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In Reply to: Mini monitors in a big room ? posted by Lambda on May 5, 2007 at 13:06:25:
There are a few issues but probably the biggest is bass response. Most monitors have limited bass response. Rooms do provide increased support for bass frequencies below the frequency of the lowest room mode but most monitors are already rolling off considerably by that frequency so this doesn't help them much, if at all. On the other hand there are some monitors with reasonably extended—for monitors—bass response and they will work much better. I don't know what you mean by "a big room" but I use Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SEs quite happily in a 2500 cu ft room which is permanently open to other areas of the house because of 2 archway entrances which have no doors. The 1.3 SEs have a -3 dB point of 37 Hz, better than quite a few floorstanders, and there are other monitors with similar extension. I'd look for monitors with their lower -3 dB point below 40 Hz.There is a cost to pay for the bass extension and it's sensitivity. These aren't going to be sensitive speakers so you're going to be looking at amps of at least 100 w ch, probably more, in order to drive the speakers.
Speaker placement counts. Near field or similar setups will probably produce the best results. You're close enough to the speaker to limit the drop in volume with increased listening distance and the bigger room allows you to get the speakers further away from wallls to reduce the impact of early reflections, provided of course that the room isn't being used for purposes that limit where the speakers can be placed.
As Klaus suggests, there are going to be issues if you like large scale symphonic music or other music which works best on larger speakers. You shouldn't have problems with chamber music and small group jazz and acoustic music.
With the right mix of speaker, placement, and music things can work reasonably well. With the wrong mix it won't work well at all. Like most things the end results depend on suitability and imlementation. Get things right and you could be quite happy. Get them wrong and you'll never be satisfied with the setup.
David Aiken
Follow Ups:
The LS3/5A has the same lack of bass in a big room as in a little room (give or take a hair). Then there is simply the noise problem. You can't sit 4 meters away from these speakers in a huge room. You won't hear much.You suggested the near field approach, which i also enjoy a lot. Here's another suggestion for a huge room. Set them up 6 -8 feet apart in the middle of the huge room. Now, walk around the speakers in every direction. The LS3/5A has some of the magnificient dispersion and imaging at the same time. Walking around the speakers gives a different interpretation at many different points. I really love to do this. I guess you could jog and kill two birds with one stone.
Anyway, try it. But it only works with some minis. The Stirling LS3/5A V2 is one I can vouch for, from experience. I am not so sure about the Harbeth or Spendors re-makes. The Harbeth came pretty close, but the room was too small to really tell.
They were using the LS3/5A in very small rooms, mobile studios created in trucks. That's what the LS3/5A was created for—a small room studio monitor. Those studios were probably small enough that the LS3/5A actually didn't start rolling off until just below the lowest room mode of the mobile studio so they would have been getting some bass support from cabin gain. It still would have been bass shy but nowhere near as much as in a big room.
nt
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