Seeking advice for speakers for my Family Room
Hello experts,
I am starting out on my quest to finally get some quality speakers, mostly making do with off-brand in-walls, in-ceilings for the most part for my family room.
And wanted to get your advice on what speakers to get for my kind of use case.
USE:
So, these will be used in my Family Room where I will be using them for 60/40 movie watching/listening music. Ocassionally, we would like to be able to pump up the volume and listen to either multi channel audio or 2 channel music for parties etc.
ROOM:
The room has a lot of hard, reflective surfaces (tile flooring, some, tile on the wall behind the TV, it also is a large room (36' wide x 18' deep with 9' ceilings). However, my main listening position/couch and media cabinet and the floor standers will be in the left 15' portion of the width of the room and at 13' away from the speakers/TV. Pictures attached below.
EQUIPMENT:
My receiver is Denon x3700H and I have a Polk PSW-505 12" sub. Eventually, I am open to getting an external amp to use with the pre-outs of my receiver, something like this Class D amp Purifi based VTV stereo amp. But first, I wanted to get my speaker selection nailed down.
SOURCE:
At the moment, I have tried only YT Music (at 256kbps AAC) since I already have a subscription for this. I am not an audiophile and neither is my use case for critical listening. So, while I understand there are better SQ options for streaming music, I have my reasons for sticking with YT music (lyrics, music videos etc)
SPEAKERS AUDITIONED:
I have tried the Klipsch RP-280FA with the Klipsch RP440C center channel and found them unbearably harsh/bright. Tried several modes, but couldn't even get through 2 songs without having to stop. This was at loud volumes...
Next, I tried the KEF R11's and these were MUCH better, but I still found the highs a bit bright.
Other contenders (based on what I am hearing are considered a bit more warmer speakers) I have not tried yet but would like to get some advice on before just going through the hassle of ordering, setting up, trying etc:
-Wharfedale EVO 4.4
-Sonus Faber Lumina V (would have to wait a long time to even get these)
Maybe later, I might look into room treatments, but I am thinking I will leave that for later, that can be a slippery slope/money pit, but for now, I am looking for speakers that don't sound harsh/bright at loud volumes for extended periods of time. I will probably get a matching center as well (for HT/movies) that would need to provide clear dialog.
Thanks,
KG
ROOM PICS:
Yes , I though that the kitchen , being separated from the living room could help. An easy way to warm up the room , and being removed , when not in use. I am far from being an expert about room acoustic. I also think , that at different volume , loudness , the acoustic change. What sound good at a certain level , may sound terrible at a higher volume . If your room is not well treated. Others may correct me if I am wrong
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@auxinput Hmm, interesting. I will be using the receiver's amp section to power at least the surrounds. I would love to buy the older 77xx range processors, but I worry about HDMI 2.1 @soundmd I have taken a look at Anthem's ARX line but they have mixed reviews and they convert the D to A signals using their DAC and don't have analog passthrough, plus software issues. Other than that, I really liked them. Their processors don't have this limitation, but processors are expensive...! They also don't have HDMI 2.1 (4k/120) yet... @maxwave Ya, I think the living room being open to the kitchen helps alleviate the echo effect. Just need to work on reducing reflections from the hard surfaces. Not too sure how much effect losing the soundstage to the 1 side being open (to the other sitting area with the orange sofas) is having though... Agree with acoustics with sound level...hopefully, making these room changes will help with that. @larry5729 I listen to mostly light rock/pop/some instrumental. I am not trying to listen to that last instrument pluck sound to be clear etc., so not too interested in extreme high frequency detail, but do want to be able to hear music at louder volumes for extended periods of time (2-3 hours) from time to time.
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Ok, so if you really want to buy a receiver, that's fine. Just keep in mind that the power supplies are not the best. The higher end receivers will end up being better because the main power supply is much bigger, even if you are just using the amp for surrounds. You'll get a smoother/fuller sound typically. Usually the best cost per performance are the receiver models just below the highest one. |
Speaker choice verges on irrelevant until you have addressed the room acoustics. Controlling first reflections is foremost and that includes ceiling and floor as well as sidewalls. Next is reducing the RT60 (overall room reverb time). Regardless of vendor, they are fiberglass or rockwool, covered with fabric or printed with artwork. For one wall in my theatre I took 5 - 12X48 2" white panels and 3 - 12X36 1" panels and hung them vertically, about 2" apart with the black panels overlapping the the 1,2, and 4 gaps to form a partial keyboard. I get compliments all the time, so no WAF issues. The room also has 8 - 24X24 2" panels on the ceiling. I used a charcoal gray fabric that is a Vvery close match to the room walls. Finally, a couple bass traps live in the corners, behind the couch. Together they work wonders and look good also. In our living room I used 24X48 2" panels in white to match the ceiling. Most people don't even notice them, but they made a huge difference in the character of the space. Before it was acoustically very lively because between the front and sides there's over 300 ft2 of glass. It will never be a great listening room, but now it's at least usable, and people comment on how quiet it is. All told I have spent about $2K on panels, and another $600 in labor to have them professionally installed. Best investments in listening I ever made. |
