Advice: speaker for medium sized bed room

[epapsiou]

HI,
I want to buy new speakers for my bedroom (22x13 ft).
I now use Fosi BT20A with Pioneer AJ tower speaker - I found them to be better than my previous speaker - Audioengine A5 (which I like too)
I want to upgrade (~$2,000 budget).
I will be using bluetooth to listen to my music.
I have gone through the forums and mega review thread and I feel the following maybe good (going just by the ranking and the buzz on the forum):

Linton
Elac B62
Polk R500
Sierra LX
Revel F206


I am a noob here and would appreciate any input.

 

[kemmler3D]

Good options on this list so far. Around $2000 you can also put the KEF LS50 Meta on the list.

I think what could work really well is to get the Sierra LX and also a sub or two, and a source that supports PEQ for room correction. That will really take your setup to the next level IMO. I think it can (just) be done within your budget.

If you go for the Sierra you might want a little more power, in which case maybe get a couple Fosi monoblocks.

 

[epapsiou]

Good options on this list so far. Around $2000 you can also put the KEF LS50 Meta on the list.

I think what could work really well is to get the Sierra LX and also a sub or two, and a source that supports PEQ for room correction. That will really take your setup to the next level IMO. I think it can (just) be done within your budget.

If you go for the Sierra you might want a little more power, in which case maybe get a couple Fosi monoblocks.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Do I need to get a sub?
Bookshelf+sub or towers and no sub is what I am asking.

 

[GD Fan]

What's the use case, only music or some movies too?

 

[kemmler3D]

Thanks for the suggestion.
Do I need to get a sub?
Bookshelf+sub or towers and no sub is what I am asking.

So, the way room modes end up developing (even in small rooms) means you need speakers at multiple locations to avoid big dips in the bass. As such, whether you use towers or bookshelves, it's usually a good idea to use at least one sub. Since the Sierras extend pretty deep one sub might be enough.

 

[DanielT]

If I had been in need of new speakers, I would have investigated these a little more closely. I don't know how it is with the distribution XTZ where you live but in Sweden brand is commonly found.

The on axis measurements look really good. Data from the manufacturer should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, even though XTZ are usually honest:

XTZ Spirit 4 compact speaker - XTZ Sound in Balance

XTZ Spirit 4 compact speaker. With customized drivers the Spirit 4 plays with astonishing deep bass qualities and a fine and precise treble.

www.xtzsound.eu

I take what is said in the video about material for tweeters and its accompanying sound character with a pinch of salt. But you can watch the video to get a feel for how they look anyway.I have no doubt that Spirit 4, for their size, have good bass. XTZ are good at making speakers with good bass. Their subwoofers usually have an excellent price-performance ratio, for example.

 

[epapsiou]

What's the use case, only music or some movies too?

Just music.

 

[epapsiou]

So, the way room modes end up developing (even in small rooms) means you need speakers at multiple locations to avoid big dips in the bass. As such, whether you use towers or bookshelves, it's usually a good idea to use at least one sub. Since the Sierras extend pretty deep one sub might be enough.

Gotcha. So will get a sub. Any particular one? (Have not researched subs at all)

 

[epapsiou]

If I had been in need of new speakers, I would have investigated these a little more closely. I don't know how it is with the distribution XTZ where you live but in Sweden brand is commonly found.

The on axis measurements look really good. Data from the manufacturer should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, even though XTZ are usually honest:

XTZ Spirit 4 compact speaker - XTZ Sound in Balance

XTZ Spirit 4 compact speaker. With customized drivers the Spirit 4 plays with astonishing deep bass qualities and a fine and precise treble.

www.xtzsound.eu

I take what is said in the video about material for tweeters and its accompanying sound character with a pinch of salt. But you can watch the video to get a feel for how they look anyway.I have no doubt that Spirit 4, for their size, have good bass. XTZ are good at making speakers with good bass. Their subwoofers usually have an excellent price-performance ratio, for example.

Thanks. They look nice.
My aim is to buy and use it for next 15 years without changing anything.
I do not want to experiment (nor do I have the knowhow to). In an ideal world I could go to a shop and listen to all of them and choose.
But since that is not a possibility I just want something that this community has tried and tested.

 

[GD Fan]

For subs, SVS tends to get some praise here including from me. I use their smallest model, SB1000, in my apartment.

 

[kemmler3D]

Gotcha. So will get a sub. Any particular one? (Have not researched subs at all)

I have had some success looking on Craigslist / Facebook for used subs that have good extension and output, but you have to do your homework and be patient.

If you are buying new, I think SVS and Monoprice are considered good value / dollar here, but @sweetchaos has also compiled a list / comparison of subs, which is a good place to start.

