Hi,

I have bookshelf type Mission speakers on floor stands, currently connected to an amp/cd player/ipod.

All good, happy with the sound, but I also now have a 1 year old on the move. Stands are not very stable and it has the making of a bad 999 episode.

Does anyone use small speakers connected to a stereo for their main hifi? I like my old school amp and cd player, so am not too fussed about some sort of sound dock. I was thinking something like this that could be mounted out of the way:

KEF ‘egg’ type speakers

Think they are designed to be used with a sub, but I am trying to get stuff off the floor and make the home child friendly.

They are full range speakers but they have weak bass without a sub.

I used to have them for a home theatre set up, which they did well but they are no match for any decent hifi speakers. Depends how fussy you are.

A subwoofer shouldn’t be a problem with a toddler, they are generally pretty tough.

Has anyone got any experience of these:

Radius 90 Mointor Audio

Thanks go. We also have limited floor space and I am looking to hide away everything as much as possible.

micro speakers aren’t great, fine for HT but not really HiFi. Mass load the stands? If you’re anywhere near Hertford I’ve got some mass loadable stands you could have.

I have some Kef LS50’s on stands for main hifi duty and some keff eggs for tv/movie watching. The Kef eggs have no bass without the sub so I wouldn’t recommend them for music use without it. The sub speaker on mine is downward facing with the controls against the wall so I doubt there is much a child could do to it.
My 3 year old daughter was taught from very early on no to go near them which she never does.

Andy

For main speakers Kef Eggs aren’t very good on their own and only average when used satellite speakers.
Have a look at Q Acoustics they make some really nice small speakers. Their Concept 20 speakers get some really good reviews and are well priced. Someone on here had some for sale not long since if you have a search.

I had some Kef eggs for a short while there are a few generations of them – basically they were OK for movie type stuff but only with a sub , and needed a much better unit for the ceter speaker – ie not an egg.
For music they are really going to annoy you after your stand mounters.
Having a sub is OK but also can be pain sometimes setting it up and may not suit + a sub can cause annoyance with low frequency noise travelling far beyond the listening room.
Can you not just wall mount your existing speakers ? If they are too big then I would suggest investing in smaller speakers designed to work without a sub – ie HiFi type speakers rather than home cinema .

Not used the KEF eggs but used have a satellite speakers and sub combo. The satellite speakers are designed to be used with a sub so do not produce any bass at all.

I don’t have kids but don’t think the sub should cause too many issues. Its just a box that you can place out the way in a corner somewhere. The speaker cone is usually pointing down and out the way of samll hands and cables can be tacked against the wall. OK it might not be the best place for the sub but sounds like you are willing to make sound quality compromises to make your home more child friendly.

Also have a look a monitor speakers. Theses are designed to be used in confined spaces and many work fine even placed right up against a wall allowing possibilities for wall mounting.

These things are probably way out of your budget but are just an example of the type of speaker I was talking about.

I had this concern with my large B&W bookshelves on heavy stands. I got as far as fixing them to the stands with heavy duty Velcro, but I never got round to fitting a bar or chain between the wall and stand to prevent them toppling from a significant force. It turned out to not really be an issue.

Has anyone got any experience of these:

Radius 90 Monitor Audio

Yes, we have them for the AV system in the living room; 2 R90’s front with an R180 centre and another 2 x R90’s for rear with an MJ Acoustics subwoofer. Great wee speakers, several years old now – we auditioned several at the time and they were our preferred.

I’d echo sentiments above that you would really want to use a sub with them.