Recommendation: Topas, Couplet or Vib170?

[Roybo]

Hello,
My sister-in-law is willing to have me build her a pair of speakers to replace her old ones. Now I'm looking for the best speaker to recommend her. Considering budget and speaker-size, the choice would be between:

- Couplet
(She prefers floorstanding loudspeakers, so I consider both the Hobby-Hifi "standcouplet" and the "normal" Couplet in floorstanding cabinet)
- Topas
- VIB170AL

Her (L-shaped) listening-room approximately measures 40 m2 and does not contain a lot of absorbing materials (it has stone-tiled floor, thin curtains, minimal furniture), and the type of music she generally listens to, is classical (mostly choir-music).

My main question: which speaker should I recommend?

I have built several VIB170's and a pair of Couplets light, but I would like to try the floorstanding Couplet or the Topas.
I understand the Couplets will have the better bass-reproduction (in relation to the Topas) and more overall power. But, taking the better MHT and TI100 into perspective, one would think the Topas might be better for the type of music. High soundpressure levels are not requiered.

My second question: in case of building the Couplet: what's the difference between Couplet and Standcouplet?

Hobby Hifi has made some adjustments: 1. splitting the cabinet and 2. changing filtercomponents. Can anyone tell me how these changes, influence sound? Or are they necessary adjustments because the cabinet is floorstanding? Or are the changes to the filter requiered because of the splitting of the cabinet?
Shouldn't a floorstanding cabinet, same volume (same width, 2xheight, 1/2x depth), same bassreflextube, same filter and same stuffing, sound the same as the original Couplet?

Thanks in advance for your help!
And happy newyear!

[VISATON]

Ich antworte mal in Deutsch, weil es mir leichter fällt und die meisten Niederländer Deutsch verstehen.

Wichtig ist die Information, dass der Raum wenig Schall absorbierende Materialien enthält. Das ist prinzipiell ein Nachteil. Ich fürchte, dass feine Unterschiede wie zwischen der G 20 SC und dem MHT 12 oder dem AL 130 und dem TI 100 bei großem Hall im Raum nicht mehr hörbar sind. Deswegen erscheint mir sinnvoller, eine D'Appolito-Anordnung wie bei der Couplet zu wählen, weil dadurch wenigstens im Mitteltonbereich weniger Schall zur Decke und zum Boden abgestrahlt wird.

Ich selbst habe die Standcouplet noch nicht gehört. Aber wenn man die Boxen sowieso frei aufstellen will, macht eine Standbox Sinn, statt die Box auf einen separaten Ständer zu stellen. Die Standcouplet hat wegen des größeren Volumens noch mehr Tiefbass als die normale Couplet. Ich bin mir allerdings nicht sicher, ob das überhaupt nötig ist. Man kann ohne Klangänderung die normale Couplet auch in ein akustisch unwirksames Gehäuse, das nur als Ständer dient, bauen.

Zu den teuren Bauteilen, die immer in HH empfohlen werden, habe ich eine Meinung: Es bringt nichts für den Klang - nur etwas für den Anbieter der Bauteile.

[walwal]

What about Solo 100 or 50?

Could be the best choise for "naked" rooms. But some people(like me) dont like the sound of "Breitband".

Topas ist too small for 40 m².
I would prefer the Stancouplet.

I dont beleive that Ti and Mht are better than Al 130 and Ke

[Roybo]

Okay, that was very helpful! (And yes, We Dutch DO understand Deutch. Most of the time... )

Although my hands are itching to build the Topas, I conclude that I'd best go for the Couplet in a floorstanding cabinet (not the HH variant, there will probably be no bass-control available). I'm not a fan of Breitbänder.

Just for curiosity's sake: I very much like the VOX-concept - the woofer in a sidepanel - but would it be possible to apply this to a Classic200 or a Selection? Or will the lower cut-off frequency of those be too high (400Hz)? I think I would love the estethics of such a loudspeaker!

[SvenT]

the vox-concept is unfortunately not available with the classic

as you said, the crossover-frequency is too high
and the one single middle-tone-speaker is not powerful enough to set the cut-off very much deeper (as it is in the vox)