*QOTD: Which type of speaker do you prefer, bookshelf or floorstanding, and why?* *NEED MORE INFO? ✔︎ THE ⬆︎DESCRIPTION⬆︎* ★ *Love our outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end* ★ *COMMENT RULES:* - No outside URLs, RUclips links or email addresses - Keep it civil. It’s okay to disagree, just don’t be a jerk about it.
Bigger speakers feel like where I want to go decor aesthetic wise. I prefer a minimalist look and abhor flat surfaces. I don’t necessarily want emptiness and floor standers full space.
When i was younger it was all about floorstanding speakers.When i got older i downsized, as i wasn't playing music near as loud. It became more about quality sound, and a small footprint/space they take up. Today i lean towards front ported bookshelf speakers. If i see any front ported speakers, i seem to get that excited feeling of my Cerwin Vega Earthquake stacks from my youth. Kinda rattled the neighbors windows on the weekends in the 80's. This was well done. TY both.
I have a 2.2 bookshelf setup and prefer them to towers. Floor-standers are a pain in the ass. Here are my reasons. FYI, I use two EVE SC208 studio monitors with a pair of Martin Logan 12” subwoofers. In-room, these are flat to 20Hz. 1. Most towers aren’t full range anyways so you’ll need sub(s). To get something close to full-range sound, you need anechoic measurements with a -3dB point below 30Hz so in-room, you’re almost flat to 20Hz. Most floor-standers won’t give you that so you’ll need a sub anyways. Even large floorstanders have drivers no bigger than 8”. My monitors have a 36Hz -3dB point, which competes against most towers. 2. The best location for bass is most often not the location where the speaker is so it’s risky relying on floor standers for all of your bass. In fact, positioning limitations may make the additional low-end grunt of a floorstander a liability. Therefore, whether you use floorstanders or not, you need subwoofers to get coherent full-range audio in your room. And if you use a filter to cut out your floorstander's low end, what was the point to begin with? If you’re someone who tends to move occasionally for work or whatnot and your room isn’t a constant, bookshelves are way easier to deal with in that they integrate sonically well into many rooms- especially in small rooms. Integrating subs into a small-ish room is a bit of a challenge but very doable. Integrating a pair of towers that are near full-range into a room is a genuine pain and often cannot be done properly. I’d wager in most rooms, you could work with my system. But a pair of SVS Ultra towers? Best of luck. 3. If you buy and sell gear, keeping boxes for floorstanders and shipping them is a pain in the ass. It’s local pickup only and even then, it’s a pain. With bookshelves, you can more easily keep the boxes and ship them out. 4. If you’re buying subs anyways, bookshelves are cheaper. Best to just get whatever bookshelves you like that are flat to ~60Hz or below and let the subs take care of the sub-bass. 5. Good stands aren’t that expensive. Beyond ~$200 ($150 used), you’re largely paying for looks.
I personally prefer floor standing, but a lot of that is visual. I don’t want to put my speakers in a cabinet or behind a door. Likewise, I don’t hide my components. That may not be as clean a look, but seeing my stuff is important to me. I like the lights, the dancing VU meters, etc. It’s kind of the same reason I prefer vinyl. I want to hold it in my hand and see the visual artwork of the album jacket. There’s simply something I enjoy about frankly the extra effort it takes. Just me. Everyone’s mileage varies.
@@Ineedtotakeabreak And I totally get that. Music, format, and equipment are not one size fits all. Everyone should listen in the way that gives them the most enjoyment. The hifi world has more than its share of pretentious blowhards, and I try not be one of them.
@@bradhuskers I totally agree with you 100%! I don't listen to them much (besides artists / musicians spotlight segments) but I have to admit their production is good. Their agendas, on the other hand, are very evident.
@@bradhuskers dude if npr is government Controlled... The government was in right wing hands the last 4 years. Either they were left wing during this time or government Controlled. They could not have been both...
Bookshelf speakers: appear cheaper but when factoring in cost of stands may be as or more expensive than tower speakers. However, they allow you to separate the bass output with a dedicated subwoofer which may be optimal for your space. Tower speakers are typically more power as they are larger and offer the convenience of an all-in-one solution. However, this reduces flexibility of moving the bass around the room. There. That's all the content of this 15 min video in a few sentences. Sorry but this felt reeaallly stretched out for more view time.
Nice video! I actually still prefer tower speakers even in smaller rooms. As long as you don't blast them you do not have to worry about distortion. There are immediate benefits. 1. You don't have to worry about stands. 2. Speaker placement becomes more limited and that's a good thing because it covers more surface area. 3. You can listen at lower volumes without worrying about sound performance loss. There's more but those are my top 3.
@@sashanapalme In my experience, they do. Room acoustics (slap echo)are even more important otherwise you'll get a poor performance no matter what type you use.
Bigger speaker doesn't always mean better sound. A good rule of thumb is: Big space + big speaker = big smiles Small space + bookshelf speaker = big smile Big space + small speaker = back to speaker shopping * speakers having horn-loaded compression drivers for tweeters (and/or mids) are effected much less by room size/reflections/beaming/cancellations, compared to speakers with dome tweeters. Personally, I'll never buy another retail loudspeaker again. DIY speakers built from proven designs gets you WAYYY more for your money. What can be built for $750/pair CANNOT be matched by a retail speaker costing double or triple (as performance goes). I know that's not practical for everyone, but that's my $.02
We were living in an apartment with low budget so I got a 7.1 Onkyo "all in one" system. Fast forward to a few years ago, we finally bought our own house and used the same system. It was a bit bigger room but still tight. I always wanted floor standing speakers thinking it will improve the soundstage and overall performance but sacrifice precious space. Before I could pull the trigger on new speakers, I decided to play with the placement of the speakers and realized how low they were on the ground. After repositioning the three front speakers, wow, what a difference! and I didn't even sacrifice space. as much as I think floor standing speakers look, it is just impractical in our situation. I can't believe that positioning can greatly impact performance, no need to spend more money. Maybe better bookshelf speakers and amp in the future but everybody that comes to our home ALWAYS praises our home theater and turntable. I'm always thinking, it's a cheap system and we invested the money instead over the years but wow, I still smile whenever I turn on our "low end" setup.
This is the first time I’ve understood the meaning of full range in context of speakers. Yes I’m a hi-fi noob. Thank you for clearing things up for me in this video. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed video. I love bookshelves and separate subs. Current setup: 2 Kef R3 for left and right Kef R2C for center 2 REL HT 1508 Subs Emotiva XPA DR3 amp Expansion when budget permits: 4 Kef in walls for surround 4 Kef on wall for height Emotiva XPR amp to power 8 speakers
I am an older guy that has been around audio gear for a pretty long time and thus have had the pleasure of owning many pieces: Threshold, Conrad-Johnson, Forte, Classe Audio, Meridian, Wadia, Musical Concepts, Marantz, Snell, Thiel, Vandersteen, Wilson, to name a few .... I really enjoy your videos, how you express yourself in them, the information given and the calm, even tone you use ... thank you ... greetings from Texas 🤠
I find that when the subject of speakers is being discussed, the room size is not considered enough. Most normal houses rooms are 4m x 5m or slightly bigger (or smaller) ! This means that a majority of tower loudspeakers are too big . They need to be away from walls, and so they are far too close and big to the listener. I read lots of speakers reviews, and the suggested room size is very rarely mentioned.
I recently swapped my 20 year old floor standers for a pair of Dali Menuet SE bookshelf speakers, and my, how they have not only changed the look of our interior, but more important, the sound! Admittedly, we have a small sitting area, but the sound of these small speakers is really excellent, good bass, mediums and highs. Happy to mention they flawlessly passed the Tidal playlist you shared some time ago :) Thanks for your very informative videos, you both!
I owned a set of Camber book shelf speakers for years, had a wonderful cross over in it and served me well. Over the years I changed it up a bit and bought Mission m71i's which are floor standing. Twin 6 inch and a horn. They are very narrow and really deep with a back hole on em. After 10 years I am still enjoying them, be it listening to music or watching movies. Great video and keep em coming
Two main factors (soundwise) distinguish the bookshelf speaker from the tower speaker: 1. Bass response 2. Maximum acoustic output Bass response - Bookshelves rarely go much below 50Hz while towers can get down in the 30-40Hz region without an internal subwoofer. Given that the low E string of the 4 string bass is 41Hz, for music a sub is really needed for a bookshelf especially in a larger room with less room gain than a small room. Also an advantage of using external sub(s) is that the bass can be optimized with different placements of the sub(s). Maximum acoustic output - Given that the towers generally use more drivers and they are generally more efficient than bookshelves, towers can play louder and/or produce less distortion than bookshelves.
