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Speakers for classical music

oboist

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Alright, nice idea, noted :D Can you suggest any DAC that can be used for optical in for them better than this Fiio?

And what about Adam A5X, any good?

SMSL M200? I have M500 which I like very much but is more expensive due in part to (useless to me) MQA. M200 has optical in and XLR or RCA out. XLR would be a nice option into the Kalis. And you get bluetooth as a bonus if you want to use it.
 

LTig

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About 8030C and 8020, there are no problems with connecting XLRs to tv set somehow?
I have the 8020a which have a wide range of input sensitivity so it's no problem to connect them to any line level source. Don't know about the current models.
 
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kwochal

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Alright, and would we find something that's worth paying more, let's say up to 1400-1500 EUR? Worth it?
 

q3cpma

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Alright, and would we find something that's worth paying more, let's say up to 1400-1500 EUR? Worth it?
Without a subwoofer? This budget unlocks the KH120A and the 8330A (if you don't already do room correction by yourself), but otherwise, not really. I'd say that at 2000€, you have the KEF R3 with a decent amplifier.

But really, to get something substantially better than the 8030C/8330A/KH120A/IN-5 (with subwoofer(s)), you must jump to the KH310A/83x1 territory. Or good passive floorstanders like Revel or KEF, but these are even more expensive.
 
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kwochal

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Alright

For now, I think the 8030C might be the way to go, or I just like them the most and I always wanted to try genelec. However, connecting them to the TV is a bit of a pain, SMSL M200 is a good choice I suppose, however is there any possibility to cut this cost down a bit and still connect them to the TV?
 

q3cpma

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Alright

For now, I think the 8030C might be the way to go, or I just like them the most and I always wanted to try genelec. However, connecting them to the TV is a bit of a pain, SMSL M200 is a good choice I suppose, however is there any possibility to cut this cost down a bit and still connect them to the TV?
Your job to search for the cheapest device that does optical -> analog (be it RCA or XLR, though I'd pay a bit more for one with balanced out, personally), can't be that hard.
 
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kwochal

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I'm asking because of XLR only, with the RCA there are plenty of. I'm not sure about RCA->XLR, that's why I'm asking, not that I can't google :)
 

polmuaddib

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Would you consider multichannel option? I find large orchestral pieces poorly presented in stereo. The same sound wonderfull in surround.
There is a huge library of multichannel classical music in DVD-As, SACDs and Bluray Audio formats. What is also important is that most of those surround mixes are done really well and not gimmicky.
 
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kwochal

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Would you consider multichannel option? I find large orchestral pieces poorly presented in stereo. The same sound wonderfull in surround.
There is a huge library of multichannel classical music in DVD-As, SACDs and Bluray Audio formats. What is also important is that most of those surround mixes are done really well and not gimmicky.
Intersting, however my whole library is not multichannel so I don't think it's worth the hustle for now. Maybe in future.
 

sergeauckland

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I'm asking because of XLR only, with the RCA there are plenty of. I'm not sure about RCA->XLR, that's why I'm asking, not that I can't google :)
Absolutely no problem going from RCA to XLR. I do that with my Genelecs. Just join XLR pins 1 and 3 and connect to the coax ground, and signal to pin 2. There are any number of suitable adapters available if you don't fancy making up your own cables. I use mine with 5m of cables and a passive volume control.

S.
 

Lifer

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Hello,

Being a bit in the same situation as you : connecting speakers to TV, being able to stream from Qobuz and Spotify, listening to Classical music, in a 20m² room.
I am currently purchasing this system : Kali LP-8, Raspberry Pi 4, Hifiberry DAC+ DSP.

The TV and the Streamer (Raspberry4) will be feeding the Hifiberry DAC+ DSP which will connect to the speakers.
When the Hifiberry DAC+ DSP detect a signal from the TV, it automatically switches to it and stop the signal from the streamer.
To both the streamer and the TV signal I can apply EQ to correct the room without needing another box.
If I want in the future, i can go out of the Hifiberry digitally to feed a better DAC.

