Speakers for Denon X3800h

[Tatalor51]

Hi,

I have a Denon X3800h on order and I was pondering on speakers to pair it with. Candidates at the moment are:

1. KEF LS50 Meta
2. KEF R3 (non meta)
3. KEF R3 Meta
4. KEF R5
5. Wharfedale Linton

Will have 1 or maybe 2 SVS SB 1000 Pro or SB 2000 subwoofer.

See below a rough drawing of the room I will use them in. The height is about 2.75 meters, total size is 50 square meters (30 + 20). Listening distance is between 3 and 3.5 meters, depending on how far from the wall I place the speakers (can't do much better than 0.5 meters on this)

I'm a bit worried about the 4 ohm impedance of the R3 Meta and how well the receiver would be able to drive them and about the totally asymmetrical placement, but can't do much about the second.

1. Will Audyssey EQ be able to do anything about the room?
2. Does the receiver has enough power for the aforementioned speakers, especially R3 Meta?
3. Are the LS50 Meta loud enough to cover listening music at about 80db and for movies (with the help of subwoofers)?

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Tatalor51]

Was looking around for separate amps and I can get either Emotiva BasX A2 or Emotiva BasX A5 for for 410 and 475 USD, respectively.

Would this help with power/make a difference as far as LS50 Meta or R3 Meta go?

Also, is it possible, should I get the A2, to have just the front 2 channels powered through the external amp and the other 3 powered by the receiver? Would this interfere with room eq or anything?

 

[Miniyouuuu]

Same L shaped space as me. Be carefull with wall reflections. Large volume but short depth of space and a lot of asymetry. You’ll have boomy areas in the corners and right and left speakers will need different correction.

I chose the Lintons after trying the Dentons with sub. Non of them would fit in the space as they do without EQ.

 

[Moonbase]

Looks like a complex one . Personally would avoid the R5s and Linton as will be hard to locate them in a small space. From your list that leaves the R3 meta or ls 50meta. The question is will the Denon get the most from them and to that I’d say no and you should drive them with a decent amp, particularly the ls50s. Bear in mind the ls50s will top out if you too loud. Both speakers are review on this site. Definitely consider 2 Sb1000 it will be easier to control any boom.

Now when setting up ideally you need to keep .5 from the side walls and 2m apart with the speaker and maybe no centre?

 

[Tatalor51]

Thank you!

I was really considering no center, at least for the moment.

Not even sure if the room qualifies as 30 or 50 square meters, given the shape. Not looking to fill the space, just to have good sound on the couch, where my listening position is.

How much of a difference would Emotiva BasX A2 as an external make to R3 or LS50?

 

[Moonbase]

Sounds a good plan. The area you are considering is 30m. I’m not familiar with basx so no able to help there, but if you have any interest in music then I would consider power amps.

 

[Tatalor51]

I am very interested in music but, until now, was mostly headphones, have a pretty decent collection of those.

Another thing to consider is trying to keep the spending somewhat limited and buy, at least at first, the things that would bring the most improvements so maybe I should mention the prices for loudspeakers and subwoofers:

1. KEF LS50 Meta - 850 USD
2. KEF R3 (non meta) - 1065 USD
3. KEF R3 Meta - 1500 USD
4. KEF R5 - 1500 USD
5. Wharfedale Linton - 1000 USD

and the subs:

1. SB-1000 - 380 USD
2. SB-1000 Pro - 550 USD
3. SB-2000 - 530 USD
4. SB-2000 Pro - 830 USD

SVS ported series are somewhat more expensive than the non-ported ones but the main factor I have to consider is their size. Unless there's a huge difference in performance (unlikely), I'd definitely prefer keeping size, and even numbers, as low as possible. If from my listening position won't feel much difference between one or two subs, I'd rather go with one.

Or, for example, if the difference between a pair of SB-1000s (rated at 24 Hz low frequency) and a pair of 1000 Pros or 2000s (rated at 20 and 19 Hz, respectively) is really small, I'd rather go with the cheaper option and maybe invest the difference in an external amp (again, if makes a difference).

Same for speakers, there's a sizeable price difference between R5 and R3 Meta and the rest.

What would make most sense, as far as bang for the buck goes and what would only be a marginal improvement, considering the weird room shape.

Thanks!

 

[Tatalor51]

Ordered a returned (should be like new) pair of R3 non-meta, Wharfedale Linton and a SB-3000 subwoofer (got a really good deal for a returned gloss black one at a bit over 1000, the gloss black goes to wife approval factor).

Will test and return one pair of speakers. Considering if I should also order a returned pair of LS50 Meta to test, the dealer assured me there's no problem if I test them too and just keep the pair I like.

Will see how it goes.