The reason why I'm looking at this video is exactly for what you are saying at the end. I always had big floorstanding loudspeakers. Now I'm looking at this video to see if I might miss something if I'm downscaling for bookshelves. Thanks for the video, it's all clear now
Ah, I love this video. I’ve never known the difference when people talk about full range speakers, or why I’d need big speakers up front compared bookshelf speakers. Audio nerds rarely explain things to us noobs 😅
I have many speakers as it’s been my hobby for well over 20 years . I have several sets where I have both the tower and bookshelf speakers of the same series ( from multichannel sets ups) and in my experience in every case the towers sound richer , fuller and have better room filling ability. I only use bookshelf versions as surrounds or as mains in my bathroom lol. When I shop for 2 channel system speakers I don’t even consider bookshelves.......
I builded a custom 120w bookshelf speakers for my pc setup And have to say it is perfect for that job If I build a living room setup in near future I would buy a floorstand speakers
First of all: A very nice presentation, without disturbing background music. Second: I share the opinion that floorstanding is easier to implement if you need seperate stands for your bookshelf speakers. An advantage of bookshelf-subwoofer combination is the tuning possibility to the acoustics of the room. Most people have acoustically very bad listening rooms with many reflections and standing waves. In general the importance of room acoustics is overlooked, but of great importance for listening pleasure.
If you somehow have the options to have decent tower speakers and a decent sub (or two), go for it! Add a smashing class a or a/b amp and you're golden. I always hear people say, bigger speakers is more decibels, however I have found that the better my sound system got, the less volume I use because the sound is just that much more pleasing.
The best speakers I've ever heard were in a recording studio. He used large bookshelf speakers but I noticed he also had 2-15" woofers, all mounted on the wall pointing down towards your ears. The best surround sound I've ever heard outside of a movie theater was in either Sears or J.C. Penny in the early 90s when Dolby Prologic was the gold standard. It was a 6.1 setup w/ I believe Bose bookshelf surround speakers in the front, a 10" or 12" sub-woofer, a center channel, 2 surrounds in the back (left/right) and one directly behind my head - the 3 rear speakers all mounted to the ceiling. They played back a Star Wars scene and it literally sounded like I was in a movie theater rather than a department store. In a home setting, I've never heard speakers better than the old school floor standing ones w/ at least 10" woofers. Back in the day there even people w/ doubled 12" woofers in a 4-way system. The quality was superb and unmatched even by today's standards. Nowadays though, the trend is towards "smaller is better" due to aesthetics. My problem is lack of money to buy proper high-end bookshelf speakers. But I'd still insist that if power and quality is what you want, 3-way or even 4-way speakers w/ 10" woofers is the way to go if you have the cash and space.
I have tried bookshelf speakers, but I came to the conclusion that they are definitely not for me, they lack bass and I don't like to add subwoofer, it simply doesn't go or look well, also I think there's a latency in the sound between the woofer and the soeakers, my pair of speakers are Klipsch KLF -20 they have 2 10' inches woofers each a horn for the mids and a horn for the highs, they sound !! AMAZING!!
For me, after having tried both, I prefer floorstanders. Bookshelfs on stands take up the same footprint and I prefer the weightier sound of the bigger speakers. Also Floorstanding speakers typically have higher efficiency, which matters to me as I enjoy class A amps. Plus I just don't have room to add a sub.
Its not just you've gotten older and wiser, but bookshelf speakers originally thought of as compromise speakers, are now taken seriously by manufactures and have move up significantly in quality and features over the last couple of decades.
My sound system consists of 6 SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers (2 for the mains, 2 for the side channels, and 2 for the rears), an SVS Ultra Center speaker, 4 SVS Prime Elevation speakers ceiling mounted for Dolby Atmos and 2 SVS SB-3000 Subwoofers. The system is powered by a Yamaha Aventage RX-A8A 11 channel AVR with an AC Infinity AIRCOM T9 keeping it cool, and all are connected to a Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner.
I’d say, it all depends on priorities, if it’s decoration and the look makes smaller size important, bookshelf speakers are the winners, if it’s fuller, richer and bolder sound, tower speakers are the winners.
I bought a pair of Optimus STS 100s back in the 1990s. My dudes are still doing their thing. My Optimus Pro SW was bought in the 1990s also. He's still handling his business like a boss.
If you place those bookshelf speakers on stands they will take up just about as much room as the tower speakers you have in the shot. I've used both and I prefer tower speakers but that is just my opinion.
yeah that is my thought too, if you place them on the stand then go for tower, if you place them on shelves and cabinets then bookshelf makes more sense. I dont like the idea of book shelf on stands .. until unless they are surround ..
The stands are about 29". I made them out of oak and poured concrete, so they are very heavy. It was a really fun project. If I can get my B&O turntable working again, they do fit in that design aesthetic.
I personally prefer my bass to come from a tower.. I have never been fooled honestly, an SVS got close but in my opinion, nothing sounds as good as a full range speaker
I think another point of floor v bookshelf is the crossover stage of the speaker. With a floor speaker, the crossover has been designed by the engineers to be fluid and smooth between the bass driver/s and the mid-range. With a Sub/Satellite system, it's not only up to the user to place the sub-woofer appropriately in the room, but you also have to be a bit of an audio engineer in picking both a sub that will match your bookshelf speakers and adjust it's crossover frequency to match as well; it becomes easy to Frankenstein a sub/satellite system, leaving a consumer disappointed they didn't get that great sound their buddy has, however for the more engineering inclined this extra work may be preferable as mentioned. It's just reinforcing your comment that the towers are often simpler, unbox them and you're good. I noticed another comment that I'd +1 on in that the stands are not the only addition to the cost, but the sub too. While Towers tend to be more full range, and often don't require a sub, bookshelves (in most cases) do require a purchase of sub as well, so speakers/stands/sub could easily put you in a higher price point for equivalent sound stage. For my part I'm still in the Floor standing camp. I trust the engineers to have a better handle on the crossover of the speaker they designed than I do. I've found more often subs of high quality and response can cost as much as a pair of speakers, so what most people have are muddy and colored. Cheers
Front towers and rear bookshelves :) Edit: I have two RP-8000fs as my fronts and two RP-600Ms as my rears. They sounds great. Idk if it’s overkill to spend this much on rears - audiophiles may say you only need a smaller satélite speaker because rears are for ambient sounds - but I enjoy them and I have the shelf space to spare at the back of my living room. Air-strikes and missed incoming shots (Warzone) sound amazing as the audio goes from front to back or vice versa. Plus, my gf thought somone was actually at the door when we heard a knock in the fred Hampton film we watched. Best of all I can set my receiver to party mode or music and my place sounds pretty well balanced with the 600M bookshelves as rears.
I stumbled across your video today after spending two hours in a hi-fi store having exactly this discussion. I am in the process of assembling a set-up for a smaller room and with space being a major consideration, I am having to think quite differently. My main system is very easy to listen to and in a large-ish room with tower speakers and accordingly, my first thought was that bookshelf speakers would save me space... if, in the end, I need to mount them on stands (and perhaps add a sub-woofer), there will be no space saving at all. Hoping to avoid placing the speakers on a bookshelf, I have gone back and forth looking for the best solution. I have come down to either purchasing smaller speakers (which will likely require a sub-woofer) and placing them on a bookshelf, or buying smaller towers. The struggle is real.
I've given up on bookshelf speakers for my particular space and the kind of music I listen to. I've gotten such better results from a pair of those cheap Pioneer Andrew Jones towers elevated on some short (rice filled) steel bases. Compared to any bookshelf speaker I've tried (a couple of ELACs, some 5-6 year old Dynaudios, Monitor Silver, vintage Cantons) the Pioneers just sound so much fuller and more musical (to the point where it's actually frustrating, because I've spent all this money trying to "upgrade"). Room size/shape and musical preferences, I would imagine, are 90% of this choice. Somebody else with a different living situation and different tastes in music would likely feel very differently about it.
Last week I received my SVS Ultra surround sound system (bookshelf) with a SVS SB-3000 sub. This is the perfect setup for my small living room. The sound surpasses the McIntosh system I had back in the 70's. Thank you for an excellent presentation, you have a great channel!
