Big speakers in small room at moderate volume levels

@gdnrbob I am not considering the Treo CT for the office. I have decided to go with the stand mount monitor type speakers. I was just stating that I had recently heard the Treo CT at a dealer event.

Another late night written verbal diatribe follows below:

In all likelihood it will come down to the KEF Reference 1 (used or demo) or out of left field (for me) the Harbeth SHL5+ (used). The TAD ME1 is a severe long shot due to cost. I was also researching other stand mounts today, such as the Focal Supra No1, Paradigm Persona B, and some others that come up in comparison in reviews. However, none of them made me want to switch from the KEF Reference 1 or Harbeth options.

I am not saying these are the best 2 speakers I have considered but for my of-axis needs, my low volume needs, my desire for large soundstage and more bass, pinpoint imaging, my desire to occasionally play some head banger tunes, these 2 speaker seem to be the best choices (definitely the KEF not certain about Harbeth on a few of those characteristics).

I need to give my head a shake on the cost of this system. Main goal is to have something fun to listen to and non-fatiguing for about 8-10 hours a day. It does not have to be the ultimate reference quality system. I am supposed to be working after all.

I had an interesting email conversation with a reviewer from a popular online audio magazine this afternoon. I inquired about a standalone DAC he had reviewed and we then started a good conversation about buying a new system. He stated that if he was buying a new system today he would go for an integrated with a DAC built-in. He was of the opinion that the law of diminishing returns is being seen now with these new integrated models.  They are so good that it is hard to justify spending on separates, especially for my type of office system. This is also what I was thinking and it was good to hear it from someone in the audio field.

So with that in mind, the integrated I SHOULD buy is the Mark Levinson 5805 (125W @8Ohms + 250W @4Ohms). I have not heard it because it is not released yet but it should sound similar to the 585 which I heard but that one is $12K and has more power than I would need. Another integrated I will hear is the brand new Krell K-300i (with Krell's new XD technology). 

https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/krell-new-integrated-k300i-amplifier.html

The Krell integrated is a bit cheaper than the ML 5805 and has better connectivity options to match my existing gear needs. I have inquired with a local dealer to give me a call if and when they get it into their shop. I am not in a rush for the new integrated because I have the Peachtree to tie me over until I can get exactly what is the best choice.

The Lyngdorf is still around for consideration but I will now also included the Anthem STR line of electronics into the mix because both have room correction. I will only look into this if the Peachtree Nova 150 I own sounds fatiguing or bad driving whatever speakers I buy. I was going to go with an out of state dealer for the Lyngdorf, but I cannot get a home demo from him, and a local dealer has both Lyngdorf and Anthem so I will drive to them if DSP is something I need to tame my room.

I am dropping the Luxman 509x from consideration because I would need a DAC and interconnects and power cord for that DAC. Costs would run higher than need be if I got single Integrated-DAC unit. 

I am also be dropping the Hegel H590 from consideration also due to cost. A shame because given my past hearing Hegel driving KEF Blades I would think the H590 would have been my #1 choice.

I have decided a few months ago to forgo something that I thought I would definitely require in my next DAC. That is streaming directly into the DAC via Ethernet. I already have a microRendu Ethernet-to-usb device and that is good enough. So dropping the Ethernet to DAC need,  except in the case of the Lyndgdorf 3400 which has this feature already. 

I now think I can get a new office system for $15K or less doing the things in sound quality I initially asked about.

Had a few long conversations with a couple of local dealers today. Got prices and suggestions. Discussed with dealers with the following lines, Lyngdorf, Anthem STR integrated, Simaudio 390 network player/preamp, KRELL K-300i integrated, KEF Reference 1, and the Harbeth SHL5+ (not a dealer for the line). Interesting feedback on room correction software. They preferred room treatments over the DSP approaches. However, the room treatments may not always work but the DSP can save the day. I will see once my GIK room treatments are installed.

As I stated in my first post, the sensible thing for my tastes, is likely to get the KEF R1. However, I am not feeling the excitement about doing that. Reason is having 3 KEF’s in the house. I am feeling some excitement for the new KRELL K-300i integrated. If that sounds close to the ML 585 then it is a better option than the ML because of the better connectivity options.

I am going to take the advice of a few posters here and check out the Vandersteen Treo CT again. One thing I was reading negatively for me on the Treo CT is the suitability of this speaker for low volume listening. I have been working all night tonight while also doing some audio research and my current system sounds bad at the low volumes I currently have set. Some A’gon posters brought this up on other threads about the Treo CT. Any of the Treo CT champions on this thread care to offer an opinion on that.

I will also keep the Magico A3 for consideration. I can do a home demo but I looked at the size of the boxes (on the online manual) and I am not sure if it would fit in my SUV. My have to rent a pickup truck for that.

https://magico.net/support/A3/A3_Owner_Manual.pdf

I got to get a floor stander into my room for demo, to either buy it or finally get it out of my system (physically and mentally). One thing that I have noticed is that by opening up my door, my room has become acoustically much larger.

If you want something stand mounted the Vandy VLR is exceptional for the money. I have them in my office, using them off axis (actually mounted near the ceiling corners on wall mounts). Very nice and relaxing, and detailed. I have listened to them with and without subs, when placed by corners, the bass is substantial.
Bob

Note to self on small rooms

from @audiokinesis

So apparently good soundstaging over a wide sweet spot matters a lot to you. It does to me too. I like to feel immersed in the music, including the soundscape on the recording, and I like to share that experience with others without it being limited to the one or two best seats.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/curious-what-people-think-is-the-best-value-high-end-speaker-...

Yysantabarbera you are back to square one, with a similar viewpoint to what we recommended when we first talked on the telephone.

Micromega M150 as it is compact, has room correction which will make a small difficult room sound great with a pair of Kef Reference Ones.

This is a reasonably priced setup that is compact in size and sounds fantastic, the M150 is one hell of a great integrated,  we will be bringing in the KAV 300i as it seems to be a killer integraed the Krell doesn't have room correction though which is a disadvantage vs the Micromega.

Food for thought. This package will come in reasonably in cost, will work wonders for a small room, and only requires an ethernet cable and one power cord. Simple elegant and fantastic sounding.

The Kef Reference ones work fabuslously well in a small room, wide dispersion, adjustable bass loading, and not too much deep bass and they sound big.

Use a good power cord, a set of good isolation feet Isoacosutic or Critical mass, a good ethernet cable and speaker cables and you will have one fanastic compact mini reference system.


Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