Speakers for weird sized room.....
So, I've recently gotten a dedicated listening room that is 9 feet wide, by 19 feet long, and am looking for a pair of speakers that may match well with this room size. I currently have some PMC fact 8, and want to move to something better. I have not tried anything in this room yet. I have around 10 to 12k usd to play with.
Thanks!!
What equipment do you have now? What tastes in music and sound preferences? Head banging? Concertos? Sonus Faber Olympica 3 used or new Nova Olympica 3. Outstanding for natural / musical sound with good dynamics and natural detail. B&W for rock. DynAudio for more detailed mixed. Wilson hyper detailed and holographic. |
Long wall or short wall? If it's the short wall, then dipoles come to mind. Dipoles can be placed right smack up against the sidewalls because they naturally have a nulls to their sides, but they do like to have a fair amount of distance behind them, at least 3 feet and preferably 5 feet or even a bit more. This distance from the wall behind them imposes a time delay on the arrival of the backwave energy, and ime this is highly desirable. Duke |
@soix Brings up a good point. They are well regarded and about the same price new. This would be a set up for a sideways move. Trading one set of strengths for a different set and one tonal balance for another. Given any room, you experiment to find the best location. Once you have done that, I would decide if a different set of speakers would get you anything. Typically, for most people getting a set of speakers dialed in is a multiple month process. |
Never thought if dipoles, and always wanted to try Maggie's as well. Speakers are going to be on the short wall. My PMCs have been setup in my living room about a foot off the wall (I have 2 large dogs and don't want stuff damaged, hence why swapping rooms). As for what improvements I want. More bass would be nice. More 3 dimensional soundstage, and more human emotion connection. Something I do like about the PMCs, is that they are musical and not sterile sounding. |
So, I went back and read Kal Rubinson’s Stereophile review of your speakers and his impressions as well as John Atkinson’s measurements are both inline with what you’re hearing — that being a lack of energy/warmth from the upper bass and lower mids so I think replacing the speakers is a good idea. Also, having to place the speakers only 1 foot from the wall to augment bass is no doubt why you find their 3D soundstage lacking. Here’s a beautiful pair of Usher speakers very nicely priced and should be a significant step up in virtually every way. They’re on the larger side but as long as you have the flexibility to pull them out from the back wall and a foot or so from the side walls with a bit of toe in they should be fine. Here are a couple smaller options that would also be excellent choices although likely with a little less treble energy than your PMCs project. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisb86de-verity-audio-otello-full-range Just some thoughts/ideas to ponder FWIW, and best of luck in your search. |
@audioaddict79 I assume by your post that you need to place the speakers on the front (9') wall, and not on the longer 19" wall. If yes, I suggest that you take a look at the new Buchardt A10 speakers. These are active, wireless 2-way stand mount units that feature DSP. Full room correction is available if you pair these with either the Platin wireless hub or the (also new) Primare SC15Mk2 preamp. Why active? Lot of reasons, including amps matched to the speaker drivers, lower cost, less space required. Why wireless? Easy placement options. No need for your source (digital or analog) to be near the speakers. No need for long, expensive speaker cable runs. The speakers can be driven from a preamp via balanced XLR, if you prefer. Why DSP/room correction? You can place the speakers pretty much anywhere in the room and be assured of very good (if not great) sound. While there is no substitute for proper speaker placement and room treatment, in the real world that's sometimes just not easy or possible. Other advantages: these speakers are quite compact, are full range w/ substantive bass slam, are very attractive and are well made. And they are are very affordable, at about $4,100 USD. And there is a generous return policy if you don't like them. Are they perfect? No. But they are a great solution if you can't fight your room. Last year I moved into a 100-year old cottage in the SW Hills neighborhood of Portland, OR. The living room is smallish and long, and the only place for the speakers is a on either side of a picture window at the front end of the room. I have (or had) lots of speakers: Shahanian Obelisks, JBL horn monitors, Klipsch Heresy 4s, Gamut RS-3s, Larsen 6s. The Larsens worked quite well but were much better on the long walls than the front wall. And I would have needed to run 30+ foot speaker cables from where I wanted to place the source gear. So as much as I love the Larsens they were a no go. The Buchardt A-10s solved the problems nicely. I preordered these late last summer and they arrived in October. I was stunned at the beautiful fit and finish. And they sound great. Truthfully, not as great as the Obelisks or JBL Monitors but the A10s are very enjoyable. And the ease of placement in the room makes up for the small difference in SQ, IMO. Highly recommended |
