KEF R3 Meta vs ELAC Vela BS 404.2

[belvlad]

Hi!

I have a square room of 12 square meters with a wardrobe and a L-shaped desk. Part of the desk stands almost in the middle of the room.

There is nothing in front of the desk, so it’s possible to place floor-standing speakers there. But I have serious doubts that it makes sense to get floor-standing speakers for a 12 m² room.

I’m leaning toward the speakers mentioned in the topic, which will at least initially be placed on the edge of the desk (the desk is 60 cm wide). There will be about 1.5 meters of free space behind the speakers.

So, here’s what I have: an Arcam A25 amplifier. The source is a desktop computer. Previously, I owned Mordaunt-Short Aviano 1 and Aviano 6 — I really liked their sound. I listen to almost everything except classical and jazz, including rock and hard rock.

Among the well-known options, I’m considering either ELAC Vela BS 404.2 (€1855-€2060) or KEF R3 Meta (€1810 – €2370).

I would appreciate any practical advice and possible alternatives.

 

[daytona600]

A25 quick google £ 949
£1855/£2370 bit Overkill of budget for speaker

Desk mounted speakers for Near Field listening/Small room
Active speakers + PC/Dac as a source ( £2995 Harbet h NLE-1 ) would be ideal

 

[Integralista]

Hi, you have very special conditions for placement of your speakers. First of all, think about if there is some possibility to get speakers closer to the wall. 1,5 m from wall will mean a big loss of bass in this case. Also for floorstanding speakers, but not so much. If you will insist on this 1,5m away position from wall, I will recommend more Kef than Elac, but Kef LS50 Meta above Kef R3. LS50 Meta are less about bass but rest of spectrum is more precise than from R3. LS50 are also better for small room. But I recommend to combine LS50 Meta with some small Kef subwoofer. Your Arcam is very good amp and it has also good pre output to connect to such active subwoofer. This SW you can adjust just according your needs and preferences. I am sure even in your special case (position of speakers) this combo will work very well. Sound will be full of detail, 3D staging, very clear, and full with bass as well. BR.

 

[belvlad]

A25 quick google £ 949
£1855/£2370 bit Overkill of budget for speaker

Desk mounted speakers for Near Field listening/Small room
Active speakers + PC/Dac as a source ( £2995 Harbet h NLE-1 ) would be idealView attachment 10128

Thank you for your opinion.

Still, I’d prefer to move forward rather than backward. Active speakers, in my view, are a step backward.

As for the price of the Arcam A25, perhaps there are different prices in the UK or elsewhere, but in the EU, where I live, the standard price is €1,795 or £1,560. I managed, with some effort, to buy my amplifier for €1,540.

The price I mentioned for the speakers is also within the EU, so the range on our market is roughly comparable.

Moreover, I tend to believe that one shouldn’t try to save money on speakers — after all, they are the component that actually produces the sound. Another matter is the overall balance of the system, but I’ve already mentioned that earlier.

 

[belvlad]

Hi, you have very special conditions for placement of your speakers. First of all, think about if there is some possibility to get speakers closer to the wall. 1,5 m from wall will mean a big loss of bass in this case. Also for floorstanding speakers, but not so much. If you will insist on this 1,5m away position from wall, I will recommend more Kef than Elac, but Kef LS50 Meta above Kef R3. LS50 Meta are less about bass but rest of spectrum is more precise than from R3. LS50 are also better for small room. But I recommend to combine LS50 Meta with some small Kef subwoofer. Your Arcam is very good amp and it has also good pre output to connect to such active subwoofer. This SW you can adjust just according your needs and preferences. I am sure even in your special case (position of speakers) this combo will work very well. Sound will be full of detail, 3D staging, very clear, and full with bass as well. BR.

Thank you!
I’ll definitely think about it.

In principle, I could also go for floor-standing speakers — there’s enough space in front of the desk, and the room isn’t a walkthrough one (so the cables wouldn’t be in the way). But the total area is only 12 m²…

I tend to think that any decent floor-standing speakers would find the room too small.

I’m potentially considering a subwoofer, but in terms of upgrade order, it would be: first the speakers, then possibly the source (a network streamer), and only after that the subwoofer. That’s the plan 🙂

 

[Al ears]

I find it odd that people think floorstanders might be too much but are then happy to spend out quite a bit more on a subwoofer....,
But that's just me.

 

[belvlad]

I find it odd that people think floorstanders might be too much but are then happy to spend out quite a bit more on a subwoofer....,
But that's just me.

Some subwoofer models cost more than my entire speaker budget. Besides, setting up a subwoofer is not always that easy.

That’s why floorstanding speakers are a great option. I would also consider floorstanders, but then the question of the room’s size and volume immediately comes up.

 

[daytona600]

Still, I’d prefer to move forward rather than backward. Active speakers, in my view, are a step backward

Try and listen to a pair of active speakers at least once , used nothing else myself for 35years
Every album you ever bought , TV program you watched , Film you watched , Radio & outside broadcast
was Recorded , Mastered , Mixed on Active studio monitors