So at the end I have great speakers with THX levels, Basic DSP, Streamer, and TV pass through for <700€.
I was going to go with Genelec but would not consider under 8340 for SPL reason, which are too expensive and kind of force you to use their overpriced subwoofer if you want to benefit from GLM.
You could also upgrade the Kali to the IN-8 instead of LP-8 if you have the budget.

Regards
 
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kwochal

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Finally, I think I will wait a bit more, safe more cash and go straight for R3 + amp. Like always, the final conclusion to all topics is "raise your budget" ;)

Thank you all for your immense help, without it I would probably bought something too small and not powerful enough
 

daftcombo

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Absolutely no problem going from RCA to XLR. I do that with my Genelecs.
I used to do that too, but noise floor ("hiss") decreased substantially when I swapped for XlR -> XLR. Perhaps because the RCA to XLR cables were too long or too close to other cables.
 

Frgirard

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In classical music the major parameter is the better tonality reproduction.
The bass with alto, tenor, soprano, violin, cello, woodwinds, winds, harpsichord or baroque instruments are not the major issue.

In hip hop music, dub, techno, edm... the bass reproduction is the major parameter.
 

agiletiger

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As a former conductor, every Revel I’ve heard sounds the most like the real thing. Whether that’s to your liking or not, you need to decide for yourself. For me, I don’t like it when a system separates out all the mics and mixes almost to a clinical level. Some love this. No classical venue sounds like this. Kef is also well loved by my colleagues.
 

Streamc

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I listen heavy metal in small room. 2.7meter to 3.7. what is better? KEF R3 or Genelec 8030C?
 

dfuller

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I listen heavy metal in small room. 2.7meter to 3.7. what is better? KEF R3 or Genelec 8030C?
I think if I were looking at the price point of the KEF R3 I would look higher end than the 8030C - the price gap there is quite substantial even before you factor in an amplifier for the KEFs. The KEFs may end up being more like ~$2500-2700 US with a decent amp vs $1400 for a pair of Genelecs.

I would instead consider the following:
- Focal Solo6 Be
- Focal Shape 65 (plus a rhythmik f12 sub)
- Neumann KH120 (plus a rhythmik F12 sub)
- Genelec 8040B
- used Genelec 1031
 

Streamc

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I think if I were looking at the price point of the KEF R3 I would look higher end than the 8030C - the price gap there is quite substantial even before you factor in an amplifier for the KEFs. The KEFs may end up being more like ~$2500-2700 US with a decent amp vs $1400 for a pair of Genelecs.

I would instead consider the following:
- Focal Solo6 Be
- Focal Shape 65 (plus a rhythmik f12 sub)
- Neumann KH120 (plus a rhythmik F12 sub)
- Genelec 8040B
- used Genelec 1031
Eve SC 207? And in general, not depending on money. R3 or monitors.
 

GearAudio

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Suggest you consider Kali IN-5 which are in your price range. I think they go lower than genelec 8020 without sub, have XLR, TRS, and RCA input. I listen mostly to western classical and they sound great. At $700/pair you’ll have plenty left for a nice DAC. I also have Genelec with sub which is great but more expensive. I wouldn’t discount importance of bass for western classical. Bass drum and timpani sound is much better with deep bass. End of Shostakovich 4th Symphony without good bass would be very disappointing.

Not that I want to despise other brands, but recommending Kali seems risky to me, they belong to a medium-low range of the market and therefore the sound quality is lower than projects such as Neumann, Genelec, etc. Kali Audio line, personally I would not recommend them for those who want to improve their audio system and expect the musical message to be reproduced with fidelity.
I agree with q3cpma, there are valid solutions to soundproof medium-large environments, it is only a question of evaluating well how much you are willing to spend.

The KEF R3 are in a completely different league we are talking about passive speakers and belong to the KEF premium range, you could also have a different result compared to active solutions, I think probably the KEF R3 are more suitable in a HiFi context, nevertheless solutions I think active types are not excluded from this context.

Sorry for my bad English :)
 
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Ayebee

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A bit different than the other recommendations, but you could also consider the Linkwitz Audio LXmini. I think it’s characteristics would match your needs pretty nicely. Good luck!
 
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