Good video. I respectfully submit, however, that there are additional caveats that should be considered when choosing between bookshelf speaker sand tower speakers that have sufficient bass so that a subwoofer is not needed. Getting good bass with a bookshelf speaker typically requires at least one subwoofer, as noted in the video, but the results are sub-optimal without proper time/phase alignment between the bookshelf speakers and the subwoofer. The bass is far from clean in most systems using bookshelf speakers with a subwoofer This is due to time delay (phasing) issues between the bookshelfs and the subwoofer, which muddies up the bass response. Use of ports in bookshelf speakers make this even worse. But, these issues can be addressed. First, what is needed is a subwoofer with variable time delay/phase (not just a switch between 0 deg. and 180 deg.), or an active crossover or DSP with adjustable time delay. Also needed is a way to determine when the optimal time delay is achieved while it is adjusted. I use the Room EQ Wizard (REW) software and a USB microphone for this. REW can be downloaded and used free of charge (I did make a donation to REW, which I encourage others to do). Second, I have found the bass to be much tighter when I completely plug-up the ports of the bookshelf speakers. This reduces the non-linearity of the bookshelf speakers' phase response in the bass region, thus reducing interference between the bookshelfs and the subwoofer due to phase differences. It does mean that you need a higher crossover frequency than if the ports were left unplugged (e.g., 100 Hz instead of 50 or 60 Hz), but in my experience this does not have any negative effects in sound staging, and indeed has several benefits, including the following: (1) Reduced harmonic distortion - a subwoofer's harmonic distortion below 100 Hz usually is much lower than that of bookshelf speakers. (2) The woofers in the bookshelf speakers are not being driven as hard, which increases power handling capabilities. (3) The excursion of the bookshelf speaker woofers is lower, reducing Doppler shift of higher frequencies produced by the same woofers (though I have not read any studies indicating whether this is audible).
Great video, Andrew! Man, you’re just on fire. Your format, your balance of reviews vs other topics is excellent, you’re consistency in posting and the production, cinematography and graphics are just fantastic. You’re doing a great job, man. Keep this up and sky’s the limit.
Love this! The Devialet Phantom is great disruptor. Book shelf size but big HUGE floor standing presence, fullness and volume. Only caveat, they really require room treatments due to their insane bass range.
I have both.one pair B&O Beovox CX 100,and a pair of Sansui SP 5500X,both sound great. Also FYI I have cut a yoga mat into smaller mats and placed them under my B&O's it helps with vibration into the shelf,or if you have a wooden counter.
I own both Focal Chora 806 bookshelf and Chora 826 floor standing speakers….the Tower speakers definitely without a doubt in my case, fill the room more with sound than the bookshelf, and I don’t mean bass, I mean with musical notes. Bookshelf’s don’t even come close. My personal experience.
@@nissimtrifonov5314 I asked the wrong question. What I wanted to know is which do they recommend - 806, or 826? Since they have both. Is it better to get 806 and a sub for the price difference, or just get 826?
I just recently found my loudspeaker for me. I chose floor standing. Mainly for the simplicity and convenience. Having to run multiple powered subs require more things to be plugged in. Which could end up adding extra noise to your noise floor. My floor standing speakers are the KLH Kendall. I'm just blown away by the scale of sound that you get for the money. The way they do bass is amazing. I highly recommend them to anyone who can find them in stock.
Before my first son was born, I was going to invest in bookshelf speakers and sub thinking their location off the ground and behind the couch would stop him from destroying them. Ended up going with a sound bar. So happy with this decision.
Yeah my one yearold put his fist through a bass driver. Still unrepaired, 22 years on. Sealed unit, no idea how to get into the cab. Sitting in my garage, comes out for the occasional party to thrash
One advantage of book shelves is when buying on the used market you save alot on shopping. Where I am basicly every thing used I buy needs to be shipped so floorstanding is basicly a no
I have a nice pair of REL subs and to me, a pair of bookshelves is much better than an equivalent pair of columns because bookshelves are cheaper more versatile and the subsonics they lack are more than covered by the RELs. So... bookshelves all the way!! (I will break that rule in the near future with a pair of Mangnepans LRS... but just because they are not available as bookshelves haha).
I really like stand mount (bookshelf) speakers. Easier to move around and change out for variety if you're into that. A good sub will dig deeper than any tower anyways, and personally I don't usually use a sub anyways.
Due to receiving my 1st noise complaint in my Coop I now chose the Klipsch R-51m's 🤣. I had the Klipsch Towers & forgot how sound travels in wooden floors in a 100 yr old apartment building that is until I recieved that letter. My bookshelves have more cohesion too.
@@rumporridge1 I have 8 of them surrounding me with my dual subs. I finally got my dolby atmos setting to sound great. By putting in 2 surround backs. I thought it would be too much with 2 above 2 behind & 2 sides but it sounds great
@@o.c.g.m9426 haven’t hooked up the backs yet. Moving down south in 2 years. Then will have more room to flex 💪🏽 out a complete Dolby system. NY apartments suck. An arm and a leg for a few square feet. SMH.
I think the key factors are: Room size, music genres preferred and listening experience you enjoy. If you love the 3d imaging/singer there in the room experience, high quality monitors are the way. Some of them truly 'disappear' and become boxless. If you love big symphonic or rock, you will probably be happier with towers in the long run. But speaker quality is the key. Save up a bit longer or buy used, but get something solid and well-reviewed.
Because of space considerations (small room), I went with Klipsch bookshelf speakers like those in your video. I added a subwoofer, center and surrounds (all Klipsch) to create a 5.1 setup, they sound really good to my uneducated ears. A sub is definitively needed with bookshelf speakers, it makes a real difference in the "richness" of the sound.
That very much depends on the capabilities of the speakers. I currently have (large) bookshelf speakers by German manufacturer Nubert. They have the same amount of low end punch as the Klipsch RP280f I've had before them.
Active Bookshelfs / Monitors all the time + external Sub. When i want bigger Speaker i would choose something like a Neumann KH420 or ATC SCM45. Would never spend any money on Floorstanders (again) after all - never heard 100% good ones and my room is small enough so i dont need them. And my experiences are, that you dont need floorstanders to get big and voluminous sound. A active compact one can! sound way better controlled than a big Floorstander. But as always, the speaker concept overall, room acoustic & the placement makes the music, but there are also so many factors
i dont have the best setup as of now but im rocking the klipsch kmc 3 and it has worked wonders compared to any other speaker i have used in years but quite the pay wall
A good piece, but could have covered more information in 14 minutes. For example, if bookshelf speakers are put on stands, they end up taking roughly the same space as floor standing speakers. Further, if your listening room is smaller, packed with plants, sofas, and other furniture, you might not have a space for a subwoofer or you might have only one position where you can place subwoofer. In that case you do not get the benefit of choosing a sub position for better bass response and bookshelf + sub configuration can eat up more space than a pair of larger floor standing speakers.
Cyburg Needle, Cyburg Stick, CC46 Lancetta, Zigmahornet, all compact enough to not take up too much room, and yet they are floorstanding. Works great. Then therre is the Metronome, my current rear speakers, bit bigger but not obscene. Also Instead of bass being stuck with a bass port behind it can also get extremely boomy, not desired either. And then there is the part where monitor speakers are not like normal speakers and do not need to be bookshelf models, or if they are, those are some large bookshelves. A nice compact but great sub is the dipole (I think "Ripole subwoofer" should get you results). Not the easiest build though I would say.
Floor standing. If one is going to put bookself speakers on a stand, they why not a floorstanding that has broader frequency range. I use a transmission line TMM floorstanding (built from plans) that the sub I use it just to give a little more punch at low freq's for home theater use. Other wise, for two channel audio the sub isn't needed.
Just bought a pair of KEF Q350s to pair with a marantz NM1510, i tell you what, for a small speaker, the power, clarity, trueness of sound and bass these things put out is rediculous. Id never owned high end audio before. These are far better than my previous $500 (aud) towers that i had before. Agreed on the stands 100% it was something i didn't even think of until i bought the speakers. Oooft was that a lesson!
Hi, I want to set up another room for multi-channel home theater and the speakers I'm considering are the KEF R series either in a bookshelf or floor stander. I may match KEF's with a Marantz or a Denon receiver, and the room size is 15 ft. long x 10 ft width. x 8ft High. I think it would fill the the room with great sound.
Another advantage of buying a pair of floorstanders is that it si more difficult for kids or a big dog to trow them on the floor. Also, from my experience, most subwoofers produce an one bass note without pitch or definition compared to floorstanding models of moderate quality.
Good subject. Unless one needs high sensitivity, a floorstander wont take up more space. A slim compact sealed floorstander is my choice, as long as drivers integrate well
@@hilde45 I have multiples in my home theatre system, but only one in my 2 channel music system because you just need to cover the listening position and I'm the only one who sits there.
Thank you Andrew. Your channel is very neatly structured and produced. And really helpful tips. After your videos, i messed around with my placement of my tower speakers, played with crossover on my amp for each channel, changed my center channel and replaced those nasty full range drivers. it made a world of difference in terms of experience to me , with just some adjustments and a budget replacement of center channel. Already subbed. Wish this channel tremendous subs in the future.
