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Is it possible to get visceral bass from small (i.e. bookshelf) speakers?

post #1 of 10
10/29/02 at 11:58am
Thread Starter 
I'm debating whether I should save up some money and get a speaker system to complement my headphones. There are at least two big problems however.

Firstly the room which they will be placed in is quite small, this rules out floorstanding speakers (I think, tell me if I'm wrong). Secondly I will be sitting kinda close to the speakers (think ~3ft).

With this in mind, is it possible to get speakers that let me feel the bass of the music? I'm no basshead, so I don't want the floor rumbling. I just want good clean bass that I actually can feel. Of course the other stuff has to sound good too, but I assume that kinda follows if I can get the bass right.

If this is hard to understand, I apologize. But it's hard for me to put this in words since I'm not even sure what I want/need. Any suggestions are very welcome. Oh, and recommendations of specific speakers or amps are probably pointless seeing as I live in Sweden (or - The land of small selection and high prices). Just toss me some start points and I'll go looking myself.
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post #2 of 10
10/29/02 at 5:58pm
Distance from the speakers is not a problem. Nearfield listening will only improve the image and tonal quality.

Big bass out of little speakers is a problem. I will suggest 2 options:

1) Go with a narrow tower speaker. It will take up minimal floor space while maximizing cabinet volume. I would highly recommend the Definitive Technology Power Tower Pro. They have built in powered subs and a great image.

2) Start out with satelites that you like the sound of. A 2-way with a 6.5" woofer is a good configuration. A bass reflex design will yield more bass. If it is not enough, add a subwoofer or two. Lots of subs to choose from. The bigger the better, and some companies are more honest than others. Dynaudio has some nice designs.


gerG
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post #3 of 10
10/29/02 at 7:40pm
I'd have to agree with Greg's second recommendation. A small pair of speakers will give you great placement options for nearfield listening, and a sub will add impact. The best part is that the sub doesn't have to placed right on top of you, and if you're looking more for bass tonal quality and not just big boom, you could probably buy a smaller, high quality sub.

Good luck!

Schiss
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post #4 of 10
10/29/02 at 11:04pm
Depending on just how much bass you want, and what kind of music you listen to, a good set of small speakers can surprise you. I've got an ancient pair (well, 25 years old anyway) of KEF 101.1's. Four inch driver with a dome tweeter. Push 100+ watts into them, and you'll be looking in corners trying to find the hidden subwoofer. The woofer starts rolling off at about 80 Hz, but that's plenty low for rock music.
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post #5 of 10
12/6/11 at 1:00pm

Hi McBiff,

 

the simple answer is no - you won't be able to get visceral bass from speakers unless you really spend some cash. My point being - you use the word visceral - which by definition means you can feel it other than with your senses.

What I take from that is the bass you get in your body when its really kicking and moving some air.

You won't get that without a sub - but if you are that close, you won't need a huge one, and it should also friendly to your neighbours - which is the only reason i can think of to not have one - surely you can fit a 12" cube and an amp almost anywhere... :D

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post #6 of 10
12/7/11 at 8:18am

I would audition some active speakers, often used in the pro audio world for monitoring, but more and more by the audiophile as they give a big bang for the buck and superb sound. A mate has some Mackie MR5 Mk2 and they do serious bass within a prettyy even frequency range.

 

http://www.mackie.com/products/mrmk2series/splash/

 

He got them for £250 as a demo pair without the box. H ehas had various audiophile and home cinema systems over the years and the actives are the best and the cheapest.

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post #7 of 10
12/7/11 at 10:35pm

Guys, thread is almost 10 years old. I bet he's moved on.

smile.gif

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post #8 of 10
12/8/11 at 8:46am

Oops, well maybe it will help someone else instead.

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post #9 of 10
12/9/11 at 12:05am

It probably will. Those MR5mk2 look interesting. I wonder how they compare to the A2.

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post #10 of 10
12/19/11 at 12:31pm

I have just ordered a pair of MR5mk2. Chose them over BX5 D2 and Rokit5 G2 after many comparisons. The latter two sound anemic compared to the Mackies, and all three have 5.25" LF drivers. I would think the A2 would not even come close in bass quantity with it's little 2" driver!

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