[bellhead]

I am considering an SP Tech speaker after a lot of research.

I sit 7-feet from the front of the speakers, and have
about 2 or 2.5 feet from the back of the speaker to the wall behind them.
There is tons of room to the sides.

Would any Continuum or Timepiece 3.0 have problems in this space?

I want to avoid piercing highs, boomy-loose bass,
grainy etched vocals,
or too-forward/ringing mids; (basically anything that
would have me recoiling from the sound or causing listening
fatigue, with classical or lesser-quality rock/pop CDs.)

Repeating my main priority: don't want fatigue, even at the
expense of other audiophile goodies.

Upstream: Edge NL12.1 amp, Mac C46 pre, EMM SE cdp,
Stealth Indra ICs, Cardas Golden Ref speaker cable.

Thank you very much for your comments.
(PS: This is similar to something I wrote on audiogon in the past,
but not for specific speakers.)

[Bigfish]

I am considering an SP Tech speaker after a lot of research.

I sit 7-feet from the front of the speakers, and have
about 2 or 2.5 feet from the back of the speaker to the wall behind them.
There is tons of room to the sides.

Would any Continuum or Timepiece 3.0 have problems in this space?

I want to avoid piercing highs, boomy-loose bass,
grainy etched vocals,
or too-forward/ringing mids; (basically anything that
would have me recoiling from the sound or causing listening
fatigue, with classical or lesser-quality rock/pop CDs.)

Repeating my main priority: don't want fatigue, even at the
expense of other audiophile goodies.

Upstream: Edge NL12.1 amp, Mac C46 pre, EMM SE cdp,
Stealth Indra ICs, Cardas Golden Ref speaker cable.

Thank you very much for your comments.
(PS: This is similar to something I wrote on audiogon in the past,
but not for specific speakers.)

Belhead:

I own the Timepiece 2.1s (3.0s minus the wooden fronts) and my room is 26' X 13'.  Originally, I had the back of the speakers positioned 30" from the front wall (one of the long walls) and my sitting position was approximately 7 to 8 ft. from the speakers.  If you have to position your speakers that close to the front wall you will definitely need room treatments behind the speakers.  I don't know if you have heard any SP Tech Speakers but please be assured they do bass! 

I would recommend that you give Bob Smith a call and discuss your room dimensions/gear with him.  He will make the speaker recommendation that he believes will be best for you!

Once you receive your SP Techs you will be amazed at how revealing these speaker are of any changes you make in your system.  If you change a tube, IC, or PC you will be able to hear a difference.

Good Luck,

Ken

[ted_b]

Hi.  Welcome.  

I think either Continuums or TP's would be VERY nice for your setup, assuming you do some basic room treatment.  Your wonderful Indra's and Gold Ref cabling will take fine delicate care of the mids (good stuff) and the Edge Mac pre and EMM gear will produce dynamics and realism to wipe the floor with.  You should have a great sound!!  The Continuums will be more realistic (better dynamics, etc.) but the TP's will simply be one volume notch and frequency extreme less...and will likely image slightly better due to their smaller footprint (although my Revs image wonderfully and they have NBA size feet).  Good luck with either...and have fun.  Let us know what you are thinking.

[Double Ugly]

If you have to position your speakers that close to the front wall you will definitely need room treatments behind the speakers. 

I'd say it depends, because if my experience is any indication, the speakers should work perfectly well in your room.  My Timepieces have barely 18" behind them, maybe less, and they sound fantastic.

I'll eventually have Revelations, and they'll be placed in the same position as the Timepieces.  If I had any doubt whatsoever about their ability to perform well there, I'd have never spent the $$$.

As for performance of the speaker itself, you'll get what you feed it.  SP Techs are known for their tight, realistic-sounding bass, and they are *NOT* known for etched or otherwise uncomfortable highs.  They should perform quite well with your equipment.

However, SP Tech speakers have their roots in pro audio, and consequently they are very revealing.  They may be to your liking, but it sounds as though you may want a warm, forgiving speaker.  SP Techs are as clean, clear and neutral as I've heard, so they may not be what you're looking for.

Nice ICs, BTW.  I have a couple pair and have no intention of parting with them.

The Continuums will be more realistic (better dynamics, etc.) but the TP's will simply be one volume notch and frequency extreme less...

Actually the reverse is true for frequency extremes as the Timepieces go a little deeper than the Continuums, but dynamics and distortion are slightly better with the 3-driver speakers.

[bellhead]

Could a Continuum monitor (the A.D.) be placed directly on the floor?
Aside from image height (which I guess would be Quad-level),
would the bass be muddled or thick? What about on a low platform,
such as an amp stand a few inches off the floor?

And specifically, getting back the the original question at the
top of this thread, what about the Continuum 2.5 floorstander
2-2.5 feet from the wall behind it? Thanks everyone.

[Double Ugly]

Could a Continuum monitor (the A.D.) be placed directly on the floor?
Aside from image height (which I guess would be Quad-level),
would the bass be muddled or thick? What about on a low platform,
such as an amp stand a few inches off the floor?

Aside from Bob, I don't know that anyone here could do more than guess.  Your question would be better directed to him.

And specifically, getting back the the original question at the
top of this thread, what about the Continuum 2.5 floorstander
2-2.5 feet from the wall behind it? Thanks everyone.

I believe the Continuums - be it the A.D. or the 2.5 - should react the same as the other speakers.  They're all ported in the same way (except for the Revelation), and consequently room interaction should be very similar. 

In that regard, as I said above, mine sound marvelous 18" or less from the wall.  I've experimented with pulling them well out into the room, but in *MY* room, the differences were microscopic.

[Carl V]

Could a Continuum monitor (the A.D.) be placed directly on the floor?
Aside from image height (which I guess would be Quad-level),
would the bass be muddled or thick? What about on a low platform,
such as an amp stand a few inches off the floor?

And specifically, getting back the the original question at the
top of this thread, what about the Continuum 2.5 floorstander
2-2.5 feet from the wall behind it? Thanks everyone.

I have SP Presence AV2.  Sealed MTM.  Same size at Continuim.

I usually have them on 24" stands to get the tweeter @ ear height.
I have mine set up a'la Cardas positioning....out into the room.

I have used them on Mapleshade floor stands....where the speaker
is essentially on the floor & tilted back.  It sounded fine. I've brought
these over to a guy's house who uses Audio Note AN-E speakers.  He
places his near the floor, backed up to the wall &/or room corner....so
when he compared them to each other he placed the SP AV2 in much
the same positions...i.e., near the floor near the walls.  He very much
like the SP tech speakers....very much.