For me this topic goes even further. Sound is divided in 4 different categories. Highs, mids, low mids and bass. You could even add a fifth and that's called sub bass, but thats not so important for music listening since most songs don't have tones below 30hz. In my opinion having a 4 way system is the best way to go. Every part of the music has its own driver. So for me the best setup would be a 3 way tower or bookshelf with a sub. That makes a 4 way system. You have to do some research and have the proper equipment to do so though. You could look at the graphs of your particular speaker and see where the bass does roll off, then cut it off a little bit higher then that and ad a sub and cut that a little bit lower. Since crossovering works in a slope and doesn't directly cut it of from that frequency, those missing db's should ad up and balance each other out. Relieving your mid drivers from playing bass frequencies relieves them from a lot of stress since bass frequencies are the most difficult to produce. This wil also work if you have a 2 way speaker system and want to add a sub, but this option to do so has to be build in your amp, or do have to buy a dsp (digital sound processor). You might have to crossover higher with a 2 way system though. Maybe a fun and useful fact: below 120Hz on most tracks all music is mono, so for me a speaker that has it's bass roll off point above 120Hz is an absolute nono. Do always have in mind even after what I say that there are always exceptions in this hobby. With this comment I don't want to say that everything that I said is true for every situation, and preferences may vary. For example some people prefer a speaker that has one full range driver or a coaxial 2 way so that al sound is coming from one specific point, but in most situations they compensate with that for bass performance. I hope with this comment to inspire people to do more research on the technical side of audio. I'm coming from the prof audio world, but started with hifi and will always be in hifi. So if you have questions just ask, and always remember....! You are always one google search away from knowing more xD
Can i just ask a quick question? Just want a simple answer here in everyday terms if that is okay. I' building a 5.2.2 home theatre designed purely for movies. I don't plan on listening to any music in there. Would you go for two tower speakers with the two subwoofers, or two bookshelf speakers with the two subwoofers? Oh, and don't worry about the argument about bookshelf speakers being better value. Consider a like-for-like bookshelf and tower speaker (both in the same performance range, relatively speaking of course). Thanks in advance!
Choose whichever one has the most extension and dispersion characteristics you want, that plays loud enough. In some cases it might be a bass light 15" woofer floorstander. In other cases it may be the Devialet Phantom Reactor with 4" woofers that actually does bass.
I would add one other advantage for tower speakers. In my experience it's much easier to blend in a subwoofer with towers than bookshelves. Part of why I think this has been the case is that you can lower the frequency the sub takes over compared to bookshelves. What this has offered me is less directionality from the subs along with quicker midbass that is offered by the towers. I could be off here, but that has been what I have found personally.
I just found it, watching it now. I am thinking about buying a set of Wharfedale Elyssian 2 speakers after having always only owned floorstanders; in our current living room the Elyssian 4 would just be overkill. (15 X 15 foot)
In my experience, if you’re a big fan of solid imaging and a great soundstage, you should definitely consider a quality bookshelf speaker. Additionally, it’s easier for the designer to build a good two way crossover versus a three or four way crossover. Many times this enables the speaker to be sonically superior.
Here is a rule that I’ve followed for a long time: Will I need stands? Yes - buy tower speakers every time (unless I got a screaming deal and already have a tall enough pair of stands) Will I need stands? No, these will be on a credenza, bookshelf etc - then obviously bookshelves are the way to go I have never found a justification for bookshelf speakers unless they are monitors. The price with a decent stand gets close to floorstanders, the sound quality will be better on the towers if you’re far enough away, and they will look better because they do not require a stand
Loving my Q Acoustic 3050i floor standers ..... but to be honest I’ve had epic book shelf speakers In the past.... for me it’s all a matter of opinion and practicality . Great topic point .
There seems to be a very casual view about adding subwoofers. From my experience there are significant differences in the match of subwoofers and you have to spend a significant amount of time selecting (and positioning - yes! ). a subwoofer that "works" with your bookshelf speakers
I do not quite get why you would buy bookshelf speakers, then get stands that take up the same or more floor space as a tower (ex. Q Acoustics) and then still need a subwoofer to get the same amount of bass as the tower? Now I have had and have both, and use book shelves then and now in spaces where towers just would not work, but given the space, I would always tend more to towers. Thoughts?
@@gentilomulmisogin7034 No criticism intended. Towers do not guarantee the deepest bass, just generally speaking they should be better than bookshelves. (I said generally, folks, lol). IMO a good tower also looks better than equivalent bookshelf speakers on stands. That said, available space and what the SO allows are usually the two most constraining limitations many audiophiles have to deal with. I really have to laugh when I see speaker placement requirements where the back of the speaker needs to be 1.5 to 2 feet away from the wall.
@@richgrao indeed speaker designers should start thinking that not all of us live in big mansions etc. In Europe most appartments are pretty small 😅 and to put some speakers 2 feet away from the wall is mission imposible
This ! Ppl buy bookshelf speakers then put them in stands touting a lack of space for a floor stander? Makes zero sense. Had both, not entry level either and floor standers win hands down.
@@gdubyadubya8961 I guess bookshelf speakers with a sub might give a better result to a bass head than many towers. Towers still don’t always go as low as a sub, but the towers I have (Dynaudio Focus 360’s, and old Shahinian Arc’s) are fine for me. The bookshelves I have needed a sub.
You are probably the best video blogger in the audio area 👍. With a voice like that, you could successfully be a news presenter on CNN or other TV channels) 🙂
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
*QOTD: Which type of speaker do you prefer, bookshelf or floorstanding, and why?*
*NEED MORE INFO? ✔︎ THE ⬆︎DESCRIPTION⬆︎*
★ *Love our outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end*
★ *COMMENT RULES:*
- No outside URLs, RUclips links or email addresses
- Keep it civil. It’s okay to disagree, just don’t be a jerk about it.
Floor-standing loudspeakers look cooler!
Bigger speakers feel like where I want to go decor aesthetic wise. I prefer a minimalist look and abhor flat surfaces. I don’t necessarily want emptiness and floor standers full space.
Floorstanding, because there is no need to worry about having to add a subwoofer and then tune it to the Bookshelf and all that. Plug and play!
When i was younger it was all about floorstanding speakers.When i got older i downsized, as i wasn't playing music near as loud. It became more about quality sound, and a small footprint/space they take up. Today i lean towards front ported bookshelf speakers. If i see any front ported speakers, i seem to get that excited feeling of my Cerwin Vega Earthquake stacks from my youth. Kinda rattled the neighbors windows on the weekends in the 80's. This was well done. TY both.
I have a 2.2 bookshelf setup and prefer them to towers. Floor-standers are a pain in the ass. Here are my reasons.
FYI, I use two EVE SC208 studio monitors with a pair of Martin Logan 12” subwoofers. In-room, these are flat to 20Hz.
1. Most towers aren’t full range anyways so you’ll need sub(s). To get something close to full-range sound, you need anechoic measurements with a -3dB point below 30Hz so in-room, you’re almost flat to 20Hz. Most floor-standers won’t give you that so you’ll need a sub anyways. Even large floorstanders have drivers no bigger than 8”. My monitors have a 36Hz -3dB point, which competes against most towers.
2. The best location for bass is most often not the location where the speaker is so it’s risky relying on floor standers for all of your bass. In fact, positioning limitations may make the additional low-end grunt of a floorstander a liability. Therefore, whether you use floorstanders or not, you need subwoofers to get coherent full-range audio in your room. And if you use a filter to cut out your floorstander's low end, what was the point to begin with? If you’re someone who tends to move occasionally for work or whatnot and your room isn’t a constant, bookshelves are way easier to deal with in that they integrate sonically well into many rooms- especially in small rooms. Integrating subs into a small-ish room is a bit of a challenge but very doable. Integrating a pair of towers that are near full-range into a room is a genuine pain and often cannot be done properly. I’d wager in most rooms, you could work with my system. But a pair of SVS Ultra towers? Best of luck.
3. If you buy and sell gear, keeping boxes for floorstanders and shipping them is a pain in the ass. It’s local pickup only and even then, it’s a pain. With bookshelves, you can more easily keep the boxes and ship them out.
4. If you’re buying subs anyways, bookshelves are cheaper. Best to just get whatever bookshelves you like that are flat to ~60Hz or below and let the subs take care of the sub-bass.
5. Good stands aren’t that expensive. Beyond ~$200 ($150 used), you’re largely paying for looks.
I personally prefer floor standing, but a lot of that is visual. I don’t want to put my speakers in a cabinet or behind a door. Likewise, I don’t hide my components. That may not be as clean a look, but seeing my stuff is important to me. I like the lights, the dancing VU meters, etc. It’s kind of the same reason I prefer vinyl. I want to hold it in my hand and see the visual artwork of the album jacket. There’s simply something I enjoy about frankly the extra effort it takes. Just me. Everyone’s mileage varies.
