If you dont want boomy bass, avoid loudspeakers with an enhanced mid bass response, some bookshelves are designed to have an elevated mid bass response, somewhere in the 50 to 60 hz range, the effect is that the speakers sounds BIG for its size. At one time we compared the Nautilus bookshelf with the small entry level B&W CM1 (or the 685 not sure anymore ) The result was that the entry level bookshelf had "better" bass response.