Do speakers need room to breath

[sliksilvia]

Hi Guys,

As this is my first post its a pretty silly question, im just making the transition from Car Audio across to home Hi-Fi (still learning the ropes)

Im looking at getting a set of floor standing Dali Concept 10 speakers for my bedroom which is a medium sized bedroom.. but im wondering if this is going to be over kill as the drivers are quite large maybe i was thinking i would be better off with concept 8 or similar?

so basicly im asking can large floor standing speaker be to big for rooms??

[Bronal]

Hi Slik:

I notice that the Dalis are front-ported, which usually makes speakers a little more easy to position in smaller rooms, as you don't have to allow so much rear space.

However, the very first review I googled on specifically mentioned their ability to be overpowering in smaller rooms, so I guess my advice would be 'approach with caution'.

The standard advice always given in this type of situation is 'audition in your own home before buying' but I know from my own experience how hard that can be...ie: virtually impossible.

Going to the smaller model may not help if the range is all 'voiced' similarly.

Cheers

Alan

[joz]

In a word yes.

That is if you want a speaker to perform the way it is intended.

But unless you have a very large bedroom i'd avoid such large boxes.

As it would be wise to get them at least a meter away from any boundry you may not have much room left to setup the correct listening position.

[2sheds]

... getting a set of floor standing Dali Concept 10 speakers for my bedroom which is a medium sized bedroom..[/b]

Oh, I used to dream of havin' speakers in the bedroom! Would ha' been a palace to me. I used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. I got woke up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over me! Bedroom? Huh. (Apologies to Monty Python)

Seriously though, sliksilvia, I would have to agree with what the others have said before me - small rooms and big speakers are not generally a good match (with some very expensive exceptions). Even small speakers (such as my Acoustic Energy AE-1s need a little more room (and volume) than the average bedroom can handle. There is a review of the Dali Concept 10 here, which mentions "The other disadvantage of big boxes is placement - producing lots of deep bass is just asking to set all your room resonances going, these are going to sound dreadful in that student bedroom..."

Are you buying retail ? If you are buying from a reasonable retailer, they should allow you the option to take them home to try out for a few days. If they are too much for your room, try something which will suit your situation better. Explain your situation, if he then sells you something which doesn't fulfiill your needs, you have the right to return them (in most states. If your retailer won't allow this option, try somewhere else.

Despite what has been said, music and what and how you listen to it is very subjective - whilst others may not like to big speakers in a small room, there will surely be a few who do...it comes down to your personal taste.

cheers

2sheds

[sliksilvia]

thanks for the tips lads,

i dont think i will be able to take these home for a test im gettin them from JB Hifi for pretty much cost price as i used to work there.

either that or a set of Dynaudio but now that everyone is telling me i need a meters room from wall to speaker im thinking i might give it a miss. because that leaves me with very little room.

[2sheds]

thanks for the tips lads,

i dont think i will be able to take these home for a test im gettin them from JB Hifi for pretty much cost price as i used to work there.

either that or a set of Dynaudio but now that everyone is telling me i need a meters room from wall to speaker im thinking i might give it a miss. because that leaves me with very little room.[/b]

Dynaudio make some excellent little speakers. The Dynaudio Audience 42 which normally retails for $999 and the Dynaudio Audience 52 which retails for $1500. They look pretty plain but they are a quality act. And they might suit your room a little better, but work best on some solid stands, 30cm away from the wall. Here are some reviews, should u get a good price on them:

Dynaudio Audience 42 reviews

Dynaudio Audience 52 reviews

cheers

2sheds

[Tony C]

Hello sliksilvia,

Welcome to our growing community.

Agree with the comments above. All speakers need distance from wall boundaries if you are looking for a holographic sound.

I have always hated the term "bookshelf" where serious listening is concerned,and much more comfortable with the term Standmount.

Cheers Tony C

[sliksilvia]

thanks for that 2sheds, iv listen to a few of the dynaudio's and they do sound great...

