General Speaker Advice and Recommendations

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by shotgunshane, Mar 7, 2017.

  1. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

    BWC
    Joined:
    May 11, 2018
    Likes Received:
    296
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Canada
    Can anyone tell me what's a good colour carpet to get? I was thinking solid offwhite, like beige. I would be running it from the back of my room to where my speaker stands are sitting. I have hardwood floors and solid white painted walls.
     
  2. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,115
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    A Cell
    If you want to put it there for acoustical reasons make sure to get a shaggy one. A thin carpet will not do much good in terms of absorption/diffusion, of course for those reasons any colour will do.
    What colour is your floor light or dark?
    In terms of maintenance off white may not be the best choice.
     
  3. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

    BWC
    Joined:
    May 11, 2018
    Likes Received:
    296
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Canada
    Floor is dark, walls are white. Overall my room gets a lot of light because 70% of it my left wall is a window. I wanted the carpet for acoustic reasons, but also for aesthetic purposes. I'm not too concerned about upkeep, I'm very neat and tidy and never eat in my listening room.

    So do you have any suggestions for material? Shaggy and beige are probably what I'm going yo go for. I heard wool is the best in terms of acoustic use. Anyway I know I've basically answered my own questions since I've been doing research all day but some anecdotes from you guys and your experience would be helpful and appreciated.
     
  4. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,735
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Canada
    I’ve heard that full bear rugs are the best for room acoustics. If you aim a gaping bear maw at each speaker they will absorb most of the errant sounds and smooth out the frequency response. Plus, they look badass when you have friends over to listen to your system...

    [​IMG]

    :D
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2018
  5. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,461
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    I would avoid white/beige simply for cleaning purposes, but if you never eat or drink in the room and always wear socks/slippers then no worries.

    You mentioned that one of your walls is dominated by a window. The colour of your carpet may contribute significantly to the solar heating of the room (especially if it's a south facing window), so keep that in mine.
     
  6. Boops

    Boops Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,179
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    New York
    With wood floors and white walls, you can focus on how well it works with your furniture. It’s usually good design practice to choose a rug color that is going to match well with your furniture color and provide some contrast. So if you have furniture with a lot of rich color, you can get away with a more neutral rug. If your furniture is pretty plain, you can go for a more colorful or boldly patterned rug. Here are some links that may prove helpful:

    On choosing the right color/style of rug
    https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-choose-the-right-rug-color-style-and-staying-power-246953

    On choosing the right size rug for your room
    https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-do-i-figure-out-what-size-rug-to-buy-236044
     
  7. FishCommander

    FishCommander New

    Joined:
    May 29, 2018
    Likes Received:
    28
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Seattle-ish
    Has anyone heard the New Philharmonitor or WOW1? I think the BMR might be too large for my space. These are both in my price range and interesting.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2018
  8. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,842
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    London, UK
    I’ve been trying to do a little research, in vain, for my first foray into two channel. I’m UK based and limited to bookshelf speakers and integrated ampifiers, and positioning will be knee height against hard surfaces at best so trying to avoid rear ports. I’m leaning toward ATC, or possibly Harbeth, but so far am no further in finding a commensurate integrated amp. Demoing likely won’t be an option.

    That’ll be a purchase for 2019 at the earliest, though, so to get myself started I’m considering taking a punt on a used Dali Zensor 1 and Marantz PM6004 for around £200 total to replace my other half’s old Onkyo mini. I’m aware the Dali is rear ported, and I’ll probably use my old Modi Multibit with the system.

    Two channel may not be SBAF’s focus but it’s the only place I have any faith in, so I’d appreciate absolutely any pointers at all.

    Cheers
     
  9. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,735
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Canada
    ATC and Harbeth are generally good but rather expensive compared to something like the Dali Zen1 you’re looking at. What price range are you aiming for (for both speakers and integrated, total or separate)?

    Closer to the Dali price range, the Wharfedale Diamond 220 was bottom ported and supposed to be easier to place (and lots of good reviews).

    As far as integrated amp for a reasonable price, I really liked the Exposure stuff. 2010 or 3010 models (in the “s”, “s2”, or “s2-D” versions). The 3010s2 compared pretty close (but not quite) to Vidar+Saga for me.

    Edit: The 2017 version of the Rega Brio would be a good choice as well depending on your power needs. May not be enough for ATCs depending on volume requirements.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2018
  10. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,940
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    What is your budget? Do you have a picture of the space? ProAc is good value in the UK. If you have a ProAc dealer near you try to hear the Tablette 10/Signature. I like it more than the P3ESR and it should be cheaper.
     
  11. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,842
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    London, UK
    Thanks @rlow @k4rstar for your suggestions.

    Though I’ll seek used availability I am currently looking in the £800-1000 new range for speakers, but that’s a fairly arbitrary choice. I could got higher or lower depending on how worthwhile it is. As I’m new to this and can’t make a large purchase until next year I also started looking in the £200 new speaker range to get something as a stop gap and to cut my teeth on. Budget for the integrated will be 50-100% of speaker price depending on need, but again that’s fairly abtitrary.

    A better question may be: Where’s a good place to start if I’m new to two channel?