 

[DanielT]

Thanks. They look nice.
My aim is to buy and use it for next 15 years without changing anything.
I do not want to experiment (nor do I have the knowhow to). In an ideal world I could go to a shop and listen to all of them and choose.
But since that is not a possibility I just want something that this community has tried and tested.

Sorry, missed your $2000 budget. Those XTZ's are probably good speakers but you have more than $400 to play with so maybe you should check out some other speakers. On the other hand, Spirit 4 with some really good subwoofers and also spending a decent amount of money on room acoustics fixing measures and EQ (if you feel like fiddling with that) will go a long way.

Edit:

Room Acoustics and General Speaker Discussions

Science and engineering of room acoustics and loudspeakers.

audiosciencereview.com

 

[DanielT]

This might be something:

Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2

https://ascendaacoustics.com/products/sierra-1-v2-pair

It is my pleasure to add the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 speaker to my recommended list.

Ascend Sierra-1 V2 Speaker Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $998 for a pair ($948 on sale). The finish is nice enough. The cabinet feels quite heavy for its size and especially in the front...

audiosciencereview.com

Good speakers those Ascend Sierra-1 V2, but low sensitivity. Load them with plenty of amp power.If I were you, I would add one or more subwoofers along with them. Sub-speaker integration can be challenging to get right, but it can be a hell of a nice thing/combo if it goes well.

_____
AsciLab speakers also seem interesting. Made in South Korea, but this is what the manufacturer says themselves in the thread below:
Once the product line is established, we will prepare for worldwide sales.

AsciLab speakers are about to launch

We are about to launch a new line of speakers designed using Klippel NFS. The initial lineup is as follows: AsciLab F6BS Specification - 2-way Bookshelf Speaker - Sealed Enclosure for shallow depth - 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter with Custom Waveguide and Phase Plug - 6" Fiber Cone Woofer - LW 4th...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[epapsiou]

Thank you all.
So if I am reading this right Sierra is the way to go with subs.
Which Sierra -
Sierra LX - $1,500
or Sierra 1 V2 - $1,000

Linton 85 looks nice so I was thinking about it but if you all say Sierra is better I will go with that.

BMR looks nice but is over my budget.
IS it that much better?

 

[kemmler3D]

Thank you all.
So if I am reading this right Sierra is the way to go with subs.
Which Sierra -
Sierra LX - $1,500
or Sierra 1 V2 - $1,000

Linton 85 looks nice so I was thinking about it but if you all say Sierra is better I will go with that.

BMR looks nice but is over my budget.
IS it that much better?

Based on reviews here, the LX is better but they're both very good, with subs I don't think there will be a huge difference between the LX and 1V2. People who have heard the BMR seem to really like it but I don't know that I have seen measurements.

 

[DanielT]

Thank you all.
So if I am reading this right Sierra is the way to go with subs.
Which Sierra -
Sierra LX - $1,500
or Sierra 1 V2 - $1,000

Linton 85 looks nice so I was thinking about it but if you all say Sierra is better I will go with that.

BMR looks nice but is over my budget.
IS it that much better?

What kind of power supply do you have for your Fosi BT20A? Can be of importance if you are going to power up a pair of 81-82dB sensitive speakers. At least that if you are going to play at a slightly higher volume and as kemmler3D says in #2:If you go for the Sierra you might want a little more power,...

Subwoofer or not depends of course on what kind of bass you want, what kind of music you listen to in combination with which speakers you use. Generally, the smaller speakers you use, the more you need a subwoofer. The advantage of smaller speakers then is that they can roll off naturally in the lower frequencies where it is appropriate for a sub to take over. That in itself makes it easier to integrate subwoofers. Note may be so but need not be the case.
Anyway, test without sub to begin with.

 

[epapsiou]

So I got the Sierra LX.
I like them but I get ear fatigue with them .
They may be too bright for me.
I tried 2 different amps(Fosi and Kinamp) just to make sure.

First time I am getting ear fatigue in a non-concert setting.
Any suggestion?

 

[AM88]

So I got the Sierra LX.
I like them but I get ear fatigue with them .
They may be too bright for me.
I tried 2 different amps(Fosi and Kinamp) just to make sure.

First time I am getting ear fatigue in a non-concert setting.
Any suggestion?

I would suggest listening to them a little less loud for the meantime and for not too long each time. Assuming there is nothing wrong with the speakers, you are probably being hyper critical and analytical when testing them out the first time. I have done this many times when I have new speakers at home. I focussed on finding fault and turning up the volume to analyse the sound etc and wasn’t really treating them like my normal pair. The alternative is, you just don’t like the sound of the speakers or there is an as of yet undiscovered issue. Good luck. Also you can try toeing them out so the tweeter is not directly pointing to your ear.