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Nobody Wants Big Speakers Anymore. What Happened?

Skylabs Audio

58,462 views

Big speakers will always have their place — but stand-mount and bookshelf speakers may be the most fun you can have in hi-fi today.

In this video, we take a deep dive into why smaller speakers have become so popular, how modern speaker design has changed what a compact cabinet can do, and why swapping speakers can completely transform the personality of your stereo system.

After spending a week listening to nearly every stand-mount speaker we had in the shop — vintage and new — we compare rear-ported, front-ported, bottom-ported and sealed acoustic-suspension designs and explain how each type affects speaker placement and bass response.

We also break these speakers into three general sound categories:
• Warm & neutral — smooth, relaxed speakers that reward great recordings
• All-arounders — dynamic, versatile speakers that handle almost anything
• Fun & exciting — lively, detailed speakers made for rock, electronic music and anything with impact

Along the way, we listen to speakers from Wharfedale, Triangle, Monitor Audio, Polk, Mission, EPI and more — from affordable vintage bargains to seriously high-end modern designs.

We also talk about:
• Bookshelf speakers vs. stand-mount speakers
• Why speaker placement matters so much
• Rear port vs. front port vs. sealed speakers
• Using port plugs to control bass
• Matching small speakers with a subwoofer
• Why modern compact speakers can produce surprisingly deep bass
• Vintage speakers vs. new speakers
• Why speakers may be the biggest “tone control” in your entire stereo system
• Great speakers at almost any budget
• Why supporting your local hi-fi shop still matters

Whether you're building your first stereo system, downsizing from huge vintage speakers, looking for the best bookshelf speakers for a small room, or simply want another pair of speakers to swap into your system, this is one of the most interesting categories in audio right now.

What are YOUR favorite bookshelf or stand-mount speakers? Have you downsized from larger floorstanding or vintage speakers? Let us know in the comments — your experience may help somebody else put together their next system.

And if you enjoy vintage audio, modern hi-fi, stereo gear, speaker reviews and everything that makes this hobby fun, please subscribe to Skylabs Audio and give the video a like. It really helps the channel!

Link to Subwoofer and Vintage Video: Connecting A Subwoofer To A Vintage HiFi S...
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#HiFi #Audiophile #BookshelfSpeakers

20 Comments

@huntermcd4239 11 hours ago

I just bought speakers that were too big for my wife to move. I placed them where I wanted them 2 years ago. They haven't moved. 😅

@hooger8892 11 hours ago

I'm lucky enough to be married to a woman who loves all the big speakers in our living room as much as I do.

@KillerKlipsch 11 hours ago

I bought a bigger house just to store more speakers.

@EsotericSoul 11 hours ago

Come on Kevin, we all know you have a secret listening room somewhere with your much loved giant Cerwin-Vegas.🤣🤣

@MarkTurner-vs7uc 11 hours ago

I LOVE my big speakers. Nothing comes close

@herbertvorderberg 11 hours ago

There is no replacement for displacement

@davehicks6836 12 hours ago

It's Sunday, time to listen to kevin

@flounder31 12 hours ago

Love my Large Advents. They aren't going anywhere.

@bactanite 9 hours ago

The stands for stand mount speakers are often so expensive that it makes more sense to get floor standing speakers, and they won't fall off the stand and break.

@williamborges3914 12 hours ago

Who doesn't want big honkin' speakers? Screw spousal approval; stand up for yourself! 'Couldn't find what I wanted at a price I was willing to pay, so I designed and built them myself. Life is good and loud! And, yes, I get a thank you card from Parts Express every month. 😎

@teddbobb4672 11 hours ago

I love big speakers, I have a pair of twin 15” JBL Pro, and an 18” JBL Pro Powered Sub in my living room…

@BostonMike68 11 hours ago

This is why i started building speakers, i like solid multi layered dampened cabinets with no resonance with a 10" woofer. There's no replacement for displacement...

@huskydaddy-y5y 7 hours ago

In my living room is, JBL 250ti front, L250 rear, B460 sub (most people think it’s a huge end table), 2 Krell KSA-250, 1 KSA -100mk2, OCM-500, White Audio Labs A-100, A-250, Bedini 250/250 amplifiers. Throughout the house is two more pairs of JBL 250ti, L250, 4425, 4430, L212, L100t black lacquer, Sumo Samson sub etc. There’s still many more speakers and amps but you get the point, you just can’t match the visceral impact of a large system when called on!!! Even at quiet levels, music is very involving, articulate and, spacious (recording dependent) so, I don’t think I’ll be changing to small speakers or flea watt amps!!!

@dankingjr.2088 11 hours ago

I inherited Dad's Acoustic Research AR-3 four speaker set when he passed, had them totally rebuilt, and I simply can't see a use for anything else. 🙂

@ericsmith5540 8 hours ago

I have big speakers (Klipsch, Vandersteen, JBL, Magnepan) and love them!

@peterrabbit4034 1 hour ago

My oldest brother built a Heathkit receiver in the late 60s (one of the best many magazines had ever reviewed) and had a set of Recilinear III speakers. I played him the Michael Murray Bach Toccata and Fugue as he sat in the "sweet spot". He was speechless for several seconds after hearing that.

@classicrider21 10 hours ago

I bought a pair of wharfdale lintons. Paired with a subwoofer and a Yamaha receiver and I can play anything. Big bass or jazz or blues it all sounds fantastic. Great service and sales experience at Skylabs. A place you can demo and buy.

@markadams8539 11 hours ago

Afraid I went the other way. A fairly open and large room. A wife who appreciates refrigerator size speakers.
Emotiva Nostala’s.

@alex_stanley 10 hours ago

I still have the locally made, gloss white towers my wife and I bought together after we were married. Twenty-nine years later, after she died, I bought my current system which has full size custom speakers with horn-loaded AMTs crossed over at 500 Hz. Elsewhere in the house I have some little RBH stand mounts with AMTs and aluminum woofers that are great except they can't handle any deep bass. The solution to the excursion issue is a pair of 100 Hz FMOD high pass filters in front of the amp and blending the sub up to meet them. Now, I can crank them at full volume, and those little woofers sound great.