[orkney]

^^^
 
I also love the ProAc line. If it's Tablettes you're after, I'd wait for the Anniveray edition that's on its way:
 
http://www.proac-loudspeakers.com/ta.php
 
Early ProAcs used drinking straws in their ports to make them less subject to port noise and more forgiving of near-wall placement. Not sure about the new ones, but I've used Tablettes and RS1s very near back walls with good effect. They're great fun.
 
One other candidate might be the Spendor A1. It has very fine bass for its size.
 
o

 

[anetode]

I've the Usher Be-718s and recommend them highly if you're looking for a monitor with a generous low end and clarity all around.

 

[shoegazer]

I second the Dynaudio recommendation. And they also have professional near field monitors, and they are without peer when it comes to compact speakers.

 

[shabta]

Hey Gu Sensei!
I have the ref 8s. And they are pretty forgiving when placed close to the wall. Since I mostly wanted them for near field listening, i found that placing them about 5 feet apart, at ear level, a few inches from the wall and towed in at about 45 degrees results in shockingly good sound. I post a picture but I am in the US for a couple of months and my gear is at home in France. As to your question about hum, there is none! Absolutely.
 
Good luck in your search!
 
Quote:

Thanks Shabta, the ProAc tablettes (50 & Reference 8's) are around here. I will definitely give them a listen when I get the chance.
 
They are ported in the rear though. How do you have yours placed? Eliminating rear ported monitors really limits my options.
 
Can you hear any hum from the Leben when you are close to the speakers? That is another little concern of mine.
 
 
Cheers!
 
 

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Since you're willing to buy used, if you run across an Infinity Modulus set (the original, not the carp HTIB surround system) - get it!  I believe they sold pretty well in Japan.
 

 
EMIT planar tweeter goodness and tight servo sub bass output awesomeness.  Used in the US they go for $750-$1500 a set these days (if you can find the sub and crossover to go with the satellites), but in the '90s when they were new the whole set cost about $3300.
 
The EMITs love tubes, and for nearfield listening the Leben should have enough power (and soft clipping to prevent damage if/when you push it).

 

[twylight]

I built a very nearfield rig with custom speakers from Salk Signature Sound.  I kept my nice DACs, got a decent AMP, pipe all my PCs,360,PS3 through an onkyo 807 using pre-outs to a real amp.
 
I also have an older sub as I like bass more than I should (15" 1200w DT) that I should replace with a smaller, faster sub.
 
I put the speakers on aulrex foam so they dont rattle around on my desk too much.
 
I returned all the near field stuff.  This blew its doors off for me - I had tried all the usual $800-1200 studio stuff.
 
I figured out headphones were lesser to me compared to 2 channel so I dumped my home headfi rig and went back to speakers.  I also have a 20x14 dedicated theater.  I do love what I learned exploring head fi - but at the end of the day I like speakers more.  I think any nice pair of bookshelves done right with a sub just spanks nearfield studio equipment - I listen to music to enjoy it, not mix the levels so it sounds loud on ipods.  The Adam nearfields were pretty nice, the rest were low-fi in my opinion.  Sierra-1s are a good recommendation as well if you dont want custom speakers built.
 
No offense to the headphone crowd.  I just get a lot more out of $3000 in speaker rigs than $3000 in headphone rigs.  

 

[mmebagnariol]

I don't mean to threadjack, but I am also in a similar situation as you Gu Sensei. I am currently looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers for relatively nearfield listening that sound their best at low to moderate volume levels. I recently came in to a bit of money, so I have decided to move to a condominum from my current apartment - the downside is it is a bit of an older building (and a traditional small one bedroom layout), and hence the soundproofing isn't the greatest between units, so I need something that I can enjoy at quieter levels. I am currently using a pair of B&W CDM 9nts, and while I like the sound, I think they are at their best when they are loud (my amp is a little anemic for them, too), so I need something more in tune with my Bryston B60 and my new place. My budget is around $2000 Canadian. I am not opposed to a bookshelf speaker + subwoofer combination, but I think I could do without the sub for now.
 
I do enjoy the B&W sound, but I have never had the opportunity to try out their higher-end bookshelf speakers; my experience is mostly with their floorstanders (CDM 9nt, 801f, etc). I enjoyed the Totem and Bryston combo I heard last time I was in Toronto, but the speakers on demo there were over my budget (top-of-the-line Tribes).
 
I would appreciate any suggestions you might offer!
 
Edit: I should probably specify, these are going to be next to my TV on stands, not on a desk. Distance between the TV and my couch is pretty small, maybe 10 feet? Aka, classic small one bedroom condo design. These speakers will likely be quite close to a wall.

 

[Gu Sensei]

I had a chance to audition most of the speakers of interest list. Unfortunately no ProAcs and understandably nothing from the small manufacturers or hard to find out of production speakers. The Harbeth P3ESRs and the Spendor SA1s sounded great but no question I would not be happy with the bass response. Reading about subwoofers made me worried that using one in my small room could be pretty tricky to get satisfactory results. As a result, I focused on some bigger monitors with the hope that I could get a bass that was pleasing although likely still not perfect. I really liked the PMC TB2i's but ultimately went with the Dynaudio X16s.
 
