Advice on speakers amplifier/av receiver + subwoofer for Electronic music

[razvan4nba]

Hi everyone,

Good forum to read so far.

I am planning on building a powerfull sound system for a medium-large sized living room ( hexagonal shape)

The audio signal will come from My pc ( Xonar soundboard) through a DJM 1000 Pioneer mixer into the amp/av receiver.

For start I am considering a Marantz sr7002 AV receiver and for speakers I really like the Dynaudio dm 2/7 but don't know how they will work together.

The subwoofer will be a Rel T7 most likely. I really want a powerfull system to shake the floor.

Will be most playing electronic music, watch movies rarely and please the soul with realistic chords.

I am asking your expert advice on this. If to use compact or tower speakers or even a 5.1 system like Infinity Classia( without the subwoofer) with 2 towers, 1 central and 2 compact speakers - if to use an integrated Amplifier with subwoofer connection or an AV receiver.

My budget for the speakers + subwoofer + Integrated Amplifier or AV receiver is 2500 pounds.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

£2500 for a really 'powerful system's to 'shake the floor' ? Second hand may be more realistic. How big is the room? What layout is planned? Good luck.

 

[stevebrock]

I would look at speakers from B&W and monitor audios RX range they both handle bassy music well!

I'm sure someone will be along to recommend amps!

re: the 5.1 system? Are you wanting it to watch movies ? If so then a gutsy AV amp will be the order of the day!

 

[razvan4nba]

The room has a hexagonal shape

http://i50.tinypic.com/25r195j.jpg

The TV together with the main speakers will be on the upper side wall ( the skew side from the picture)

 

[RobinKidderminster]

An interesting pentagonal room. It may be interesting to show the proposed layout and discuss options. I guess it could be a good room or a bad room dependant on speaker layout & seating. Are u thinking new or used? I am not an expert but I think those who are may need some more detailed info to be able to comment. Your second decision might be to decide 2.0, 2.1 or 5.1since amp/receiver and speaker options need to be narrowed down before audition etc.

 

[stevebrock]

yes you need to decide if you want 2 channel or 5.1 channels as this will dictate what amps to look for!

maybe you would be happy with 2 channels for movies - this means you can get a better 2 channel amp & speakers than an AV amp

its all a trade off... you want powerful, 5.1 channels for £2.5k - there will need to be some compromise

 

[razvan4nba]

the sofas will be on the left and bottom side walls , and the speakers on the front - on the skew side together with the 50 inch TV - the room is 11 feet tall

 

[BigH]

For £2,500 for 2 speakers and sub woofer, I would consider AVI AMD9RS, which with sub are £2,000, that has 325 watts per channel amps and a DAC. That should shake the floor/walls etc.

 

[razvan4nba]

I really don't mind a 2.1 setup for movies - but don't want to compromise the power for quality - it has to be somewhere in the middle A minimum would be a 2 x 100 w for speakers and 200w for subwoofer - bear in mind that will be mostly for electronic music ( tech house)

 

[stevebrock]

I really don't mind a 2.1 setup for movies - but don't want to compromise the power for quality - it has to be somewhere in the middle A minimum would be a 2 x 100 w for speakers and 200w for subwoofer - bear in mind that will be mostly for electronic music ( tech house)

ignore 100w here 200w there - its totally irrelevant...... your amp has to be up to powering them!

 

[razvan4nba]

Yes you are right, if I go with 2 compact speakers - they will probably distort the base at high volumes - so I'll have to rely just on the sub, - 2 towers option with 2 low drives will be better in my opinion.

The question here is .... Will the rest of 3 speakers of a 5.1 system will really make a difference in power terms?

 

[stevebrock]

Yes you are right, if I go with 2 compact speakers - they will probably distort the base at high volumes - so I'll have to rely just on the sub, - 2 towers option with 2 low drives will be better in my opinion.

The question here is .... Will the rest of 3 speakers of a 5.1 system will really make a difference in power terms?

difference? in what way?

