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Kids, Dogs, and Speakers

We have 2 dogs (25 lbs and 35 lbs) who tear around the house and preschool grandchildren. I like the sound of my Spendor A4s, but they are very narrow and top-heavy, and we worry they could be unintentionally knocked over (mercifully, this hasn't happened yet).  We need speakers which are harder to knock over.  This is the room we spend the evening in, so we can't exclude kids or pups.

Our budget is $7k to, at a stretch, $15k. I'm considering the KEF Meta R11 meta, the Sonus Faber Olyimpica Nova 2 and 3, and the Spendor D7.2 (which are wider and have a lower centre of gravity than the A4s). I ruled out the Sonetto 8s and Dali Rubicon 8s because the lowest speaker is vulnerably close to the ground. I like the extra stability that the outrigger feet give the KEFs and the Sonus Fabers.

I need to find things that I can audition in the section of the East Coast from New York to Washington DC.

Do you have any recommendations for speakers that are harder to knock over?

Thanks!

wqgq_641
jeffseight's avatar
jeffseight
574 posts
 

A clever plot to get the WAF well oiled.

If you liked the Spendor sound Klipsch is not

gonna do it. Child and dog proofing can be achieved in many 

ways. The Dynaudio 200 stands I own were chosen for stability.

Four Widely spaced outrigger style feet with adjustable spikes.

They take 20 lbs each of sand for more stability. Also have a cable control system.

But unless you go for a standmount + subwoofer option this won't work.

I would suggest buying the latest version Fritz Carrera 7 BE's $2,800-30 day home trial- and a REL 7TX Sub. $1,000 and the stands $500. 

Use the 8 smallish wood screws that come with the stands to fix the speaker bottom thru the predrilled rubber grommeted holes in the steel plate on the stand.

That  improves the sonics and gives you an 80 lb solid unit that won't go over easily. The Spendors are like bowling pins. 

The sound will be an upgrade level better and you didn't break the bank.

Unless you upgrade the amp too!! haha

margaretha
41 posts
 

Magnepan nice for the cats and the kids.

yyzsantabarbara
4,804 posts
 

@wqgq_641 Your speaker requirements are EXACTLY like mine. In my case a crazy dog and wife, the kid is more manageable.

Take a look at my Livingroom virtual system to see how I protect the speakers from the onslaught.

I wanted to get KEF Blade 2 META for this room but did not think they would survive. I went with my #2 choice because it is very hard to knock over, has grills, and has some of the most advanced technology in a speaker.

Living Room System | Virtual Listening Room (audiogon.com)

This speaker is incredible. So glad I went with my 2nd choice.

I got my speaker covers from these guys. I love this cover. You need to search for your speaker to find the cover for it. They can make custom covers.

Kef Blade 2 Meta Speaker Dust Covers | DigitalDeckCovers

 

 

ricmech23
105 posts
 

Check out the Focal Aria 948’s. My son has a pair with three dogs running around. No issues and the base is very sturdy. Focal seems to build nice cabinets in their higher end models as well. 

rcm1203's avatar
rcm1203
93 posts
 

Many years ago when I was a vertically challenged person living in a house full of like individuals and something got broken, my dad would just sigh and lament how foolish it was to try and have nice things in a house full of kids. Doesn't answer the OP's question, just puts it into perspective. 😏

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