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Can you beat my option? KEF LS50 Wireless II + SVS SB-2000 Pro

Chrispy

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Thank you for the good points. I have not thought or calculated the approximate SPL that would this system have in my room to see if these speakers would work or not. It is defiantly my laziness because I should be able to calculate it. I like the ELAC DBR62 and the new one Uni fi Reference that just came out looks even better. Hopefully we will see some measurements soon.

This might help http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html
 

Ron Texas

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One more thought. If the OP is living in an apartment, especially the flimsy wood frame buildings which are common in newer areas of the US, avoid a subwoofer because it will generate complaints.
 

blueone

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Do you know how loud you like to listen to movies and music at your typical seat? What is the distance from your listening seat to the L/R speakers?

What types of movies do you like to watch? Any Sci-Fi and action movies, or mostly dramas with dialog?
 
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Vahidhm

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One more thought. If the OP is living in an apartment, especially the flimsy wood frame buildings which are common in newer areas of the US, avoid a subwoofer because it will generate complaints.
I am living in an apartment but the building is brand new and very stable. If a neighbor complains, I would direct them to this forum :D
 
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Vahidhm

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Do you know how loud you like to listen to movies and music at your typical seat? What is the distance from your listening seat to the L/R speakers?

What types of movies do you like to watch? Any Sci-Fi and action movies, or mostly dramas with dialog?
The distance would be around 9 to 10 feet from the speakers and I am not listening to music very loud. Something around 85 to 90. For movies, I watch both heavy dialog and those with action explosion sounds
 

Ron Texas

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I am living in an apartment but the building is brand new and very stable. If a neighbor complains, I would direct them to this forum :D

You can tell better than I if sound travels in the building. I think your best bet would be a pair of JBL 708p active monitors and skip the subs for now. Read the review here at ASR. I can tell you from experience that if you haven't done it before setting up subs is a PITA. The 708's play loud and go low. You will need a DAC (preferably balanced), or a gadget to convert your sources to AES. It's more than your plan, but I'm afraid the room is too big for LS50's
 

dkinric

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The distance would be around 9 to 10 feet from the speakers and I am not listening to music very loud. Something around 85 to 90. For movies, I watch both heavy dialog and those with action explosion sounds
I have a similar layout, also 9 ft from speakers., wall behind the couch. Measured with an spl meter from the listening position, I'm usually at 85-90 db when critically listening, so I think you are spot on. It's pretty loud. If you have accurate bass response at that level, it will be noticeable through any shared walls. I give thanks I live in a house :)
 

Chrispy

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You say no sub. I say move.
Differing opinions on how to handle :)

I tried apartment living....had to knock that off after a year. Way too close to your neighbors that way, and the building construction does tend to suck.

(but you can always just lower the level of the sub to help out)
 

Ron Texas

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You say no sub. I say move.
Differing opinions on how to handle :)

LOL, I moved, but other factors were in play. Funny thing is my house is in the same part of town as the flat.
 

blueone

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The distance would be around 9 to 10 feet from the speakers and I am not listening to music very loud. Something around 85 to 90. For movies, I watch both heavy dialog and those with action explosion sounds

I've only heard the LS50s in near-field set-ups, but assuming the KEFs are set to "small" in the Denon, with a crossover no lower than 80Hz, I think they are likely to work well for a 9' listening distance with peaks in the mid-high 90db range. I'd also experiment with the 90Hz and 100Hz crossover settings to see if they sound better. Given that you'll be in an apartment, I doubt even 95db peaks will be realistic if the room your system is in will share walls with other tenants. For subs I'd recommend two SVS SB1000s, which are on sale right now for $400 each in black.
 

Chromatischism

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I am going to read more about the active speakers, these Genelec seems to have very good measurements, but they may not be the right choice for the room size (true for my KEF choice too). Seems there is some homework to do for me.
I think the dispersion width (very similar to my Buchardt S400, 60 degrees and consistent) and low frequency extension to 55 Hz or so (-3 dB) should be fine for a large room and should be enough to mate with a subwoofer.

The JBL 708p is also a good choice if you need more powa.
 

blueone

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\For subs I'd recommend two SVS SB1000s, which are on sale right now for $400 each in black.

Just looking now, I see the SB1000s are sold out. So I'll change my recommendation to a pair of SB1000PROs.
 

blueone

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why not Rythmik l12 / f12se?

No reason. Another good choice for a small sealed sub, perhaps a bit better than the SVS performance-wise. My only complaint with Rythmik in the past has been that whenever I look they're back-ordered for whatever I'm shopping for. Just looking now, I see that the L12 is listed as back-ordered.
 

jstownse

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How would you say The Fives compare to KEF LS50 WII? There is quite a price difference, but their features looks compelling. Sadly I dont think there is any high quality third party measurements of them online..

Take this for what it's worth, as I'm by no means an expert or even a particularly experienced listener. I didn't do any thorough comparisons, basically out with the Fives and in with the KEFs.

Disclaimer out of the way: I liked the Fives, they were a bit bass heavy, and maybe a bit less "precise" or "clear" in the midrange. The KEFs on the other hand seem more "detailed" or "refined" in the midrange and especially at higher volumes. Just overall sounded better to me. Of course I had just just spent $2,500 on them, so I certainly wanted them to sound better too!

I liked the Fives remote better, my girlfriend preferred their appearance too, combined with the built in phono stage and HDMI ARC, they had all the connectivity I needed, besides WIFI streaming.
 

Chromatischism

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The new SVSs have built in DSP with phone app control. I have these same features in my Martin Logan subs. Makes a significant difference.
How do built-in DSP and a phone app make a significant difference with subs?

If he does go the AVR route, he will have Audyssey XT32 which will cinch room issues affecting the bass region up to his chosen cutoff point. Other hardware he is considering may have similar. That is superior to the DSP on the sub, which does not take the room into account – it's only to shape the response of the sub itself. There are other ways to do that, for example Rythmik gets the response they want without DSP.

And once the sub(s) are set up you hardly ever, if ever, change their settings again.

I see these as value-added features that justify SVS premium price, but they are unnecessary. My 0.02.
 

Colonel7

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I like your original plan better. Shoot for a 3.1 system to build to 5.2. Don't see how you can actually utilize 2 subs in an apartment with that layout. If you pressurized that open area all the way to the kitchen it would shake the whole apartment building. Guessing you can try and optimize the one sub for the couch. Video games are being mixed for surround and even Atmos now. There are a lot of compromises to get the small KEFs and rely on their wireless implementation and app. Throwing out some alternatives here.

Revel F35s - (these can be had for $1100-$1200 for a pair if you're patient or negotiate with a dealer)
SVS Pro 1000
3-way center (wait for Infinity RC263 sales at $160 or other for $250-400)
Best Denon AVR you can afford.
Add additional sub and/or M16 surrounds as you can.

Alternative can be 4 DBR62s a 3-way center like those above or the Elac Unifi 2.0 c52, AVR, and 12" sub like a dayton or a scratch and dent SVS. If you really want multiple subs do a 3.2 DBR 62 and Pro 1000s
 
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