How can I make this system better? Hegel h390 and focal Diablo utopia

[Diseasex]

Hi guys I’m new to this forum and shall we say fresh audiophile.
I was researching a lot and ended up completing a system with Hegel h390 and focal Diablo utopia but now I want more unfortunately!

My room is 4.5m x 3.5 and listening space 3.5 x 2.6m and I stream music from my pc (foobar2000 and tidal)

What can I top this up with to make it sound better ? I’m looking at svs 2000 pro (1-2 units) but petertyson is saying it’s rather low end for this kind of system.
and really have no clue how to approach room treatment and if I even should ?

Was also thinking of using chord quest to replace Hegel dac but few people advised against

Any other ideas aside from upgrading the speakers higher ?

I know there’s lots of information out there but I’m looking to learn more here(and upgrade as an outcome of this thread) thank you

 

[Hoeksel]

I would start by giving these awesome loudspeakers some breathing space.

So close to the wall (side and back) is deteriorating the SQ enormously.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Looks like a window to your left. I'd rotate everything 90 degrees clockwise. And give the speakers a bit more breathing room. Some stuff to absorb what looks like a highly reflective room. And heck everyone needs a Umik 1 and a bit of time using REW to fine tune their setup with measurements.

Also first post, so Welcome To ASR.

 

[Diseasex]

I would start by giving these awesome loudspeakers some breathing space.

So close to the wall (side and back) is deteriorating the SQ enormously.

How far to the wall does it need to be? I just moved it further 10cm and it indeed sounds different.
They are currently 2.5m from my head and 30cm from wall

Rotating 90 degrees is not an option as there are doors that would be knocking the speakers (it was my initial positioning)

What I can do is move them towards window (swap with desk to the left ) but not sure what that would change

 

[Penelinfi]

I'd definitely add room treatments. You can get creative and use poles/create scaffolding type stuff if you can't stick stuff to walls etc

 

[bluefuzz]

How far to the wall does it need to be?

As far as possible as long as you still have a ~2m triangle between speakers and listening position.

What can I top this up with to make it sound better ?

Get some furniture! That's a very reflective room. You want some thick rugs, curtains, big cushions, bookshelves etc. to break up the reflections. Actual acoustic treatment could obviously help as well but not always practical in a domestic situation.

Was also thinking of using chord quest to replace Hegel dac but few people advised against

Different dac and/or amp will make little to no difference without treatment and/or DSP. I don't know what the Hegel's 'SoundEngine' thing does but as others have suggested you need a microphone (UMIK-1) to measure what you have and assess what you need to do. If you are happy streaming from a PC then you could run Dirac (costly) on that for room correction or learn to use REW/Rephase and implement room correction with CamillaDSP etc. (cheap/free).

 

[delta76]

The typical response you'd get is to buy an UMIK-1 and measure the responses with REW. without measurements it's hard to make it "better"
you probably don't want to hear it, but at price of hegel 390, you can buy a top end AVR (x8500HA comes to mind), with all the streaming and sub output, and top of that, room correction. you can probably cheap out and buy an used, good one for ~500$ which would work as good (x3600h)

 

[Diseasex]

The typical response you'd get is to buy an UMIK-1 and measure the responses with REW. without measurements it's hard to make it "better"
you probably don't want to hear it, but at price of hegel 390, you can buy a top end AVR (x8500HA comes to mind), with all the streaming and sub output, and top of that, room correction. you can probably cheap out and buy an used, good one for ~500$ which would work as good (x3600h)

I don't mind, but I have hegel for now and not planning to spend time on I could have this or that. Market is crowded enough to accomodate everyone.

 

[Marc v E]

I would agree with posts above that Rew and a umik-1 is the best investment for improving your system.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Hi guys I’m new to this forum and shall we say fresh audiophile.

Forget about this thread, the good news is that you definitely need a lot of help and have found the right forum to gather the knowledge you will need to get where you want to be.
Read, read, read more, do not spend an other cent before you get the knowledge, the equipment you have is not your issue.

 

[delta76]

I don't mind, but I have hegel for now and not planning to spend time on I could have this or that. Market is crowded enough to accomodate everyone.

I know. Which is why I mentioned x3600h. You can't beat a proper room correction with sub integrated

 

[TSX]

You probably can't, but your listening room can. You need some serious room treatment.

 

[voodooless]

I'm sorry to say it, but what a terrible waste of about € 22k (and possibly some more if I look at those cables) .

What can I top this up with to make it sound better ? I’m looking at svs 2000 pro (1-2 units) but petertyson is saying it’s rather low end for this kind of system.

Is that the guy that sold you the stuff? I wouldn't trust anything he says...

