Smaller Speakers

[warmachine2]

First-time poster, short time follower. I have a question about sound quality in relation to speaker size. Is there a way to sacrifice size while minimizing audio quality loss? I am asking as I am working on building a 3.1 while compromising with my wife. I want a bigger bookshelf, she wants a smaller, "less gaudy" one. I know, I should probably just trade her in and get what I want, but the government offices aren't open during the quarantine.

[Fledermaus]

As the saying goes, "small size, sensitivity, bass extension: pick two"
What you're likely to lose with small size LR speakers is mostly bass extension, so your sub will have to output higher frequencies in order to fill the whole spectrum.
The main victim should be, I guess, stereo imaging as high lows and low mids may be blended... Everything is a matter of compromise