Does it make sense to get a nice setup for my room?

[HomerIncognito]

Hey all,
I'd like to get a nice stereo setup for my living room. My current candidates are the Elac DBR62 + Wiim Amp Pro. But I'm not sure how much would my placement limitations affect them. Stands would be a bit too disturbing I think, though possibly the only good solution. Another alternative is to simply get a cheap-ish front ported powered speakers.

Below is a picture of the room with roughly my intended placement. Any thoughts and opinions will be appreciated.

 

[respice finem]

If I were you, I might be tempted to place the Elac on stands, yes, and maybe add a sub.
And, maybe place the screen in the middle, if it is getting used with the Elac.

 

[Ropeburn]

Really looks like an average living room. People have stereos in exactly that kind of room by the hundreds of millions. To the initial question: Yes.

Stands would be good indeed, or tower speakers (same footprint, "bigger" sound). If you want to place them on the shelf like that, choose models that are intended for it. Front ported is a good start.

 

[DSJR]

I'd also suggest a thick rug between you and speakers. Don't forget decent height speaker stands or some form of isolation (sorbothane sheets?) between speakers and the bookcase if they have to perch there.

 

[Tom C]

I would want the tweeters to be ear height, if possible. Or, at least aimed toward my ears.

 

[kemmler3D]

IMO your living situation is what it is and you might as well get the best speakers you can regardless.

Agree that you should get stands if you can, angled risers to point the speakers at your ears if not.

E: rug is also a good suggestion.

 

[HomerIncognito]

IMO your living situation is what it is and you might as well get the best speakers you can regardless.

Agree that you should get stands if you can, angled risers to point the speakers at your ears if not.

Angled risers + some isolation is the (preliminary) plan.

 

[kyuu]

Honestly there's nothing wrong with the setup as you've pictured it, except that you either want to elevate the speakers so the tweeters are roughly at ear height or at least angle them so that the tweeter roughly points at ear height at your usual listening position. Front- vs. rear-ported won't actually make much difference. At the frequencies at which a port operates the sound is omnidirectional. The only difference a rear port will make is that you need to make sure the port isn't directly against a boundary, but it only actually needs a couple of inches of clearance to operate properly. Front ports, on the other hand, are more likely to have noticeable port noise but are still likely to be perfectly fine. The DBR-62 is an excellent speaker so just go with that.

 

[Power Pop 23]

All good options

For that space I would also consider options available in White - Polk Audio's ES line of loudspeakers is available in a vinyl wrap that resembles white-washed wood

'Polk Signature Elite ES20 Review (Bookshelf Speaker)'

May 10, 2022

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Polk Signature Elite ES20 bookshelf speaker. I purchased it from Amazon for US $349 a pair including shipping.

I really like the look and finish of this series from Polk. Despite budget pricing, it looks nice and purposeful as you can tell from the unique rear port plate:

Measurements that you are about to see were performed using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This is a robotic measurement system that analyzes the speaker all around and is able (using advanced mathematics and dual scan) to...

• amirm
• Replies: 217
• Forum: Speaker Reviews, Measurements and Discussion

• 

'Polk ES60 Tower Speaker Review'

Feb 8, 2024

This is a review, listening tests, equalization and detailed measurements of the Polk ES60 tower speaker. It was purchased new and kindly donated to the forum by a member. ES60 costs US $511 on Amazon and has 4.5 start average review (1925 ratings):

The ES60 is in entirely different class than other budget towers with good bit more weight and fit and finish. It uses the down firing port that Polk has in other speakers in the series.

I measured the ES60 on Klippel NFS without the grill with acoustic center of the tweeter. Temperatures in the measurement "chamber" was on the...

• amirm
• Replies: 118
• Forum: Speaker Reviews, Measurements and Discussion

• 

 

[MAB]

It's a fine living room for an audio system. Can certainly be tweaked, but nothing is wrong and you should enjoy music in there.

The bookshelf cavities may create some odd resonances and reflections.
However books are a great acoustic wall, I have a large bookcase behind my speakers that act as a diffuser.
Perhaps once you get things set up, experiment with putting more books behind the speakers.

 

[JeremyFife]

Yeah, get the nice stereo As said before, try to raise the speakers so that the tweeters are approx. ear height. If that's not possible then just angle the speakers up (or wall/shelf mount them?).
Don't let these sort of worries stop you from playing music

 

[Madlop26]

Stands clearly not practical, too disruptive, nice choice of speakers, but I agree, best option is powered speakers, with little more money you can get the Neumann KH 80, I would add a small sub though.

 

[kyuu]

best option is powered speakers, with little more money you can get the Neumann KH 80, I would add a small sub though.

Given that this is not going to be a near-field setup (unless I'm misunderstanding), I would disagree that active speakers are the best choice at the price point the OP is clearly targeting (about $1000 for the whole setup). Rounding out the bottom couple of octaves with a sub is generally a good idea though... and that would be easier with the Wiim/Elac setup they proposed.

 

[TurtlePaul]

You are worried that the closeness to the wall, shelf will impact bass. A high end solutions would be to use parametric EQ and a measurement mic. A more affordable solution would be to get monitors with dip switches to adjust to taste. Think Kali LP-6 or JBL 306p.

 

[kyuu]

You are worried that the closeness to the wall, shelf will impact bass. A high end solutions would be to use parametric EQ and a measurement mic. A more affordable solution would be to get monitors with dip switches to adjust to taste. Think Kali LP-6 or JBL 306p.

The Wiim nets parametric EQ which is much better than dip switches.

 

[Keith_W]

Does it make sense? No. Save yourself from this illness! Take up a sensible hobby instead!

 

[respice finem]

The existing setup is not really bad in terms of hardware, just the way the speakers are standing is not optimal. As already stated, ear height, or angled up, maybe a sub and all is well, with a bit of EQ - why discard good stuff and buy new? It won't be a studio anyway I guess.

 

[TurtlePaul]

The Wiim nets parametric EQ which is much better than dip switches.

Oh, I totally missed that he was going to use a WiiM. Then yes, it will sound pretty good. Not as good as a treated studio, but parametric EQ gets you 90% of the way to fixing boundary issues.

 

[HomerIncognito]

It's a fine living room for an audio system. Can certainly be tweaked, but nothing is wrong and you should enjoy music in there.

The bookshelf cavities may create some odd resonances and reflections.
However books are a great acoustic wall, I have a large bookcase behind my speakers that act as a diffuser.
Perhaps once you get things set up, experiment with putting more books behind the speakers.

I've also discovered that white acoustic foams/panels exist, those wouldn't be too disruptive in case I'll want to isolate a specific area.

 

[TurtlePaul]

Looking at this bookcase, I would get wall mounts that can swivel 90 degrees and I would mount the right speaker to the side wall just in front of the green plant/a foot above the light switch and would mount the right speaker at the same height in front of those books.