Starting from scratch in a large room
I am hoping to set up my first hi-fi system, but I have some room/equipment constraints and would appreciate some advice.
I am looking at an all-in-one amp and passive speakers. Right now, I am leaning toward a Naim Uniti Nova and KEF R3 speakers. I am a total novice and open to suggestions on both the amp and speakers, however, I do think an all-in-one like the Nova is the right direction for simplicity and space considerations. Other speakers I have considered are the Focal Aria 906 and BW 706 S2. I listen mostly to modern/classic rock, mixed with a little bit of everything, exclusively through streaming (preferably AirPlay).
The challenge is that I have a very large room, but I can’t use floor speakers or standmounts--the speakers will likely have to be on the built-in bookshelves, on a shelf that is 24" deep (it's not really a shelf, more like a wooden countertop on top of a closed cabinet). The room is 33’ x 18’ with 11-foot ceilings. I’ll be listening from either 13 feet or 25 feet. There are rugs covering most of the wood floors, heavy drapes on one of the long walls, and large canvas paintings hung on drywall on the other long wall. I understand I have some pretty major room limitations, but I'd like to have something that sounds as good as possible for around $10-15K. I've read somewhere around here that having two subs might help compensate for the smaller speakers. This is our living room/kitchen area, so I am limited in how many, if any, "treatments" I can make to improve the listening conditions. Would some kind of base between the speaker and countertop make a difference? Thanks very much.
Yes, first system. At least, I haven't had anything anyone would consider an "audiophile" setup. I am 44.
Very much. That's the impetus behind my desire to invest a not insignificant amount of money in a system that can reproduce music as well as possible given the limitations of the environment. However, I'm getting the overall impression that my environment might be limiting enough that it's maybe not worth it at this time.
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I think you are insinuating that airplay is a low-quality source. I thought that their "lossless" audio format was supposed to be pretty good. Is that not true?
I was considering wireless. Everyone seems to like the KEF LS50 Wireless II, and I thought they sounded fine when I listened to them.
Thanks for this. I stumbled on this thread at one point a few weeks ago but had forgotten about it. |
36 inches.
Good advice. Moving up gradually in speaker quality I'm sure would be an education in itself.
What would you consider to be 'extra' power? That's kind of what I thought I was doing by considering the Naim Nova (80 watts per channel) over the Naim Atom (40 watts per channel). Is that "enough?" |
That actually sounds like a really good option for me. I was considering replacing the soundbar in this room as well, so maybe I could just go with the whole Paradigm system. And it would be nice not to have to cut holes in the walls or ceiling. Thanks! |
@deertrail7 yes, you are right, I thought airplay was a mediocre source. I know little about streaming so I take it back. Here is a pretty cool trio: wireless KEF sub, wireless KEF speakers, and a software to figure out the best sound from Lyngdorf. You can accomplish a great sound without a lot of tweaking - if Darko is on his game
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