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Speaker suggestions for less than ideal accoustics

I live in a lovely timber frame home that works well for our lifestyle but presents challenges when trying to create a good audio listening environment. My great room has a wall of windows, tile floors (radiant heat), a large stone fireplace,28' ceiling peak, open to a loft area and open to the kitchen/dining area. The space is approx 1000 sq ft. I have listened in stores to some nice speakers (JM labs 816s, Def Tech 7004, Paradigm studio 100s, PSB T55,) but I know none of them will sound the same in my great room. Anyone ever faced this challenge and know if certain qualities in speaker designs lend themselves to this? I have learned a lot from this forum and wish there were more places to hear some of the equipment mentioned. BTW,this is for music listening only. Home theatre will have its own dedicated room in the basement where things can be built to suit
timberman
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,491 posts
 
Apart from the windows and the tile floor, which may give you reflections and some harshness in the treble, the fire place, loft and large room size probably make this a great room for listening (lots of space and uncorrelated reflections). If you place speakers with back to windows and get a rug then you may not even need to worry about treble reflections

My guess is that the speakers that give you the best lower base response and that are least harsh sounding in upper mid and treble might work for you. You have a large room to fill, perhaps the Def Techs with that big 10" woofer might give you the umph you will need.... provided you are comfortable the "airy" highs these speakers are known for.

good luck!
cinematic_systems
282 posts
 
Focal SM8's with DSP correction EQ and built in amplification, $7K/pr run your cd players digital out right to the speakers and control the volume from a windows based pocket pc or laptop....what more could you want? ...maybe a matching DSP subwoofer?
timberman OP
9 posts
 
thanks everyone for your input. I have been intrigued by what I am reading about Shahinian design. It seems they have been around quite a while, yet their unique approach has not caught on. Why are they not more popular?
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
shahinians are great...like ohm, people either love them of hate them.....stereo everywhere(my apologies to amar bose)
timberman OP
9 posts
 
I have spent a lot of time reading others insights and suggestions..what is disappointing is that there seems to be such limited access to all these high end products and a way to listen to all they offer. As a newcomer I appreciate all that I read but am no closer to buying what may be available from my only nearby "high end" audio store and their limited offerings.(PSB, POLK,JM Labs) How sad. Are these stores going the way of the old local hardware store?
I still look forward to any suggestions for an effective means to fill my great room with full beautiful music.I have decided not to go with the "big boys" and would like to hear some feedback on towers in the $1000-3000 range and and a well suited amplifier to match.
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