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Active speakers for a large room

Hi, I am looking to replace my front pair of 17 year old Genelec 1029a active speakers, with 2 active speakers which must be undeniably superior to the old ones. Relevant information:

- the room is large, 36ft x 30ft x 12ft.
- We are seldom in the ideal listening position, so would prefer something multidirectional and immersive. Stereo imaging is of lesser importance. We are usually at least 10ft away from the nearest speaker, often to the side. 
- music genres are varied, including rock; jazz; classical
- I prefer a clean, revealing sound.
- the new speakers would be used in conjunction with a pair of REL Habitat subwoofers, which are very musical and would probably handle frequencies below around 75Hz. So, I think it would be a waste of money to pay for deep bass.
- connections are balanced (XLR) and there is in wall wiring. I prefer to keep it that way.
- stereo passes through an RME ADI DAC
- for movies, which are much less important, there are 3 more Genelec 1029a´s and a Primare P30 AV processor (which is in bypass mode for stereo)
- budget is up to $2,500 for the pair

Your help is appreciated and I look forward to seeing your thoughts. Cheers

garbo
erik_squires
16,060 posts
 
JBL makes a number of powered studio monitors which would probably be a good idea.  They work great in far-field situations like restaurants.

The one issue is the size of the room. The difference in volume between the front and the rear will be unusually large, not sure if you wouldn't be happier with 2 monitors per side. This lets you keep the volume low, but equal.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Jump on a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT 8F  they will sound great they are passive however.
rego
378 posts
 
Hey garbo,
More and more choices in terms of Powered Loudspeakers are possible and readily produced.
What I would point out is that Genalec’s Monitor (design) is oriented more towards nearfield listening and low power.
Where as you have indicted an interest in use with more ambience and a preference for Less constraint and some flexibility.
This would indicate a requirement for a different radiation pattern.
This is about how a Loudspeaker integrates into a listening space.
Since AV use is also of interest this opens the way for at least one possible application of Surround Tech but would require more capacity than the Primare P30 offers (XLR connection to satellites as well as mains).
So the idea would be to expand the listening "area" to encompass the greater portion of the room with Surround Sound.
But again is dependent upon the selection of Speaker (type).
This could be accomplished with as few as four "Mains"
Possibly adding a center channel for AV at the listening position.
To me the more conventional approach would be to consider an MTM
Array type baffle for controlled dispersion.
Another alternative for listening on axis outside a critical sweet spot would be at the opposite end of the room ( "area" from current mains axis) requiring enough power and good room integration.
The stated use of current Subs is right on the money.


gregm
3,405 posts
 
Another vote for JBLs; very well behaved (good dispersion & off-axis response, etc) and reasonably priced for the performance level. The M3 series probably tallies with what you need
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