Seeking advice for speakers for my Family Room

´´ the listening position opens up to the kitchen behind ´´
Have you though about a partition screen ? Any model .

Maybe , it is possible to fix 2 twelve inches acoustic pannels on it.

@maxwave No way the wife allows that. But are you saying to put the screen at the back of the room so that the listening position/area is NO LONGER OPEN to the kitchen?

I think the kitchen being open is the reason I do NOT get a slap echo in the listening portion of the Family room.

Where I get the slap echo is on the non-listening area where the orange sofas are. And this is due to this area being surrounded/enclosed by the sliding door and 3 large windows...

@auxinput @searchingforthesound @soundmd @sandthemall @fleschler @maxwave 

@b_limo @larry5729 

Thinking ahead a bit. Let's say i have done some room treatments (rugs, acoustic panel or 2 on the side wall, covering the windows with thick drapes, moving the front speakers in front of the now-covered windows etc.

Do you all think I should then invest in a receiver with Dirac Live (since it's considered best room correction software compared to Audussey, YPAO, ARC) vs any others? Thinking along the lines of trying to get all the help I can to address my difficult room.

I have returned my Denon 3700H, so that is no longer a consideration, so, am basically open to any receiver. I don't think i am quite at the level of going seperates, so AVR it is.... I was leaning toward Marantz 5015 (but it only has Audussey XT, not even Audussey XT 32), moving up to 6015 is $2k already...

Any suggestions on the AVR to use? I don't really care about the power of the amp section since I will be getting an external Class D power Amp (like the VTV Purifi stereo or 3 channels) to power my L, C, R anyway. So the AVR will only be powering the surrounds.

Given my speakers are the SF Lumina V (4 ohms)...Listening is HT/Music at 60/40 and would like to play at loud volumes @2.1 or 2 channel audio for parties and such for a few hours at a time....

kgtunse,

You might take a look at the NAD T788. Kind of pricey, but when you add the MDC2 BluOS-D module to it (for $549 more) you get Dirac Live Room Correction  and a nice music streamer together.  Check out the NAD T788 review on AV Forums from Oct. 2020 for more info.  I would say whatever you do, don't make any equipment changes until you have done the room acoustic changes. I think you'll be surprised  at the sound improvement. This will also allow you to make a more informed choice if you have a chance to audition any gear in your space. You are correct that the open Kitchen space behind you is working somewhat to your advantage. 

I don't know if you do any streaming, but I just replaced a Sonos with a Bluesound Node in my system last night.  Sounds much better, soundstage and imaging are improved.  I'm waiting for my Denafrips Pontus II to arrive so I can bypass the DAC in the Node.  

I'm not really a fan of room correction and I have really tried working with Dirac.  Others have different opinions.

If you are not going to use the amp part of the receiver, you are actually better off getting a processor.  Look for a used Marantz AV7702 MKII, AV7703, AV7704, or AV7704.  These are very commonly on ebay for $1000-1800.

I think I have also seen the Anthem AVM-60 near the $2k mark.  That's also a good item.

I forgot to add;  Check out Anthem MRX receivers or separates. I think they sound great and they have a plethora of control features.  Their room correction program is very good.  I've heard them in multiple systems and they always sound good, especially in difficult rooms.

Yes , I though that the kitchen , being separated from the living room could help.

An easy way to warm up the room , and being removed , when not in use.

I am far from being an expert about room acoustic.

I also think , that at different volume , loudness , the acoustic change.  What sound good at a certain level , may sound terrible at a higher volume . If your room is not well treated.

Others may correct me if I am wrong 

Klipsh are not audiophile speakers.  They are very harsh.  There are many others that are better.

What kinds of music do you listen to.  Do you like high frequency detail, etc.  Be more specific.  There are many in this discussion group that can help.

@auxinput Hmm, interesting. I will be using the receiver's amp section to power at least the surrounds. I would love to buy the older 77xx range processors, but I worry about HDMI 2.1

@soundmd I have taken a look at Anthem's ARX line but they have mixed reviews and they convert the D to A signals using their DAC and don't have analog passthrough, plus software issues. Other than that, I really liked them.

Their processors don't have this limitation, but processors are expensive...!

They also don't have HDMI 2.1 (4k/120) yet...

@maxwave Ya, I think the living room being open to the kitchen helps alleviate the echo effect. Just need to work on reducing reflections from the hard surfaces.

Not too sure how much effect losing the soundstage to the 1 side being open (to the other sitting area with the orange sofas) is having though...

Agree with acoustics with sound level...hopefully, making these room changes will help with that.

@larry5729 I listen to mostly light rock/pop/some instrumental. I am not trying to listen to that last instrument pluck sound to be clear etc., so not too interested in extreme high frequency detail, but do want to be able to hear music at louder volumes for extended periods of time (2-3 hours) from time to time.
This is also not a dedicated music listening room. So, there will be Home Theater use as well, about 60/40 HT/Music maybe 50/50.

Ok, so if you really want to buy a receiver, that's fine.  Just keep in mind that the power supplies are not the best.  The higher end receivers will end up being better because the main power supply is much bigger, even if you are just using the amp for surrounds.  You'll get a smoother/fuller sound typically.  Usually the best cost per performance are the receiver models just below the highest one.

Speaker choice verges on irrelevant until you have addressed the room acoustics. Controlling first reflections is foremost and that includes ceiling and floor as well as sidewalls. Next is reducing the RT60 (overall room reverb time). Regardless of vendor, they are fiberglass or rockwool, covered with fabric or printed with artwork. For one wall in my theatre I took 5 - 12X48 2" white panels and 3 - 12X36 1" panels and hung them vertically, about 2" apart with the black panels overlapping the the 1,2, and 4 gaps to form a partial keyboard. I get compliments all the time, so no WAF issues. The room also has 8 - 24X24 2" panels on the ceiling. I used a charcoal gray fabric that is a Vvery close match to the room walls. Finally, a couple bass traps live in the corners, behind the couch. Together they work wonders and look good also. In our living room I used 24X48 2" panels in white to match the ceiling. Most people don't even notice them, but they made a huge difference in the character of the space. Before it was acoustically very lively because between the front and sides there's over 300 ft2 of glass. It will never be a great listening room, but now it's at least usable, and people comment on how quiet it is. All told I have spent about $2K on panels,  and another $600 in labor to have them professionally installed. Best investments in listening I ever made.