Bookshelf Speaker Positioning - Tiny House

TheSkateyBird · 1 Feb 2022 at 22:18

Hey All,

Wife and I are currently in the process of working on the design of a Tiny House (think George Clark's Amazing Spaces). Great thing about an endeavour of getting to spec out a house is addition of custom wiring and of course - I need speakers. So far we have an initial floor plan and the stock design photos from a similar project that the manufacturer have previously worked on.

I am currently trying to work out the best positioning for a pair of bookshelf speakers so that I can ask speaker cable to be run to the locations during the build. But to be frank - I haven't the foggiest and would really appreciate some input.

Equipment I'm planning to put in is a pair of B&W 607 S2s connected to a Yamaha WXA50.

Here is a link to the floorplan and similar design: https://imgur.com/a/fu05E9J

Thoughts?

lucid · 2 Feb 2022 at 01:37

Although the B&W 607 S2 are categorised as bookshelf speakers, that's a really small space to fit two 12" x 6" x 8' cubes.

Are you looking for these to be pulled out and used occasionally, or are you thinking they'll be in place permanently?

I think if I was in your shoes I would take a different tack. A pair of Monitor Audio Radius 90 (8" x 5" x 6") or some Anthony Gallo Divas (5" sphere) combined with a compact sub as a 12" cube that can hidden away would still give you great sound but be eminently more practical to live with as you move around that space.

TheSkateyBird · 2 Feb 2022 at 07:39

It’s something that I was looking to have a permanent fixture. Hadn’t considered going the sub route. I suppose I could fit a sub inside the seating and at one end and have a port hole added next to the sub.

I do like Monitor Audio, currently I have a pair of Bronze 5 floorstanders but space being a premium they won’t be moving with me.

lucid · 2 Feb 2022 at 10:04

The Radius 90 and all the versions that have gone before are tremendous speakers and their performance seems impossible given their size. They are definitely worth auditioning.

The go-to sub choices for your kind of application tend to revolve around a couple of models from BK Electronics; the Gemini II (10", sealed, 150W) @ £250-£300 depending on finish, then the BK XLS200 (10" sealed, 275W) @ £360-£425 again depending on finish. These are both bought direct from the manufacturer and so represent the best value you'll find in subs in the market. The other alternative is from U.S. manufacturer SVS; their SB-1000 Pro. This is a 12" driver in a sealed box with 325W of power @ £640.

All of these subs will dig much deeper than your MA Bronze 5 towers and so it will be like having bigger full sized speakers in the room.

Standing in your shoes again my first choice would be the XLS200. It's tighter, more controlled and more capable with music than the Gemini II. That's high praise indeed though because the Gemini is no slouch, it's just that the XLS200 is worth every penny of the £110 additional cost. This digs deeper than the SB-1000 Pro too which is both surprising and a testament to the quality of the driver which gives away 2" in diameter to the US rival. It doesn't have it all its own way though. The amp lacks the creature comfort of an an auto power on feature. You could get around that by wiring to a switched socket, but it's still a consideration.

The SB-1000 Pro is the sub for tweakers. There's a Bluetooth control app which provides wireless control not only of the basic sub settings but also sound mode presets and room EQ.

Your Yamaha WXA50 has a subwoofer out socket, so it will be easy to connect. I can also recommend a 3.5mm thin-but-exceptionally-well-shielded sub lead which will make cable routing really easy and help avoid mains-related hum issues. It's also available in lengths up to 20m which might help where wiring has to take a very indirect route.

TheSkateyBird · 2 Feb 2022 at 20:31

Sounds like it could be the better option for us in this situation. Any thoughts on the various possibilities of speaker locations I'm thinking about some kind of mounting possibly in the rafters over the sofa.

lucid · 3 Feb 2022 at 03:19

This is where I would have gone

TheSkateyBird · 3 Feb 2022 at 20:28

Roughly what I was thinking, Then placing the sub within the sofa facing towards the kitchen with some porting. Really appreciate your thoughts and advice on the Radius 90. Will have to post an update when it's complete :-)