[Xeo]

I'm looking to get a a pair of bookshelf speakers and use them along with the cheap home theater subwoofer already have

What differences in sound will there be between monitors with 5 inch woofers compared to those with 6 inches. I'm assuming the ones with 6 inch woofers have the potential to produce deeper bass, but possibly at the expense of something else.

I'm trying to decide between the following monitor/bookshelf speakers

Infinity Primus 150
Infinity Primus 160

Right now I'm favoring the infinity primus 150s because of all the glowing reviews they have. The primus speakers come in a 6 inch woofer size too, but I only found a handful of reviews that were not very helpful. The 160 seems like it would be able to produce deeper bass, but if I'm going to use a subwoofer, that point seems moot, but I'm certainly no expert.

I've also been reading about the paradigm atoms and titans, and mission m72i's, but the descision is hard to make. I have a max of $250.00 to spend on a pair of speakers, and looking at all the recommendations on this forum is just a painful process!

by the way, I've always used computer speakers. My most recent purchase was a set of Altec Lansing MX5021's, which sound really good to me, and I'm hoping the bookshelf speakers will be even better.

 

[skiingemt]

I have always been an NHT fan, especially over the Paradigms in the same price category. The Paradigm's always sound kind of lifeless to me. NHT's have become a little harder to find in the last few years though, at least in my part of the country. I have had NHT Super Ones for years and they're great, and I see them on ebay all the time.
However, for a few dollars more, I have to recommend the Epos ELS-3. I picked up a pair a few months ago after auditioning them in the store, and they still blow me away. I have not heard anything sounding nearly as good for the money, and they are also quite small (although size was not a priority for me). They don't look as nice and the NHT's, the finish is veneer vs the NHT piano finish. The Epos' sound is more transparent, with clearer highs and tighter bass, but the bass extension isn't quite as good as the Super Ones. Since you have a sub, though, it's not that important, since except for the bass depth, the Epos' are superior in every way. Stereophile liked them, too-
http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/104epos/
I got mine at http://www.echohifi.com/

Cheers,

G

 

[screwdriver]

IMO - the speaker design ( cabinets , x overs , etc ) would have to matter too aside from the woofer size.

you already have a sub so i would say to get the monitor with the best midrange .

my speakers have only 4 inch woofers but they have tight , fast , accurate bass to where it would allow it - to about 48hz as to specs.

 

[Kryogen]

I have the Mission M72i's, which are a really good bargain since they have recently been discontinued.

They have a really nice black finish, really good looking with the grille on, really classy.

They sound really good, lots of bass (6.5'' woofer), clear highs,

I like them, even though they cost me approx 100$US import fees (shipping, frontier fees, canada tax) :| (on 170$ speakers....)

 

[rickcr42]

system matching is far more important than individual specs or woofer size.Use a subwoofer too high and it becomes identifiable as a distinct sound source and this is usually bad.
But if the mini monoitors roll off too high for the sub,again you will have trouble.

I would look for a gradual slope rolloff on the bookshelf speaker,one without the normal mid-bass 'bump' and run it full range,no crossover at all.with a mid bass bump up this is a lot more difficult to accomplish and an XO should be used one octave above the F3.
Then i would bring in the sub woofer at the lowest frequency i could get away with and still have it blend without its being easily identified as a source of sound or there being a "hole" or suckout of the bass notes.
If the bass is directional and easily heard the xo is way too high.If there is a suckout the "system" will sound anything but.Seamless blend is the goal and the male voice should not change with the sub either on or off.

 

[KurtW]

Woofer size has more to do with the amount of bass (ability to move air) than how deep the bass is. Maybe not as much as headphones, but speakers are still to some extent a personal preference thing. So it's really best to hear what you're going to buy first. If that is not possible, then consider the ones with good professional reviews that seem to fit your requirements. There are some good buys used. NHT Super Ones are pretty common on ebay, well within your budget.

