Best Small Speakers

This is today's "Open Mike" and it's off-topic. I didn't put either of those things in the post title this time because the title of this post is meant to be a search term. People enter things like "best small speakers" into a search engine, and if they can land here, so much the better.

I don't know if that works, but I know I don't try it enough. To paraphrase Jerry Garcia, "I'd sell out if only I knew how."

Of course I don't know if these are the "best" small speakers. I haven't even heard these.

But I do keep my ear to the ground to detect buzz, and the Elac Uni-fi UB5 is creating some. It seems to be about the kind of mini-monitor that most higher-end makers are accustomed to pricing anywhere from $1,200 to $3,000. Pricing cheap-to-make small speakers at Veblen-good levels to reassure buyers is very common in the high-end audio industry. Except...

...The Elac Uni-fi UB5 are only $499 for a pair, as long as you buy the standard cabinet and basic satin black.

These are not computer speakers, so no built-in amp and they're not shielded. And keep in mind that small speakers generally require more power, not less, so small speakers with small amps are not a match. The speaker/amp match is very much like the chassis/engine match in a car. Put a small 4-cylinder engine in a mini-SUV and it seems sluggish and lame. Put the very same engine in a tiny, light sports car like a Caterham and suddenly it seems like a snarling tiger. Same with speakers and amps—people are forever listening to one or the other with mismatched mates and opining wrongly about "how they sound." One of my favorite amps ever was a tiny 40-WPC Creek. But it sounded horrible with the first two speakers I paired it with. Only when I found some speakers with a very easy load did the amp come alive. The amp didn't image well and the bass was nothing to write hymns about, but the midrange and treble were as sweet as sex in a dream. These have 85 dB at 2.83 v/1m sensitivity and are rated a 4 ohms, so an amp rated at 70 WPC or more with decent current delivery would be appropriate. Power needs, and bass response, are related to the size of the room—these speakers would likely be best in a smaller room.

Short way of saying what I just said: don't listen to these speakers with a crappy amp and think you're hearing 'em. Try something at least as good as the NAD C 356BEE. (I love amps with defeatable tone controls, because I listen to old jazz records and some of them, er, need correction.)

While it looks like the classic "small two-way" (i.e., one tweeter, one midwoofer), the Elac Uni-fi UB5 is actually a three-way speaker. What looks like the top driver is actually two drivers arranged concentrically, a 1-inch soft dome tweeter mounted in the middle of a 4-inch aluminum midrange, added to a 5.5-inch midwoofer.

By the bye, these were not designed by an enthusiast/listener type of speaker designer. They were engineered by Andrew Jones of the UK, who has a lifetime of relevant experience—he's been designing speakers since he was 13, and has left well-made, great-sounding speakers in his wake at companies such as KEF and Infinity. He's an engineer who designs based on science, measurements, and established engineering principles rather than by trial and error and listening tests. That will be either a positive or a negative depending on your own values and/or prejudices.

You will also need speaker stands, like these. Very few "bookshelf" speakers sound good on bookshelves.

So why am I writing a post about speakers I've never heard? Because I'd love to hear them, but I can't, and the next best thing would be hearing from you if you give 'em a try.  :-)  If you buy them from Amazon you can always return them if they don't suit.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Roberto: "I like concentric speakers. I have a pair of old KEF Q1 here in my small room in France, used as proximity speakers on the side of my working table, and they have a wonderful imaging."

Bryan Geyer: "When considering small speaker systems, my experience indicates that realism, accuracy, and convenience are all better served by utilizing very compact two-way sealed box main speakers in combination with a pair (yes, two) of 10-inch sealed-box self-powered subwoofers. This course will prove more expensive than a simple pair of moderate-sized bass-reflex speakers, such as the Elac UB5, but lots more satisfying; also far easier to position in any modest listening room. Bass-reflex type speakers are often critical to place properly, and rear-ported models (e.g. Elac UB5) get especially fussy. Conversely, smaller two-way sealed-box main speakers can sit almost anywhere (on shelves, even on a mantle), and a pair of 10-inch sealed-box self-powered subs can then hide in the room corners. You can get better sound and enjoy more livable decor—and avoid using messy 'speaker stands.'

