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2ch Upgrade for Unfocused Listening

I'm not much of a talker on this forum so forgive me for my rash introduction. I'm a father of two young boys, loves music and has little time to really focus on listening. That said, I am toying with the idea of upgrading my system to something a little more grown up. Current setup is a super modest, running a NAD D3020, pair of B&W bookshelves (10 years old), and a small Martin Logan sub. This system sits in the living room and is predominantly used for background listening though the occasional "sit back and relax" kind of listening does happen from time to time. If I'm not listening here, I'm at my desk working and listening to a pair of KEF x300a's. 

My big thought is to do a full upgrade, albeit a slow one, to something a little more special. Currently I have my sights on the Naim Uniti Atom and a pair of floorstanders (CM10 S2 really catch my ear), taking away the need for the ML sub. The big question is this however, will an upgrade like this where music is played more often than not when I am running around with the kids be something I notice? We all like to listen to music, but if we arent planted in the sweet spot am I wasting my time thinking we can achieve great sound throughout the space, making for a worthy investment at this current life stage. 

I welcome your input. And thank you greatly in advance. 
128x128bgrimes
rego
378 posts
 
Ah ... you are in the neighborhood ... Metropolitan Denver!
The Living / Kitchen / Listening Space is great!
Set up the B&W's opposite from the kitchen Area Space.
This should allow for some well deserved casual ... um ... critical listening.
Wall to Wall Boundry to Boundry.
You may have to move the mains out into the space a bit for the proper effect.
Experiment with spacing between the speakers as well.
The Sound just depends on how the loudspeaker integrates. 
Even without treatment you should be able to have a good idea of what the sound can be.
Lots of possibilities for brand set of Loudspeakers.
Don't look now ... but TMR Audio is listing a Clearwave Symphonia 1
used but Not ... for a bit more than $2K.
Do look!

audiokinesis
2,749 posts
 
You might consider Morrison Audio.  Extremely well thought-out design.
Duke
rego
378 posts
 
Correction
TMRAudio listing does show that the item has had Two previous owners
assuming ’use’ at One year. Same Serial No though.
A bit of confussion.
TMRAudio had a 2018 listing noting unused.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis914j3-clearwave-symphonia-1-floorstanding-speakers-walnut-burl-pair-13670-full-range
Oh well.

bgrimes's avatar
bgrimes OP
8 posts
 
rocray: To answer your question, I would say it's a little of the itch, but also about experience more out of my music. Though oftentimes music takes the background in my house (unless I am working at my desk), I like to think I can get more of any experience out of music while playing in the living room with the family. I know the power music has on one's soul and I want to find a little more of that for myself while letting my kids experience it too. There are a lot of moments when I tell me myself, what I have is just fine, but then there is this deeper urge to hear more. For example, I wouldn't say anything about my system now excels in clarity or definition of the music. Right now, the sound being created doesn't get inside of you; you hear it, but you don't feel it (and I'm not talking low-end bass) if that makes sense. I want it to excite me and rediscover what I loved about music in the days of my youth when I would go to shows weekly and spin records with friends. 

rego: Thank you for your comments. Lots to think about there. Are you in the Denver area? I have thought about placing the current speakers on the far wall but always come back to the fact that I wouldn't be able to run wires in a clean way with the fireplace sitting in the middle. Those TMRAudio speakers, do look nice, though a little high for my budget and the chunk out of the corner gets to me. When you look at a speaker like this, what specifically jumps out at you when it comes to my situation? 

Omni-directional: It really is raising an eyebrow. The fact that there have been several suggestions to go omin-directional does get me thinking. Most suggestions are WAY out of my league, but Ohm has something I should be paying attention to. The continued suggestion does lead me to think a more traditional 2- or 3-way 2ch setup will never be a suitable solution in creating good/decent sound if I am not sitting in front of it. There is part of me that says, "wow that's crazy," but another part of me that really gets where that is coming from, though still crazy.
yyzsantabarbara
4,937 posts
 
@bgrimes I have a similar sized family room and a very big and strong 3 year old toddler. So I have the same concerns as you on putting a speaker system where the kid plays.

My boy has become more mature and will likely not break the drivers anymore, unlike when we was around 2 years old.

So I was looking at a speaker to provide the following:

1) a large sweet spot
2) a heavy speaker that is not easy to knock down
3) driver made with safe materials (non toxic)
4) speaker can be placed 1-2 feet away from the back wall
5) drivers that are strong and difficult to break with little fingers
6) a speaker I know will take abuse and get scratched up (so less pricey the better)

With these criteria I am thinking something from ELAC or KEF R series. I like the coincident drivers and feel they give you a bigger sweet spot. There are others with bigger and better individual aspects of what I described but I am taking everything into consideration.

Buying used on A'gon will also get you near the $2K range you want.
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