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LS50 Meta + TDAI 1120 is the perfect combo for urban homes

curiouspeter

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Dec 30, 2020
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San Francisco Bay Area
My living area, not including the open kitchen, is about 11 feet by 19 feet. The LS50 Meta's driven by the TDAI have no problem filling the room, even though I do not have a subwoofer.

Overall, I am quite happy with the clarity of the speakers. However, I am especially surprised by the amount of bass delivered. The rather -3 dB frequency range begins at 79 Hz, which is rather unimpressive even for a stand-mount. Many people will definitely get a subwoofer. However, the bass extends to 26 Hz (-6 dB) in a "typical" room, which is very interesting.

I put my speakers 6 inches from the front wall. I would push them even closer if I did not have those locking banana plugs. I also do not have the foam plugs, despite the suggestion in the manual. RoomPerfect boosts the level in the lower frequencies and also fixes some room modes.

So, a few learnings...
  1. Conventional wisdom may or may not be valid. For bookshelf speakers, one may not need a subwoofer after all. In addition, "optimal" speaker placement usually assumes that DRC or DSP is not available. With software, one can try placing even rear-ported speakers a few inches from the wall, which boosts the bass for free.
  2. Room correction is a necessity in all signal chains. Even a treated room can benefit from DRC. Most rooms, especially those in concrete and glass buildings, have terrible acoustics.
Finally, I am sure similar speakers and amps can work too. There are more options with DRC coming into the market.
 
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