"Ideally, a setup such as I describe should then be driven through a separate electronic crossover control box, placed at the input to the main stereo power amplifier, to assure optimum complementary hi-pass and lo-pass separation of the audio signal feed. You don't want to route power-hungry low bass signals to your main mini-monitor speakers—or to the amplifier that feeds them. Marchand Electronics makes a suitable (Linkwitz-Riley aligned) 24 dB/octave control unit, XM66, that works very well."

Wolfgang Lonien: "These are good tips Michael, and Elac is indeed a very good and old and reputable German brand—see the German Wikipedia page about the company which isn't translated into English yet. Other good brands are Canton, Heco, Teufel, or Nubert. In general those German companies try to go for a linear sound (meaning: no 'sound' at all, which would be the ideal), so they are very good as monitor speakers as well.

"Don't know if those Elacs are the best—and here they cost more like €350 apiece. My brother and I have Nuberts—cheap and very very good. You can order directly from the maker (and send them back if they don't sound good in your home)."

Stephen Scharf: "I've read nothing but excellent reviews on the Elacs from many, many different reviewers, reviewers I trust and in sufficient number to take the 'noise' out of different reviews.

"I know well of Andrew Jones. He is a genius when it comes to designing loudpseakers of the same magnitude that Nelson Pass is when it comes to designing stereo electronics. I've followed his career closely, and after he left KEF (where he made significant contributions to their speaker portfolio), he went to TAD/Pioneer, and developed two absolutely amazing lines of speakers, the TAD Reference series, including the TAD CR-1 for the über-high end [$37,000/pair in 2012; the full-size version was $78,000/pair —Ed.], and the wonderfully-named Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (doesn't that just roll off the tongue?) consumer speakers that sell for a whopping $129/pair. Both are amazing for what they are, the TADs being one of the finest loudspeakers I've ever heard at any price, and the Pioneers for how incredibly good they sound for their price point. I have a pair of the Pioneers for my bedroom office system and they punch way, way, way above their price point, and I've very much enjoyed listening to them in my main Conrad-Johnson tube-based high-end living room system.

"While I agree with you that Andrew is a (brilliant) engineer who designs based on science, measurements, and established engineering principles, he also listens to his speakers deeply and thoughtfully, too. I've met Andrew at a number audio shows, and though he is an engineer by profession, he's a true music lover. I've seen him many times running a demo at an audio show standing queitly at the back of his room, smiling, his toe-tapping, and fully immersed in the experience listening to music.

"So...just get 'em, Mike."

Mike replies: Alas, not me. I have no fewer than four sets of speakers in my tiny farmhouse...two in the basement in storage and two upstairs and active. My main system is my computer setup only because I spend most of the day at the computer.

Manuel: "Small world! I had a Creek 4330 integrated amp. It sounded wonderful with a pair of B&W DM601 bookshelf speakers, but was completely out of its depth with my ProAc Tablette 50. Yet the day it sounded best was the day I sold it: the purchaser paired it with some super-sensitive Triangle loudspeakers. I can't say I regretted selling it: I regret not having heard the Creek with the Triangles before I got ambitious and bought the ProAcs."

Mike replies: Those Triangles were probably made to be used with low-powered (~35 WPC) tube amps, which would have made them ideal for the 4330.

Comments

[Tim Bradshaw]

Not being shielded must make them really hard to use for all the people who still use CRT displays. Which I'm sure is at least one person.

[Stuart Dootson]

Wish I could help you, Mike, but I'm still rocking the Tannoy 603 monitors (see http://datsunzgarage.com/tannoy/ ) I bought back in 1992. However much they've deteriorated over the years, I think my ears have deteriorated at least as much - they still sound good to me...

