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Help with speakers for a 3x6m room (400€ range)

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railthe

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Hello, Ive been reading forums and discussions for 2 months and finally Im about to make a purchase. My budget is around 800€. I was kinda impressed by Klipsch the Fives (I can have them for 700€), but Im not sure if getting all in one solution at this price is a good idea. Ive eyed a few passive speakers too and I think that all of them will outperform Klipsches, but I might be wrong.

My favorite now is Kef Q350 and I would get SMSL SA300 with it, cause I need to make it as easy as possible for my wife. Literally anything is worse than Klipsch when it comes to easiness of use, but I want a decent sound too (and maybe save 200€ as well).

Alternatives for SMSL are welcome too.

Thanks for your opinions and comments.

edit: I am unable to listen to these in my room. They will be placed on a tv table, front side 60cm away from the wall, so pretty close.
 
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Zek

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Are you able to listen to the listed speakers in your room? That way, you will know which one suits you best, because other people's experiences are completely different in terms of tastes and the room where they were listened to.
 
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railthe

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I could only visit a studio and listen to Kef and Q Acoustics and maybe compare these 2 directly, but not in my room.
 

Biblob

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I'd say the Kef Q350 and use the EQ, based on the measurements from Amir.
 
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railthe

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3 m x 6 m is some peculiar room proportions. How large is actual listening distance going to be? Something 6.5" might turn oiut to be a bit tight depending on distance, acoustics and levels required.

Listening distance will be approx. 2 m (6,5 ft), table on one side, couch on the other one, both next to the wall.
 

q3cpma

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I'd say think about the Dali Spektor line, it may be good, as it for once uses a shallow waveguide. Focal is also quite okay priced in Europe.
 
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railthe

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I'd say think about the Dali Spektor line, it may be good, as it for once uses a shallow waveguide. Focal is also quite okay priced in Europe.
Ive read that Dali are usually hard to drive and that they require better amp. Makes sense to me (Spektor 2 has only 84,5 dB, looks like a power hog).
 

q3cpma

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Ive read that Dali are usually hard to drive and that they require better amp. Makes sense to me (Spektor 2 has only 84,5 dB, looks like a power hog).
Didn't see that your budget was 400€ for a single one. You definitely can go into the Neumann/Genelec range, so I can't recommend anything else.
 
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railthe

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Didn't see that your budget was 400€ for a single one. You definitely can go into the Neumann/Genelec range, so I can't recommend anything else.
Spektor 2 is the cheapest one out of these, costs like 300€ in here for 2. Budget is 700-800€ for whole setup. Also, the mentioned prices are for 2 speakers.
 

q3cpma

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Spektor 2 is the cheapest one out of these, costs like 300€ in here for 2. Budget is 700-800€ for whole setup.
I'd then consider the Genelec 8020D at 730€/pair or the 8030C at 1040€/pair, which go over your budget, though. The recently reviewed Dynaudio LYD-5 is also quite good at 840€/pair.
 

Cahudson42

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If you go passives, I suggest the SA300 might be a bit underpowered and/or higher distortion than you might like, given room size. For the same money, I would get:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RS202/Yamaha-R-S202.html

Pricing of the Yamaha as501 also seems better in the EU (if that's where you are), and it's a nice step up if you can stretch for it. If money is tight, even the as301.
 

Kuppenbender

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If you don’t need bluetooth, consider a Topping E30 and an Audiophonics MPA-S125NC RCA for €500, instead of the SMSL SA300. The Topping measures extremely well, as do the Hypex amp modules.

That gives you enough (distortion free?) power for moderate listening levels, and still leaves you €300 to find a Black Friday deal on any of the speakers you listed - KEF and QAcoustics are often discounted in the UK at least. You then have a pretty clear upgrade path (better speakers?) some time later on.
 

sweetchaos

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The Fives measurements were posted on HifiTest.de on Aug 26.

1601575879988.png

1601575888192.png
 
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railthe

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I'd then consider the Genelec 8020D at 730€/pair or the 8030C at 1040€/pair, which go over your budget, though. The recently reviewed Dynaudio LYD-5 is also quite good at 840€/pair.

Just listened to Genelec 8020D v Adam T5V comparison, these Genelec sound is great. Still 800€ budget is for speakers + amp. Dynaudio LYD-5 looks very nice too. No doubt these are a huge step up, but I am not sure I want to spend this much for audio setup right now. Thanks for tips though.

If you go passives, I suggest the SA300 might be a bit underpowered and/or higher distortion than you might like, given room size. For the same money, I would get:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RS202/Yamaha-R-S202.html

Pricing of the Yamaha as501 also seems better in the EU (if that's where you are), and it's a nice step up if you can stretch for it. If money is tight, even the as301.

People recommend Yamaha A-S501 to me but I am not sure if its what I search for. I would gladly spend 400€ for a decent Topping MX3/SMSL AD18 alternative. I sacrificed NFC tag and optical input when I chose SA300. Not happy with that, but I just cant find anything better.

If you don’t need bluetooth, consider a Topping E30 and an Audiophonics MPA-S125NC RCA for €500, instead of the SMSL SA300. The Topping measures extremely well, as do the Hypex amp modules.

I can use bluetooth adapter, but one of the requirements for me is as easy setup as possible. My source will be Raspberry Pi with music storage, but my wife uses Spotify, she wont bother using it if its complicated to turn everything on.

The Fives measurements were posted on HifiTest.de on Aug 26.

Yes I know, these measurements look incredible. I wish Amir measured and reviewed these properly too. People who heard them say theyre a bit bloated in lows. Im a bit afraid of a single failure which would mean throwing everything. And there is no option to upgrade (except adding a woofer). Still Klipsch are the easy way, thats why I keep them in mind.
 

AnalogSteph

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Listening distance will be approx. 2 m (6,5 ft), table on one side, couch on the other one, both next to the wall.
I have a bit of a hard time visualizing that. Anyway:
1. Unless bass is not a major criteron, a 6.5" woofer is about the minimum here, you could also go 8" (Behringer B2031A, Kali LP-8, Mackie MR824 / XR824, Yamaha HS8), even 3-way 8" (Kali IN-8). You'd still have to interface those to your source(s) though - something with balanced outputs.
2. Any setup with speakers on one side of the room and listening position on the other is problematic - the wall behind the couch results in comb filtering due to strong reflections. Those would have to be addressed with acoustic panels on said wall. Bass would also be elevated due to boundary gain.
 
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ELAC DBR 62 about 500 a pair and reviewed well here.
The ELAC DBR-62 objectively and subjectively meets and exceeds my expectations. It is "Andrew Jones" as I expected but had been missing up to now. It is "high-end" sound on a budget with little to apologize for. I was sad to stop listening to it to type this review! It is that good.

Message to Andrew: please stop messing with coaxial drivers and such. Optimized 2-way system like this outperforms them all. They design won't sound sexy on paper but boy does it sound good in person. And no fussiness with placement in room either.

So save up if you have to but don't settle for anything less than this. I am happy to give my strongest recommendation for ELAC DBR-62.
 
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