Big speakers in small room at moderate volume levels


My office is 11’W x 10’L x 9’H and is where I can listen to music for the next few years. I have a toddler and, for now, he has commanded the big spaces in the rest of the house. I have auditioned the Magico A3 and wanted to buy it but that was before I was relegated to the smallish office (I was expecting to move to a bigger room). I have removed the closet doors in this office room. The removal of the closet door gives me another 4 feet of depth to this room, though for only 1/2 width of the room. I can sit unobstructed 8 feet away from the speakers before I hit the area where the closet ends (so near field listening).

I currently I have KEF LS50 with Peachtree Nova 150. It is good and I can listen for the whole day without fatigue. I listen to FM, digital files on ROON, and my Sony SCD-1 SACD player. I want a bigger sound so I am looking at bigger speakers. I also do not want to use a sub since I am not a fan. I will also upgrade the NOVA 150 to the NOVA 500 in Spring 2019 and use with the LS50’s in a bedroom.

I came to the conclusion that my tastes would be best served by one of KEF Reference 1 or Magico A3. I was thinking that I would use the Lyngdorf 3400 in this room but I am having seconds thoughts on this now (some A’gon comments that it maybe a little dry). I am interested in solid state AB units like the Hegel H590 and Mark Levinson 585 to drive the speakers. I have heard the ML 585 and it is a fatigue free sounding unit that was a joy to listen to. I have not heard the Hegel H590 yet (but have heard other Hegels with KEF) and I am in the process of getting an audition of the H590. I have also discounted the class AB Micromega M-One 150 (with MARS room correction) because I do not want a cooling fan blowing in the room.

I must mention that I do not listen that loud when I am working and when I am working very late at night the volume is very low. The Mark Levinson and A3 combo was very good at low volumes during my demo but that was in the dealers perfect large room.

1) Am I making a mistake foregoing room correction with the 2 integrateds I am considering? Should I go with the Lyngdorf and A3 or KEF Ref 1, though I have never heard the Lyngdorf?

2) Will the Magico A3 work in this small room at moderate volumes WITHOUT room correction or will I subject myself to headaches and fatigue?

I am going to ask the dealer selling the A3’s this question when I am ready to buy but i wanted to ask on A’gon first to get some feedback. I doubt I could get the A3’s into my room for a trial but I have not asked the dealer yet.

I think (not 100% sure) the KEF Reference 1 with a non room correcting amp should work in my office space but I would prefer to buy the Magico A3 for the office. I have plans to buy another KEF model once my kid is a bit older and I can kick him out of the big room.
yyzsantabarbara
I may have to downsize/downgrade next year. Is the KEF Ref 1 a worthy replacement for my JBL 4367? Reason for downsize... can’t play loud bass anymore in the new apartment.
In a smaller space, as Fritz to make you a custom build with a single ScanSpeak mid/woofer.


@yyzsantabarbara 

The LS50 is nice for what it is but as you may know, they need quality power to sound good. The KEF Ref 1 is just OK as I remember. If you are willing to spend Ref 1 money, take a very serious look at the Harbeth SHL 5. I've heard them twice in the last two days. Just so good with a Luxman 509X, Marantz SA - 10, Nordost wiring. Also heard with a nice TT and phono pre (Clear Audio + Luxman phono). This is a very musical setup on both digital and vinyl. I've never heard a speaker in this price range that is better. And IMOHO, it is much better than the Magico A3 and I've heard the A3s two or three times. The A3s didn't even make the list with TAD and Wilson and now Harbeth.

I've heard the TAD ME-1s many times (last time around a week ago) and they are stellar but are also 2X greater cost compared to the Harbeths. 
Another vote for a serious listen to Vandersteen Quattro CT :-)
tuneable for the room in the Analog domain
not many are
i am biased, own 3 pair along with other stuff....

your mention of listening fatigue has me a bit intrigued.... how loud are you listening and how are you measuring that
?
flat in the near field with low distortion should not be fatiguing....

enjoy the search !

@ kahlenz What I mean by "full sound" is the the LS50 compared to both the A3 and KEF Reference 1 do not have the same size soundstage and depth. The separation of the instruments was also better with the bigger speakers. I was able to visualize the performance way better with the A3 and KEF.

One examples is the TASH SULTANA Blackbird track from FLOW STATE. When I hear it at home with the LS50 it sounds great because the music is awesome. However, when I heard it at the dealer with the A3 it was like TASH was wailing away on the guitar in front of me. I was at her recording studio and felt emotionally connected to the performance.

Same thing with Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. When I heard it on the KEF Ref 1 it was almost like when I saw Floyd live in Toronto years ago. With the LS50 it sounds great but it does not take me back to that show.

So maybe the Full sound I say is not a good technical audiophile term. I guess I am referring to my emotional reaction to the tunes.

With regards to subs, I have a small room and a lot of computer equipment (super quiet) and I do not want to add subs to add to the collection. I also do not want to learn how to integrate subs into my monitors.