 

[razvan4nba]

Volume, bass, looking to the room layout - the center will be on the skew side and the rears on the left and bottom right wall. As I said before I do not want a cinema setup. Just conerned on how much the speaker satellites will amplify the bass and sound overall - if to go for an AV receiver with 100w per channel or an integrated amplifier with sub out which are quite expensive for 2 x 150w

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Not interested in cinema? Then u don't need an AV amp. Rears will not fill a room with stereo/bass. I'm sure big fronts will do most of the job and a sub if u need it. Others will give some options.

 

[razvan4nba]

Ok, I concluded on buying

- a pair of good floor speakers( £1500 max)

-an integrated amp with enough power for 250w+ speaker

2 or 3 subwoofers - I stopped at SVS brand - should I go with 2 sealed subs and 1 ported ( dual

http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-sb-1000#.UR or http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-sb12-nsd#.URIgdvKigdo and one big ported sub like http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/cylinder/pc12-plus#.URIgmfKigdo )

Or just 2 ported subs like http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-pb12-nsd#.URIgxPKigdo

And how should I connect them all to the integrated amp or straight from PC audio board .... Because I need some tweaks with room correction which an AV receiver can do better than the integrated amp

 

[BigH]

Ok, I concluded on buying

- a pair of good floor speakers( £1500 max)

-an integrated amp with enough power for 250w+ speaker

2 or 3 subwoofers - I stopped at SVS brand - should I go with 2 sealed subs and 1 ported ( dual

http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-sb-1000#.UR or http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-sb12-nsd#.URIgdvKigdo and one big ported sub like http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/cylinder/pc12-plus#.URIgmfKigdo )

Or just 2 ported subs like http://www.svsound.com/dual-subwoofers/dual-pb12-nsd#.URIgxPKigdo

And how should I connect them all to the integrated amp or straight from PC audio board .... Because I need some tweaks with room correction which an AV receiver can do better than the integrated amp

I think you will have a job matching all that lot up, floorstanders have a lot of bass (often boomy). I would go with stand mounts and a sub or try floorstanders like AVI 40s, no need for the amp or DAC as it has them already.

Looking at those subs, are they actives, look like they have amps already?

 

[up the music]

Going back to the original post for a second, you mention passing output from your soundcard via the Pioneer DJM to your new amp. can the souncard be configured for 2 pairs of stereo outputs? For more relaxed listening when not actively mixing it would be good to use a seperate output from soundcard to amp and bypass the mixer, keeping the first output wired via the mixer as you describe so you can use that too when required. I know the Pioneer isn't an ultra cheap nasty mixer but the added stages the music has to pass through don't do it any favours even with a fairly nice mixer.

Don't get too hung up on watts, they're only part of the story. The sensitivity of whatever speakers you choose are the other part of that equation. Basically a measure of how efficiently watts are turned into noise. You seem to want something of quality with enough output to party. That should be achievable if you stick to stereo and drop the idea of surround channels and an AV amp.

I'd guess in a room of that size you have scope to pull speakers away from rear walls and have some flexibility in moving the speakers a few feet to the left or right and so can experiment a little with getting a good location without compromising the aesthetics of the room. If that isn't the case and speakers need to be near rear walls you might have problems especially with rear ported designs.

My general incination is towards compact standmount speakers and a single good sub. Others may prefer big floorstanders, there's no right or wrong here, it's largely down to personal taste. With a room that size you should have quite few options for positioning a sub for good integration. If you need to cover a large seating area with smooth bass multiple subs have advantages but a second sub can be added later. I'd go for the best single sub you can get first.

My product knowledge is somewhat out of date (ahem! my pre amp dates from about 1985) so I'm not going to suggest a list of products I've not heard. Well maybe I will, check out BKelec.com and their Monolith subwoofer or the Monolith+, #mce_temp_url# I suspect it'll be right up your street and is well within budget.