I know that there car audio speakers are more relaxed and suited to Jazz Classical etc...

Personally im more into the dance/trance and R&B music. how do the Dynaudio's rate to this music??

Im currently using Boston Acoustics in my car and they sound fantastic but unfortuantly I dont know anyone in Perth who stocks Boston home audio

[Moondog]

A good test/example to carry out. Is to have a person back up to a wall , You stand some distance in front of them

And as they speak they slowly take steps forward into the room . The point that their voice becomes its clearest is a good

starting point to put the speakers out from the rear wall .

[Keith_W]

BTW sliksilvia ... you have just celebrated your 3rd anniversary as an SNA member but you've only made 3 posts!

[Phil G]

BTW sliksilvia ... you have just celebrated your 3rd anniversary as an SNA member but you've only made 3 posts![/b]

Hehehe, only you would spot that Keith :biggrin: The three posts are all in this thread too.

Sliksilvia clearly chooses his/her words carefully.

Yes speakers need room to breath. Moondogs explanation is a good one.

[2sheds]

thanks for that 2sheds, iv listen to a few of the dynaudio's and they do sound great...

I know that there car audio speakers are more relaxed and suited to Jazz Classical etc...

Personally im more into the dance/trance and R&B music. how do the Dynaudio's rate to this music??

Im currently using Boston Acoustics in my car and they sound fantastic but unfortuantly I dont know anyone in Perth who stocks Boston home audio[/b]

sliksilvia

Dynaudio make quality speakers, some of the best there are in their price range. The Audience 52, in particular, may surprise you. They go pretty low and will have no problem putting out the slam that is needed for dance music. Again, they put out their best sound, bass in particular, when placed on rigid stands.

If you can listen to the Dynaudios, I am sure you will be impressed with how well they rock.

If you really do need to place your speakers aginst the wall, Dynaudio make a wall mounted version of the 42 called the Dynaudio Audience 42W reviewed here. I don't know personally how it compares sound wise to the 42.

Oh, and about the car speakers. Making a car speaker is VERY different to a speaker for home. Speaker brands I would happily use in my car, would rarely be chosen for my home...

cheers

2sheds

[rob323]

Look to the future, will you always have them in a small room? A compromise now might end up costing you more down the track, in saying that though, I would pick Dyn's over Dalis any day of the week, but I'm totally biased.

I wonder why it is that speakers over power a room, should it actually be that the room with all its pesky nodes, overpowers the speakers?

[sliksilvia]

yep the Dyn's certainly sounded good when I heard them... main reason why im looking at Dali is i can get them at cost price....

im think i might take a gamble and go with a set of floor standing speakers such as the Dali IKON 6... what would be a comparable model in the Dynaudio range??

I can get a good price on Dynaudio but I dont think i would be able to get them for cost price hence why im leaning towards Dali. But if i find the Dyn's suit me better i can justify paying a bit more.

Just have a feeling I would find myself having to add a sub if I went down the pathway of bookself/standmount speakers

[Alan Monro]

Sliksilvia . My brother has giant ex ABC monitors in his B/R and they sound fantastic . I think it is due to the Acoustics , ie Large bed , carpet and heavy drapes . If you can get the spkrs cheap grab them AlanM .

[Tony M]

Sliksilvia . My brother has giant ex ABC monitors in his B/R and they sound fantastic . I think it is due to the Acoustics , ie Large bed , carpet and heavy drapes . If you can get the spkrs cheap grab them AlanM .[/b]

Alan

FWIW, I don't think your brother's experience totally negates the very valid suggestions by others that this idea should be pursued with some degree of caution.

Cheers

Tony

[sliksilvia]

I can get the Dali 6 floorstanding speakers for around the $1300 mark...

I just have a feeling if I went down the path of bookself speakers i wouldnt be satisfied with them completley unless if i add a seprate sub..

