Speaker advice, standmount fronts, satellite rears?

[foxxiee]

Hey guys,

I'm wanting to buy a full 5.1 system. I've narrowed down all the receivers I've looked at to the Yamaha RX-V675 which seems to have great reviews.

In terms of front speakers I'm looking at Kef LS50s, Kef Q100/Q300 and Kef R100 along with B&W CM5s. I've heard the CM5s and was quite impressed and I'm going to demo the others on Saturday. I'm not too sure about Centre speakers, just that they need to be from the same 'family' - If I was going to get the LS50, I'd just get another one of those.

For rears I was looking at Kef E301, they're smaller than the above speakers, but I'd like to wall mount them and not strain the plasterboard too much, drilling into the studs isn't an option as they're steel and hollow.

What do you guys think of this setup? Would having those satellites for the rears sound strange or would it be fine? My overall budget is £1500-£2500 if the sound is worth it. Any other suggestions for that price range?

Thanks for your help!

 

[GSB]

Hi foxxiee,i have a set-up similar to what you are planning.I started with the kef 3001se speakers,the predecesor of the E301's,i still use two sats for the rears,and the origional sub,but i have upgraded the front 3 speakers mainly becouse they,or at least the front L/R are better for hifi.

Tbh although the R100's are realy good for their size i would have gone for the LS50(like iv'e said,mainly for hifi reasons),but they were too big for placement.In the future i plan on adding another pair of R100's to replace the 3001's,but the sats do a great job offering detailed and spacious surround sound.

The main thing is to match the front 3 speakers as you know

 

[foxxiee]

Thanks for your response GSB! I think I've settled on the E301s for the rears, anything bigger would just look out of place tbh.

How does 3 LS50s at the front compare to say a pair of R100s and and an R200C? Also what kind of sub would work with these combos? I think the R400b might be out of my price range at the moment..

And is the receiver I've chosen 'good enough' for these speakers? It's really all I can afford to keep it under £2500 overall.

Thanks for your help!

 

[GSB]

For the sub you will probably looking at around the £600-1k mark,the 200c is a fantastic dedicated center speaker,dialogue is clear,well presented with plenty of depth,as for the LS50 i havn't heard them,but survice to say that one of the prominant members on here was running 6 of them

Where in the country are you?....for your budget you should get a good discount,but i would concentrate on the front L/R and center plus the sub,rears can be added at a later stage;the avr i have is 110wpc,it was priced at 1k when it was released,i got it to drive my 3005se's but it seems to be doing an ok job with my new additions!....is your system just for movies?

 

[foxxiee]

The system will be for Movies as well as Music really, maybe 60% Movies/40% Music. I've heard the LS50 aren't as great for movies, which is why I'm wondering whether some R100s with an R200C might be a better setup for me considering the R200C is a dedicated centre speaker. I'm going to have a listen to them tomorrow but would love other opinions. You may be right about buying the rears further down the line, but I still can't see myself dropping £1000 on an R400b. I'm based in London, what kind of discounts would I be able to get?

Thanks

 

[GSB]

The LS50's are great for music and movies...they are superb speakers..

With your budget i would expect to get the front 3 speakers and a decent avr,probably saving £200-£250 on RRP...maybe more.

There's a fantastic helpfull store in Coventry if you fancy a trip up the M1,David(who works there)was the guy who was running 6 LS50's....if you can grab his attention he would be able to offer some very sound advice.

In my very limited experiance of building a system the advice i would offer is that if you want quality it comes at a price,don't be tempted to add inferior equipment as you will not be content,and loose money when you upgrade(trust me...iv'e wasted a few $ :roll: )

As you have pointed out it's best to listen to whats on offer,and don't be affraid to ask for a discount!

Update the thread with your thoughts on what you audition and hopefully there will be some more imput from other members for you to consider

 

[foxxiee]

Thanks for your input again!

I tried out a bunch of speakers and narrowed them down to LS50 and R100 like I thought I would. To be perfectly honest, I thought the LS50s sounded clearer but I preferred the sound of the R100s on quite a few songs, and with movies I couldn't tell the difference at all... - although this might just be due to my amateur ears .

I'm now thinking of going for R100s with an R200C for a really good front soundstage, and I think they look much better than the LS50s tbh.

Am I crazy? Or am I right in thinking the R100s are comparable to the LS50 in some regards?

I also have a question regarding placement, the max distance I can between the back wall and the R100 will be around 6", will this be OK if I stick the foam bungs into the rear port?

 

[GSB]

Mine are about 10'' from the wall and the bass sounds fine....from what i have read the bungs can rob a certain something else from the speaker,so best to avoid useing them on these,but having said that i havn't tried them so in your case it might be ok,it might not even be neccesary

I'm no expert,have no idea how other speakers compare to the R100's but i adore mine,they give me everything i want...clear and precise with tight bass and they look good

Was hoping some other members would jump in this thread for you,but you could always start another

 

[mr malarky]

Hi Foxxiee, don't run KEF's myself so would defer to GSB on the qualities of the R100's, but if at some point your thinking of upgrading the rears as well then personally I would go with the same series all round (ie R100's for front mains, R200 centre, and then at some stage add R100's at the rear). This would give you a good, even sound throughout the room once you add the R100's at the rear (as well as matching looks-wise, rather than looking like a jumbled collection of different speakers). With HD BluRay surround soundtracks I think rear speakers are more important than ever, and too many people place too little importance on having rear speakers that match the front three.