I mentioned personal taste above, is there any kit that you've heard and can say what it is you liked about its sound. That will help the others on here who know current products come up with ideas for the sort of sound you seem to like.

Don't forget to include costs of cables and speaker stands into your budget.

 

[MeanandGreen]

Going back to the original post for a second, you mention passing output from your soundcard via the Pioneer DJM to your new amp. can the souncard be configured for 2 pairs of stereo outputs? For more relaxed listening when not actively mixing it would be good to use a seperate output from soundcard to amp and bypass the mixer, keeping the first output wired via the mixer as you describe so you can use that too when required. I know the Pioneer isn't an ultra cheap nasty mixer but the added stages the music has to pass through don't do it any favours even with a fairly nice mixer.

Don't get too hung up on watts, they're only part of the story. The sensitivity of whatever speakers you choose are the other part of that equation. Basically a measure of how efficiently watts are turned into noise. You seem to want something of quality with enough output to party. That should be achievable if you stick to stereo and drop the idea of surround channels and an AV amp.

I'd guess in a room of that size you have scope to pull speakers away from rear walls and have some flexibility in moving the speakers a few feet to the left or right and so can experiment a little with getting a good location without compromising the aesthetics of the room. If that isn't the case and speakers need to be near rear walls you might have problems especially with rear ported designs.

My general incination is towards compact standmount speakers and a single good sub. Others may prefer big floorstanders, there's no right or wrong here, it's largely down to personal taste. With a room that size you should have quite few options for positioning a sub for good integration. If you need to cover a large seating area with smooth bass multiple subs have advantages but a second sub can be added later. I'd go for the best single sub you can get first.

My product knowledge is somewhat out of date (ahem! my pre amp dates from about 1985) so I'm not going to suggest a list of products I've not heard. Well maybe I will, check out BKelec.com and their Monolith subwoofer or the Monolith+, #mce_temp_url# I suspect it'll be right up your street and is well within budget.

I mentioned personal taste above, is there any kit that you've heard and can say what it is you liked about its sound. That will help the others on here who know current products come up with ideas for the sort of sound you seem to like.

Don't forget to include costs of cables and speaker stands into your budget.

Sound advice, I echo this ^^

I do recommend you check out NAD as an option for your amp, as they provide dedicated sub outputs and connectivity for separate power amps if required in the future. NAD amps also produce a lot of power and cleanly deliver twice their quoted output for musical dynamics, as well as having a big and full sound characteristic. I'm out of touch with today's speaker choices so won't bother recommending anything there.

Good luck!

 

[ID.]

I like the cut of your jib. Pls provide a full report and pictures once you have completed this setup. I think the main issue you will need to resolve is getting the balance you want between good sound and earth shaking bass, because the gear you are looking at to provide the bass you crave may not be able to fulfill traditional hifi aims of fidelity/realism.

You may need to decide on whether you want a nightclub PA system or a hifi.

 

[razvan4nba]

I kinda sorted out all the setups and made my decision on a 2.2 configuration.

Will stick with Harman Hardon HK990 or something similar. The problem is that I don't know if my soundcard can compare to an integrated amp with built in DAC and 2 sub outs ( in terms of quality).

And a set of 2 solid floor speakers ...kef q900 or dali concept 10 or dynaudios or others in £1000 - £1500 price range to be powerful and not lose quality at high volumes

The subs will be SVS ported or sealed

Will buy the subs after the speakers, but just in case I need them, to be prepared with an amp that can do the work. Otherwise I would just go for marantz pm8004 and a pair of any powerful speakers ... which is the way I want. In the end will all come to leaving the soundcard take the sound and sub management. which, from what I read, can be better than a DAC

Another option could be China made amps: http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Amplifiers/Integrated-Amplifiers/

which from what I read, surpasses many of the consecrated brands. A particular model is Shengya A-216 http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Shengya-A-216-Integrated-Hybrid-Amplifier.html - a review can be found here: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue42/shengya_a216.htm

or this http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-A-348-Integrated-Tube-Amplifier.html