Starting from scratch in a large room
I am hoping to set up my first hi-fi system, but I have some room/equipment constraints and would appreciate some advice.
I am looking at an all-in-one amp and passive speakers. Right now, I am leaning toward a Naim Uniti Nova and KEF R3 speakers. I am a total novice and open to suggestions on both the amp and speakers, however, I do think an all-in-one like the Nova is the right direction for simplicity and space considerations. Other speakers I have considered are the Focal Aria 906 and BW 706 S2. I listen mostly to modern/classic rock, mixed with a little bit of everything, exclusively through streaming (preferably AirPlay).
The challenge is that I have a very large room, but I can’t use floor speakers or standmounts--the speakers will likely have to be on the built-in bookshelves, on a shelf that is 24" deep (it's not really a shelf, more like a wooden countertop on top of a closed cabinet). The room is 33’ x 18’ with 11-foot ceilings. I’ll be listening from either 13 feet or 25 feet. There are rugs covering most of the wood floors, heavy drapes on one of the long walls, and large canvas paintings hung on drywall on the other long wall. I understand I have some pretty major room limitations, but I'd like to have something that sounds as good as possible for around $10-15K. I've read somewhere around here that having two subs might help compensate for the smaller speakers. This is our living room/kitchen area, so I am limited in how many, if any, "treatments" I can make to improve the listening conditions. Would some kind of base between the speaker and countertop make a difference? Thanks very much.
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- 51 posts total
Idem as @kota1 but more expensive , Dynaudio Focus 10 . Active speakers with Dirac Live room correction.
Add some room acoustic treatment with the money left. |
My interest in music is strictly amateur/recreational, although at one point I actually wrote a couple of album reviews for a local magazine. I have no musical ability of my own. So I don't really know how to quantify how much I "love" music (I mean, doesn't everyone?), but I know my enjoyment of it increases with the quality of the reproduction.
I hope to be able to do that in a decade or so. Right now, I have four young kids and all of the spaces in our home are spoken for.
That's interesting to hear your perspective about Naim and good advice about finding an emotional connection. I always feel uncomfortable walking into dealers and asking to listen to different setups--guess I just need to get over it. Thanks for your response. |
- 51 posts total