Hi Everyone!
1. Will be paired with an Onkyo A-9050 in a 15x20 room, with the listening stage on the 15ft side.
That is a fair sized room by UK standards, and I'm going to assume the dimension are in FEET.
2. Must fit close to the wall
Why? And what do you mean by close to the wall? Is 1 foot close enough?
3. Gloss Black Lacquer (no wood grain allowed)
Black finish is easy, but Gloss Black is a premium finish, cost extra, and limits the number of speakers available to you.
4. 2.0 system (no subwoofer), so I need to get some low Hz out of whatever I'm getting
Deep bass, generally speaking means large speakers, which are not likely to work well against the wall or in the corners.
A decent price, you should be able to do well for that money, once you get your priorities sorted.
6. Good with both music and movies
OK.
You can have deep bass or your can have small speakers ...but...not both. Pick one or the other. Though what you mean by deep bass is relative.
Bookshelf with a Sub will give you deep bass, and a still reasonably compact size. And with an amp that does not have Electronic Bass Management, which is about 99% of all Stereo Amps, Bookshelf and Sub can still be reasonably blended. And at times when the deeper bass is inconvenient, you can simply shut the Sub off and use only the front speakers.
Floorstanding alone will generally give you good bass, not as deep as a Subwoofer, but deep enough. Depending on how you define deep.
So far, I'm looking at the Dali Zensor 3, KEF Q350, and Monitor Audio Silver 2. They're all so wildly different and none completely meet the requirements.
Thanks in advance! I know it always comes down to preference, but maybe there's something I haven't considered.
Those are all bookshelf speakers, and as bookshelf speakers go, the bass is pretty good. But it is not Floorstanding speaker deep or Subwoofer deep.
In speakers like this, the best you can hope for is bass in the 40's (40hz to 49hz). In floorstanding you can expect bass in the 30's (less than 30hz up to about 39hz).
Some speakers have good perceived bass, even though the specs don't go that low. The
Q Acoustic 3050 seems to have fantastic bass, nothing at all seems to be lacking, and an overall good sounding speaker, but the rated bass is not that low. In fact the bass is just high enough, that if one so desired, it could be made to work the a Sub using a common Stereo Amp.
One larger than average bookshelf speaker might be the
Monitor Audio Silver 2 with a single 8" (200mm) bass driver. Bass rated down to 40hz, priced at £499/pair -
Silver 2
Monitor Audio Silver 2 Black Oak Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
The
Monitor Audio Silver 1 has a 6.5" (165mm) bass driver and response rated down to 45hz, priced at £495/pair.
Silver 1
Monitor Audio Silver 1 Gloss Black Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
Both listed in Gloss Black.
40hz in a bookshelf is about the best you can hope for.
The
Onkyo A-9050 is a pretty reasonable amp with
75w/ch, Phono-In, Sub-out, Pre-Out, and Digital Inputs.
Onkyo A-9050 Black Integrated Stereo Amplifier - Onkyo - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
So, no problem there.
As to speaker positioning, if the speakers, any speakers, are too close to the wall you are going to have a problem with muddy midrange. Though bookshelf speakers need a lot less space than floorstanding speakers, they still need space.
In my case, I simply move my speakers forward so they are in-line with the front of my TV/equipment cabinet, and that gives me the space I need behind the speaker. I'm guessing if you are somewhere in the 8" to 16" range, you will be OK. Though it depends on how bass dominate the speakers is to start with; the more bass heavy it is, the most space it will need.
Steve/bluewizard
