2. speakers
  3. 165453-156084

ls 50 metas compared to floorstanding speakers

hi - I am relatively new to hifi and in the process of upgrading to my first nice system - originally, I had decided to go with LS 50 Metas due to the raving reviews and the nice look - however, as I started to do some research I found that there are a lot of options in the Metas' range - even some floorstanding speakers - I really dig the Focal Chora 826 which also have great reviews and are actually cheaper than the KEFs - that smells a bit weird don't it? $1350-1500 for bookshelf KEFs vs. 1k for a nice pair of 3 driver flloorstanding speakers? are KEFs really that much better?
selekt86
selekt86 OP
5 posts
 
are bookshelf speakers generally better for nearfield listening than 3 way speakers? what is the "boundary" between nearfield vs. not?
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,425 posts
 
Nearfield means that you are sitting where you are not getting multiple wavelengths delivered to your ear. Well, in hi-fi you are always in the far field at high frequencies and always in the near field at low frequencies. So it really means, in general use, are you sitting close or far. 
alcoholbob
20 posts
 
are bookshelf speakers generally better for nearfield listening than 3 way speakers? what is the "boundary" between nearfield vs. not?

3-ways are perfectly fine for the nearfield in a coaxial arrangement. In a vertical array with offset drivers typically manufacturers suggest >3m listening distance for a 3-way.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,079 posts
 
When drivers are physically further apart you need to sit further away for best results in regards to overall coherence, detail, soundstage and imaging.

So yes what will work and thereby  likely sound better largely depends on the individual “use case” as mentioned above.
selekt86 OP
5 posts
 
3-ways are perfectly fine for the nearfield in a coaxial arrangement. In a vertical array with offset drivers typically manufacturers suggest >3m listening distance for a 3-way.


so are the focals in this case not a good fit for my use case? I live in an apartment with not enough space so I will definitely be sitting nearfield - do these focals have a coaxial arrangement? will they sound bad if I sit nearfield with them?
More to discover