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.
this thread definitely has a lot of "amazing" suggestions and explains why audiophiles are ridiculed. The dude wants good sound, from a good looking system. He doesn't want Doc Brown crawling on the floor finding imperfections that affect the sound. Some of you need to read the room. But of course it's not the just this thread, more often than not, these posts are full of comments where xy just keeps repeating the same points, same brands, with seemingly no connection to the question. |
@kota1, Those are some good recommendations. I couldn’t agree with you more about the need to include room correction from the start. And it may be a bit much to expect us to research all the components others mention. So, for the record, The Buchardt I150 includes Hypex NCORE amplification, separate linear power supplies, a Sabre ES 9028 PRO DAC, and a full set of connectivity options. …. and most noteably, a very well implemented quad-core DSP that includes advanced room correction and smart subwoofer integration among other features. I personally own Paradigm Personas, etc., but remain highly impressed with the feature list and system synergies that Bouchardt seems to offer for the OP, as well as being a great value proposition. |
I’d suggest a good conversation with your wife. If your room is huge, having a pair of floor standers isn’t going to change much to her daily routine. If the issue, then, is just cosmetics, maybe she can compromise a little to allow her loved one some fun and self-indulgence with his hard earned cash. You only live once. |
+1 I make it my policy to buy my partner a really nice expensive gift before I buy something for my audio system. If then putting speakers in a communal room, after the present… involve her in the process of picking out the speakers.
While I never bought Sonus Faber for the looks… it was a great bonus… and my partner does admire their looks. |
I would forget about an integrated amp and instead get a preamp with dsp and a pair of large active studio monitors (use the port plugs if necessary and the controls on the back of each speaker to adjust the highs and lows and you may not even need to use dsp). Not sure what your source is but some people can get by with a versatile DAC like the RME ADI-2 instead of a preamp. ie. Dynaudio BM15A, Adam, etc. If once placed you are unable to reach in behind and turn them on/off you can plug them into a device to accomplish that. Tiny speakers in a big room won’t work out, even with subs. |
