help needed to choose speakers to fill big room

[koswo]

Hi,

I need some advice about speakers. I have a NAD C 352 amplifier (2 x 80W Continuous Power into 4 / 8 ohms). The problem is that our living room has a high ceiling and so with the current speakers the sound kind of "vanishes". Admitted: currently I use a pair of very old and crappy Sanyo speakers (continuous power: 35W, max power: 50W, impedance: 8 ohm) ;-)

Now I would like to buy a pair of good and affordable (max 2500 EURO) speakers that I can use with my current NAD amplifier, that are powerfull enough to fill up that "big" living room and that don't look too bombastic.

Can you guys help me?

Thanks a lot!

Koen

 

[audioaffair]

Hi Koswo,

We have just unboxed a pair of these superb Focal speakers, which may be worth looking at, these are a very substantial speakers, for a large room:

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/focal-aria-936-speakers-pair

Alternatively, something like the Dali Mentor 6's may also fit the bill, another great speaker to check out.

 

[Sir Lemon]

Line arrays tend to work best in rooms with high ceilings. Horns, as well, are natural choices for very large rooms.

 

[NHL]

Line arrays tend to work best in rooms with high ceilings. Horns, as well, are natural choices for very large rooms.

Klipsch!

 

[koswo]

First of all, thanks for the feedback so far!

@Sir Lemon : What do you mean by "horns"? Do you have any examples? Line arrays will be a bit bombastic and expensive I guess...

@NHL : What type of Klipsch for example?

@audioaffair : Usually I listen to rock music, which ones are better for that purpose? The Dali's or the Focal Aria's?

Thanks!

 

[bigfish786]

** i'm a big Metal/Rock fan, i have Focal 826v speakers... they are fantastic with heavy music.**

 

[Sir Lemon]

By horns I mean horn loaded speakers, in particular front loaded horns. They tend to project the sound further in front of them and land a bigger sound stage than your tipical boxes (of course, there are exceptions here, but the rule stands).

In regard to the examples your asked for, there are too many to list, Klipsch makes horn speakers of this flavor (as suggested above), so does JBL, Odeon (Orfeo and Fidelio would fit your budget) and many, many others.

 

[koswo]

** i'm a big Metal/Rock fan, i have Focal 826v speakers... they are fantastic with heavy music.**

Hi bigfish786, do you use those in a large room also?

 

[lindsayt]

A few horn examples:

Avantgarde

Cessaro

EV - 1950's to 1970's model line-ups

JBL - 44xx plus other model ranges

Altec Model 19's, VoTT's, Valencias etc

Urei

Vitavox

Klangfilm

Living Voice

Sansui - early 1970's product range

Klipsch - Klipschorns, Scala, Belles, Jubilees, Cornwalls, Heresy

 

[bigfish786]

my room measures 13ftx18ft which is a decent size i suppose.

i would definitely recommend giving the focals a listen to.

they are very detailed and punchy. bass is tight, powerfull, but not overblown. mids and trebles are detailed and strong.

the speakers look fantastic too, which is a strong point for me also.

 

[davedotco]

My initial reaction is that spending that much money on speakers for what is still a (fairly high powered) budget amplifier is not ideal.

Until I saw your proposed budget, I was going to suggest the Q Acoustics 2050i. Nice and sensitive at 92-93 dB/w and if you give them space they can work very nicely. If you want significantly better it becomes less easy.

There are some inexpensive (new) horns but the better designs tend to be quite pricey and second hand could be fraught with danger unless you are able to take Lindsayt with you to advise.

I would talk to a few dealers who specialise in valve amplifiers, they usually have a decent knowledge of more sensitive speakers.

Edit to add. The Focals mentioned above are reasonably sensitive, Focal speakers are not, generally to my taste, but they should work id you like the sound.

 

[koswo]

Until I saw your proposed budget,

Hi davedotco, I don't necessarily need to spend that money. Only thing that matters (besides of course decent sound quality) is that the speakers are powerful enough to fill my room. Maybe I have to add that the room measures 5 x 8.5 meters (which is about 16 x 27 foot) with high ceiling!

So if you think that the Q Acoustics can manage this, even if they're below budget, it's OK for me 🙂

The Focals mentioned above are reasonably sensitive

You mean the 936 or the 826v ?

 

[MattSPL]

How about some Event Opals? They are active pro studio monitors, but will do a great job of filling your room with sound.

 

[koswo]

I've been reading some reviews and I'm considering the Q Acoustics 2050i. What cables to you guys advice to connect those to my amplifier?

 

[gazmend]

Klipsch are getting praised allot. Check out the reviews on the site here if you havent done it allready 🙂

Go to the reviews