@verdantaudio When I spoke with Vivid we also discussed the FRONT wall placement. They said because of the tech they have to limit the back wave (I think) the speaker can be placed almost at the front wall. They said when they demo their massive Giya speakers in smallish hotel rooms they are forced to put th speaker right against the friont wall and it still sounded pretty good.
Speakers for a Large Room (20’x37’)
Open concept listening space with speakers on one short wall and kitchen at the other end. Furniture about fifteen feet from speakers. I assume I'll need large speakers and am considering Klipsch Cornwalls as well as Tannoy Ardens, but open to suggestions. I also assume standmounts are too small for the space. I should mention I mostly listen at low to moderate sound levels, occasionally cranking it if the wife is out. Thanks for any input.
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Doni, My room is 16'6/' X 34 with cathedral ceiling. I use custom built Tannoys using HPD 315 drivers. I only sit about 9' from the speakers. They really work well for me. You can see for yourself in Done For Now, under the name of "The Summit". That refers to my summit, not inferring it is at the top of everone's heap. Good luck with your search, regards, Dan |
Audiotroy's point has come up before. Years ago over in Stereophile forum, I had made a comment on the LS50s and he argued they had an issue at high volumes due to the tweeter limiting excursion. This would extend to any speaker using the UniQ driver and even showed it in a measurement plot they provided. I am not a Kef dealer or expert and can't speak to it. Only that I have heard it raised as an issue previously. I will tell you that Vivids will not have this problem. And, even though you would think it would be an issue, near wall placement with those side firing woofers is not an issue. I have tested it on my Kaya 45s. I am not sure how or why it works, it just does.
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I just read the @audiotroy comment about the Blade and loud volume. I never new that. So maybe the Blade recommendation is something to question if you play really loud (I don’t). Last month I was in a room with top end Legacy speakers driven by a CODA #16 amp and those speakers will really fill a large room. I also heard them a few years ago in a large hotel room and the room was too small for them. Not a big Legacy fan though but they have a huge sound. I also see @verdantaudio commenting on the Vivid Kaya line. I really like those speakers too. I was planning to get the Magico A3 for my office until I heard the Kaya 90 (I was interested in the Kaya 45). I thought it was a better speaker with more coherent sound. However, the side firing woofers made me relunctant to get them even after I spoke the the guys from Vivid. They said the side firing woofers would not cause a problem in my room which have drywall and outside brick. I went with the safer pick of the Thiel CS3.7. |
@doni I just think the Blade are the best speaker I have ever heard. There are aspeakers with a little better drivers out there (for ex. Yamaha NS5000). However, the way the Blades project the soundstage in unsurpased with every other speaker I have heard. I have gone to a a few shows and have heard a lot of gear. There are also incredible audio stores in Southern California. So I am not basing my comment from limited experience. BTW - the Yamaha NS5000 is also an incredible 'bookshelf" speaker that would likely be great in your large space. You can get a home demo of them from 2 online sellers. I expect to get the NS5000 over the Blade because the side firing Blades are a bit more difficult to place in my living room. I have a local NS5000 dealer. BTW2 - I expect the KEF Blades to be upgraded soon with the META technology that came with the most recent LS50's.
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the kef blades are magnificent but wil lail to presurize such a large room
if they are turned up too loud the midrange driver will fail..
legacy mkes speakers which can fill up such a space the focus have deep bassand are 96 db efficient they also handle tons of power
dave and troy Audio intellect nj kef and legacy dealers
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Thanks so much for all the great info. This gives me a lot to think about. I am fascinated by the Vivid's looks and described performance, and will be keeping my eyes and ears open for a chance to hear them. The Klipsch Jubilee's are also of interest, as are the Cornwalls. Any other thoughts, don't hesitate to post. Thanks again. |
I would look at the Vivid Kaya line. I have recently heard them in a large listening space and was very pleasantly surpirsed despite the relatively diminutive size of the Kaya 45. There are similarities between the Kef Blades and the Vivids in terms of cabinet as they are both fiberglass though I like Vivids core better. They both have side firing woofers in opposition, etc... The actual baffle size is less critical. It comes down to the amount of energy that exits the cabinet and the Vivids and Kef do a wonderful job of daming internal sounds so that most of the energy exits the cabinet. Horns of course do the same. IMO, you get a more lifelike and refined sound with the Vivids or the Kefs but they are quite a bit more expensive. |
More forgiving of placement and the Spatial's use professional drivers are capable of effortless high volume. With the X series you have the choice ot 2 models with the powered bass driver or a recently released all passive version. I have a pair of their all passive predecessor that I use in a room similar to yours at 22' x 26 x 10' for the main part of the Family Room with an 8' foot wide opening into a 14" wide Kitchen/Breakfast Room. They can fill the whole space effortlessly at almost unbearable volumes if that's what you want. They are also very effiecient at 97db for the power models and 93 db for the passive. Another speaker that has worked well for me in that environment are the Nola KO's whose upper half of the cabinet is open baffle with the two woofers in a ported enclosure at 91db. I think at the current price the Nola is about twice as expensive as the Spatial. If you want more info on the Spatial look at their dedicated area over at AudioCircle. Many dozens of happy owners and participation from the company owner too. |
With a large space and using the long axis I would consider something like Wilson that can generate a good sense of power. Generally a Wilson speaker will require big amp output. Stand Mount could work as well. A good quality speaker makes all the difference in sound. BTW a baffle will add a bit ( 6db ) to the power response of a loudspeaker.
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@jackd Hadn't really considered a boxless speaker. Are there advantages over other types of speakers in a larger room? |
My space is open and very similar to yours. At the widest it's 17 feet but mostly 14 ft x 40 ft long with the kitchen on the other end and furniture 12-15 ft away from the speakers. I listen mostly from the furniture, so my expectations may be different from yours. I'm relatively happy with my Paradigm Persona 3f speakers but would not mind the 5f or even larger. I do have 2 15 inch subwoofers, so they do add a lot to the whole effect. The 3fs are connected to a 400w Anthem amp. It certainly fills up the space with volume but not what people might think at low volumes.
My biggest issue might be the side wall reflections sitting that far away. I don't worry about rear walls because I sit about center of the space. I also have the speakers about 3 or 4 feet out from the front wall. Low volumes for me are not that great from my listening distance 12-15ft with those speakers. Hope that helps. Good luck.
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@yyzsantabarbara , why would the Blades be a better choice than Cornwalls? Does the width of the baffle have any influence in terms of pressurizing a large room? |
