Educate me...speaker size and room size

I have the exact same size room and asked the same question less than a week ago. I also have to deal with the WAF (wife acceptance factor )

I got fewer responses than I expected but a couple said this size room is too large for a system composed of small satellite speakers (e.g., Energy Take Classic, Polk RM). Also, there is no rule of thumb for this sort of thing. The common thread was buy the best you can afford, even if it's only the left/center/front for now. You can always add satellites later (after you buy your wife a nice piece of jewelry )

FWIW, I am looking to upgrade my system with the Polk Monitor series, probably 40s for left/right and CS1 or CS2 for the center.

Good luck.

5-6" woofers are small and anything smaller, even if used with a (sub)woofer, is a huge compromise. I would suggest that anyone with any interest in sound quality not consider anything smaller, except as a midrange driver.

Is it possible to find bookshelf speakers with 8" or larger woofers these days (at a reasonable price)?

There is nothing magical about the number of drivers in a speaker. 2-way designs can sound just as good and produce just as much output as 3-way and 4-way designs. There are advantages and disadvantages of every type of design. The more drivers you have in a speaker, the more crossovers you need. Crossovers can impact sound quality so they need to be designed properly. That usually raises costs and may or may not raise the sound quality.

One of the more important spec's you should look at is speaker sensitivity. In a 2,400 cubic foot room, and with a limited receiver budget, you'll want to be sure to make maximum use of the available amplifier power. High sensitivity, (efficiency) speakers will produce more sound with less amplifier power. Look for speakers with sensitivity ratings of at least 90 dB/1 watt/1 meter, and the higher the better.


I would always vote for sound quality over speaker quantity. I suggest you start out with just the left/right pair and a subwoofer, getting the best of those that the budget will allow. Then expand on that as funds become available.

There have been lots of threads lately about the whole floorstander vs. bookshelf debate. Check those out for info about this issue.

Good luck and have fun shopping for speakers.

Craig

Personally, I'd not hamper my system development for the sake of using some HTIB rears.

Get the better fronts and center, use the HTIB speakers. Set to small with an (apparently) fairly high crossover they won't tax the receiver too hard. If they do and the receiver shuts down then just go without for a while. You'll be happier in the long run, IMHO.

In many cases bookshelves on stands don't take up any more room than floorstanders.

The receiver isn't a guitar tube amp with an output transformer. Generally, the lower impedance can make the receiver run hotter and may eventually shut down from thermal overload. It's not like the thing instantly blows up. I seriously doubt it will make a big problem on the surround speakers, but ultimately it's your call.

Don't know anything about the Polk speakers, never heard them.