[rob323]

I just have a feeling if I went down the path of bookself speakers i wouldn't be satisfied with them completely unless if i add a separate sub..[/b]

I know that feeling well, I may have even have overcompensated for it with my current speakers, but back to your original question.

How much room can you get between the front of the speakers and your walls?

How big is your room?

Does your amp have a bass tone control?

Or, get the best speaker you can afford and use a 31 band graphic equaliser to reduce the bloom and boom of the room :biggrin:

[sliksilvia]

i could pull them out about 30cms from the wall. the bedroom is carpet with a bed obviously. no mirror's etc. can draw the curtains for the window no prob

I havent purchased amps or cd players yet. but dont want to go to crazy as this is my first system and only for my bedroom. i am allowing about another 2.5K for amp and cd player..

are expensive speaker cables really worth paying for??

at the end of the day i dont want to to limit my system buy being a tight ass on cabling. so if its worth paying extra then i dont have a problem. i just want to make sure that im not been ripped off by paying top dollar for speaker wire that may be all the same regarless?

[rob323]

Buy really cheap speaker cable to start off with, that way, when you upgrade it, you can find out for yourself whether it makes a difference "in your system" or not. If you buy good stuff up front, you'll never know.

[terry j]

I know that feeling well, I may have even have overcompensated for it with my current speakers, but back to your original question.

How much room can you get between the front of the speakers and your walls?

How big is your room?

Does your amp have a bass tone control?

Or, get the best speaker you can afford and use a 31 band graphic equaliser to reduce the bloom and boom of the room :biggrin:[/b]

It has been said by many that a good pair of standmounts plus a sub can be an ideal way to go. I'll have a hunt for a good article I read and post it when I find it.

That allows you the ability to place each component where it best suits them. Mids are supposed to sound best off the wall, yet having the sub close to the boundary takes advantage of the natural boost. With full range speakers (and no ability to eq) the bass issues can tend to dominate, which means they will be placed where we can lessen the boom and uneven response (that is if the wife don't mind...then it's up against the wall uggh).

A 32 band graphic just won't cut the mustard when it comes to handling bass issues, unless you are amazingly lucky to get the offending frequencies exactly where the graphic sliders reside (and bear in mind, out of the 32 bands available, only a few are in the bass region) and additionally the offending frequencies have a Q which exactly matches the graphics.

You need a capable parametric to handle the bass issues, or can end up making it worse. Wonder why graphic eq's gat a bad rep in the first place.

Timing issues can be a problem of course if you have no way of accounting for the varying distances of the subs and mains from the LP.

Will have a hunt for the article.

[Alan Monro]

i could pull them out about 30cms from the wall. the bedroom is carpet with a bed obviously. no mirror's etc. can draw the curtains for the window no prob

I haven't purchased amps or CD players yet. but dont want to go to crazy as this is my first system and only for my bedroom. i am allowing about another 2.5K for amp and CD player..

are expensive speaker cables really worth paying for??

at the end of the day i dont want to to limit my system buy being a tight ass on cabling. so if its worth paying extra then i dont have a problem. i just want to make sure that I'm not been ripped off by paying top dollar for speaker wire that may be all the same regardless?[/b]

AlanM .</span></span>

[Alan Monro]

Alan

FWIW, I don't think your brother's experience totally negates the very valid suggestions by others that this idea should be pursued with some degree of caution.

Cheers

Tony[/b]

He did it , I heard it . and it sounds bloody terrific . Kind regards Tony , AlanM .</span></span></span></span>

[Keith_W]

AlanM .</span></span>[/b]

Well some people can, just because you can't does not mean that many do not find benefit from speaker cable.

However, for sliksilvia I would have to agree - spend more money on the system, and save as much on the speaker cable as possible.

[sliksilvia]

i listen to R&B Dance music orignal CD's not MP3's... so i dont think i will here much of a difference in sound spending top bucks for special speaker wire unless if i was into the Jazz classical type music..