Floorstanders or standmounts?

I'm about to move into a new house with a long, lounge (21' x 13'). I'd always intended to get some floorstanders when I moved, but SWMBO has ruled that I will have to but the speakers against the long wall and listen across, rather than down, the room. I'm therefore worried that floorstanders may be too much given that they are likely to be fairly close to the rear wall and most seem to like some space aound them. Would I be better off with standmounts instead? Budget is ~1500.
Thanks for any help.

 

Whichever speaker you choose, across rather than down the room is often the most optimal solution!
Closeness to wall is not really a question of Stand vs Floor, but of the design goals and methods of the manufacturer.

 

I agree with above.

Avoid rear ported speakers especially - standmount or floorstanding.

My room is no bigger, I fire across the room and I have used both, so you could use either Im sure. Best to try a few

Chris

 

if you stick to a floorstander that is infinite baffle in it's design like the naim ariva then you will be fine. I/B speakers are designed to use the wall as part of it's design. they cost £1300 and have great WAF!

 

Thanks for the replies. I suppose my question came about because I'd always thought about getting a 'larger' speaker as a floorstander, and therefore usually rear ported. Had considered transmission line, but not managed to listen to any yet.

 

If you are going to sit 1 to 2 metres from a speaker baffle, then you will not get the advantage of a large 3 or 4 driver design.

You are better off with the advantages of a small box/2-way/point source etc. Big speakers are made for a distance [eg down the length 4 - 6 metres of space].

My suggestion would be have a ducking stool in the back garden and put the speakers where you damn well want..

 

NB
Forgot to mention that I use mine near the room corners with a massive toe in, so I still get about 10 feet inbetween me and the speakers.

You get an image the size of belgium this way too.

 

Hadn't really thought it would be possible to do as you suggested Chris, but it sounds like it's worth a try. What have you got?
Tempted by the ducking stool Graham...

 

at the moment just a temporary pair of standmounts while a new pair of speakers are being built..

I used to use Living Voice Avatars that way.

 

Transmission line would be a good choice for a dem. They aren't too fussy about position since the tuning of the bass happens inside the line and not in the room. I think PMC do a TL for around £1500.

 

or you could always build your own.....
mind you if you have a girlie pulling your strings you're not going to get some ipl s5tl's past her - maybe the 4 or 3's though. and they can be painted in any colour you like to exaclty match the decor.....
cheers


julian

 

Exactly what I need ...

Julian, do you know how the 3s or 4s would compare with PMC FB1 or OB1 (I understand they work on the same principle ?)

 

And there is, of course, that certain other purveyor of transmission line speakers that we don't seem to be allowed to mention anymore...

 

hmmm,i don't agree across the room is better,it just depends where the sofa is? If by going across the room you have to put the speakers next to the settee they might be soaked up.Same problem I have with a similar budget and i haven't a clue what to do

 

Hi Scoop

My listening room is about 26 ft x 13 ft and I listen with the speakers along the long wall too. Don't worry too much about this - you've still got room to manoevre long-ways and can probably come away from the wall a couple of feet if needed. I do.

I agree with most of what has been said above but would add a couple of comments:

Firstly, not all IB (sealed box) speakers are designed to go against the wall. I'm sure that Alan was referring specifically to the Naim speaker mentioned.

Secondly, as Mr C. says, TL speakers are often less fussy about room position (although not always). They still have to interact with the room just like any other design, although the fact that the bass is output at the drivers and the port and these are generally some distance apart means that the floor/ceiling room mode is often less of a problem.

I hope that this helps (or at least that it doesn't confuse too much)

 

If it's possible to do so without delving into A-level physics, could someone expand on how a sealed box interacts with the room it's in? I would assume that because it's sealed, the rear wall has no affect on the sound.

 

Very briefly,

At the lower frequencies there will be peaks and troughs in the room response which are caused by standing waves. These will vary depending on the position of the speakers and the listening position.
FRD Consortium have some free programs that calculate this.

Next, there is the effect of diffraction. At high frequencies (relative to the drive unit diameter) the sound is directional and will travel forward away from the driver. As the frequency lowers the wavelength increases, until a frequency is reached at which the sound will bend round the cabinet and reflect off the back wall.

There is also an effect of reflection and absorption and this depends on the surfaces of the walls, floor and ceiling. Curtains, furniture and bookshelves all have an effect here.

Contrary to common expectations, many rear-ported speakers don't really care if there's only a small gap between the port output and the wall. Much depends on the frequencies output at the port - the lower the frequency, the less direction of output matters.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. Saab - I should be able to put all furniture well away from the speaker.
Steve - thanks for your input. Now if only I could afford those Nonsuch 4s...

 

I use my Harbeth C7's pretty close to the rear wall (a few inches) and they fire across the room - work really well to my ears and, if the bass is enhanced a little by the near wall siting, it certainly isn't boomy or over the top.

Another model that springs to mind is the KEF Ref 2 series - 1-2, 2-2 etc as they have a special 'near wall' setting. I also remember from the Ref 2-2's I owned that they were not at all fussy about placement. On top of this, as they are no longer made there are some bargains about - I've seen a couple of pairs of <1 year old Ref 1-2's going for £600 (original rrp was £1300) and you should easily be able to find a pair of 2-2's for a grand or just under.

Matt.

 

Rega Ela 2000's might be a good choice and you would have change to spare. Quite nice looking too, and they work well in close to wall positions.