Big speakers in small room at moderate volume levels

@audiotroy I know your suggestion is a winner with the KEF Reference 1, it is my fall back plan if all else fail. However, the plan of getting the Blade 2 from my large living room downstairs is becoming closer to happening. Wife is saying the other day we need to have some music around the kid, she likes the way the Blade 2 looks, and I love the sound of the Blade 2. This is happening once I feel the kid is a little wiser (see below). So getting the Reference 1 for the office is not that exciting in the context of 3 KEF’s in the house. I will call you on the Blade. You were the first person to discuss the Blade with me by email, maybe 6 years ago.

I am also starting to think I may not need any type of DSP for the office. This is because of the suggestion made to me by sound engineer Mike Major at GIK Acoustics. He told me to open my room door to make the room acoustically bigger. It has made a huge difference so far. He also said opening the window behind the left speaker would also help but I cannot torment my neighbors that way. My GIK acoustic panels should have shipped from Georgia to California 2 days ago. Those panels will help deaden the room and give me more options. My room is getting "bigger", speaker wise.
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7605

I can safely open the office room door now because my toddler, who is 2 years and 6 months old and already at 38 inches tall and 45+ lb. A big kid who can do damage to speakers. He has decided that when I am in the office and working that I am boring and and he leaves me to it. He is growing fast because when I started this thread I had to keep the door always closed to avoid him causing damage inside the room.

I spoke to a local KRELL dealer on Friday, he introduced me to KRELL via an in-store demo a few years ago, he is willing to give me a package of the KEF REF R1 and KRELL K-300i. If I go that way, I will get the demoed KRELL from him and get the KEF REF 1 from you. Seems fair to me.

Now with this supposed "magical" growth in my room I am going to consider 2 larger speakers that I have heard, the Magico A3 and Vandersteen Treo CT. All of this is to try and not buy the KEF Reference 1.

I am rather optimistic the Treo CT will work in my space. When I heard them the same day as the Magico A3 (1 hour apart), I thought the Treo CT had a more rounded sound than the Magico A3 and not as deep bass (a good thing). I think audiophiles call that a musical sound, which maybe more suitable for longer hours. I thought the A3 sound was more to my liking but I am not sure that 8 hours of the Magico A3 would be as good as 8 hours of the Treo CT. I am going to bring that Magico into my room to demo it. That is a lot of grunt work but I will do it (a 2 hour drive in LA traffic one way).

As you see I am still with the same small group of speakers that I triangulated with earlier on the thread.

if anyone cares, I will be hearing the following components in January to give me some more choices for my audio tool chest.

- Harbeth SHL5+ (maybe similar to the Treo CT but softer sounding, will do a home demo)
- Lyngdorf 2170 integrated (just in case I need DSP)
- Anthemt STR integrated (same store as Lyngdorf, may listen to it)
- Simaudio 390 (same store as Lyngdorf, in event I do not buy an integrated)
- a 390 and Benchmark AHB2 (I recently sold) maybe great with the Treo CT
- a 390 and a Jeff Roland amp maybe perfect with the Magico A3.

@tomic601  I spent a lot of time reading on A'gon posts by Treo CT owners, including a few by you. Lot of good info and undeniable passion for the Treo CT. 

@twoleftears  I have not been able to find that search functionality you are referring too. I had to do something like guess what room size a particular component would be used in and then filter by that room size. At least it narrows down the number of virtual systems to leaf through.

A set of Klipsch Chorus I's with MAHL tweeter upgrades worked fine for me. Went to hear some B&W's at HIFI buys in Nashville and ended up getting these upgraded vintage Klipsch speakers instead. Sounded far more musical and put the $20,000.00+ money difference in my pocket. The idea that there is a certain $$ level needed to achieve superior audio is an expensive thing to cater to and why do it if you don't have to. Great sound is where you find it not how much you spent to get it. Cello and pipe organ music are faithfully reproduced in very fine quality as are all other genres I have played and I hope that poor sales guy never hears what cheapo $1,300.00 speakers sound like.

@mahlman As I listened to more speakers I found out that I the ones I liked the most are not the lowest priced ones, except KEF LS50. I have used as my primary (sometimes only speaker) anything from a Audioengine A2 ($200) to a Revel Salon  ($20,000). I have been fortunate to have audio stores or audio shows around the areas I have lived in, so I have heard a good amount of speakers.

We all have different tastes in music, hearing, and different rooms. A general statement like spending more on a speaker is a waste does not come across as accurate from my perspective. 

I have heard Klipsch before when my dad owned some in his HT system. Likely not the same model as you are mentioning.

Glad you have the $20K in your pocket. 

sent you a PM connecting you w great guy running Lyngdorf 3400 and TREO, quite happy....
ciao..
I have Mile Davis on....lovely