Small Floor Standers


I'm looking to create a short list of speakers for music only. The room is 15x28 with 9' ceilings and hard surfaces, except a few padded chairs and light fabric window covers. The main listening area is 15x18 and the rest of the room is my kitchen which opens up to it.

Musically, I listen to rock, jazz, and a variety classical but no hip hop or electronic to speak of. The ideal speaker will provide smooth tonal response, good dynamics and importantly freedom from stridency which the live room will only accentuate. High SPL's and subterranean bass are not required but I don't want something that gets lost in the space. The speakers must be compact - 35" or so tall and not more than 8-12" wide and deep. I prefer floor standing designs because of the room volume and as protection against a 6 year old. My budget is around $1k used, maybe a bit higher for the right choice.

A few of my early thoughts are the smaller Spendors and Quad L series as well as Totems and Dynaudio.

The source will be a Squeezebox playing lossless digital and the amp is TBA, but will be matched to the speakers which I think should be picked first.

Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.
wdrazek
I think it was just a matching thing... the Zeros couldn't go low enough/ the Sunfire couldn't go high enough.
as expatriot of chicagoland i feel your pain! glad you like your sunfire...if you are going to use it for this music system good for you! if not maybe checkout other brands, used, beforehand. those HR's are 36". maybe she could help out with design elements on end table itself. WAF is give n take. u gives, she takes;) u r right about monitors going to a solid 45 hz or so. imho one can achieve a higher sound quality with $1K used floorstanders than a $1K sub/monitor combo. many will disagree... but to match a quality sub to less expensive monitors will be a real project that may not satisfy in long run. still have old style beer up there? and a good vienna sausage!
10-08-06: Wdrazek
I think it was just a matching thing... the Zeros couldn't go low enough/ the Sunfire couldn't go high enough.
Precisely...and why I mentioned the SuperOnes as an alternative.
Yesterday was a success. The in-walls are off the plate and the on-walls she didn't go for. Trouble is, what she liked best were a $5k pair of Martin Logan's which are not an option. The good news is a floor stander and mini are about equally desirable to her.

I wish the Kestrel's were still being sold. I only heard them once locally and really liked them but that was 5 years ago. The same shop carries Proac so I'll check those out, the Spendor's once more and choose between them, the Kestrel HR's and the long shot B&W CM4's.

And yes, Old Style is in style here - especially at the ball games and nobody beats a Chicago dog. They're the best.
congrats! btw, if you can't find the hr's any longer... the K2's are still around. never heard HR personally but i believe the tweeter was upgraded on K2's. you may be able to locate a slightly used pair in your stain with a little web shopping. from 'invisible speakers' to big 'stats! just like a woman eh?;).