 

[ooheadsoo]

That is the opposite of the sims I have run. Woofer size almost always directly relates to how low the speaker can go. Adding more woofers of the same size does not offer any extension whatsoever. Usually the benefits of multiple woofers of the same size are questionable because of cancellation issues but the upside is efficiency.

 

[KurtW]

Everything else being equal, a larger woofer will also have more mass due to its size and a lower resonance frequency and thus deeper bass, but rarely is everything equal.

 

[Unclewai]

At least buy something reasonable.
I am using a pair of KLH 8" 3way bookshelf right now ($20 bestbuy), waiting for a pair of B&W DM601 S3 to arrive.
Let me tell you, larger isn't always better.

I quite enjoy the midrange of a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 8.1. You can find them at amazon.com for around $130 i think.
$200 for the 8.2 which has 6 1/2 woofers.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtW Everything else being equal, a larger woofer will also have more mass due to its size and a lower resonance frequency and thus deeper bass, but rarely is everything equal.

Let's not get out of hand here. You're right, everything isn't equal. Larger woofers are usually more expensive and for a reason. I know you're not saying that a 3" woofer will go lower than a 12" woofer, so I'm not sure why you're arguing the point you're arguing.

 

[KurtW]

My point addresses the original question. If speaker A has a 5" woofer and speaker B has a 6" woofer, will speaker B have deeper bass? Maybe but don't count on it. Sometimes larger woofers aren't more expensive as in unclewai's KLH example, but they look good on the spec sheet. However if someone is interested in speakers for a home theater system or in a large room and wants high volume levels, a small diameter woofer can run out of capacity to move enough air and this may be more of a reason to worry about woofer size.

 

[ooheadsoo]

The question actually deals with speakers in the same series, in which case, I would be hard pressed to say that the 6" speaker in the series had less bass than the 5". Maybe only marginally (most likely only marginally) but even so.

And I still find it hard to believe that the klh 8" does not pot out more raw bass than a 5" woofer when driven with an appropriate amp. It's very well possible! But not likely. The woofer cost on that $20 klh probably isn't very far off from the cost of the woofer in any sub $100 speaker. The cabinet is practically the whole cost.

My concern is that the midrange usually suffers when you step up in woofer size when we're dealing with 2 way systems.

 

[Wodgy]

ooheadsoo is right about this. Any reasonable equivalent way you measure things (infinite baffle or sealed enclosure with equal Q or ideal porting scheme for each speaker, whatever), a larger driver will usually have greater bass extension than a smaller one. There are exceptions, but these are a minority. The same physical principles that govern the ability to move a lot of air also govern bass extension.

You can sometimes make a smaller woofer go lower than a larger one by giving the former a more aggressive port tuning, but the tradeoff is poorer group delay. And in any case, you could use the same tuning for the larger woofer to go lower still.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

ooheadsoo is right about this. Any reasonable equivalent way you measure things (infinite baffle or sealed enclosure with equal Q or ideal porting scheme for each speaker, whatever), a larger driver will usually have greater bass extension than a smaller one.

woofer size really has zip to do with bass extension and all to do with box type and driver resonance.

I have eights that will go far lower than a 15 i have but the 15 will move more air (in the right enclosure allignment) and handle more power making them suitable for PA but not Hi-Fi.As a perfect example my Heresys with 12 inch woofers only go down to 50 hz or so and need a sub to get the lest octave (awasome mid to highs though).I also have two Cerwin Vega 15 EV raw drivers that i thought to put in a sub box but it turns out they will not go much lower so it is a waste and i instead am going to probably do a B-36 earthquake box for outside use.Power and volume yes.Low no.Looking at the same 50hz or so bottom end but with major spl levels

so 5 or 6 which goes deeper ? Depends on the driver and driver box interface.I will say just about ALL small speaker boxes are designed with a mid-bass hunp to fool you into thinking you hear low bass but the reality is nothing there below 60hz.especailly if a ported design which rolls off rapidly below the F3.

so you need to look at the graphs and actually "see" the response curve or it is all conjecture

 

[Wodgy]

Rick, show me a 15 inch driver that doesn't go lower than an 8 inch driver in an infinite baffle.