Best speaker/amp combo for small room (€4k–4.5k, movies + music)

[Pr0phet0ffD00m]

Hi there,

I’m looking for a new speaker and amp combo, as my previous active speakers said their farewell. The room is about 18 m² (194 ft²), with a listening distance of just over 2 m (6½ ft), though I can adjust that if needed.

Usage will be mostly movies and TV shows, with some gaming and music (rock, folk, post-rock, etc.). Music will mainly come from Spotify. Budget is up to €4,000–€4,500.
After some research, my current favorite combo is the KEF R3 Meta with the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120, mainly because of its room correction feature. The Ascilab C6B also looks like a strong contender. I might add a subwoofer later (budget around €1k), but I’d like to start without one.

What would you recommend for my setup? Also happy with other suggestions (e.g. Floorstanding speakers, active setup).

Since you'll be watching movies, I'd highly recommend my routing style: NAS>Rasp Pi 4(can skip if your TV has all the media features)>OLED TV HDMI ARC>AVR with 7.2 pre-outs (& room corr plus all the latest Dolby surround processing). My 10 year+ receiver recently lost surrounds so I'm on a purely analog 5.1 35 y.o. receiver now, which sounds even better. I just added a Topping DAC with a remote between Pi and receiver.

Assuming you only need amps and speakers in the OP, your small space like mine will be fine with R3s (or Linton) + 12" sub. Then just get a cheap set of tiny satellite surrounds (I'm using old JBL 3-way similar to Linton + Mordaunt Short satellites). The key is the pre-outs on the AVR for upgrades while you can still keep your processing.

 

[EPICURIOUS007]

I'd recommend the the WiiM Pro Plus>boXem A 5517 N2>R5 Meta. You could use WiiM room correction. This is a bit above your budget by a couple hundred euros.

how would you rate the r3 meta against your bmr monitors?

 

[Karmacoma]

In small rooms, and at 2 meters, monitors rule the game imo, and also present the best performance/price ratio.

 

[VMAT4]

how would you rate the r3 meta against your bmr monitors?

Wish I could answer your question. But, I haven't heard the R3 Metas.

 

[Mr. Reeee]

Hi there,

I’m looking for a new speaker and amp combo, as my previous active speakers said their farewell. The room is about 18 m² (194 ft²), with a listening distance of just over 2 m (6½ ft), though I can adjust that if needed.

Usage will be mostly movies and TV shows, with some gaming and music (rock, folk, post-rock, etc.). Music will mainly come from Spotify. Budget is up to €4,000–€4,500.

What would you recommend for my setup? Also happy with other suggestions (e.g. Floorstanding speakers, active setup).

Why not KEF LS50 Wireless II and a KC62 sub? Or two KC62s!

 

[Yoyomeister]

Yes, they are also in the selection. But I ordered the Ascilab C6B now.

 

[Mr. Reeee]

Hi there,

I’m looking for a new speaker and amp combo, as my previous active speakers said their farewell. The room is about 18 m² (194 ft²), with a listening distance of just over 2 m (6½ ft), though I can adjust that if needed.

Usage will be mostly movies and TV shows, with some gaming and music (rock, folk, post-rock, etc.). Music will mainly come from Spotify. Budget is up to €4,000–€4,500.
After some research, my current favorite combo is the KEF R3 Meta with the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120, mainly because of its room correction feature. The Ascilab C6B also looks like a strong contender. I might add a subwoofer later (budget around €1k), but I’d like to start without one.

What would you recommend for my setup? Also happy with other suggestions (e.g. Floorstanding speakers, active setup).

If you’re looking to buy electronics too, why not consider something like the KEF Wireless II?

They’ll do everything you need with easy setup, HDMI eARC for a TV, plus wireless for streaming with full Apple AirPlay 2 support as well as a number of streaming service support built in.