It may have been said in earlier posts but Lyngdorf 3400 in addition to automatic correction and eq curves also has manual dsp correction. So you are actually able to get whatever sound you like. If you want subs to do the low parts the crossover facility in Lyngdorf amps is very good. A much cheaper but powerful alternative would be the new XTZ edge amp paired with an Antimode 2.0. No crossovers though.
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.
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.
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- 260 posts total
I made some changes to my room last night. I removed my small desk facing the speakers and the side table near the right speaker. This morning I started to test out the room again with my most fatiguing disks, such as The Smashing Pumpkins, etc... The new room sound is a revelation. These hard sounding disks no longer have that fatiguing hardness to them. My ears and head are feeling nothing bad. I removed the second office desk based on the ideas that were presented on the links @James63 posted. It made sense to remove the desk after watching those videos. My current LS50 and Peachtree are sounding rather impressive now in this room even without treatments, though I keep the entrance door opened. I have posted some photos of the new room furnishings on my virtual system. Last night, while most were partying, I went over some emails I had with a Lyngdorf dealer in New Mexico a few months back. He had actually provided me with the same answers that my personal online research ended up with. However, when he said it, I had some doubts but my research is also leading me to believe that the Lyngdorf will sound very good. The fact that my Class D Peachtree Nova is sounding so good now (though with moderate to high volume) also makes me feel good about the Lyngdorf Class D. Not all Class D are the same but I believe the Lyngdorf will be much better than the Nova. I can always try different amps with the Lyngdorf, such as the ones l mentioned in a previous post. I am going to forego demoing the Lyngdrof at a local dealer and just buy it from the remote dealer. He seems like an expert on the unit and he is a huge advocate for it, that knowledge is worth a lot to me. One important thing he said was that in my room any speaker with a small profile will work, such as the Magico A3, KEF Ref 1, KEF Ref 3, I also assume the even narrower Vandersteen Treo CT will work. He also said that placing the speaker closer to the front wall (not against) is better for the Lyngdorf. With the Magico A3 and the Vandersteen Treo CT this is not a problem at all. So I have the following things to do: 1) Wait for the room treatments and party with those in place for a while 2) Save some pennies to buy the Lyngdorf 3400. That can occur anytime this week to the end of March. 3) Demo the Harbeth at home, demo the Magico A3 at home after I get the Lyngdorf. Compare them to the Vandersteen Treo CT. My feeling is that the Treo CT will fit sound wise in between the Harbeth and Magico A3 sound. The Harbeth is not narrow but it is not a bass master like the other 2. This has to be a speaker for very long hours of play every day. To make things interesting, and the Lyngdorf is the reason for this new thought, I have another speaker that I have been very interested in for years now. This is my thread from some time back, https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/yamaha-ns-5000 This is not available in the USA but it is now in Canada, at a dealer just a few miles from my mom and dad’s home. It would cost me about the price of the TAD ME1 to have it shipped to me in California. It is a stand-mount but it has deep bass and it does NOT have a narrow profile. I am going to keep an eye on this one while I become an expert with the Lyngdorf. I am listening to The Smiths self-title disc now and it is sounding so good. I have owned the LS50s since 2012 and used them in many bad rooms. I think this room is now the best room I have ever had the LS50’s. I don’t recall them sounding this good. I have had better electronics on the LS50’s but the room improvements I made last night are a bigger factor than the change of amps and DAC. Nice way to start the New Year. |
With the buy decision made on the Lyngdorf and my room now sounding good even without treatments, another speaker that I think I can add back into the picture is the Vivid Kaya line. I went to hear this speaker the same day as the Magico A3 | Vandersteen Treo CT | Vivid Kaya 90. I thought the Kaya 90 was the best of the bunch but it was rather rich for my pocket book and also too big in sound. My listening time with the Vivid Kaya 90 was real short but what I heard sounded somewhat like the KEF Blade. Prior to the Lyngdorf, I thought the Kaya would not fit in my space. However, it does have some things that would work real well with the Lyngdorf. It can be placed very close to the back wall. I got this info from the dealer I visited and also heard this from an email with one of the principals at Vivid Audio in South Africa. He described the placement they sometimes had to use in small hotel room demos. The Kaya also has a Lyngdorf approved narrow front profile (facing the listener). https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/vivid-kaya-45s.5380/ https://7review.com/vivid-kaya-45-review/ This link above has a photo of the middle item in the current Kaya lineup. It has less bass than the Kaya 90 that I heard (a good thing for my room). It is also cheaper. Finances are also fluid and I maybe able to raise some pennies for the Kaya 45. I just need to live with the Lyngdorf for a few months and really understand what it’s limits are. In other words I am not going to jump in on a speaker purchase. Today, it seems to me that I have a lot more options in getting good sound in this room. My wife is on board with this office audio upgrade of mine and looking forward to getting the KEF LS50 and Peachtree Nova into her loft office space in the house. She listens to music via the iPhone and the Peachtree has some enhancements to facilitate that in a semi-decent manner. Her loft space is actually rather amazing acoustically. |
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