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stand speaker+sub vs tower speakers (without sub) in the same price range ?

oslius

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Hi,

stand speaker+sub vs tower speakers (no sub) in the same price range ? ex: in my country kef ls50 meta + svs sb1000pro would cost $1500. is there any tower counterpart (without sub) at a close price that could compete with this setup in terms of sound quality + dynamic + imaging so on ...?

room size: 6x4m with a lot of furniture + rugs
listen distance: 3m

would ls50 meta fill the room with sound as a tower do ? can you feel a classical music orchestra with such tiny speakers ?

(right now i own monitor audio bronze 500 ($700) but those towers work the best at louder volume which is not what i want, i want to hear all details at lower volume too)

for ls50 meta + sub, do i need an amp with crossover abilities? (is there such a thing?) or maybe a dac with crossover ? or i can let the speaker play the full range of frequency and set the crossover only in the subwoofer ?


tnx
 
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GalZohar

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While I don't have personal experience with tower speakers (I have bookshelves with sub), all recommendations I found are pretty clear about bookshelves + sub being the better option, unless you can afford good towers + good sub.

To integrate a sub in a good way you need good bass management. For lower budget systems that would normally just be included in your AV receiver. Letting speaker play full range and using the sub's built-in crossover can work, but it is supposed to not work nearly as well in most cases.
 

abdo123

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If you’re sitting within 2 meters away from the speakers then LS50 and SVS.

Otherwise I would go for the KEF R3 and SVS sub.
 

sweetchaos

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Erin measured the LS50 Wireless 2 (in other words...LS50 Meta with an amplifier built in) and you can see how the speaker is limiting output at a very loud level:
Kef%20LS50%20Wireless%20II_Compression_full.png

Erin also reviewed the Kef R3, but he didn't measure the same "response linearity" (the graph above), so we can't compare it directly to LS50 Meta unfortunately.
But Erin made a note in his review:
At approximately 4m listening distance, I found the max SPL to be about 95dB. Exceeding this resulted in an unpleasant sound for a variety of music. 95dB in-room at 4m is pretty loud and when you pair these speakers with a subwoofer, the max SPL is increased a bit more.

Overall, R3 will play louder than LS50 Meta.

But another thing to consider is distortion, which of course R3 handles much better.
Here's comparison between the 2:
86.gif

96.gif
 
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O

oslius

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my integrated amp has sub mono output and line level (not sure what's that actually), but don't have bass management itself, and i want to pair it with SVS sb 1000 pro. I read the manual and i understand the connection via amp sub output, anyway i don't get the second way to connect those which is via line level.

Can anyone please explain how that works ?, and if the bass management of the subwoofer can also cut the frequencies for the speakers too, if yes why is the way to connect it to the amp ?
 

escape2

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my integrated amp has sub mono output and line level (not sure what's that actually),

What is the make/model number of your amp? Most likely the difference between the two is that one is mono and the other is stereo. Or the "sub" one could have a low pass filter on it.

and if the bass management of the subwoofer can also cut the frequencies for the speakers too, if yes why is the way to connect it to the amp ?
Some subwoofers include a high-pass filter that would allow you to remove bass going to your speakers, but I don't believe the SVS SB1000 has this capability.
 

escape2

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(right now i own monitor audio bronze 500 ($700) but those towers work the best at louder volume which is not what i want, i want to hear all details at lower volume too)

Maybe instead of buying new speakers, look for an amp with loudness control?
 
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oslius

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amp it's an old one right now NAD C326bee, but i plan to change it soon. it has sub out. As i previously said I'm trying to understand how to cut/limit the lower frequencies for the speakers.

regarding loudness, i have tone control in the amp and i can boost the bass at lower level, anyway i feel that this tower speakers are too much for the room, and at the same time i wonder if i can get better bookshelf speakers at the same price as towers, and the excitement that a subwoofer will bring in

PS: i like bright sound, forwarding , close to my ears (not muffled), anyway maybe not so agresive as Focal 906 or BW 706 s2
I won't want a boring(neutral?) speaker
 

ad_fletch

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Hmm not sure I'd put Focal Aria and B&W 70x in the same category of aggressiveness...

Since your tastes might evolve, I'd suggest getting something neutral and EQing to present taste. Much easier to change if the treble gets fatiguing.
 

andrew

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Hi,

stand speaker+sub vs tower speakers (no sub) in the same price range ? ex: in my country kef ls50 meta + svs sb1000pro would cost $1500. is there any tower counterpart (without sub) at a close price that could compete with this setup in terms of sound quality + dynamic + imaging so on ...?

room size: 6x4m with a lot of furniture + rugs
listen distance: 3m

would ls50 meta fill the room with sound as a tower do ? can you feel a classical music orchestra with such tiny speakers ?

(right now i own monitor audio bronze 500 ($700) but those towers work the best at louder volume which is not what i want, i want to hear all details at lower volume too)

for ls50 meta + sub, do i need an amp with crossover abilities? (is there such a thing?) or maybe a dac with crossover ? or i can let the speaker play the full range of frequency and set the crossover only in the subwoofer ?


tnx
My experience is that to get seamless integration between main speakers and subs the mains need to have good bass performance. This can be done with standmount speakers as well as floorstanders (but typically requires a three way speaker). The problem occurs with standmounts that start to roll off, albeit gentlely, at 100-150hz as the integration doesn’t quite work. I had this experience with the Gallo Strada Speakers which I could never quite get to integrate well with subs due to their early roll off.
 

ad_fletch

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True, mains which are flat to at least 80Hz are desirable. Gallos are a bit special

If you want to go down a bass management rabbit hole, search on here for the many threads about people trying to do DSP crossovers in different ways. I use an Allo Piano 2.1, others opt for the spendier/better solution of a MiniDSP SHD.

If you are prepared to do it in software, you just need a 3+ channel DAC - see eg this thread.

In terms of integrated amps from recognised mfrs with proper crossovers, which you'd think would be an obvious market niche, your options are actually quite limited. See eg this thread.

Final option is of course almost any AVR. You just have to be happy with its performance....
 

TimW

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NAD C326bee, but i plan to change it soon. it has sub out. As i previously said I'm trying to understand how to cut/limit the lower frequencies for the speakers.
That is a decent amp and I wouldn't look to replace it unless you need more power. I had the C320bee for a while (reviewed here) and enjoyed using it quite a bit, kind of regret selling it. I sent the pre-outs to a miniDSP 2x4HD which then output to the main inputs and a subwoofer. I was able to apply crossovers and corrective EQ in the miniDSP while still using the NAD remote control, tone controls, and input selection. Technically the SINAD was compromised but real world use was enjoyable and the sound was excellent.

If you don't want to use a DSP with it's AD/DA conversion you could get some of the benefit by inserting an analog high pass in between the pre-outs and main-ins. This could be an active unit that gives you a subwoofer output or you could use something as simple as an FMOD. Then just connect the sub to the subwoofer output of the NAD and set the crossover to match.
 
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