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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.

deertrail7
kota1
2,706 posts
 

@deertrail7 Paradigm active speakers are much more dynamic than their passive ones., the low frequency extension goes down to 40hz and the ARC room correction and the calibrated mic comes with it. If you add a sub ARC will calibrate it with the speakers too. I use the DTS Play-Fi system throughout the home. You can connect the speakers to your network with either wireless or ethernet. The soundbar has been discontinued. One more thing is you can add speakers to other rooms and have whole house audio using the play-fi app if you want to expand in the future.

grislybutter
2,972 posts
 

here is just the room correction link:

 

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,497 posts
 

A pair of Paradigm PW600 active speakers have everything you need to get started.

A small bookshelf speaker is not going to fill your room, it's too big. I recommended large arrays that push a lot of air. Perhaps a Dali Phantom S280 or a Focal 1000 IWLCR Utopia.  

kota1
2,706 posts
 

ARC takes the room into consideration. OP, if you have a question just e-mail paradigm support before pulling the trigger, you can also add a sub:

https://anthemarc.com

grislybutter
2,972 posts
 

since you are at the beginning of your journey, you should ask yourself:

do you want big sound? will you play at high volumes? Bright, forward, detailed? Warm or analytical? Or just sound that moves you? These were all pretentious questions to me a couple years ago and I learned some of the differences. The easy test is, choose some of your favorite music that varies wildly e.g. the Stones vs. a vocalist. You usually get one or the other sound come out awesome from one system, but not both - unless it’s of course a ridiculously good system. Once you find out which awesomeness you are addicted to, it will steer you to the system that plays your music best (and then of course, the feedback loop curse: you will switch listening to what sounds good on your system)

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