Magnapan LRS placement

My understanding is the Ayre amps are aimed at sounding a bit tube like without the PITA of tubes. I really like their sound, but I also like the sound of the JC-1s. I’ll start with the Ayre then may switch to the JC-1s. I play music at moderate levels and stuff below 80 Hz goes to the subs, so that mitigates power requirement a bit.

The room is 14 X 19, not 13 X 19.

Good news, yyzsantabarbara. Ayre tells me the VX-5 Twenty amp I propose to use will drive the LRS nicely, but I also have a pair of Parasound JC-1s sitting next to the Ayre amp if needed. As with the Reference 1 the LRS will be high passed at 80 Hz by a passive balanced Marchand filter and low-passed at 80 Hz by a Velodyne SMS-1 bass manager to a pair of HGS-15s. I use two speaker cables to each Reference 1, and propose to concatenate those cables for each LRS.

The Ayre VX-5 Twenty is rated at 350 watts into 4 ohms with zero negative feedback.  The rated sensitivity of the LRS is 86 dB, 85 for the Reference 1.  Sources are Roon from a Nucleus and Ayre QX-5 Twenty and Blue-rays from an Ayre DX-5 DSD disc player, both through an Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp.  I prefer a moderate listening level.  If I really like the sound I'll consider a pair of LRS+ with stands. 

mijostyn, I think I’ll start with the setup I propose: the LRSs 4’ from the wall behind them with the KEF Reference 1s interposed between them and the wall. The KEFs with their stands are a heavy lift for an 87 year old guy, but I might get the gardener to move them aside. The speakers flank an 85" Sony. The room's 13 X 19 x 8 with framed posters, bookcases, a pair of stressless chairs, and a desk and computer at the end opposite the speakers. If I use acoustic tile it will be on removable boards.

Given how satisfied I am with the sound using the Reference 1s I don’t want to disrupt the room too much just to try the LRSs.

I set up the LRSs in front of the Reference 1s today, and was astonished that the speakers sound so similar I had to put my ear to the membrane of an LRS to be convinced I was listening to it not the KEF.

I'm using a pair of LRS I bought used, not LRS+.  I'm expecting adapters to arrive tomorrow that I hope will provide a tighter fit in the LRS receptors, then I plan to do more listening.  I'm a bit concerned about one of the cables pulling out and shorting the amp.  I may replace the LRSs with new LRS+s and Magna stands, although my LRSs are handsome in white with oak trim.  I bought the LRSs on a lark, but I've been impressed with them.  The LRS+ is said to be an improvement.  

I think I’ve reached two general conclusions. (1) If I didn’t already have the KEF Reference 1s I'd be happy with the LRSs, and (2) the LRSs are not quite the Reference 1s. I most noticed the second when I played a bit of Mahler’s 2nd symphony and Gould’s ’81 recording of the Brandenburg concerto The mid-range of the Mahler with the LRSs sounds a bit anemic compared to the Reference 1s; Gould’s piano is not as believably in the room. I’ve yet to find anything the LRSs do better than the Reference 1s, but they seem too similar given the large price discrepancy. Both generate a nice soundstage with good depth and both reproduce timbre well. I’ll listen more, but it may be time to put the LRSs in the carton.