You lost me at vinyl :)
@@Ineedtotakeabreak And I totally get that. Music, format, and equipment are not one size fits all. Everyone should listen in the way that gives them the most enjoyment. The hifi world has more than its share of pretentious blowhards, and I try not be one of them.
Your production is smooth and relaxing... reminds me of a segment on NPR or something!
Thanks!
Yes it’s like a mate taking about stuff you want to know.
Totally agree with this. Very knowledgeable and helpful to a rookie audio enthusiast like myself.
@@bradhuskers I totally agree with you 100%! I don't listen to them much (besides artists / musicians spotlight segments) but I have to admit their production is good.
Their agendas, on the other hand, are very evident.
@@bradhuskers dude if npr is government Controlled... The government was in right wing hands the last 4 years. Either they were left wing during this time or government Controlled. They could not have been both...
Bookshelf speakers: appear cheaper but when factoring in cost of stands may be as or more expensive than tower speakers. However, they allow you to separate the bass output with a dedicated subwoofer which may be optimal for your space.
Tower speakers are typically more power as they are larger and offer the convenience of an all-in-one solution. However, this reduces flexibility of moving the bass around the room.
There. That's all the content of this 15 min video in a few sentences. Sorry but this felt reeaallly stretched out for more view time.
Thanks goat 🙏
Nice video!
I actually still prefer tower speakers even in smaller rooms. As long as you don't blast them you do not have to worry about distortion. There are immediate benefits. 1. You don't have to worry about stands. 2. Speaker placement becomes more limited and that's a good thing because it covers more surface area. 3. You can listen at lower volumes without worrying about sound performance loss. There's more but those are my top 3.
Do towers sound better than bookshelves at low volumes?
@@sashanapalme In my experience, they do. Room acoustics (slap echo)are even more important otherwise you'll get a poor performance no matter what type you use.
a recovering audiophile? looks like you've relapsed my guy.
Lol
Haven’t we all …
Havent we all my guy…
Bigger speaker doesn't always mean better sound. A good rule of thumb is:
Big space + big speaker = big smiles
Small space + bookshelf speaker = big smile
Big space + small speaker = back to speaker shopping
* speakers having horn-loaded compression drivers for tweeters (and/or mids) are effected much less by room size/reflections/beaming/cancellations, compared to speakers with dome tweeters.
Personally, I'll never buy another retail loudspeaker again. DIY speakers built from proven designs gets you WAYYY more for your money. What can be built for $750/pair CANNOT be matched by a retail speaker costing double or triple (as performance goes). I know that's not practical for everyone, but that's my $.02
My polk signature S20's 6 1/2" driver polk hts12 sub does great in a 950 SQ FT basement !!
What can be built for that kind of money?
We were living in an apartment with low budget so I got a 7.1 Onkyo "all in one" system. Fast forward to a few years ago, we finally bought our own house and used the same system. It was a bit bigger room but still tight. I always wanted floor standing speakers thinking it will improve the soundstage and overall performance but sacrifice precious space. Before I could pull the trigger on new speakers, I decided to play with the placement of the speakers and realized how low they were on the ground. After repositioning the three front speakers, wow, what a difference! and I didn't even sacrifice space. as much as I think floor standing speakers look, it is just impractical in our situation. I can't believe that positioning can greatly impact performance, no need to spend more money. Maybe better bookshelf speakers and amp in the future but everybody that comes to our home ALWAYS praises our home theater and turntable. I'm always thinking, it's a cheap system and we invested the money instead over the years but wow, I still smile whenever I turn on our "low end" setup.
This is the first time I’ve understood the meaning of full range in context of speakers. Yes I’m a hi-fi noob. Thank you for clearing things up for me in this video. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed video. I love bookshelves and separate subs. Current setup:
2 Kef R3 for left and right
Kef R2C for center
2 REL HT 1508 Subs
Emotiva XPA DR3 amp
Expansion when budget permits:
4 Kef in walls for surround
4 Kef on wall for height
Emotiva XPR amp to power 8 speakers
I am an older guy that has been around audio gear for a pretty long time and thus have had the pleasure of owning many pieces: Threshold, Conrad-Johnson, Forte, Classe Audio, Meridian, Wadia, Musical Concepts, Marantz, Snell, Thiel, Vandersteen, Wilson, to name a few .... I really enjoy your videos, how you express yourself in them, the information given and the calm, even tone you use ... thank you ... greetings from Texas 🤠
I find that when the subject of speakers is being discussed, the room size is not considered enough. Most normal houses rooms are 4m x 5m or slightly bigger (or smaller) ! This means that a majority of tower loudspeakers are too big . They need to be away from walls, and so they are far too close and big to the listener. I read lots of speakers reviews, and the suggested room size is very rarely mentioned.
I recently swapped my 20 year old floor standers for a pair of Dali Menuet SE bookshelf speakers, and my, how they have not only changed the look of our interior, but more important, the sound! Admittedly, we have a small sitting area, but the sound of these small speakers is really excellent, good bass, mediums and highs. Happy to mention they flawlessly passed the Tidal playlist you shared some time ago :) Thanks for your very informative videos, you both!
😊😊😊
I’d argue the term “monitor” in this sense refers to a speaker that’s designed to be as flat as possible for music production. Great video Andrew!
I owned a set of Camber book shelf speakers for years, had a wonderful cross over in it and served me well. Over the years I changed it up a bit and bought Mission m71i's which are floor standing. Twin 6 inch and a horn. They are very narrow and really deep with a back hole on em. After 10 years I am still enjoying them, be it listening to music or watching movies. Great video and keep em coming
Two main factors (soundwise) distinguish the bookshelf speaker from the tower speaker:
1. Bass response
2. Maximum acoustic output
Bass response - Bookshelves rarely go much below 50Hz while towers can get down in the 30-40Hz region without an internal subwoofer. Given that the low E string of the 4 string bass is 41Hz, for music a sub is really needed for a bookshelf especially in a larger room with less room gain than a small room. Also an advantage of using external sub(s) is that the bass can be optimized with different placements of the sub(s).
Maximum acoustic output - Given that the towers generally use more drivers and they are generally more efficient than bookshelves, towers can play louder and/or produce less distortion than bookshelves.
All decent points.
The reason why I'm looking at this video is exactly for what you are saying at the end. I always had big floorstanding loudspeakers. Now I'm looking at this video to see if I might miss something if I'm downscaling for bookshelves. Thanks for the video, it's all clear now
ALERT: Do NOT play a drinking game where you take a shot every time he says “bookshelf loudspeaker.”
What about when he says "let's face it"
Nice nod to John Darko, Andrew!
It's a big deal. Very happy for him and his team.
Probably missed by too many. Nicely done.
Ah, I love this video. I’ve never known the difference when people talk about full range speakers, or why I’d need big speakers up front compared bookshelf speakers. Audio nerds rarely explain things to us noobs 😅
I have many speakers as it’s been my hobby for well over 20 years . I have several sets where I have both the tower and bookshelf speakers of the same series ( from multichannel sets ups) and in my experience in every case the towers sound richer , fuller and have better room filling ability. I only use bookshelf versions as surrounds or as mains in my bathroom lol. When I shop for 2 channel system speakers I don’t even consider bookshelves.......
I builded a custom 120w bookshelf speakers for my pc setup
And have to say it is perfect for that job
If I build a living room setup in near future I would buy a floorstand speakers
First of all: A very nice presentation, without disturbing background music.
Second: I share the opinion that floorstanding is easier to implement if you need seperate stands for your bookshelf speakers. An advantage of bookshelf-subwoofer combination is the tuning possibility to the acoustics of the room. Most people have acoustically very bad listening rooms with many reflections and standing waves. In general the importance of room acoustics is overlooked, but of great importance for listening pleasure.
If you somehow have the options to have decent tower speakers and a decent sub (or two), go for it! Add a smashing class a or a/b amp and you're golden. I always hear people say, bigger speakers is more decibels, however I have found that the better my sound system got, the less volume I use because the sound is just that much more pleasing.
The best speakers I've ever heard were in a recording studio. He used large bookshelf speakers but I noticed he also had 2-15" woofers, all mounted on the wall pointing down towards your ears. The best surround sound I've ever heard outside of a movie theater was in either Sears or J.C. Penny in the early 90s when Dolby Prologic was the gold standard. It was a 6.1 setup w/ I believe Bose bookshelf surround speakers in the front, a 10" or 12" sub-woofer, a center channel, 2 surrounds in the back (left/right) and one directly behind my head - the 3 rear speakers all mounted to the ceiling. They played back a Star Wars scene and it literally sounded like I was in a movie theater rather than a department store.
