[cheapfi]

I have recently embraced a love of background music in my bedroom.  I use it with a romantic playlist when I am enjoying time with my wife.  However the only speakers I had that I could move into the bedroom were my Fostex PM0.4N monitors.  They work and sound fantastic except for the fact that they take up my entire nightstand and look like something from a college dorm, which definitely detracts from the romantic atmosphere.  They are also being deeply underused in the bedroom and I miss listening to them in my living room. I love my speakers to death and the sound signature is perfect for me, but I would really like to find something small, unobtrusive, and inexpensive to use in my bedroom instead.  Ideally something that I can place on the dresser for better sound positioning and can fill a room with low volume background music.
 
The Audioengine A2's would probably be perfect except for they are out of my price range at the moment.  I would like decent sound quality since I will notice it, but it doesn't need to be perfect since I will be doing any critical listening on the Fostex's or my headphones.  The smaller and less obtrusive the better.  They don't need to get loud, as it would be rather awkward to wake my daughter. I would like to see if there are any decent recommendations for something well under $100, as I am limited on funds.
 
I don't need pounding bass but I would like a bit of extension on bottom and decent clarity up top from any choices.
 
I plan on using these with an Ipod touch or a cellphone as the source so they need to be active speakers.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  The Audioengine A2's would probably be perfect except for they are out of my price range at the moment.  I would like decent sound quality since I will notice it, but it doesn't need to be perfect since I will be doing any critical listening on the Fostex's or my headphones.  The smaller and less obtrusive the better.  They don't need to get loud, as it would be rather awkward to wake my daughter. I would like to see if there are any decent recommendations for something well under $100, as I am limited on funds.
 
I don't need pounding bass but I would like a bit of extension on bottom and decent clarity up top from any choices.

 
If you can find them online, try the Swans S3W. Some sites overprice them but they shouldn't be more than $70. Great for background music in a small bedroom. 3w amplifier will struggle in a louder room though; I'd have bought them but my problem was that, at the time the reason why I was looking for speakers for my home office because the laptop speakers couldn't be heard above the typhoon rain dropping on my roof. In any case it was fantastic for vocal-oriented music, and the sort of instrumentals you might hear in a spa. Get a dock for your iPod, manage the cables, and these will look neat where you need it to be.
 
Small and bass typically won't go together; you'll really have to sacrifice a little bit of low end for really compact speakers. That said there was still some oomph at nearfield with these.

 

[cheapfi]

Yeah I know that going smaller will decrease the bass.   I'm not a bass head but I do like the bass guitar to sound like a bass guitar etc.  I do like the compact size of these swans.  Have you tried them out before?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Yeah I know that going smaller will decrease the bass.   I'm not a bass head but I do like the bass guitar to sound like a bass guitar etc.  I do like the compact size of these swans.  Have you tried them out before?

 
Yes but only in the shop selling them, which is a computer store (think Fry's but the size of a very large living room) and not a real hi-fi store, and it can't overcome the chatter in there. That said, from what I can hear having them on a shelf in front of me, I like the midrange - sweet enough - and for the price, I almost bought them. I can easily overlook the flimsy volume knob (which was likely worse than it is being a worn-out demo unit) but like I said, I also needed them to be audible enough (though of course far from optimal) during a heavy downpour, and I seriously doubt if they can do that with 3watts. Still, considering I heard enough of the sound to like it despite the noise, I've no doubt they are audible enough in a quiet bedroom if I'm using them.
 
On the bass, at the very least they have more than most desktop speakers of the same size, particularly PC speakers without subs, and the 2.0 3" speakers that have more bass usually aren't as tight or detailed enough and just loud, like the $200 Audioengine A2 (vey likely due to the cabinet specs squeezing more than a 3" driver can make), thanks to the S3W's using a large magnet 3" midrange that was originally designed for a 3-way+ floorstander.
 
EDIT : I was also using my Galaxy S3 as source at the time, with volume at about 50% since it distorts beyond that, so an iPod sending out a full 1.2v lineout through a 30-pin to 3.5mm cable will likely be much louder than my smartphone's earphone output.

 

[jirapatpum]

With limited space i would suggest bose companion 2. Don't get me wrong, speakers need good placement and set up to sound best. Bose speakers are among the easiest to acheive good sound in limited space.