[Bob Stark]

Selah Tempestas $2300 used or $3200-3900 new.  Evoke Eddie's $3300 new,  Vapor Cirrus black or white $4000 used.  All are excellent--very good drivers in all of them.  The Vapor has a superior cabinet.

[Nick B]

SP Tech Time Piece. I have the 3.0 version. Maybe the minis would work in your situation. Good luck

[tvyankee]

One of the better stand mount speakers I have heard and not to much are the   http://www.evolutionacoustics.com/loudspeakers/microone/
The designer Kevin is a great guy to deal with. Used to be the Vsa guy. Yes the VSA you're thinking about.

[dburna]

SP Tech Time Piece. I have the 3.0 version. Maybe the minis would work in your situation. Good luck

So, per a previous comment on this thread, would you please comment on the low-level performance of these?  I remember hearing some SP Tech model at the first RMAF and really liked the sound.  My only issue with these given their sensitivity is how well these sound at low volumes.  I know there will be times when I will need to listen to soft music.  It's my one concern with any low-sensitivity speakers: will I get a collapsed soundstage and flat image when they are played softly?

Thanks, -dB

[dburna]

If it were my money, I would think about what is available new right now and then consider buying it second hand three years from now.

That being said, some things come to mind:

1.  A stand mount and a stand occupy the same floor space and height as a smaller floorstander, and would likely cost as much.  The difference is that a stand mount is smaller and lighter and more easily moved by one person.  That is becoming more important to me as I grow older.

2.  While powered monitors are a great integrated solution, I have had bas experiences in which one part of an integrated component fails and renders the rest unusable.  I am now firmly in the separates camp.

3.  There is a short list of stand-mount speakers that seem to work almost universally.  While I am a fan of high-efficiency speakers, Harbeth seems to be held in almost universal high regard.

That is exactly my plan. 

RE: #1.  This is usually (although not always) the case.  There are exceptions.  Using sliding footers, for example, I could make both (small) floorstanders and monitors work.  However, it's not just the weight/size that I am considering.  It's also the visual impact, which I imagine will be important to the Missus.  At AXPONA 2017, I enjoyed listening to the Odyssey Kismet monitors.  However, they were configured as a floorstander (integrated stand), which takes up just as much space as my Horning Perikles Ultimates. [Note: yes, I know Klaus can configure these as a standard monitor.]  If I have a solution that is neither smaller in footprint or visual impact than the Perikles, I'll just keep those since I love them so much.

That's a key point here: I expect fully that a smaller solution will not sound as good as my Perikles, but I am doing this in favor of future domestic harmony in a smaller living space.

RE: #2. Hadn't thought of that.  I guess that is a concern I need to weigh.

RE: #3. I mentioned this in my initial post.  I like the way Harbeths sound overall, but I cannot seem to ignore the cabinet resonance issue.  I know many can and do enjoy these, but I think hearing a cabinet making a sound of its own would ultimately be distracting to me.

-dB

[Tyson]

The Odyssey Kismets sound better as a bookshelf, IMO.  I've heard them set up both ways and they are better as a plain bookshelf, IMO.

[jonbee]

I second the Tempesta, which I owned. Extraordinary for the $. There is a rare pair on A-gon now. Rick at Selah has other interesting offerings for your range.
Vapor Audio also top quality.
My #1 favorite standmount is what I own now, the LaHave Mela, but they are $6500 new and very hard to find (new or used).
I disagree with an earlier post about the Evolution MMMicro ones, which I found to be very bright and hard to listen to with most amps. Very low coloration otherwise, though.

[dburna]

I second the Tempesta, which I owned. Extraordinary for the $. There is a rare pair on A-gon now. Rick at Selah has other interesting offerings for your range.
Vapor Audio also top quality.
My #1 favorite standmount is what I own now, the LaHave Mela, but they are $6500 new and very hard to find (new or used).
I disagree with an earlier post about the Evolution MMMicro ones, which I found to be very bright and hard to listen to with most amps. Very low coloration otherwise, though.

There is a YouTube of these speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF97otBoIzQ.  With the usual qualifiers (Internet/laptop sound), these sound lovely and would be well worth seeking out for an in-person demo.  I will say that the ancillary equipment doesn't hurt the presentation, either.   

-dB

[dburna]

I disagree with an earlier post about the Evolution MMMicro ones, which I found to be very bright and hard to listen to with most amps. Very low coloration otherwise, though.

'Very bright' is probably the worst thing someone can say about a speaker IMO.  I am so sensitive to this that I have walked out of rooms at AXPONA in 10 seconds or less.  It's probably just my ears, but I have no tolerance for that whatsoever.

-dB

[dburna]

Also recommend looking into active monitors.  This will provide extra bass for a given size of cabinet, plus lots of other advantages.

But first find out how big the listening space will be and how far away you'll be listening.  In a smaller space will these speakers also serve to watch movies?  For instance, the very well respected KH120 should work fine in a small/medium sized room, but the KH310 would serve a medium/larger room well.

As for actives, I am very much 'on the bus'.  Thanks to input from JLM and others, I use a pair of KH120s in our basement A/V system and love them in a small space.  I have a pair of JBL LSR305's (which for the $119 I paid for them are INCREDIBLY good) in my desktop work-from-home rig.  However, the aesthetic issue might be huge with the larger JBLs in a living room setting.  In addition, as much as I like the 305s in a nearfield setup, I wonder if the larger JBLs would serve well as my main listening outlet.  I heard the ENORMOUS JBLs at AXPONA (are they the M2s?) both this year and last, and I don't think they are my cup-of-tea, even if I could handle the space constraints and cost.  I will definitely have to seek out a demo of the 708p to see if they'd work for me.  Where would one even find these?  At something like a Guitar Center or similar pro outlet?

