Hi
guys I am purchasing my first high end 2 channel audio system for a reasonably
large room in my house and would like some input. My speaker budget is approximately $13k and
overall about $20k. I will be streaming
exclusively. I've done some listening
and am trying to decide between Goldenear (Triton One and Reference), Sonus
Faber (Olympica III and Serafino) and Focal (Kanta 3 and Sopra 2 - haven't heard yet but about to listen). I listen to a lot of electronic music,
somewhat loud, in addition to having been raised on jazz, standards and vocals
which I will return to often in smaller quantities. I mostly listen around my living area rather
than in a dedicated listening position, but I appreciate my music.
I
think my first issue is the size of my space which is 15x25 with a 12 foot
ceiling on half and a great room cathedral ceiling on the other half. Also the room opens to another room with a
lower 8 foot ceiling and has two french doors that in nice weather open to the
outside - so, a rather imperfect and large space. I am trying to figure out what will fill the
room appropriately in terms of speaker and then power.
My
questions are:
- are those Sonus speakers
physically too small for my space and do I need physically larger speakers
than those (note: I realize they require more power but take that out of
the equation for this specific question assuming I can spend more to
supply them with what they need)?
- the Focal Sopra 2 is
physically smaller but from the higher product line and more money than
the larger Focal Kanta 3 - should I go with the higher end but slightly
smaller speaker (46"H and 7" largest drivers vs 50" H and
8" largest drivers for comparison) or is it physically too small?
- how much power do I need and
how does a guy in my position determine this? (I already know the sonus require more
power but what I am asking is once I pick a given speaker how do I
determine how much absolute power do I need? do I take gear home and keep trying
(seems impractical)? how do I decide between 100, 200, 300, 500 or more(?)
wPC? is it like hard drive space
where more is just better up to a certain limit so spend as much as I can?
(seems irresponsible - I would like a more satisfying answer)
- I have been thinking I would
invest more dollars in solid state amplification because of the dynamic
music I like and a tube preamp so that my midranges and vocals benefit
from this treatment. at my
knowledge level how do I tell if a speaker and amp 'get along?' which I
read about but don't know that I could really screen unless it is super
obvious. I don't trust my ears
enough to really now or know how to evaluate. should I just buy some very reputable
separates (I have been thinking used to save money) and string em up?
Would
love any opinions about these questions specifically or generally. Cheers!