In a home setting, I've never heard speakers better than the old school floor standing ones w/ at least 10" woofers. Back in the day there even people w/ doubled 12" woofers in a 4-way system. The quality was superb and unmatched even by today's standards. Nowadays though, the trend is towards "smaller is better" due to aesthetics. My problem is lack of money to buy proper high-end bookshelf speakers. But I'd still insist that if power and quality is what you want, 3-way or even 4-way speakers w/ 10" woofers is the way to go if you have the cash and space.
I have tried bookshelf speakers, but I came to the conclusion that they are definitely not for me, they lack bass and I don't like to add subwoofer, it simply doesn't go or look well, also I think there's a latency in the sound between the woofer and the soeakers, my pair of speakers are Klipsch KLF -20 they have 2 10' inches woofers each a horn for the mids and a horn for the highs, they sound !! AMAZING!!
For me, after having tried both, I prefer floorstanders. Bookshelfs on stands take up the same footprint and I prefer the weightier sound of the bigger speakers. Also Floorstanding speakers typically have higher efficiency, which matters to me as I enjoy class A amps. Plus I just don't have room to add a sub.
Its not just you've gotten older and wiser, but bookshelf speakers originally thought of as compromise speakers, are now taken seriously by manufactures and have move up significantly in quality and features over the last couple of decades.
They are better in my opinion less large and gives a great sound if you buy the right ones
large bookshelf speaker + a sub any day...using Klipsch RP600M & SVS SB16 Ultra. Hits right on spot !
Great pairing if you ask me!
My sound system consists of 6 SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers (2 for the mains, 2 for the side channels, and 2 for the rears), an SVS Ultra Center speaker, 4 SVS Prime Elevation speakers ceiling mounted for Dolby Atmos and 2 SVS SB-3000 Subwoofers. The system is powered by a Yamaha Aventage RX-A8A 11 channel AVR with an AC Infinity AIRCOM T9 keeping it cool, and all are connected to a Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner.
Must sound pretty incredible
The way you explain things is very precise and relaxing. You won another follower.
Great job.
Thanks and welcome!!
Just listen to you talk is such a enjoyable thing.
10 inch Book sleeves speakers?
Just got the Buchard Audio S400 Bookself and I am loving them big time
I almost got em but I went with Harbeths instead!
GREAT!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews those Buchartds do look sexy though. Should I have gotten them instead??????
I’d say, it all depends on priorities, if it’s decoration and the look makes smaller size important, bookshelf speakers are the winners, if it’s fuller, richer and bolder sound, tower speakers are the winners.
I bought a pair of Optimus STS 100s back in the 1990s. My dudes are still doing their thing. My Optimus Pro SW was bought in the 1990s also. He's still handling his business like a boss.
That's great!
If you place those bookshelf speakers on stands they will take up just about as much room as the tower speakers you have in the shot. I've used both and I prefer tower speakers but that is just my opinion.
yeah that is my thought too, if you place them on the stand then go for tower, if you place them on shelves and cabinets then bookshelf makes more sense. I dont like the idea of book shelf on stands .. until unless they are surround ..
I definitely prefer bookshelf speakers. When I built the stands for my vintage KEF C55s the improvement was dramatic.
Those speakers look like Bang & Olufsen models from back in the day. How high did you build the stands?
The stands are about 29". I made them out of oak and poured concrete, so they are very heavy. It was a really fun project. If I can get my B&O turntable working again, they do fit in that design aesthetic.
I personally prefer my bass to come from a tower.. I have never been fooled honestly, an SVS got close but in my opinion, nothing sounds as good as a full range speaker
I think another point of floor v bookshelf is the crossover stage of the speaker. With a floor speaker, the crossover has been designed by the engineers to be fluid and smooth between the bass driver/s and the mid-range. With a Sub/Satellite system, it's not only up to the user to place the sub-woofer appropriately in the room, but you also have to be a bit of an audio engineer in picking both a sub that will match your bookshelf speakers and adjust it's crossover frequency to match as well; it becomes easy to Frankenstein a sub/satellite system, leaving a consumer disappointed they didn't get that great sound their buddy has, however for the more engineering inclined this extra work may be preferable as mentioned. It's just reinforcing your comment that the towers are often simpler, unbox them and you're good.
I noticed another comment that I'd +1 on in that the stands are not the only addition to the cost, but the sub too. While Towers tend to be more full range, and often don't require a sub, bookshelves (in most cases) do require a purchase of sub as well, so speakers/stands/sub could easily put you in a higher price point for equivalent sound stage.
For my part I'm still in the Floor standing camp. I trust the engineers to have a better handle on the crossover of the speaker they designed than I do. I've found more often subs of high quality and response can cost as much as a pair of speakers, so what most people have are muddy and colored.
Cheers
Front towers and rear bookshelves :)
Edit: I have two RP-8000fs as my fronts and two RP-600Ms as my rears. They sounds great. Idk if it’s overkill to spend this much on rears - audiophiles may say you only need a smaller satélite speaker because rears are for ambient sounds - but I enjoy them and I have the shelf space to spare at the back of my living room. Air-strikes and missed incoming shots (Warzone) sound amazing as the audio goes from front to back or vice versa. Plus, my gf thought somone was actually at the door when we heard a knock in the fred Hampton film we watched. Best of all I can set my receiver to party mode or music and my place sounds pretty well balanced with the 600M bookshelves as rears.
This is THE... best discussion about the differences between these types of loudspeakers that I've ever hear/seen! :)
It's always defend on what type of music and how you want to listen to a certain music. I have both floor standing and bookshelf speakers.
And what do you prefer more ?
I stumbled across your video today after spending two hours in a hi-fi store having exactly this discussion. I am in the process of assembling a set-up for a smaller room and with space being a major consideration, I am having to think quite differently. My main system is very easy to listen to and in a large-ish room with tower speakers and accordingly, my first thought was that bookshelf speakers would save me space... if, in the end, I need to mount them on stands (and perhaps add a sub-woofer), there will be no space saving at all. Hoping to avoid placing the speakers on a bookshelf, I have gone back and forth looking for the best solution. I have come down to either purchasing smaller speakers (which will likely require a sub-woofer) and placing them on a bookshelf, or buying smaller towers.
The struggle is real.
I've given up on bookshelf speakers for my particular space and the kind of music I listen to. I've gotten such better results from a pair of those cheap Pioneer Andrew Jones towers elevated on some short (rice filled) steel bases. Compared to any bookshelf speaker I've tried (a couple of ELACs, some 5-6 year old Dynaudios, Monitor Silver, vintage Cantons) the Pioneers just sound so much fuller and more musical (to the point where it's actually frustrating, because I've spent all this money trying to "upgrade"). Room size/shape and musical preferences, I would imagine, are 90% of this choice. Somebody else with a different living situation and different tastes in music would likely feel very differently about it.
They are great bargain and from all the positive review how can you go wrong. Unless it's not your sound liking.
My solution. Have both. Floor with sub, zone 2 with bookshelf and totally separate amp. Use av hdmi, rock with rca.
My new bookshelf speakers absolutely crush my old floor standing speakers. Plus I like how they image and "disappear" better.
if u dont mind sir may i knew what is your bookshelf speaker currently using today
@@ok5563 I just got the Harbeth 30.1s. (I know, they're stupid expensive but I've been lusting after them for years!)
@@ok5563 Calling the Harbeth 30.1s bookshelves is a bit of a misnomer, they are huge!
Hey, you get what makes you happy!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thank you! I drive myself crazy second guessing myself!
Last week I received my SVS Ultra surround sound system (bookshelf) with a SVS SB-3000 sub. This is the perfect setup for my small living room. The sound surpasses the McIntosh system I had back in the 70's. Thank you for an excellent presentation, you have a great channel!
Recovering audiophile? Stay strong man. Sorry about your daily relapses. You'll make it through this.
Have you met any habitual gamblers
Good video. I respectfully submit, however, that there are additional caveats that should be considered when choosing between bookshelf speaker sand tower speakers that have sufficient bass so that a subwoofer is not needed. Getting good bass with a bookshelf speaker typically requires at least one subwoofer, as noted in the video, but the results are sub-optimal without proper time/phase alignment between the bookshelf speakers and the subwoofer. The bass is far from clean in most systems using bookshelf speakers with a subwoofer This is due to time delay (phasing) issues between the bookshelfs and the subwoofer, which muddies up the bass response. Use of ports in bookshelf speakers make this even worse. But, these issues can be addressed.
First, what is needed is a subwoofer with variable time delay/phase (not just a switch between 0 deg. and 180 deg.), or an active crossover or DSP with adjustable time delay. Also needed is a way to determine when the optimal time delay is achieved while it is adjusted. I use the Room EQ Wizard (REW) software and a USB microphone for this. REW can be downloaded and used free of charge (I did make a donation to REW, which I encourage others to do).
