If you place a pair of small speakers correctly (well away from the back wall and the side walls), you can achieve an amazingly large soundstage. In that sense, they can sound "big". That actually is the case with any sized speaker, proper placement gets you a big soundstage. But, there is something about the weight, sense of ease and effortlessness that one gets with physically big speakers and drivers that is missing with most smaller speakers. If one listens at reasonable levels, small speaker certainly don't sound like they are straining in their delivery, but there is something not quite as convincing about the size of the musicians and the stage with small speakers even when the positions of the instruments are the same. If at all practical, I would take large speakers over most smaller ones.
Do Bigger Speakers Mean a Bigger Window?
I enjoy listening to small loudspeakers, in fact a lot of my listening is done via my Logitech desktop computer speakers (2 SATs + 1 small sub) or those in the car.
However ultimately there's nothing like the sense of ease of listening via a big pair of speakers such as big Harbeths, vintage JBLs or Tannoys etc.
I wouldn't say that the bigger speakers (8 inch+ cone) are more accurate, in fact the Logitech's have an uncanny way of getting voices stunningly right as
watching home movies on the PC demonstrates. It's just that the larger loudspeakers seem to reveal more of the recording quality and bandwidth. So much so that sometimes you can easily hear the limitations of the original tapes sometimes.
So, if you are after high fidelity sound, why would you buy small speakers?
However ultimately there's nothing like the sense of ease of listening via a big pair of speakers such as big Harbeths, vintage JBLs or Tannoys etc.
I wouldn't say that the bigger speakers (8 inch+ cone) are more accurate, in fact the Logitech's have an uncanny way of getting voices stunningly right as
watching home movies on the PC demonstrates. It's just that the larger loudspeakers seem to reveal more of the recording quality and bandwidth. So much so that sometimes you can easily hear the limitations of the original tapes sometimes.
So, if you are after high fidelity sound, why would you buy small speakers?