    The trouble I’ve had doing online research is that pro reviews have been vague nonsense, and forum recommendations are made without any qualifying statements as to why. Obviously going for demos would be ideal, but for reasons I won’t bore you with it’s not an option right now.

    I was considering the 220 but I have reservations about Wharfedale, but that’s just based on gut feeling and superficial assesment due to the scarcicity of quality information. Adding the Proac to my search terms provided a reasonable little shootout:
    https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-s...budget-shootout-ascend-harbeth-proac-atc.html

    The space is a connected living and dining area. The speakers will be placed with the television, which sits between the window bay and fireplace. They’ll have to be placed low down in those two adjacent spots. There are two sofas, one against the wall opposite the fireplace, and another dividing the living and dining areas.


    EDIT: Re-written for brevity and SNR
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2018
  12. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,461
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    @BenjaminBore Are you set on the passives and integrated amp? I only say that because the active speaker market in Europe has much more interesting toys than what's available in North America and typically suit the small size/space restrictions very well.
     
  13. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,276
    Trophy Points:
    113
    300EUR is generally a crappy spot for audio, because you can't really get any really good actives and passives + amp will be quite the gamble. If you can, wait for some more cashmoney to pop up.
     
  14. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,115
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    A Cell
    For max 1000 quid I would go active. Slightly above budget but in my humble opinion exceptional value for the money:

    https://en-de.neumann.com/kh-120-a-g

    available through Thomann on a 30 day free trial basis. I obviously have not heard all active monitors available in that price range but they sound terrific (some reviews in English at Thomann).

    If you want to hit closer to home:

    http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/ae1-active-review-hificritic-best-buy/

    Have not heard them myself but they good marks in several reviews, available here:

    https://audiogold.co.uk/product/acoustic-energy-ae1-active/

    I would not bother with (active)speakers in the 200- 300 quid price range, too many compromises for instancewith noisy amps for the active kind

    Edit: Sorry just saw that the acoustc energies are more like 1000 quid per piece
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2018
  15. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,842
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    London, UK
    I’ve been looking into actives on and off for some time. It needs to be a simple system with remote controlled power on/off, or in absence of that auto standby for use with a preamp. The only actives with that feature I could find are Genelec and Focal. Genelecs are rear ported, Focals front. Which brings me down to a single option; the Solo6 Be.

    I have a few reservations about the Focal:
    1. Class D amps
    2. Monitor style presentation
    3. Berylium treble presentation
    4. Used purchase being a risk due to Focal’s warranty policy and a few anecdotal reports of the amplifiers being a known failure point.
    5. They’re pretty big looking


    Regarding passive amplification space is not an issue, but unfortunately something like the Vidar is a no go due to a lack of auto standby. Over on the Harbeth forums it appears the Rega Brio, Naim 5i & XS, LFD Zero, Rogue Audio Chronos are the most common recommendations. Exposure and higher tier Regas are also suggested.


    Bonus question: How are Whathifi’s end of year awards regarded? Though their written reviews are nonsense they make single picks for those awards, some products remaining over multiple years.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2018
  16. famish99

    famish99 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,714
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Not sure which pre you plan on getting, but if it has a 12V trigger, you could always build/buy a relay controlled power strip. Alternatively there are power strips that can turn on/off based on a master outlet (something like https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Strip-LCG-3MVR-Autoswitching-Technology/dp/B0006PUDQK but with UK plugs should probably exist?)

    Exploring these options could open up which monitors would be "available" to you.
     
  17. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,754
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    EU
    @BenjaminBore Just a little observation about the Solo 6 be, the amps are class A/B, not class D, also the crossover is analog, but yeah, Focal's business policy/warranty is a bad joke.
     
  18. bixby

    bixby Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,987
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northern Colorado
    @BenjaminBore

    Re Wharfedales - I sold them for years and actually owned a small pair of bookshelves for a while. A totally dismissable line in my opinion. I really do like @Armaegis suggestion of a nice powered setup. If I had not gone down the single driver road, I would have probably gone with a powered setup. At least I like that on my desktop rig!

    ATC and Harbeth are both very nice and total opposites as far as sound signatures go. I think if I were in Europe and considering passives, I might try to check out some Amphions, and if in a pinch for something to get whilst saving, maybe some used dynaudio or proac passives or maybe even a pair of kef if the sound suits you.

    What HIFI is like any review site, a starting point only. You need to get your ears on some of the stuff they highlight to determine how you hear vs what they think they hear.
     
  19. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,115
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    A Cell
    Would not be too worried about class D amps not in that price bracket and generally not for the woofer. Eve audio also have standby mode for their active monitors it is a quite common feature which the KH120 lack. For active monitors Thomann is a good source for information. Some Dynaudios have standby, too.
    In general my recommendation don’t buy anything without auditioning either at the dealer or at home before buying.
     
  20. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,171
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I used to own the Solo6's. Too forward in upper mids and lower treble. Good bass, good looks but you can do better. If you want smooth, natural and active go Quested. They do voices and instruments very well. Imaging and soundstage are top notch too. Only reason i would upgrade is if i could afford some bigboy Questeds.
     

Share This Page