SUCCESS! (Well, close enough for what I want in that room for my claiming success.)
My co-worker who had specific advice (see above) came over and hooked up some DIY speakers he finished last weekend. First, this is with my M&K subwoofer with the crossover at about 60hz and the volume set quite low.
His speakers are slim, comparatively deep and tall (16 x 5 x 9, maybe?), on 22" stands, conventional front port, no crossover or caps, one full range 4 inch speaker (don't know the brand, but he said the pair cost under $300). From low to medium volumes, with the speaks toed in slightly, in the sweet spot (surprisingly wide), male and female vocals in small acoustic combos or with one acoustic guitar sounded like they were right there in the room with us.
Chamber music with five or fewer instruments sounded genuinely live, in-room, too. The soundstage was not spacious, but it was precise and focused. Solo piano did not sound great, only O.K.
Depending on the music, we sometimes had to lower the subs' volume even a tad more, such as with trio combo smooth jazz, in order to make the upright bass sound not amplified as in a club, but actually just acoustic, in the listening room.
The stands are mine. He said that for sitting he preferred his stands, which I think he said are 18". He also said that if he were to it again he would maybe go with the same basic cabinet design, but with 3 inch full range speakers. His opinion was that that would sound even more "real."
Now I know what I need to do, although it will be some time before I can put it into motion. I need to build or buy some single-point/single driver, crossover-less speakers.
OGOgre/Michael
My co-worker who had specific advice (see above) came over and hooked up some DIY speakers he finished last weekend. First, this is with my M&K subwoofer with the crossover at about 60hz and the volume set quite low.
His speakers are slim, comparatively deep and tall (16 x 5 x 9, maybe?), on 22" stands, conventional front port, no crossover or caps, one full range 4 inch speaker (don't know the brand, but he said the pair cost under $300). From low to medium volumes, with the speaks toed in slightly, in the sweet spot (surprisingly wide), male and female vocals in small acoustic combos or with one acoustic guitar sounded like they were right there in the room with us.
Chamber music with five or fewer instruments sounded genuinely live, in-room, too. The soundstage was not spacious, but it was precise and focused. Solo piano did not sound great, only O.K.
Depending on the music, we sometimes had to lower the subs' volume even a tad more, such as with trio combo smooth jazz, in order to make the upright bass sound not amplified as in a club, but actually just acoustic, in the listening room.
The stands are mine. He said that for sitting he preferred his stands, which I think he said are 18". He also said that if he were to it again he would maybe go with the same basic cabinet design, but with 3 inch full range speakers. His opinion was that that would sound even more "real."
Now I know what I need to do, although it will be some time before I can put it into motion. I need to build or buy some single-point/single driver, crossover-less speakers.
OGOgre/Michael