I've never owned quality speakers before, and I'm about to take the plunge.
After a bunch of listening to the better speakers that are for sale in reasonable driving distance, the Martin Logan 60XT floorstanding speakers sound good enough to make me pull out the debit card.
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Only problem is that I'm getting cramped for space. I
could use these floor speakers if I had to, with 8" or so air space all around, but in my listening room there are also these handy bookshelves on the wall above where the speakers would stand. (The bookshelves hang like kitchen cabinets.) That begs the idea of bookshelf speakers.
When I read about quality audio, airspace around speakers always comes up. Clearance from back walls and side walls, etc.
So now I'm thinking about Martin Logan bookshelf speakers like the 35XTs with a subwoofer to get a similar result as the 60XT's without needing to use up floorspace. (I also own a little sub from a 5.1 all-in-one kit that I no longer use, so I can recycle that and save a few bucks.) Other than buying a stand for a bookshelf speaker (which makes no sense to me, might as well just get the floorstanding speakers) ... if a guy actually does put his bookshelf speakers
on a bookshelf, doesn't that introduce issues of muddy sound and such? Again, my shelves are like kitchen cabinets without doors. The speakers would be enclosed top, bottom, back, and sides by the bookshelf.
Should I expect that to seriously compromise the audio quality? Or would I not notice the difference very much vs if, hypothetically, the same speakers were on a couple of stands with plenty of wall clearance?
Book shelf speakers + good subwoofers can outperform many floor standers. It all depends on which speakers you are comparing.
Beware of listening demos in audio stores because how speakers sound is highly dependent on the listening room they are in.