I picked them up yesterday and am pretty pleased overall as they are a noticeable jump up over what I was using before. Clarity, imaging, detail took a big step forward and the treble presence is just about ideal. The bass is for the most part satisfying but not quite deep enough on the occasional track. I may try getting Dynaudios compact sub at some point down the road just to see what happens. They came with a pair of foam plugs for the back ports when the speakers are placed near walls which mine are. I am keeping them in for now but after getting familiar with the sound, I will pull them out.
 
There is still a bit of a hum with my Leben though not as noticeable as through my previous speakers. I will seek out some advice on tubes or other tricks to see if I can reduce that any further. When the music gets rolling, it is usually not noticeable except for very quiet parts of some tracks. It is a little bothersome, especially when a nice beautiful song fades out to a hum. I will have to see how that issue sits with me over time.
 
They definitely sound better at a little higher volumes than I can handle but I figured that was going to be the case since they are placed in the very near-field. However, at my usual volumes they are still quite enjoyable and I can put them up a bit louder when I am not tied to my desk.
 
All of my reading led to me to believe that it was going be a matter of which compromise I could live with. The X16s were the pair I enjoyed the most during my auditions and seemed to have the best potential to be one and done. It has not quite been a homerun, but I am about 85% happy, significantly better than where I was, and it definitely could have been a lot worse. I will tinker around with what I have for a while. Maybe see about a solid state amp, a sub and then maybe try a pair of sealed monitors plus the sub as an alternative. FInding the perfect speakers seems as tricky as finding perfect headphones, but bringing them home and trading out the ones you do not like is far less convenient.
 
Thank you all for your advice. It really was quite helpful. I might revisit this thread at some point later if something significant changes.
 
Cheers!

 

[Frank I]

The hum issue may be solved with a cheater plug. usually a hum is not the tube. It most likely a ground loop or something in the circuit, Tubes do not hum. try a cheater plug and that may make it go away

 

[Gu Sensei]

Quote:

The hum issue may be solved with a cheater plug. usually a hum is not the tube. It most likely a ground loop or something in the circuit, Tubes do not hum. try a cheater plug and that may make it go away

Most Japanese outlets have no ground, just two-prong deals. Also, it definitely is being produced by something inside the amp- I do not know enough about amp innards to name the piece. Although in this picture, it is the biggish white box on the right or something close by. I can hear the noise with my ear above the amp.

 
 
I thought I came across a post saying that certain tube might be better for speaker output and would reduce a hum a bit.

 

[barleyguy]

Quote:

Most Japanese outlets have no ground, just two-prong deals. Also, it definitely is being produced by something inside the amp- I do not know enough about amp innards to name the piece. Although in this picture, it is the biggish white box on the right or something close by. I can hear the noise with my ear above the amp.
 
I thought I came across a post saying that certain tube might be better for speaker output and would reduce a hum a bit.

The white box in that picture is a tranformer.  It's probably the power supply transformer.  Noise coming from that section of the circuit probably indicates that it is power supply hum.
 
On the original topic of this thread, high end bookshelf speakers...  I've owned several pairs of nearfield monitors (my current pair are Event Studio Precisions), and worked with a dozen or so others (Dynaudio, Mackie, Urei).  A couple of months ago I got a pair of Zu Druid Credenzas, and they have far better tone, are more musical, and have better detail without being sizzly, than any pair of studio monitors I've ever worked with.
 
So, if I was looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers right now, I'd lean towards something by Zu Audio, like the Zu Omen Bookshelf.

 

[tisb0b]

Gu Sensei did you have the chance to audition the X12's?

 

[Gu Sensei]

Quote:

Gu Sensei did you have the chance to audition the X12's?

Yeah, they were on a shelf next to the X16s, Harbeths, Spendors, and a few others. I ended up focusing on the X16s primarily because it was immediately clear that they had a fuller & deeper bass output. As a result, I did not spend much time with the X12s but they did logically sound similar to the X16s. I thought about going with the X12s but knew I would absolutely need to get a sub with them and just wasnt sure how well my small room would handle it. I was hoping that with the X16s, a sub might not be necessary.

 

[Headphone Workshop]

Why not try a Fostex 168EZ in a ported enclosure?  You could have a local cabinet builder make one to spec.  The drivers should be easy to pick up in Japan as Fostex is a Japanese company.  The 6" drivers are full-range and reasonably sensitive at 94.5db, so almost any amp will work.  Being a full-range, you won't have to mess with crossovers.  No bookshelf speakers you pick up will have the bass it sounds like you're looking for.  You will need a subwoofer and an active crossover.  

 

[eugenius]

How high end do you want to go? 
 
Since this is the summit-fi forum ... the best I can imagine is this: two janus70 ribbons (4500e) or two janus monopoles if you really must stick them into the wall (3200e) driven by the leben on the desk and two bastanis ripole 18" slim subwoofers on the floor on both sides of the desk, driven by an XTZ sub amp1 dsp (1500e).   Enjoy googling.