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.