Advice neede for purchase of KEF R3 (meta)+ subwoofers

[Geertidow]

Dear fellow members,

I am in need of some advice. I have recently moved and now have a relatively large audio/movie area (7 meter x 3.5 meters) within a larger u-shaped living room.
One 'leg' of the U is used for audio.
I moved my old (and highly appreciated) Focal Chora 816 with a custom subwoofer with them together with a Wiim pro, minidsp flex + Hypex amps.

We are considering building a cabinet against the wall where two subwoofers can be placed in (with a soft screen before them) and two bookshelf speakers on that cabinet.
These speakers would then be approximately 30 - 50 cm from the rear wall.

The listening distance is approximately 3-4 meters from the speakers.

Could this be done with the KEF R3 (meta) as a bookshelf speaker or are these for a smaller room. Can these be combined with a pair of SVS 2000 pro subwoofers?
Overall I'm very happy with the sound of the focals (with some EQ) but in the new larger room it's difficult to get the spacing right (as in, not hearing the speakers but the sound).

Happy to hear some thoughts.

 

[Chagall]

The R3 Metas should work very well, especially with two subs. While KEFs might initially sound a bit darker compared to Focals, that's more about their flatter, more neutral tuning. Focals tend to have a more lively top end, so it can take a bit of time to adjust. I have the R3 (non-meta), and the only thing I don’t love is they can sound a bit narrow in terms of soundstage.

Is this room going to be mainly for music or movies? And how loud do you usually listen?

 

[raindance]

Note that the R3 is tuned for close wall placement and sounds fullest this way.

 

[Chagall]

Note that the R3 is tuned for close wall placement and sounds fullest this way.

Yes, but 20cm (backside of the speakers) from the wall minimum with the port open.

But if he's using 2 SVS, then I would put plugs in Kefs and crossover 80 - 120 hz and wouldn't worry about the distance from the wall.

 

[Oddball]

Not to spoil the party but placing subs in cabinet might lead to unwanted resonances, despite the soft screen. Might not, but there is really no way to tell.

Crossover management is in deed a separate issue. But that is what is determined by in-room measurements and preferences. Crossover beyond 80hz is not really recommended to the best of my understanding unless there is no other way to make it work with the gear in the room.

While the room is not that large, the listening distance is so it will depend on the SPL needed for the setup.