Speakers for a large room

[indigouk]

I have a very large room with a high vaulted glass roof - it measures 20ft wide by 40ft long. the highest point of the roof is 20ft.

The gable end is glass and the walls are plastered. The floor is stone without carpets.

Can anyone suggest speakers that will work in this space? We listen to jazz, classical & rock music.

we need something that will sound equally good at low to medium volume levels.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[matthewpiano]

It would be useful to know what the rest of your system is and what sort of budget you have available. Also, if you have used speakers in there before what were they and what was your experience of them in that acoustic?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100000759563588]

Welcome to the forum.....not standmounts would be my first tip! Bigger speakers for bigger bass rule generally applies.

You need to state your budget, what source and other kit is etc. Then we'll all chip in with thoughts etc.

Hope this helps.

Ged.

 

[indigouk]

thanks for both replies. It is a new room and I am temporarily using some equipment from a smaller room.

Denon PMA 355UK amplifier

Denon TU600L Tuner

Monitor Audio R452 MD speakers

I am streaming Spotify Premium through an Apple Airport Express using the optical output to a budget dac from Maplin

It sounds lost without much seperation, but the equipment isn't great

I dont want to spend a fortune & I am thinking about buying good quality used rather than new

 

[drummerman]

thanks for both replies. It is a new room and I am temporarily using some equipment from a smaller room.

Denon PMA 355UK amplifier

Denon TU600L Tuner

Monitor Audio R452 MD speakers

I am streaming Spotify Premium through an Apple Airport Express using the optical output to a budget dac from Maplin

It sounds lost without much seperation, but the equipment isn't great

I dont want to spend a fortune & I am thinking about buying good quality used rather than new

HOW MUCH?

If you are a premier league footballer I'd suggest a McIntosh System with Martin Logans. Probably less than half a weeks wages ...

 

[indigouk]

That would be nice, but sadly I am not.

My budget is up to a £1000 for used speakers.

Richard

 

[drummerman]

That would be nice, but sadly I am not.

My budget is up to a £1000 for used speakers.

Richard

Mmmh, big Tannoy's (DC10) drive large rooms well but you'd be hard pushed to find one anywhere near the price. It also leaves the question are you using the equipment mentioned in the OP?

If so I'd probably go for one of the larger Mission or Quad floor standers and spend the remainder on an amplifier.

Mission is more bouncy/forward/energetic, Quad more refined, laid back.

Good luck

 

[Electro]

These speakers would do the trick in your large room *smile*

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Celestion-Ditton-66-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/221729826552?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item33a020a6f8

 

[indigouk]

I will replace the amp for something more suitable once I have chosen the speakers

 

[DocG]

£1000 for used speakers to fill a huge room: looks like lindseyt territory!

(with the bare walls, hard floors and all the glass, I'd say: a good pair of wireless headphones... But that's not what you're after, is it?)

 

[Vladimir]

.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I heard a pair of B&W DM4s (on their original stands) in a clients large living room, and they filled the room wonderfully, but you may not like the vintage look, I don't know.

TBH,I think your main problem is going to be the room acoustics, rather than finding speakers that are good and big enough to fill the space.

 

[rainsoothe]

For new, checkout Tannoy Revolution XT6F, B&W 683 S2 and Q Acoustics Concept 40. For used, you should defo check out Martin Logan Motion 40, or at least 20.

Further down the line, for amp you could check out Roksan Kandy K3 or XTZ A100D3, with Arcam CDS27 (jusc 'cause it's a CD player + streamer), or even Naim Unitilite or Unity 2.

Or, if you win or inherrit a large sum, Naim NDX + Supernait 2

 

[lindsayt]

The Celestion 66's and B&W DM4's are good suggestions. Yamaha NS1000 / NS1000M's would be fine too if you want something on stands. Goodmans Magisters for something way below your budget.

