. Or you can use some standout, like the diminutive RC minis, only 40 bucks dear, as decoys. That the RC10s that the minis were sitting on have been replaced with the Sierras has gone unnoticed.

I told someone this was either an endgame speaker or I'd give up on modern speakers entirely. Right now, I'm hearing things and not sure what I'm feeling. Smoothness, it's got. Despite what seems to me like an extreme of resolution. I think this is some variant of what I interpreted as bright when I briefly auditioned some Elac DBR 62s. They sound less forward than the Lintons, although those I did not listen to nearfield. I do find myself reaching the for EQ - I tried a 3db slope across the entire listening, then decided I'd rather take them in as they are - although LOUDNESS remains on. The lows are so muscular. Listening at around 70 db, the SPL for the lows might be a bit too much at this distance - basically arm's length. Will try scooting them back a handspan.

 

[bhairavi]

Moved the Sierras to the TV room with the AU-717. Which gave me the opportunity to compare with the L1590s. Of course not a fair comparison, of course four foot tall floorstanders win out in bass. But also I was surprised to hear that the ADS also had more prominent highs. I had my son A/B the speaker switch for me. It's not apples to apples since the Sierras have lower sensitivity, so there's a volume boost every time we switched to the 1590s. Also I JUST refreshed the ferrofluid in the tweeters. I suspect my first impression of mild brightness in the Sierras from yesterday was more the 505 - because now I recall that when I compared the 505 and 888 with my 4000, the 505 had sounded the sharpest and highest-voiced, despite the punchy low end.

I had messaged the founder of Ascend to see what he would recommend in the Sierra line as I was worried about them being too forward - he said he thought in general they might sound forward since the in-room response is shallow, but as far as the Sierras go he'd recommend the LX. Well so far I'm pretty dang happy with the 1v2s, they don't sound bright at all, and good Lord they're smooth. It's a weird kind of smooth... for example a crackly electric guitar tone is still crackly, but somehow by dint of the resolution, more of the tone is conveyed without any sharpness. I can't say they do anything that I value better than the 1590s (or 1290s), except perhaps speed/resolution, but that they deliver as much as they do in such a small package without sounding bright or forward wins me over. I severely curtailed my second system today - took out the 777 and KLH23s. The living room is now an AU-888 mated to a B&K power amp driving BA 200s. I might be selling all my KLHs, and almost all the other small speakers.

Really, the winner here is me. 1590s - amazing. These speakers - also amazing. Perhaps they add less of themselves and are more transparent. That would explain how they sound darker out here on the 717. I think I like them better for near- and mid-field. They might be perfect paired with the 777 I just took out of the living room...

 

[sanford12]

If you haven't heard them doesn't matter the recommendations it'll be a crap shoot. Had recommendations/reviews galore for KEF Q950's. Bought new and spent 2 years trying to like them. Brought home pair of vintage TW 1a's that even before a recap kicked the snot out of the Kef's. What I've found is that Canton speakers for me are my sweet spot in speakers. Everytime I hear them doesn't matter the model they are speakers I enjoy spending time with the most. The Karat 300's are considered bookshelves but are on the large side of the category.

Spending time with a speaker is the only way to find if it's a keeper. If new a generous 30 day return policy is the way to go if possible.

 

[bhairavi]

Back again - I have a previously recapped 555a that now has all the LeeStereo upgrades. It sounds GOOD. And I brought it in to A/B against the 777. Can't tell which I like better, the 777 digs a bit deeper, because of course I have both Loudness and Presence on. I suspect the 505 with the two pairs of Cantons (Karat 20, GL260) I recently bought was just a bad match, given that it's higher-voiced with sharper treble. They do not sound harash on the 555/777 - but they ARE much more prominent in the upper mids, which is not to my liking.

BUT what I really want to say is that the Ascend Sierra 1v2s are excellent and not at all bright. They are basically like the B&W 685s in my garage, but with better mids, and more of everything else. More and tighter bass without boominess, more resolution without sharpness, and MORE SMOOTHNESS. Oh and they still fit my original criteria: height less than 15".

I'm glad I ended up with these (660 delivered from USAM) rather than shelling out a lot more for Philharmonics or ATC. Still intrigued by the ribbon tweeters on the Sierra 2s, but can't imagine springing for the LX. I don't need more bass.

 

[Tromatic]

Denton 85.

 

[bhairavi]

Denton 85.
View attachment 3426254

It's silly but the aspect ratio of this speaker makes me not want it.

 

[bhairavi]

By the way @sanford12 and @Canton_kid - so first I got some Karat 20s and I found the highs harsh. Not at all smooth. Not a lot of bass. They do not at all sound like ADS. Someone was telling me it's the crossovers, but I find this difficult to believe because I received a pair of GL260s in the mail the other day, with a completely different kind of tweeter, and they also sound harsh. I have older speakers that did not require new caps in the crossovers. I feel like I just hate the Canton sound? Very prominent from the upper mids to the lower highs. What do you think?

 

[bhairavi]

Aha!



This sounds about right - also see other posts say that they are 'aggressive', 'voiced higher', and 'a bit forward'. Also the taunus sound is described as 'piercing, bright highs'. So pretty much the antithesis of the ADS sound. Well, time to put these on marketplace along with my KLHs.

 

[sanford12]

By the way @sanford12 and @Canton_kid - so first I got some Karat 20s and I found the highs harsh. Not at all smooth. Not a lot of bass. They do not at all sound like ADS. Someone was telling me it's the crossovers, but I find this difficult to believe because I received a pair of GL260s in the mail the other day, with a completely different kind of tweeter, and they also sound harsh. I have older speakers that did not require new caps in the crossovers. I feel like I just hate the Canton sound? Very prominent from the upper mids to the lower highs. What do you think?

If you ask what I think. You started with a low end Canton and expected it to perform past it's capabilities and then say you hate the Canton sound which is silly. What you describe I've never heard from any Canton. Your looking to get by with cheap being a priority. Not a good way to go. From reading your posts it seems like your throwing cheap buys at the wall to see what sticks. You want big smooth sound from a 15" high speaker you either need to curb your expectations or step up to the plate with a decent amount of coin. There so many new good small speakers out there now why would you hamstring your search by price.

You want better advice you should give the room dimensions, sound treatments if done and what piece your using to drive your speakers.