Ok, here is what's going on. I have a pair of Paradigm 5se MkII that I want to incorporate into HT. My question is I can only sit about 6 ft away from them. Are they too big for the room? Loooove these speakers but should I suck it up and buy bookshelf size as I will have to buy a center and rear anyway?

actually, properly used bookshelves don't take up any less space than floorstanders. they look less imposing for sure, but the footprint is the same

unless you're talking about satellite speakers (don't) or putting the bookshelves on a entertainment center (not this either)

so, all things being equal, perhaps the less imposing looking bookshel+stand might work for your smaller room (if it were me, I'd wait till the SO starts up...)

Brook----How good a speaker sounds in a given room has to do mainly with tonal balance and dispersion and a speaker's size seldom has an effect on either.

Brook----How good a speaker sounds in a given room has to do mainly with tonal balance and dispersion and a speaker's size seldom has an effect on either.

Do you mean a good speaker sounds good no matter what?

actually, properly used bookshelves don't take up any less space than floorstanders. they look less imposing for sure, but the footprint is the same

unless you're talking about satellite speakers (don't) or putting the bookshelves on a entertainment center (not this either)

so, all things being equal, perhaps the less imposing looking bookshel+stand might work for your smaller room (if it were me, I'd wait till the SO starts up...)

"wait till the SO starts" -what is SO?

Significant Other. In other words, the person who really decides what's going to happen. For example, can you tell me from this picture whether Madonna or Guy Richie is the SO?

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/09/madonnaBIG_450x450.jpg

heh ;)

the female in most long-term relationships is invariably Significant

Speakers are designed for different listening distances. When you are close, you want speakers with minimal sideways dispersion, instead focusing on direct radiation with as much clarity as you can get. When the distance is longer, direct radiation is no longer going to be the only significant factor, and how the speaker is designed to interact with the room also matters.

If you want the "ideal" speaker for a 6 ft viewing distance, then get a nearfield studio monitor. Something like a pair of Mackie HR824 or Genelec 8040. Or ATC SCM20ASL, although those are $8,000 per pair.