[Steve Higgins]

Bearing in mind that my hearing cuts out somewhere below 12KHz (age plus too many loud rock concerts - ELP, Mountain etc), they'd be wasted on me.

So I'll stick to my old Optimus STS-65s if that's OK with you; they sound acceptable to me, hanging off my Yamaha CRX-550.

[Timothy Auger]

As I get older and my ability to hear high frequencies has deteriorated, not helped by a spot of tinnitus, my pleasure in good audio equipment has diminished. To the point where I can listen to Mahler's Resurrection Symphony with a degree of appreciation on a single-box blue-tooth speaker system fed by my iPhone. How depressing is that?

Meanwhile I continue with my B&W 60something speakers, wondering if the lack of treble bite is my hearing, the inherent character of the speakers, the effects of the Singapore climate on the tweeters, or my somewhat underpowered amplifier.

At which point I start worrying about how much noise reduction to apply in Lightroom ...

Time for a gin.

[Jeff]

I don't think adding a question mark to your title would defeat your search strategy.

[psu]

My favorite small speakers are the AudioEngine powered pairs.

They sound as good as any "real" speakers I've ever heard, and you don't have to bother with an amp, which I don't own anymore.

The new ones even look pretty nice, with their wood grained finishes.

[Chris]

Ah, dual concentric speakers! I have a massive pair of Tannoy 12" dual concentrics dating back from 1971. I really love them and never have the volume control on my NAD receiver up above about 10%. I have them on Atacama stands... but they are roughly 24" by 15" by 12" and my wife hates them! I'm finally conceding that I need to find something to replace them (and the NADs)... going to have to go minimal. Heartbreaking to know that small speakers need large amps!

[Dave Elden]

Mike, you recommended the NHT M-00 small speakers here a few years back - which you did own IIRC.
On the basis of that reco I bought a pair and am enjoying them to this day. Not sure if they are still available but they were very fairly priced considering the build quality and inclusion of a 75W amp in each one (+ made in USA if that is a factor).
Worth a listen as a powered alternative, probably about the same $ if bought used as the Elac + amp.

Dave.

[aaronL]

What's this about speakers? i'm waiting on something about an XT2 someone is acquiring? I'm sure I read that somewhere...:)

[Bruce Bordner]

Originally I was thinking "you rotten sod; you've cost me $1000!" (which I don't have) but then...

I just shot (amateur) portraits informally for a prospective relative. She made noises about paying which, of course, I could never accept.

But if she were to send me an extravagant present which I would never be able to justify for myself - you get the picture.

Thanks for the suggestion just in case she really, really insists. If I got cash, I would just blow it on credit card payments anyway.

Really, if it was my money I'd buy you a set just to get a comprehensible review.

[mike plews]

Our primary music system is a pair of B&W in wall speakers powered by an ancient Sansui AU555 I bought on Okinawa in 1969. It still sounds great but I bet fresh caps would make it sound even better.
We are doing up the basement and I am looking at a pair of Pioneer speakers designed by Andrew Jones
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwruPNBRCKARIsAEYNXIgVc-1d1tGluLYIiuizRTHl8c6uZJ_oDFeBNLNO1ygxG3-ad4LonGsaApW3EALw_wcB&is=REG&sku=884051#itemcode&smp=y&kwid=ZSMP&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&BI=225&c3api=1876,163209807808,,
Price is right and they get good reviews. They are going to be principally for listening to vinyl. Will need a simple amp and I am open to suggestions.

[cdembrey]

I've had tinnitus since 1960. It has saved me a lot of money on audiophile gear 8-D

Cheap supermarket headphones suffice for my EDM and Punk collection.

[Earl Dunbar]

It's odd - I was just looking at these on Amazon the other day and was intrigued by the reviews especially given the price.