Second, I have found the bass to be much tighter when I completely plug-up the ports of the bookshelf speakers. This reduces the non-linearity of the bookshelf speakers' phase response in the bass region, thus reducing interference between the bookshelfs and the subwoofer due to phase differences. It does mean that you need a higher crossover frequency than if the ports were left unplugged (e.g., 100 Hz instead of 50 or 60 Hz), but in my experience this does not have any negative effects in sound staging, and indeed has several benefits, including the following: (1) Reduced harmonic distortion - a subwoofer's harmonic distortion below 100 Hz usually is much lower than that of bookshelf speakers. (2) The woofers in the bookshelf speakers are not being driven as hard, which increases power handling capabilities. (3) The excursion of the bookshelf speaker woofers is lower, reducing Doppler shift of higher frequencies produced by the same woofers (though I have not read any studies indicating whether this is audible).
Nice writeup
Great video, Andrew! Man, you’re just on fire. Your format, your balance of reviews vs other topics is excellent, you’re consistency in posting and the production, cinematography and graphics are just fantastic. You’re doing a great job, man. Keep this up and sky’s the limit.
Thank you. It’s difficult sometimes, as not all videos come together easily or quickly. But I appreciate your comment very much.
💕
Kristi Wright It goes without saying that was a kudos to you too as well, Kristi! You guys are doing a great job!
Love this! The Devialet Phantom is great disruptor. Book shelf size but big HUGE floor standing presence, fullness and volume. Only caveat, they really require room treatments due to their insane bass range.
Damn, man, from 53K to 172k in a year - well done. Good content, nice edit and soothing voice...only.
I have both.one pair B&O Beovox CX 100,and a pair of Sansui SP 5500X,both sound great. Also FYI I have cut a yoga mat into smaller mats and placed them under my B&O's it helps with vibration into the shelf,or if you have a wooden counter.
I own both Focal Chora 806 bookshelf and Chora 826 floor standing speakers….the Tower speakers definitely without a doubt in my case, fill the room more with sound than the bookshelf, and I don’t mean bass, I mean with musical notes. Bookshelf’s don’t even come close. My personal experience.
I am thinking about getting one of those two most probably. Which one would you recommend?
@@Draxlar If your room isnt really tiny you should get the towers
@@andreasenstrom7911 I am thinking about towers, but which ones is the question. Chora 806, or 826? Becauise Luis has both.
@@Draxlar The 826 are towers, 806 are bookshelf. This is how Focal naming works. The second digit signifies the speaker configuration.
@@nissimtrifonov5314 I asked the wrong question. What I wanted to know is which do they recommend - 806, or 826? Since they have both. Is it better to get 806 and a sub for the price difference, or just get 826?
I just recently found my loudspeaker for me. I chose floor standing. Mainly for the simplicity and convenience. Having to run multiple powered subs require more things to be plugged in. Which could end up adding extra noise to your noise floor. My floor standing speakers are the KLH Kendall. I'm just blown away by the scale of sound that you get for the money. The way they do bass is amazing. I highly recommend them to anyone who can find them in stock.
If you put your bookshalf speakers on stands, then you have also space for big floorstanding loudspeakers.
Before my first son was born, I was going to invest in bookshelf speakers and sub thinking their location off the ground and behind the couch would stop him from destroying them. Ended up going with a sound bar. So happy with this decision.
Yeah my one yearold put his fist through a bass driver. Still unrepaired, 22 years on. Sealed unit, no idea how to get into the cab. Sitting in my garage, comes out for the occasional party to thrash
One advantage of book shelves is when buying on the used market you save alot on shopping. Where I am basicly every thing used I buy needs to be shipped so floorstanding is basicly a no
I don't understand how this is relivent to shipping costs?
@@kimbosplice6762 ahh my mistake i meant to reply to someone else
Apologies
Stand mount speakers plus a pair of subs are perfect choice for my small room
I have a nice pair of REL subs and to me, a pair of bookshelves is much better than an equivalent pair of columns because bookshelves are cheaper more versatile and the subsonics they lack are more than covered by the RELs. So... bookshelves all the way!! (I will break that rule in the near future with a pair of Mangnepans LRS... but just because they are not available as bookshelves haha).
What speakers are you using with the REL subs?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Rp-600M
Stumbled on your channel the other day.. I have to say your content Is awesome. Very laid back, unbiased, and entertaining to listen to. Keep it up!!!
Welcome aboard!
Towers for movies, if mostly music then Bookshelf. If doing both then Towers.
Again, placement and subs can change that.
I really like stand mount (bookshelf) speakers. Easier to move around and change out for variety if you're into that. A good sub will dig deeper than any tower anyways, and personally I don't usually use a sub anyways.
Due to receiving my 1st noise complaint in my Coop I now chose the Klipsch R-51m's 🤣. I had the Klipsch Towers & forgot how sound travels in wooden floors in a 100 yr old apartment building that is until I recieved that letter. My bookshelves have more cohesion too.
Great speakers. Works as surrounds in my apartment.
@@rumporridge1 I have 8 of them surrounding me with my dual subs. I finally got my dolby atmos setting to sound great. By putting in 2 surround backs. I thought it would be too much with 2 above 2 behind & 2 sides but it sounds great
@@o.c.g.m9426 haven’t hooked up the backs yet. Moving down south in 2 years. Then will have more room to flex 💪🏽 out a complete Dolby system. NY apartments suck. An arm and a leg for a few square feet. SMH.
I think the key factors are: Room size, music genres preferred and listening experience you enjoy. If you love the 3d imaging/singer there in the room experience, high quality monitors are the way. Some of them truly 'disappear' and become boxless. If you love big symphonic or rock, you will probably be happier with towers in the long run. But speaker quality is the key. Save up a bit longer or buy used, but get something solid and well-reviewed.
Because of space considerations (small room), I went with Klipsch bookshelf speakers like those in your video.
I added a subwoofer, center and surrounds (all Klipsch) to create a 5.1 setup, they sound really good to my uneducated ears.
A sub is definitively needed with bookshelf speakers, it makes a real difference in the "richness" of the sound.
That very much depends on the capabilities of the speakers. I currently have (large) bookshelf speakers by German manufacturer Nubert. They have the same amount of low end punch as the Klipsch RP280f I've had before them.
@@Schlock3000 Hmmm, interesting ... thanks for the info.
Active Bookshelfs / Monitors all the time + external Sub. When i want bigger Speaker i would choose something like a Neumann KH420 or ATC SCM45. Would never spend any money on Floorstanders (again) after all - never heard 100% good ones and my room is small enough so i dont need them. And my experiences are, that you dont need floorstanders to get big and voluminous sound. A active compact one can! sound way better controlled than a big Floorstander. But as always, the speaker concept overall, room acoustic & the placement makes the music, but there are also so many factors
I believe I've watched this video for the 12th time or so, but it's the first time I noticed the subtle editing @ 7:53 - cheerio!
i dont have the best setup as of now but im rocking the klipsch kmc 3 and it has worked wonders compared to any other speaker i have used in years but quite the pay wall
A good piece, but could have covered more information in 14 minutes.
For example, if bookshelf speakers are put on stands, they end up taking roughly the same space as floor standing speakers.
Further, if your listening room is smaller, packed with plants, sofas, and other furniture, you might not have a space for a subwoofer or you might have only one position where you can place subwoofer. In that case you do not get the benefit of choosing a sub position for better bass response and bookshelf + sub configuration can eat up more space than a pair of larger floor standing speakers.
It does, however, help to keep them out or the reach (and claws) of the cats. My subwoofer faces downward also.
Cyburg Needle, Cyburg Stick, CC46 Lancetta, Zigmahornet, all compact enough to not take up too much room, and yet they are floorstanding. Works great. Then therre is the Metronome, my current rear speakers, bit bigger but not obscene. Also Instead of bass being stuck with a bass port behind it can also get extremely boomy, not desired either. And then there is the part where monitor speakers are not like normal speakers and do not need to be bookshelf models, or if they are, those are some large bookshelves.
A nice compact but great sub is the dipole (I think "Ripole subwoofer" should get you results). Not the easiest build though I would say.
Floor standing. If one is going to put bookself speakers on a stand, they why not a floorstanding that has broader frequency range. I use a transmission line TMM floorstanding (built from plans) that the sub I use it just to give a little more punch at low freq's for home theater use. Other wise, for two channel audio the sub isn't needed.
Price
Just bought a pair of KEF Q350s to pair with a marantz NM1510, i tell you what, for a small speaker, the power, clarity, trueness of sound and bass these things put out is rediculous. Id never owned high end audio before. These are far better than my previous $500 (aud) towers that i had before.
