Paradigm Mini Monitor or Energy RC10 as bookshelfs best for an Apartment?

paradigm's are a no brainer

The mini monitors are a bit more expensive aren't they? Price wise, I thought the RC-10 was more comparable to the atoms.

RC-10s are way better than atoms. The RC-10 is a $600 speaker, just happens to be nicely discounted right now.
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/energy_rc10.htm

Its better than both of those Paradigms.

Those are both excellent speakers and it will come down to a matter of taste. The 'digms do have a better matching center.

Ron

except that the RC-10's are better

really they are both good of course, but the Paradigms are their entry-level line whereas the RC line is the step up for Energy, more comparable in build quality and tech to the Paradigm Studio line. Looking at the $300 sale price is not a fair assessment, they are really much closer to the Studio 10 than any of the Monitor lineup.

I have heard Paradigm Monitors and there is no comparison in the tweeter, the RC tweeter is much smoother and more refined, the entry-level 'digm tweeter is much too harsh for my tastes.

the best bet is to listen to both and decide for yourself!

As far as harshness you might be hearing, it's most part of Paradigm's signature sound where the midrange & highs stay fairly linear off-axis. You will hear this sound from the lowest priced to the highest priced offering Paradigm delivers.




The RC-10s have a more traditional treble roll-off.

LOL yeah right, what horrible advice.

if you like bright/forward, go w/ the paradigms. if you like smooth/warm, go w/ the rc10's.

When you say you want to upgrade to get a "bigger" sound, does that mean that you aren't happy with the quality of the sound that you're getting from your current speakers or do you just want more?

I'd say if you like the Energy sound, go with the RC10s. $300 for a $600 speaker is a pretty good deal on the RC10s. OTOH, if you are not satisfied with the sound quality, go with the Paradigms. I (along with osofast240 & many others) like Paradigm's sound, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone. I know it's very common to end a post with this, but you really should listen to them if you can.

If you're getting the RC-10s to replace the L/R speakers from the take 5 set, you might want to look into getting a matching center as well

You need to stop saying this every time someone brings up Paradigm. Unless "no brainer" means something different in your case.

These are both very good speakers. Hardly a "no brainer".

I did not know my post were being watched, nice to be loved. just going by my personal experience

They will work fine there unless the glass vibrates somehow.

Oddly even though the Paradigm's are called "mini monitors" they are quite a bit bigger than the energy RC-10s.

Also why can't you use speaker stands? You could even find some pedal stands/lamp stands.

The only other problem you might have is not enough separation. 6-8 feet is optimal. looks like maybe 4-5 feet at best in your pic.

I'd go that route. Wall-mount the tv with a narrow electronics stand.

+1. And if I were you, I would go out and listen to as many speakers as you can. We can recommend until we are blue in the face but, it is you that has to like them. If you have a price range, we can at least point you in the right direction.

I'm not sure why narrowly spaced floorstanders would be better than narrowly spaced bookshelf speakers. Getting a slimmer stand and wall-mounting the TV isn't going to cure the problem of the front L/R speakers being narrowly placed!! Would the end result, after all that money spent, really be that much better than a nice pair of bookshelf speakers sitting on the stand? It's not like he would be gaining any additional physical separation

Do you really not have a spare 6 inches on either side that you could squeeze in a bookshelf speaker stand? That a/v console in the photo has room underneath the base plate and top plate of the speaker stand could fit under, you don't need that much room for stands with the way that console is shaped. As long as the top plate is a little higher than the a/v stand, it can kind of "interlock" and then you could pick up another foot of separation for the front two speakers.

Given the space, placement constraints.... Maybe you would benefit more from something like this:
http://www.atlantictechnology.com/de...asp?NodeId=116
or
http://www.atlantictechnology.com/default.asp?NodeId=57

Aperion is coming out with a soundbar solution in the near future as well.

Whenever someone gives especially bad, uninformed advice it somehow jumps out at me. Especially when they give the same bad, uninformed advice over and over.

I'm surprised you'd suggest a soundbar. Obviously I haven't heard any of those, but I'd really have to wonder if they'd be enough of an upgrade on the Take 5s, given the size and placement.

kartoon, I think you should get the speakers and give them a try out one pair on the TV stand. (Do some measuring first, and maybe find some boxes and try it out a little - just to make sure they can fit.) As much as I go on about placement all the time, decent speakers there should still be a fuller sound than you're getting as well as (probably) better tone. I really notice the lack of the lower mid-bass in tiny satellites. I'd bet the odds are very much in favor of you finding it to be a big upgrade, for the front 3 anyway.

The worst placement problems IMO come from side wall and floor reflections, which can really muddy the sound. You don't have that - you're only going to get some bass reinforcement from the back wall, and that's not a big problem.

If you can manage to put the speakers at the front corners, it will help a little to reduce the effects of being so close to the TV and stand. And definitely put something to isolate them from that stand - some kind of rubber pad or feet. Depending on the height of the stand and the speakers you may also want something to raise them up some.

Well... I only mentioned it because it's clear the OP is very limited in his placement options, so it's an alternative to having 2 bookshelf speakers jammed next to each other on a glass tv stand.

I have no idea if one of those options would actually be an improvement over the Takes or not.

My honest recommendation would be to find a way to make it work with good monitors on stands... but the OP has already insisted this is not an option.

And as you mentioned, placing the speakers at the very front corners of the TV stand, on top of something (rubber feet, acoustic foam, ect) to isolate them is also an option, and while still a BIG compromise... it may still be a better option than a soundbar or connected LCR.

Part of it for me is just a bias against soundbars, partly because they have the same compromises that most "flat panel" speakers do, and partly because they're usually really expensive given the soundquality.

Anyway, kartoon take another look at this quote:
I think his comment about placing them on a shelf or near a wall is something that could be said about most speakers. But two points:

- the effects are not as huge as you might be thinking, from that. yes, you may lose some air and some soundstage with your placement. but it won't be a disaster.

- some of the biggest effects - like boomy bass, if it happens - can be managed down or away. he mentions port plugs.

He's trying to get the absolute best sound, the usual audiophile tweaking for the last increment of performance. But even at something less than their absolute best, these speakers will still sound very good.