Keep your eyes open for big old high end American speakers. US speakers for a US sized room. Altec Model 19's, Bozak Symphonies or Concert Grands, EV Sentry III, JBL's with 15" bass drivers, Klipschorns, Vitavox. You'll have to stretch your budget or go for scruffy examples for some of these. You might also come across some top of the range 1970's high efficiency Japanese speakers that would work well in your room - such as Akai SW 175's which would be well under budget.

Quad Electrostatics would work very well in your room too, but may not be ideally suited to your taste in music.

With no carpet, you might want to put some bookshleves around the walls to prevent the room becoming an echoey cave in which no speakers would work particularly well.

There's something magical about big speakers in a big well furnished room.

 

[indigouk]

Thank you for those ideas - I like the idea of vintage speakers and both the DM4's & the Quad Electrostatics appeal to me. I do want the speakers to be visually appealing as well as sounding good.

What were your reservations about the Quads for my musical tastes?

The room has a lot of furniture & isn't too echoey.

Could you recommend suitable amps for both of these speakers, bearing in mind that I stream music.

Richard

 

[bigboss]

Couple of options (15% Easter discount code valid for 3 more days):

http://www.teufelaudio.co.uk/stereo/t-500-mk2-p9569.html

http://www.teufelaudio.co.uk/stereo/definion-3-p15330.html

 

[bigboss]

How do you stream music? What are your thoughts on this?

 

[lindsayt]

The bass from Quad electrostatics may not be to your taste for jazz and rock music.

Speakers are such a personal thing that it's best to listen to a few, preferably with widely different design philosophies, to find out what you like best.

 

[DocG]

Speakers are such a personal thing that it's best to listen to a few, preferably with widely different design philosophies, to find out what you like best.

+1

It takes some effort to demo panels, horns, and all flavours of boxed designs (sealed, ported, transmission line; smallish and (very) large drivers/cabinets; widebanders or threeways; high efficiency drivers, ribbon tweeters, ...),

... but it's so worth it! It gives you a reference framework to judge every new model you try.

 

[davedotco]

Tons of very good advice above but if the OP does not want to get quite so involved in finding and choosing from what are some fairly esoteric solutions, I thought I would offer a simple, inexpensive solution.

The Q Acoustics 2050i is a modest sized floorstander that is at it's best in plenty of space, which you seem to have. It is also pretty sensitive at 92dB/watt so should have no trouble filling your space. Cheap too, at around £500pr.

You can also investigate the uprated Concept 40 model or the new 3050 version if you want to go a little further.

 

[indigouk]

A big thank you to everyone and especially to Lindsayt for great advice. I have bought a pair of mint condition DM4's and I am delighted with them. The original owner had custom felt lined cabinets made for them so they are as new without a mark. They are the earlier model with white surrounds on the bass units. They work perfectly in my large space - I am amazed that such a small speaker can sound so good. I am still using my Denon pma355uk amp. Any suggestions for a replacement amp - I was thinking about the Marantz PM6005 as it has a digital input for my airport express and a built in DAC.

 

[DocG]

*clapping* Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! *clapping*

 

[matthewpiano]

A big thank you to everyone and especially to Lindsayt for great advice. I have bought a pair of mint condition DM4's and I am delighted with them. The original owner had custom felt lined cabinets made for them so they are as new without a mark. They are the earlier model with white surrounds on the bass units. They work perfectly in my large space - I am amazed that such a small speaker can sound so good. I am still using my Denon pma355uk amp. Any suggestions for a replacement amp - I was thinking about the Marantz PM6005 as it has a digital input for my airport express and a built in DAC.

The PM6005 isn't going to give you any upgrade over the PMA355UK in sound, and may actually prove to do the opposite. Why not just add an external DAC which will have a more flexible range of digital connection options anyway? Will cost you less too.

 

[lindsayt]

Sony TAF770 ES - or some variation on the Japanese upper end of the model range. Dozens, maybe of hundreds of worthy models to choose from. 1970's to 1990's Pioneer, Sansui, JVC, Onkyo Integra, Kenwood etc etc etc. Maybe a Crown DC300A or some other high end vintage pro amp.

I agree totally with matthewpiano's comments about not buying the modern budget Marantz amp and getting an external DAC.