My mate Don could never be called an early adopter. He asked me about new speakers to replace his 30-year-old B&W floor-standing models that were too big for his new house. He put them on Gumtree for $100 and sold them in less than a minute. Funny, that.
My first question was about his amplifier, because matching the power is important. He uses a Yamaha that he also bought in 1984. So we went shopping for small bookshelf speakers.
Size was critical; he only had 20 centimetres of available space on each side of his television.
However, small was OK because he didn't have a large room to fill and he's not into thumping bass.
We started with a pair of Focal 706s, which he liked, but he nearly died when he heard they cost $900. Mind you, this is someone who last bought stereo equipment when a new Commodore cost $11,152.
So we scaled back a bit to Focal 705s at $699 and then listened to B&W 686s and Peachtree D4s, at the same price. But he was still suffering sticker shock.
The very patient sales guy then tried us out on satellite speakers, a few of which covered the mid-ranges very well in addition to the highs and, with female vocals anyway, didn't sound bad without a subwoofer in the mix. But they sounded way better with one.
Fearing failure, the guy then took us deep into the building to a room where he had some British imports made in China, very compact bookshelf speakers from Q Acoustics.
They sounded surprisingly good and were nicely made and finished, but, most importantly - they were $390. Don leapt at them.
The exercise brought home (once again) an enduring truth of hi-fi - we all have different hearing ranges and if you're happy with $400 speakers, why on earth would you spend more?
I'll say this for Don - he put the work in. He listened to a range of speakers playing music he liked.
He listened carefully to the sales guy's advice but he didn't let himself be led, and he used the comparator to flip between speakers while the music was playing; the best way to hear differences.
Most specialist stores can do this for you.
Me, I would have bitten the bullet and got the Focal 706s we started with.
Peachtree Audio D4
$699; audiomarketing.com.au
These have surprisingly good bass from such small speakers and the overall sound quality is good, with even and clear highs and mids. But the speakers do appreciate a more powerful amplifier. They're well made in China to an American design. There's a 2.5cm soft-dome tweeter atop a 10cm mid/bass that gives plenty of excursion, or travel, in and out, which explains the good bass. Available in three finishes. Measures 15 x 25 x 18 cm (WxHxD), 5kg each.
B&W 686
$699; ehifi.com.au
These are the smallest and cheapest offerings from one of the most enduring speaker brands in Britain and they reflect that heritage. What impressed us most was the space and airiness of the sound they generated, and just how much sound there was. The lows are nicely controlled and the mids and highs sparkling. A 2.5cm aluminium dome tweeter and a 13cm mid/bass. There are three finishes available. 17 x 27 x 29 cm (WxHxD), 4.9kg each.
Focal Chorus 705
$699; audiomarketing.com.au
These are French and have a typically European sound: tight, controlled, accurate and very nicely balanced. Like the B&Ws, there isn't a lot of bass, but there's enough to do good justice to most musical styles and the sound is beautifully detailed. And these work well with lower-powered amplifiers. A 2.5cm aluminium inverted dome tweeter and a 13cm mid/bass. Three finishes are available. 19 x 32 x 23 cm (WxHxD), 5.7kg each.
Verdict
All of these give first-class sound for their size, but their styles vary. The Focals are the pick for classical music lovers and for those into female vocals. The B&Ws are good at creating spaciousness, great for live music, from stadiums to intimate jazz clubs. If you're into rock and pop, you'll likely prefer the Peachtrees with their stronger bass line.
