What's the next level up from Polk ES/Dali Oberon/ Q acoustics 3030/Focal Theva

[mrmojo]

Looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers for an apartment.

Music limited to moderate levels and would like to be able to move around living room while listening.

What's the next level up from Polk ES 15/20/Dali Oberon 3/ Q acoustics 3030/Focal theva 1?

I tested all these speakers, and they all sound great, and pretty similar. Or maybe my hearing isn't good enough to distinguish nuances at the listening sessions I did at the store.

However, I'm wondering if it's worth getting something a bit better.

IS there anything you'd suggest that's a significant step up from these speakers?

If there's nothing that's a significant upgrade for my needs I'd keep the Polk ES 15, as it's way cheaper than the others, but sounds similar.

Side note: I also have the polk r200, and it's the opposite of the speakers described above. It sounds great loud (but only loud, sounds terrible at lower volumes), and is amazing for playing music that's meant to be played loud, but not soft mellow music. It also has a small sweet spot.

 

[vsch]

I think the following could be significant upgrades:

• Adding a properly integrated subwoofer.
• Adding room-correction.

Both would require the following: i) an active crossover, ii) a PEQ or an automatic room-correction system, and iii) a measurement mic (such as the UMIK-1) + REW (if room-correction is not automatic). Most AVRs offer all three and are quite cost-effective. Alternatively, a miniDSP Flex offers all three, is way more flexible, but might be costlier.

The speakers you have are probably already pretty good. If you are looking for alternatives (that don't cost an insane amount):

• KEF R3 Metas are quite popular on ASR. If you walk around in the room, you may benefit from their excellent dispersion characteristics.
• If you are willing to go for active speakers, Neumann KH 120 ii, KH 150, and Genelec 8XX0 are fantastic. (FWIW, I have Genelec 8030s + a hifi sub, manually integrated and room-corrected via a miniDSP Flex, and couldn't be happier.)

However, I'm not sure whether any of these would be much of an upgrade compared to what you already heard.

If money is no concern: Dutch & Dutch 8c, Kii Three, Grimm LS1be, Genelec 8351b + W371a, or similar

 

[F1Fan72]

I’m selling my KEF Q7 Meta’s. Fantastic speakers and only selling due to any upgrade. KEF are a great brand.

 

[mrmojo]

I think the following could be significant upgrades:

• Adding a properly integrated subwoofer.
• Adding room-correction.

Both would require the following: i) an active crossover, ii) a PEQ or an automatic room-correction system, and iii) a measurement mic (such as the UMIK-1) + REW (if room-correction is not automatic). Most AVRs offer all three and are quite cost-effective. Alternatively, a miniDSP Flex offers all three, is way more flexible, but might be costlier.

The speakers you have are probably already pretty good. If you are looking for alternatives (that don't cost an insane amount):

• KEF R3 Metas are quite popular on ASR. If you walk around in the room, you may benefit from their excellent dispersion characteristics.
• If you are willing to go for active speakers, Neumann KH 120 ii, KH 150, and Genelec 8XX0 are fantastic. (FWIW, I have Genelec 8030s + a hifi sub, manually integrated and room-corrected via a miniDSP Flex, and couldn't be happier.)

However, I'm not sure whether any of these would be much of an upgrade compared to what you already heard.

If money is no concern: Dutch & Dutch 8c, Kii Three, Grimm LS1be, Genelec 8351b + W371a, or similar

Aren't the neumann's and genelec's meant for near field listening? so they won't sound good if you're sitting farther away or moving around a room?

 

[vsch]

From my experience with the Genelecs 8030s: They definitely sound better nearfield but nothing prevents you from listening to them midfield. The difference to less stellar speakers just becomes smaller as you hear less direct and more reflected sound.

I think, if your room isn't treated, there won't be much of a difference (apart form SPL capability and bass extension) between any good to excellent speakers. Room correction makes a big difference, though, based on my (admittedly limited) experience.

(Neumann KH 150s have very narrow dispersion. They may not be a good option if you tend to walk around in the room.)