2. speakers
  3. 156297-4917

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
rego
378 posts
 
@garbo, what I would suggest is consider adding a DAC.
As indicated the difference made an impression ...
If the P30 is working the way you want in the system build upon the structure in place.
And an MTM Array (Loudspeaker) config would still be a good suggestion.
Look at Eris E44 (Presonus) for example and see if it makes any sense to you.
Manufacturer Statement: "Eris E44: MTM design delivers the widest sweet spot in its class."
Please note that my example ( Eris E44 ) is not based on direct experience with the Monitor only that the MTM Array makes sense.
A suggestion for Toe In would be heck Yeah ... find the balance for the
’ Standing listening area ’ which should be crossed behind ( or at / or maybe not ) the seated listening position.
Toe In could be minimal so that the axis crosses well behind a first or second listening position.

garbo OP
27 posts
 
rego, thanks for the suggestions. It was only worth getting a 2 channnel DAC as the others would have had to undergo a A-D-A conversion in the P30; not a good idea. In the end I have decided to buy the PMC speakers, as I got a good price and I know at least they will give me an excellent stereo system. They are supposed to have reasonably wide dispersion. Cheers

steve59's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
steve59
1,766 posts
 
there there’s a brand that’s been doing dsp speakers for residential applications for quite awhile and while the new prices are prohibitive the used prices are a real bargain. Don’t really get much recognition other than mqa tho.
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Hi @garbo 
Here is the link -- it's the 3 series, not 3M, sorry to confuse you. Don't be put off by the looks, they are surprisingly good speakers, with very good dispersion characteristics!
garbo OP
27 posts
 
Just to let you know, in the end I bought the pair of PMC result6. As soon as they were turned on I heard a big improvement, in all aspects. Aside from great clarity, they have a bigger presence in the room and wider dispersion. Naturally, with only stereo, volume varies through the room, but in most, possibly all, zones I think that the quality of sound is better than I could get at the price with multi-channel. Thanks for your comments.

More to discover