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Speakers (and system) for a small-ish room

I bought a pair of KEF LS50 wireless for my study/home office a few months ago. First off, I am absolutely in love with the speakers. After integrating a REL sub (T9i), I moved them to the game room (20 x 25), where they are doing everything I hoped they would. So now, back to the study/home office :)

The room is about 10 x 13 ft with 12-foot ceilings. Given the way the furniture is laid out, and of course WAF considerations (she shares the office), I have very little flexibility in terms of placement. The biggest problem is that I cannot place them more than 1 foot from the wall and 4 feet apart. My desk chair is about 6 feet away from where the speakers would be eventually set up. The speakers would be flanked by two bookshelves on both sides.

My initial thought is to just get another pair of KEF LS50 wireless since I like their sound in the game room. This way I don't have to worry about getting a separate amp (integrated) and streamer. This setup has the highest WAF score :)

But then a little voice inside my head is telling me "why have the same sound everywhere?" It'll be nice to have a bit of variety. Hence this post. Given that I can get the LS50 wireless for about $2400 (including custom stands and taxes), I  want to put together a system which is around the same price. I don't intend to play anything loud in the study. Genres: jazz, vocals, some classical, some R&B and soft rock. Don't care much for metal, rap, EDM type of music.

There is an almost new pair of Harbeth P3esr for sale in my vicinity (craigslist) listed for around $1100. I'm seriously thinking of buying them. That leaves me with around $1300-1400 to spare. Does this sound feasible?

If possible I would like to experiment with tubes. But I have no idea as to how they would (a) pair with the Harbeths (always heard that they do better with SS), and (b) the cost, since tubes generally tend to be more expensive.

I am open to ideas as long as the total budget does not exceed $2500. I am willing to spend a little extra for used stands. 

128x128arafiq
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,677 posts
 
Well, looks like it was too good to be true. I made a deal with the seller to pick them up on Wednesday 3/14. Today I saw that he pulled the ad off of craigs list. Texted him to see what's going on. He's now claiming that he has had a change of heart and decided to keep the speakers after all.

Bummer!
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hk_fan
462 posts
 
I'm selling a Focal Dome sub/sat system.  It's a fantastic setup for a small, high WAF package.
br3098
994 posts
 
You didn't tell us what type of music you would listen to on this system.  Classic rock. vocals, jazz, small classical, large classical, techno...?  I always have a small system (not desktop speakers) in my 10'x13' office.  I have usually used gear that I has been lying around.

If I was going to do it again from scratch, I would stick to tubes and use the decware Zen Mini Torii tube amp or an Linear Tube Audio MZ2.  For speakers I would use a pair of Omega Super 3i monitor speakers or maybe the decware DM945 bookshelf speakers.  The Omegas are rear-ported but Louis can build you a pair with the ports on the front.

Any combination of these components can be had for under $2K.  It would be hard to find better sound at this price, IMO.

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,677 posts
 
Alright, so the seller changed his mind again. I'm going to go pick them up on Saturday!! It's in cherry color for $1150. He is willing to throw in a Naim Unitiqute (v1) for an additional $600. Sounds very enticing!
My only concern is if the Unitiqute (I think it has 30w/channel) is powerful enough to adequately drive the P3s. Does anyone have any experience with this combo?
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,677 posts
 
Finally took the plunge and bought the Harbeth P3esr's along with the Naim Unitiqute today. Have been playing it for the last 2-3 hours. Right now, the stands are on order so they're sitting on a really small console which is not very sturdy. Only 6 inches from the wall and only a little over two feet apart. The first word that came to my mind after listening to them is 'polite', followed by 'balanced'. Obviously, with the speakers being only 2 feet apart, there's not much of a soundstage.

Definitely a very different presentation from my KEF LS50w's. So far I have not found them to be as enjoyable as the KEFs. The KEF's imaging is more precise. But I guess I should wait for my stands and position them properly before forming an opinion.
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