Agreed on the stands 100% it was something i didn't even think of until i bought the speakers. Oooft was that a lesson!
Hi, I want to set up another room for multi-channel home theater and the speakers I'm considering are the KEF R series either in a bookshelf or floor stander. I may match KEF's with a Marantz or a Denon receiver, and the room size is 15 ft. long x 10 ft width. x 8ft High. I think it would fill the the room with great sound.
Another advantage of buying a pair of floorstanders is that it si more difficult for kids or a big dog to trow them on the floor. Also, from my experience, most subwoofers produce an one bass note without pitch or definition compared to floorstanding models of moderate quality.
No way ,subs these days are musical, and would amaze you ,two bookshelves and two subs would sound better than a lot of floor standers
REL's are very musical Subs
@@shaundavidssd Would you care to name a few for our inlightenment?
@@yvesboutin5604 Listen to some Rythmiks
Good subject. Unless one needs high sensitivity, a floorstander wont take up more space. A slim compact sealed floorstander is my choice, as long as drivers integrate well
The best observation and most professional I have seen! I totally agree with everything you spoke about. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm a big SVS subwoofer fan so bookshelf speakers work for me for music. I just let my subs handle anything below 50 Hz.
@@hilde45 I have multiples in my home theatre system, but only one in my 2 channel music system because you just need to cover the listening position and I'm the only one who sits there.
Just found this channel, been binging. My savings account is sweating.
Thank you Andrew. Your channel is very neatly structured and produced. And really helpful tips.
After your videos, i messed around with my placement of my tower speakers, played with crossover on my amp for each channel, changed my center channel and replaced those nasty full range drivers.
it made a world of difference in terms of experience to me , with just some adjustments and a budget replacement of center channel.
Already subbed. Wish this channel tremendous subs in the future.
For me this topic goes even further. Sound is divided in 4 different categories. Highs, mids, low mids and bass. You could even add a fifth and that's called sub bass, but thats not so important for music listening since most songs don't have tones below 30hz. In my opinion having a 4 way system is the best way to go. Every part of the music has its own driver. So for me the best setup would be a 3 way tower or bookshelf with a sub. That makes a 4 way system. You have to do some research and have the proper equipment to do so though. You could look at the graphs of your particular speaker and see where the bass does roll off, then cut it off a little bit higher then that and ad a sub and cut that a little bit lower. Since crossovering works in a slope and doesn't directly cut it of from that frequency, those missing db's should ad up and balance each other out. Relieving your mid drivers from playing bass frequencies relieves them from a lot of stress since bass frequencies are the most difficult to produce. This wil also work if you have a 2 way speaker system and want to add a sub, but this option to do so has to be build in your amp, or do have to buy a dsp (digital sound processor). You might have to crossover higher with a 2 way system though. Maybe a fun and useful fact: below 120Hz on most tracks all music is mono, so for me a speaker that has it's bass roll off point above 120Hz is an absolute nono. Do always have in mind even after what I say that there are always exceptions in this hobby. With this comment I don't want to say that everything that I said is true for every situation, and preferences may vary. For example some people prefer a speaker that has one full range driver or a coaxial 2 way so that al sound is coming from one specific point, but in most situations they compensate with that for bass performance. I hope with this comment to inspire people to do more research on the technical side of audio. I'm coming from the prof audio world, but started with hifi and will always be in hifi. So if you have questions just ask, and always remember....! You are always one google search away from knowing more xD
Can i just ask a quick question? Just want a simple answer here in everyday terms if that is okay. I' building a 5.2.2 home theatre designed purely for movies. I don't plan on listening to any music in there. Would you go for two tower speakers with the two subwoofers, or two bookshelf speakers with the two subwoofers? Oh, and don't worry about the argument about bookshelf speakers being better value. Consider a like-for-like bookshelf and tower speaker (both in the same performance range, relatively speaking of course). Thanks in advance!
You have an amazing voice and delivery(not to say that the content is any less, but your delivery is very crisp)
Thank you so much! We appreciate you watching.
Lots of info given which I needed to know.
Thanking you wholeheartedly 🥰
Choose whichever one has the most extension and dispersion characteristics you want, that plays loud enough.
In some cases it might be a bass light 15" woofer floorstander.
In other cases it may be the Devialet Phantom Reactor with 4" woofers that actually does bass.
Get both! Use the bookshelf version of your towers for surround duty.
exactly what I have..It didnt cost a lot,you just need enough space..
Really appreciate your content and knowledge. My education in all things audio starts with you. Thank you.
My pleasure! Thank you for watching and have fun along the way!
I would add one other advantage for tower speakers. In my experience it's much easier to blend in a subwoofer with towers than bookshelves. Part of why I think this has been the case is that you can lower the frequency the sub takes over compared to bookshelves. What this has offered me is less directionality from the subs along with quicker midbass that is offered by the towers. I could be off here, but that has been what I have found personally.
2 replacements for displacement (coming from a car person): 1. good engineering/craftsmanship 2. forced induction
How much fuel and air can be pushed in a specific space. ...
Maybe we are on to something
Two years and counting, this content still holds true ❤️
I just found it, watching it now.
I am thinking about buying a set of Wharfedale Elyssian 2 speakers after having always only owned floorstanders; in our current living room the Elyssian 4 would just be overkill. (15 X 15 foot)
In my experience, if you’re a big fan of solid imaging and a great soundstage, you should definitely consider a quality bookshelf speaker. Additionally, it’s easier for the designer to build a good two way crossover versus a three or four way crossover. Many times this enables the speaker to be sonically superior.
Here is a rule that I’ve followed for a long time:
Will I need stands? Yes - buy tower speakers every time (unless I got a screaming deal and already have a tall enough pair of stands)
Will I need stands? No, these will be on a credenza, bookshelf etc - then obviously bookshelves are the way to go
I have never found a justification for bookshelf speakers unless they are monitors. The price with a decent stand gets close to floorstanders, the sound quality will be better on the towers if you’re far enough away, and they will look better because they do not require a stand
You need a stand with bookshelf speakers which adds a whole new level of hifi angst to the purchase. And good stands aren't cheap.
exactly,which is why it's not a fact to say bookself speakers are great just because....
Or... you know... you can just place them on bookshelves...
@@muffemod Or you can place them on top of your little brain...
Loving my Q Acoustic 3050i floor standers ..... but to be honest I’ve had epic book shelf speakers In the past.... for me it’s all a matter of opinion and practicality . Great topic point .
Can you talk about listening environment/room in terms of size, layout, perhaps even furniture and materials that could affect sound?
We're working on an episode like that. It's early in the process but it's coming.
You nailed it sir ! I never thought i could watch a video of someone speaking for so long would seem so short and informative.
Same here.
Gat a good amp first, so your floorstanders can have good drive at lower volumes.
There seems to be a very casual view about adding subwoofers. From my experience there are significant differences in the match of subwoofers and you have to spend a significant amount of time selecting (and positioning - yes! ). a subwoofer that "works" with your bookshelf speakers
that's because instead of the logical facts,the focus is on comparisons...That is not how you choose great audio..
Those Jamo speakers are very attractive.
Love your content. You’re opinions are always so helpful. ❤️Thanks
I do not quite get why you would buy bookshelf speakers, then get stands that take up the same or more floor space as a tower (ex. Q Acoustics) and then still need a subwoofer to get the same amount of bass as the tower? Now I have had and have both, and use book shelves then and now in spaces where towers just would not work, but given the space, I would always tend more to towers. Thoughts?
Damn I run tower speakers and subwoofer 😅
@@gentilomulmisogin7034
No criticism intended. Towers do not guarantee the deepest bass, just generally speaking they should be better than bookshelves. (I said generally, folks, lol). IMO a good tower also looks better than equivalent bookshelf speakers on stands. That said, available space and what the SO allows are usually the two most constraining limitations many audiophiles have to deal with. I really have to laugh when I see speaker placement requirements where the back of the speaker needs to be 1.5 to 2 feet away from the wall.
@@richgrao indeed speaker designers should start thinking that not all of us live in big mansions etc. In Europe most appartments are pretty small 😅 and to put some speakers 2 feet away from the wall is mission imposible
This ! Ppl buy bookshelf speakers then put them in stands touting a lack of space for a floor stander? Makes zero sense. Had both, not entry level either and floor standers win hands down.
@@gdubyadubya8961
I guess bookshelf speakers with a sub might give a better result to a bass head than many towers. Towers still don’t always go as low as a sub, but the towers I have (Dynaudio Focus 360’s, and old Shahinian Arc’s) are fine for me. The bookshelves I have needed a sub.
You are probably the best video blogger in the audio area 👍. With a voice like that, you could successfully be a news presenter on CNN or other TV channels) 🙂
My wife says I have a great face for radio.