Working on making it better

[toxcrusadr]

You'll want to look at the sensitivity in db/watt. Usually that number is in the 87-100 range. The lower it is, the less sound you get per watt.

There are three basic aspects of speakers - small size, high efficiency and low bass capability. You can generally have two of these at once, at the most. Just keep that in mind. Getting deep bass from small speakers requires circuitry that makes them inherently inefficient. For that problem a sub is a good idea. On the other hand large speakers can be both efficient and able to do bass well, but they're big. Now there are infinite gradations and probably exceptions too.

One thing you should do is try to listen to some other stereos - either in stores or friends homes. Actually if you're located in the right place there may be AKers who get together occasionally to do just that. This is the best way to find out what could be improved about your own system, or what you DON'T want to do.

 

[Rex Aeterna]

It is a fairly small room. You don't need anything very large, that's for sure. So many variables depending on your type of music etc. Depending on where you are and what comes up locally on CL or the 'bay, you could probably get something good for less than the KEFs - if you are willing to wait and pounce. Or, do you have a higher end audio store that has a used or resale section?

For build your own option - the single-driver type Fostex units I hear are pretty great...and there are cabinet kits.

i consider 14x15 room a pretty good size and better than lot of other people. it just probaby seems small cause probably have tons of crap in it. things like furniture and random stuff makes a room look smaller.

 

[JoeESP9]

This is what speaker efficiency (sensitivity) is.

Speaker sensitivity—many times erroneously referred to as speaker efficiency—is used to determine the amount of power necessary to drive or operate a loudspeaker. It is a measurement of the amount of sound output derived from a speaker with one watt of power input from an amplifier.

The higher the rating ("x" dB per watt @ 1 meter) the higher the sensitivity. Low sensitivity is in the 80dB range. Medium is the 90dB range. High is the 100dB range.

 

[sqlsavior]

I agree with Mr. Pig - cartridge and speakers. I would not have passed on the Kefs, given your stated preferences. At the price, they should be salable with little loss. Auditioning anywhere other than in your own room, and on your own system, can be misleading.

 

[Smaug]

I think you're making a mistake by going to stand speakers, unless you get something like Bose 901's. I know, some folks are chuckling at me. But if you read the reviews of 901's the common thread is that they sound awesome anywhere in the room, not just in one sweet spot.

Your floor standing Advents likely sound better than anything you'd put on a stand. If you give them up, you'll likely give up bass response and HAVE to add a subwoofer. What is the frequency response of your Advents?

I have some top class stand speakers; they're too big to be considered 'bookshelf'. They sound great a low, medium, and medium-high volumes. But when it gets loud, towers will dominate them, since that one woofer has to do so much.

If you DO decide to go to stand speakers, keep the Advents for a while, in case you realize you made a mistake, there's time to save yourself.

I dunno, I feel like it is the girlfriend who wants to go to stand speakers. If the whole thing's going to stand on the floor, why not put that footprint to use making sound?

I think you're next step should be to just enjoy what you've got, maybe search out some new music. AK is GREAT for that.

 

[Mister Pig]

With an amplifier in the pwer range of the NAD, I would tend to look for speakers that are within the high 80's to low 90's sensitivity rating. The NAD is a fairly stout amplifier, so you should be able to drive a wide range of speakers, but just not the notorious power sucking ones. In other words a nice pair of Mordaunt Short, EPOS, Paradigm, PSB, would be fine. But not speakers like Celestion SL 600, many of the Thiel, Infinity Kappa 9, or Dahlquist DQ 10.

If you are looking for a stand mount speaker, the British have built many a fine speaker over the years. Looking for their better offerings is a good place to start. But the Canadians should not be discounted either, as they have a history of work done by the National Research Council that has done extensive work in sound reproduction. So with Canadian companies you get a lot of solid research that is the underpinnings of their designs. So speakers such as PSB, Paradigm, Sound Dynamics, Energy, Angstrom, and Athena are excellent values.

Then there are great American selections too, especially in the vintage realm. Boston Acoustics, NHT, Infinity, Spica, Klipsch, GR Research, AV123, and a whole bunch of other companies out there.

There is a lot to choose from!

Regards
Mister Pig

 

[Rex Aeterna]

a rocker who wants bookshelfs....hmmmm...i don't see how that happening well with room that size...you should look atleast decent sized speakers. like lot speakers i had before going large altecs were considered a happy medium between a bookshelf and floor stander. polk monitor 10's and technics sb7000a i use to own were like that and considered too big for bookshelfs but, kinda small to be considered full out floor standers. lot of jbl monitors are like that as well like the 4412,ect...

i can't use small bookshelfs or tiny monitors cause ones i used in past never even felt like they were not even half way full range and mostly lacked extension under 80-100hz...

look at the older pioneer fslr51 floor stander by andrew jones as well. i liked them before gave to my brother. they're happy medium between bookshelf and floor stander as well..

 

[johnda]

Your amp is rated at 35 watts per channel. You could search for a pair of Polk Monitor 30 speakers and a a polk PSW10 sub-woofer. Because the sub-woofer is self powered (50) watts you will get decent bass without stressing the amp. The PSW10 sub-woofer has speaker in and out connections so you would connect the sub to your amp and the speakers to the sub-woofer. I had this combo in my listening room and it sounded real nice. When the listening room was converted to a full bedroom, the system was given to a family member. You could build your own speaker stands, just google building speaker stands, and you will find examples.

Wow, just checked Amazon and they have the Monitor 30 speakers and the PSW10 sub-woofer in stock. Check them out.

Also found( via Google) a good article about building your own speaker stands using PVC and plywood. Real easy to do."PVC and plywood speaker stands for cheap" at Instructables.com. You can download the step by step instructions.

Have fun!