Audiophile Advice

manicm

Well-known member
IMG_20230116_184653_HDR.jpg

So here's my situation, and why I've been shying away from traditional HiFi, hell even an Atmos soundbar. There is a wall next to the right slatted door. There's a second couch on the rear wall, not in pic, where we usually sit at.

The furniture is not negotiable, read couch on left wall, with two exceptions: 1. I may replace the slatted doors with a single folding door. 2. I may install an AV wall unit in place of the table, depends on my wife. But 2. won't fundamentally change my situation.

If we're to stay in this home for the next several years - we don't plan to move - my endgame system may well be the new Sennheiser Ambeo Plus, or something wild like the Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6

So I want others' thoughts or advice if I wanted a traditional stereo system i.e with 2 standmount passive or active speakers.
 
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manicm

Well-known member
Keep it completely separate from a Home Cinema setup....

Let be be more clear.

This is the living room, and the only room we can use for any real AV duty. It's what I'm dealt with, so it has to serve for both music and video.

As you can see I don't have room to manoeuvre for traditional stereo speakers, unless there's an extraordinary active system that can cope - I'm looking at the KEF LS50 Meta Wireless for example. Notice a left speaker would be right up against the corner. A right speaker can be near the TV, or also against the right corner.

I absolutely don't want 2 systems. Because a stereo system that will integrate well can also serve for movies. I don't need full surround.

But if a stereo system is out of the question technically, then I would look at something like the Nakamichi as a save-up , long term endgame system for music and movies.

So I just want others' thoughts on what they would do in this scenario. With no restriction on type e.g. HiFi or soundbar (basic Klipsch I have with subwoofer hidden by the couch).

I was considering an Atmos soundbar but feared the slatted doors would negate the effect, especially those with side firing speakers like Sonos Arc.
 
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While I’m writing, my first thought was a Naim Unitilite with some Neat Iotas on the wall. Or the Alphas on the floor.


 
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manicm

Well-known member
While I’m writing, my first thought was a Naim Unitilite with some Neat Iotas on the wall. Or the Alphas on the floor.



That is a possibility, thanks. I wonder if Dalis would work too.
 
That is a possibility, thanks. I wonder if Dalis would work too.
They make such a huge range, do Dali, but they definitely have some that work on the wall as a pal has some in his kitchen. I think they’re the ones around £200 with the brown flecked bass driver. SPEKTOR, maybe?

I see the £600 OPTICON 1 has wall fittings and says it’s designed to be close to a wall. The Oberon 1 too, at less money.
 
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SteveR750

Well-known member
I was in a similar position to you a few years ago. My solution was to forego a conventional hifi system and replace with sonos. I had a beam, 2 x play5 in steep, a sub and 2 rear play 1. The room correction or truplay setup helped to make it work OK. For serious listening I invested in a good headphone dac amp and phones. If you're serious about a good speaker based system then consider investing in something like the miniDSP flex


It's on my shopping list before I upgrade anything, as my room is acoustically horrible.
I'm guessing also that room treatment is not really feasible, it wasn't for us, it's very costly if you want to make it look stylish and integrated into your room, and even then it makes it look like you live 8n kids school classroom.
 
I was in a similar position to you a few years ago. My solution was to forego a conventional hifi system and replace with sonos. I had a beam, 2 x play5 in steep, a sub and 2 rear play 1. The room correction or truplay setup helped to make it work OK. For serious listening I invested in a good headphone dac amp and phones. If you're serious about a good speaker based system then consider investing in something like the miniDSP flex


It's on my shopping list before I upgrade anything, as my room is acoustically horrible.
I'm guessing also that room treatment is not really feasible, it wasn't for us, it's very costly if you want to make it look stylish and integrated into your room, and even then it makes it look like you live 8n kids school classroom.
Works out a bit expensive when you start adding bits but looks useful for certain situations
 

matthewpianist

Well-known member
I think small Dali speakers are a good option, especially as they also have very wide dispersion and tend to sound 'right' from a wide range of angles. The smaller ones (Eg. Oberon 1) also stay well away from any boom or overhang, including in less-than-ideal set-up situations.

You've hit on an important topic here. Very few of us can buy or rent a property purely to serve the hi-fi, and so being able to fit the equipment to the room is more important than is often recognised.
 

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