The LS50's look like a step up from the R100's, and if you were somu buying a pair kf speakers to partner with a two channel hifi amp they would probably be the way to go, but to be honest with the receiver your looking at I'm not sure the step up is worthwhile in this case - indeed to be honest, I think you'd be better sticking with the R100's for front mains, take the money you save by not choosing the LS50's, and putting that cash towards a slightly better receiver - absolutely nothing wrong with Yamaha, but a higher model could do those KEF's more justice? (Always worth considering a higher model up from last years range, which you'll usually be able to find for a similar price as dealers try to run down old stock).

6" from the wall is pushing it in terms of speaker placement, you might get away with it but if you can squeeze a bit more space somehow it wouldn't hurt.

 

[foxxiee]

Thanks for your responses guys!

I also should've said that I'm now looking at the Yamaha RX-A830 and RX-A1020 after speaking to the dealer.

Is the RX-A1020 a big enough step up from the RX-A830? It's not the money, it's the size, with the 1020 it would be a tight squeeze in my TV Bench, I'd have to remove the back and move the whole thing forward to get the receiver to stay flush inside the cabinet!

 

[GSB]

I think the 1020 is an updated version of mine,the A-1010,i wouldn't go any smaller than 110wpc to be honest.

 

[mr malarky]

If you're considering the A830 then I'm not sure what price yoru looking at, but last years equivalent (the A820) is available for circa £599 online.

That RX-A1020 is much more likely to do justice to the KEFs though, if you can carry the extra £.

One question about space in your TV unit though, how cramped is it around the edges? (ie above and at the sides). You need to ensure there's enough space for ventilation, especially if it's going to be running loud or running for extended periods.

 

[foxxiee]

I'm looking at £800-1k really, I don't think ventilation is going to be a huge issue, I'll have 6cm either side of the receiver and about 10-15cm on top. Is that enough?

 

[mr malarky]

That's plenty, go for the 1020 if the budget allows. Its going to be the bedrock of your system, so money spent here wont be regretted.

let us know what you decide.

 

[foxxiee]

I'm pretty much decided on the Yamaha RX-A1020 with Kef R100s and R200C. I may have one final comparison with a pair of LS50s just in case though!

Now, what speaker cable should I get?

 

[mr malarky]

Depends if your going to single-wire, bi-wire, or bi-amp; can open, worms everywhere!

Seriously, no idea - GSB is better placed to comment as his set up is far closer to what your considering.

Good luck!

 

[GSB]

Iv'e got qed original speaker cables(copper),had them since i first got my kef3005se set-up.They sound ok to me(but i havn't heard anything else :roll: ),i have been advised to get better cables for the front 3,£15pm+ is out of my range at the moment(need 15m).

I havn't auditioned any yet,but i will be wanting to listen to Atlas Hyper 2/ Van Damme Blue and TQ blue.Wether you can distinguish between £3pm cable and £20pm cable is a matter for your ears

Not sure if it would be the R200c or R600c that would best suit the LS50's.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Can I ask what size your room is, and how loud you're looking to use this system at? I tend to watch films at about -20dB, which should be enou for most people, especially if they have neighbours, but do you know if will you be looking at louder volumes than this?

 

[foxxiee]

Oh no, definitely not, I live in a flat and although the flats are quite well insulated I don't think I would push it higher than that. The room is around 3.2m (this is the wall the TV is against) x 6m (length). The sofa is at around 2-3m from the TV with a dining table behind it. Why do you ask?

 

[foxxiee]

So I'm about to buy the Kef set and the dealer offered me £100 worth of cables for half price. I only need 2x1.5m and 1x1m cable with spades/bananas on each end, so could anyone recommend me cables for that budget?

Thanks!

 

[GSB]

So have you decided on the avr yet?

 

[foxxiee]

Well it's between the 1020/2020/3020 and I can't actually find anywhere to demo them and see if I can hear the difference, might have to buy it blind but not sure whether the 2020/3020 are worth the extra £! The cheapest I've found the 3020 for is £1499 and I'm happy to pay that price, but it's with an eBay seller and I'm not sure how reliable it is.

 

[GSB]

There must be a dealer in london that stocks them...superfi in camden should have some,also sevenoaks around town,they have a great selection of avr's to demo....Arcam reduced to 1k....well worth a listen!

 

[foxxiee]

Hmmm, i'm not familiar with Arcams, which model are you referring to?

 

[GSB]

I believe it's the arcam 400 that sevenoaks are doing for 1k....alot of amp for the money,half price i think