Well, the damage is done. Clearly, you have little budget left. While a sub is generally a nice idea. I would follow the advice already given: start out with a measurement Mic and get familiar with REW. Start by figuring out what the best spot is for your speakers. That is a very small investment for a lot of payback. Next on the list would be the room itself. I see lots of flat surfaces. That's reflection heaven. Some acoustic panels at the right spots can help. DIY is a good option here if you're up to it. Finally, a subwoofer may be a good addition. The SVS you choose has a built-in DSP, that lets you correct the bass response. What you don't have is a means to high-pass the Focals though. They will still receive the full bass. The Hegel doesn't have any such functionalities sadly.

Another option would be to buy a different amp. One with a lot more DSP power. An AVR comes to mind, but for instance, NAD also has two channel devices with Dirac room correction. And there are a few other brands that offer it as well.

 

[Marc v E]

I'm sorry to say it, but what a terrible waste of about € 22k (and possibly some more if I look at those cables) .


Is that the guy that sold you the stuff? I wouldn't trust anything he says...

Well, the damage is done. Clearly, you have little budget left. While a sub is generally a nice idea. I would follow the advice already given: start out with a measurement Mic and get familiar with REW. Start by figuring out what the best spot is for your speakers. That is a very small investment for a lot of payback. Next on the list would be the room itself. I see lots of flat surfaces. That's reflection heaven. Some acoustic panels at the right spots can help. DIY is a good option here if you're up to it. Finally, a subwoofer may be a good addition. The SVS you choose has a built-in DSP, that lets you correct the bass response. What you don't have is a means to high-pass the Focals though. They will still receive the full bass. The Hegel doesn't have any such functionalities sadly.

Another option would be to buy a different amp. One with a lot more DSP power. An AVR comes to mind, but for instance, NAD also has two channel devices with Dirac room correction. And there are a few other brands that offer it as well.

Lets take it step by step. Imo a new amp won't be necessary. If room eq yields great results a minidsp flex would suffice to get a great measuring dac, room eq and sub/speaker integration. But lets not spook our OP but giving lots of suggestions before measuring.

 

[Diseasex]

I'm sorry to say it, but what a terrible waste of about € 22k (and possibly some more if I look at those cables) .


Is that the guy that sold you the stuff? I wouldn't trust anything he says...

Well, the damage is done. Clearly, you have little budget left. While a sub is generally a nice idea. I would follow the advice already given: start out with a measurement Mic and get familiar with REW. Start by figuring out what the best spot is for your speakers. That is a very small investment for a lot of payback. Next on the list would be the room itself. I see lots of flat surfaces. That's reflection heaven. Some acoustic panels at the right spots can help. DIY is a good option here if you're up to it. Finally, a subwoofer may be a good addition. The SVS you choose has a built-in DSP, that lets you correct the bass response. What you don't have is a means to high-pass the Focals though. They will still receive the full bass. The Hegel doesn't have any such functionalities sadly.

Another option would be to buy a different amp. One with a lot more DSP power. An AVR comes to mind, but for instance, NAD also has two channel devices with Dirac room correction. And there are a few other brands that offer it as well.

Thank you for your feedback,
I assure you there's no damage done, I 99% enjoy the system and I want the 99.9% if you know what I mean I paid for it 8k total for grade B/used so I think I made a good deal.
Now having that behind us, room treatment it is then. I'll ask local dealers if they can lend that Umik-1 as I don't see the point buying it and using it once.

I do have budget, and was already setting sights at Scala and 804 d4.
But that will come once I master all the skills you guys have, eventually. I consider it entry setup into audiophile world to learn on.

I love the fact that you approach it scientifically and not rubbish "warm, speed, robust blah blah" and actually measure stuff

 

[Pearljam5000]

Their price is hard to swallow

 

[Marc v E]

Actually, now I look at some measurements on the web (anechoic, without room effects) I'm pretty impressed:

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

 

[Diseasex]

Actually, now I look at some measurements on the web (anechoic, without room effects) I'm pretty impressed:

View attachment 256848

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

What am I looking at?

 

[dimedrol]

This system shouldn't need a sub unless you want the windows to rattle. In a limited space like yours a couple of bookshelf speakers is all you need and they can sound awesome but you may need a lot of room treatment before that happens. Your stereo is already as awesome as they go. Floorstanders need a larger room to breathe and they are harder to tame. You also don't need big bucks to get a great sounding stereo system. Whoever says otherwise is a charlatan. Nowadays you can get a couple of decent nearfield monitors for some $1500 and a $200 DAC and this system will blow your socks off if you set it up properly.

 

[Diseasex]

This system shouldn't need a sub unless you want the windows to rattle. In a limited space like yours a couple of bookshelf speakers is all you need and they can sound awesome but you may need a lot of room treatment before that happens. Your stereo is already as awesome as they go. Floorstanders need a larger room to breathe and they are harder to tame. You also don't need big bucks to get a great sounding stereo system. Whoever says otherwise is a charlatan. Nowadays you can get a couple of decent nearfield monitors for some $1500 and a $200 DAC and this system will blow your socks off if you set it up properly.

The response of this speakers is 44hz and up . So my uneducated thinking is I’m losing sounds below that and I want to hear them.
I do miss bass sometimes so I planned to set svs to 44hz and below