Advice for bookshelf speakers
It is time for me to consider getting some new speakers and I'd like some advice. This is a secondary system where I watch movies the majority of the time but I still like the speakers to sound good on those occasions when I listen to music. I need to replace my left, center and right. The speakers I am replacing are KEF XQ1s and an XQ2C. I can live with just a left and right if the manufacturer does not make a center channel. These will be driven by an AVR, not separates and will have a sub to pick up the lower frequencies. I have some WAF dimensions that need to be adhered to: 9"-10" from the back wall, no taller than 17" and the left and right tweeters will be 55" apart. I would prefer there not to be a precise sweet spot since we sit in various areas on the oversize couch facing the speakers. I'm not really too hung up on budget. Somewhere between $2-4K total would be where I would like to be.
Given the above, I was thinking about sealed or front vented. I don't think rear vented would be good for this situation but I could be wrong. I have only done internet viewing and no listening. I have looked at Salk's website and have also thought about ATC and ProAc. I've also looked at Ascend (too narrow of a sweet spot?), Fritz (rear vent), Watkins Generation 4 (are these vented?) and others and just wanted to bounce it off this group. Thanks in advance.
You should check out the Falcon Q7. I’ve owned them and they are an outstanding sealed woofer bookshelf type speaker. You can get them in kit or factory built. They are sold factory direct only and there is no VAT charge if shipped to USA. I received them in less than a week after my order was processed. I doubt you would go wrong with them. They are as good as any small standmount speaker that I have owned including Harbeth, Spendor, KEF, etc. |
Best speakers I have heard for $4k are by a French company called Atohm. All of their drivers are designed in house. Great soundstage, great imaging and since you have a sub you will be extremely pleased. They have a unique setting on the back where you can adjust the sound to 3 different variations depending on your room and amplification. Recently demoed Totem, Harbeth, Spendor, Trenner and Friiedl and found the Atohm to deliver the best sound. By the way you can also get stands for them very inexpensively if your needed that as well. They also make a matching center channel. if interested can connect you with a phenomenal dealer. PM me. Good luck and let us know what you decide on!
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Buy what you want beg forgiveness later from wife. Amphion argon 1 or 3. And Amphion also makes a center channel called the 5C. Great bookshelf’s and easier to drive than proac. The new Andrew Jones Mofi speaker amazing too but is big get that! you will need an amp too! Emotiva makes a great 3 channel class D amp. Amphion loves class D and will have good synergy. |
@pennfootball71 Have you personally heard the Point Source 10? The hype over this speaker is ludicrous considering the numerous amount of established speakers available under $5k. Has anyone even considered the possibility a prototype Point Source 10 was used at the Capital Audio Fest? |
@dlm110 They are rear ported. However, this may not be a deal breaker. I used to think that front porting made a big difference to placement, but that is not true. "For all intents and purposes there is no appreciable difference between a rear- and front-ported speaker. They both do the same thing – use the energy created by the woofer when it moves backward (or ’in’) to enhance bass response. The practical issue with a rear-ported speaker is how the energy coming from the cabinet interacts with the boundary behind it. Energy waves bounce off the nearest boundary (for our purposes we’ll call it a “wall”) and interact with the direct energy from the front of the speaker. This interaction may result in either a dip or boost in energy at certain frequencies that will make the overall sound in that frequency region muddy or inarticulate. There is a school of thought that says rear-ported speakers should never be placed near a wall, and if you are going to place your speakers near a wall you must always use front-ported or closed-box designs. This is simply false. Are there a few things you can do to optimize the performance of a rear-ported speaker near a wall? Of course, but superlatives are always suspect, especially when it comes to audio." https://us.kef.com/blogs/news/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-rear-ported-speakers Steve G --- 3minutes on Front = Read: https://youtu.be/xCxvvgTVvSE |
