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.
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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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? |