Current Setup
- Room Dimensions: 18' x 17' living room with very high slanted ceilings.
- Usage: 60% Music / 40% Home Theater.
- Music Configuration: 2.2 (favorites include vocal-heavy soundtracks, classic rock and acoustic genres).
- Home Theater Configuration: 6.2.4.
- Front L/R: KEF LS50 Meta pair.
- Center: Ascend CMT-340SEv1 (currently disabled, dialog unclear, boomy bass; using a phantom center).
- Surround L/R: 2 Def Tech Bipolar BP-2X.
- Heights & Surround Back: 6 Polk OMW3.
- Subwoofers: 2x Monoprice M-12 V2 THX.
- Electronics:
- AVR: Denon x3800H.
- L/R Amp: Hypex NC252MP (2x250W).
- Room Correction: Audyssey XT32 + Dirac Live Full Bandwidth.
- Bass Management: MiniDSP 2x4HD + UMIK-1 + REW.
- Room Treatment: Thick curtains cover a large window behind the main listening position and there’s a carpet between the mains and the MLP. No other room treatments currently.
The Problem
Music:While the LS50 Metas image beautifully, I feel they fall short on soundstage (horizontal, vertical and depth) and overall scale. The listening experience isn’t as immersive or engaging as I’d like and the vocals lack the lush texture and richness I hear in theaters.
Home Theater:
The CMT-340SE center speaker has unclear dialogue due to its MTM configuration, so I’ve resorted to using a phantom center for now. The overall HT experience feels disjointed—speakers don’t seem to vanish into the 3D soundscape but rather act independently, breaking immersion.
Questions
- Are the LS50 Metas appropriate for a room of this size? Would upgrading to floorstanding speakers provide a better sense of scale and soundstage? The Metas can get plenty loud, so SPL isn’t a concern, but would towers offer a noticeable improvement if REW measurements for both are similar (given the subs crossed at 80Hz)?
- Could the subwoofer placement be impacting the soundstage? My subs are asymmetrically placed based on REW measurements to optimize response but I wonder if this could be affecting the overall sound cohesion.
Options
I’m considering the following upgrades/sidegrades?- (Used) LS50 Meta Center (and call it a day?): ~$500.
- (Used) Wharfedale Lintons 85th Anniversary pair: ~$600.
- (Used) Revel F206 pair+ C205: ~$1,700.
- (Used) Revel F206 pair+ C208: ~$2,200.
- (New) Revel F226Be pair+ C426Be: ~$6,600.
- (New) Revel F228Be pair+ C426Be: ~$8,620.
- (New) Philharmonic HT Tower pair+ HT Center: ~$6,000.
Seeking Advice
- Are my observations about the Metas valid or am I overthinking this?
- If I switch to one of these options, am I likely to see a meaningful improvement or am I approaching the point of diminishing returns? Should I consider anything else?
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