I don't have a decent amp with the wattage you recommend. But I do have a Fisher 500C, with 35 valve watts per channel. It might be an interesting combination; those output transformers are quite beefy.

[Ernie Van Veen]

This post reminds me... you may be interested in this new Nutube tech. Korg are using it in their new Vox 50w guitar amps that are, by all accounts, pretty amazing stage and recording amps. I expect to see high end stereo gear with these new vacuum tubes soon.

[Mark Roberts]

Whatever speakers you use I hope you're using them to listen to some Steely Dan this week. (RIP Walter Becker).

[Inaki]

These look like monitors or reference speakers. And looking at the tech. sheet, they actually are geared to be reference monitors.
I haven´t tested them. I tested the reference monitors of Yamaha [the classic white coned you will see on e-v-e-r-y-s-i-n-g-l-e recording studio], and boy oh boy they are a dissapointment for regular or audiophile listeners. Mainly, because they are tailored to be exact sound reproducers, not warmed up speakers.

But that is the difference between someone who loves music and someone who loves listening to music.

It is the very same difference as to someone who loves photography and someone who loves looking at photography. Different type of audience, I´m afraid.

So, beware. Those ELAC [me dad had a ELAC compact sistem, the horizontal ones] might be very dissapointing for regular listeners. And please, don´t answer back with miriads of gadget combos.

[Svein-Frode]

Problem for me is that small speakers have small sound. I get by with my B&W CM6 S2, but I can't wait to replace them with something that moves air, preferably a pair of refurbished JBL 4355 :) Those babies can really put you in the room with John Coltrane...

[Joe B]

From the way back machine check out this story in the NY Times from 1982 http://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/25/arts/sound-low-cost-speakers-overcome-their-drawbacks.html

Joe

[Ilkka]

You should really look at Genelec speakers before talking about the best.
I am not an expert but I would hazard a guess that just like there is no perfect camera, there is also no perfect speaker.
Perfect for what?

[Sid]

Though I've stored them away, my Tannoy Sensys DC 2 + Super Tweeter loudspeakers remain one of my favorite transducers. There is something so pleasing about Tannoy dual-concentric loudspeakers, whatever the size of the enclosure. Now I have a pair of Ohm Acoustics Walsh 2000 loudspeakers, which are superb, with a distinct, perhaps unique, listening experience. There are so many fine loudspeakers, all of which provide an illusion of the original music and none of which are faithful replicators. Just like photographs.

[Tom]

ATC SCM25A

[Jayson Merryfield]

I'm a bit late to the party on this thread, but I'm REALLY enjoying my NHT Superzero 2.1's. They're small(ish) and really do sound terrific when paired with a decent sub.

I'm hardly an aficionado, however.

[Dave New]

Still using my Infinity studio monitors, first purchased in 1973. I had the foam surround replaced on the woofers a decade or so ago, and they are still cookin'.

I made the mistake of buying an Infinity powered subwoofer a while back, after Harmon ruined the brand. What a POS. The amp died, and I couldn't get any service for it. Scrapped. Then a JBL powered woofer. You guessed it. Amp died and no service. Scrapped. Now I have a Sony powered woofer mainly as a place holder, but it seems to be holding up. Seems that the amps they put in powered woofers are the weak point. This is all part of a Dolby 7.1 surround system used mainly with the plasma HDTV in a home theater system. The rear/side speakers are KLH/Optimus and a hefty Sony AV receiver is running it all.

Call me a low-life, but I don't think my hearing, which has spent way too much time under ham radio headphones listening to static crashes and jabberwocky, would ever justify anything better in the way of stereo gear. I do have a collection of music, mostly in about 1000 CD's about half rock, half classical, but I don't get much time to listen to any of it and home anymore. In fact, where I spend the most time listening to music is in my truck, commuting to/from work an hour or more each way. And that time is split with streaming podcasts, and more time on the ham radio.

It's fun reading about your audiophile stuff, though.