-dB

[dburna]

I'm a fan of controlled directivity designs and as such my recommendations will side with those types of designs. In that vein, here are my recommendations:

JBL 708p/708i or their little brothers 508p/508i 705p/705i - you and the wife may not like the looks though.

I am thinking the same thing.  My best guess is that the industrial look of these may not fly.

ELAC Adante AC-61 (A good subjective review is here on this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/2703993-elac-adante-ces-2017-a.html#post49658497). It's supposed to be out soon, is designed by Andrew Jones, and they look nice. I would look at these as a direct competitor to KEF in this price range (and I'm a fan of KEF too!).

Does anyone know if these were demoed at AXPONA this year?  If ELAC had a room, I didn't go into it.  I guess I wasn't too focused on this question about smaller speakers at AXPONA......though perhaps I should have been.
 

I've listened to various smaller stand mount speakers, all of them non-CD design including Fritz, Salk, Sonus Faber, Evoke, etc...and haven't been impressed. But the ones that impressed me are the Ryan Speakers R610 and various stand mount designs from Selah audio.

I think I missed the Ryan room at AXPONA, too.  Am starting to think I missed too much this year after only going for one day.

A question for folks who have heard the Selah Tempestas: how do they sound at low volumes?  I saw that these are rated at 85.5dB, which is considerably lower than my current 96dB speakers.  Am wondering how well these sound at low volumes, and what kind of beastly amplifier would be needed to drive them successfully.  I know the Pass amps provide much more power than their rated specs, but would a 25w/50w into 8/4 ohm amp like the XA25 be enough to drive these?  I also wonder about how well very low sensitivity speakers do with micro-dynamics.  Isn't it like trying to start/stop an ocean liner?

-dB

[dburna]

I have always had larger/high-sensitivity speakers.  Now that I am looking at smaller monitors with decent bass extension, I am confoundd by the pesky laws of physics.  Two questions for folks who have more experience in this area:

1. How do low-sensitivity speakers sound at low volumes and with micro-dynamic shading?

2. In a small-ish size room (12x12' or 13x15'), how much power is practically required for a speaker of 85-88dB sensitivity?  This is assuming semi-normal listening levels, not 'play to the neighbors' volumes.

This is a follow-on to my previous post, but it is a general question sparked by the thought of employing a pair of Selah Tempestas at 85.5dB.  I have a pair of NCores now that I am sure would be sufficient, but I am concerned that moving to a lower Class A power design might be incompatible with something like the Tempestas.

-dB

[roscoe65]

While they are not stand mounts, the new Omega Super 3 HO XRS (http://omegaloudspeakers.com/super3hoxrs.html) are a modestly proportioned floorstander with high efficiency, good bass extension, and also work well near room boundaries.

[sunnydaze]

Personally, I would never own a speaker below 88db.  Too limiting on the amp side.  But I like low power tubes, so that's just me.

Also, in general,  I don't believe low efficiency speakers gel / come alive as well at low volumes.

[dburna]

Personally, I would never own a speaker below 88db.  Too limiting on the amp side.  But I like low power tubes, so that's just me.

Also, in general,  I don't believe low efficiency speakers gel / come alive as well at low volumes.

That's pretty much my concern as well.  I am curious to hear what others have to say, especially those who have owned low-sensitivity speakers.  I don't want something I have to crank to get it to sound good.  I am not averse to cranking, but I don't want to have to do so if I am listening late at night, for instance.

The Selah Tempestas are low at 85.5dB, but the 2-way Veritas are even lower at 83db(!!).  Wow, that's low.

Have done the low-power tube thing in many guises, but I am now looking for 'no maintenance' amps.....plus those my wife won't be afraid to use.      

-dB 

[sunnydaze]

Have done the low-power tube thing in many guises, but I am now looking for 'no maintenance' amps.....plus those my wife won't be afraid to use.      

-dB

Understood.

I guess my main point was that an efficient speaker means you can effectively use 100% of the amps out there (an over-simplification, I know).......not just SET tubes,  but also great low power SS like First Watt.  With a hard to drive speaker, you cannot.

[rocker9999]

Here are the BEST sounding speakers on the Internet. No other recording, no other video out there represents speakers this well.
The SEAS BiFrost, DIY standmounts are absolutely what you're looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgaUQO4lvII

[Wind Chaser]

    Those are the biggest stand mounts I've seen.

[Nick B]

So, per a previous comment on this thread, would you please comment on the low-level performance of these?  I remember hearing some SP Tech model at the first RMAF and really liked the sound.  My only issue with these given their sensitivity is how well these sound at low volumes.  I know there will be times when I will need to listen to soft music.  It's my one concern with any low-sensitivity speakers: will I get a collapsed soundstage and flat image when they are played softly?

Thanks, -dB

Responded in detail via PM. Love my 3.0s and not looking for anything else. But these speakers are 65 lbs and I'm getting older.... These are a wonderful match with my modded McCormack DNA 1.0
Nick

[konut]

 My SP Tech Minis are 42 lbs each, 4 lbs heavier than the other Minis because I had them made out of Ipe,  a very dense wood. There is no loss of imaging at low volumes. As for micro-dynamics, I'm of the opinion that it is more dependent on your front end, than the speaker, in that department.