Need help with choosing new floorstander speakers

[ryanosaur]

I might have missed it, but a better way to look at the Large v. Small issue is not one of size, rather Bass Management On or Off. (I think the large and small description is foolish.)
With that “small” speaker compensation issue out of the way, and some good subwoofers in place, you are just working on managing the Bass distribution between speaker and sub.
How do you decide if you have speakers capable of running Full Range? If the FR is -3dB at 20Hz or lower, than you have Full Range speakers. (Maybe an F3 of 25Hz is ok too... just depends on your listening choices and habits (loud Electronica or HT? I would engage Bass Management and still send that programming to the Sub.)

Please follow up with how you like everything once you get it all in place!

Cheers!

 

[Pogre]

So... looking back at everyone’s comments

My plan is this...

Pick up Bronze 6’s tomorrow
Come home and set everything up

When asked what speakers I have on the Denon AVR speaker setup menu

I Set the existing Rear Q Acoustics 3010’s as SMALL still?
but now I have Bronze 6’s as the fronts, change that from SMALL to LARGE?

I rang Monitor Audio UK this morning and spoke to Chris who works there and he said that he would still leave the new Bronze 6 front 2 speakers on SMALL setting on my Denon AVR ... thought that was a bit odd but surely he knows what he’s talking about, where as I do not

you guys said set the subwoofer mode from LFE+MAIN to LFE only? Even with new Bronze 6’s?

Then I run Audyssey setup?? All done?

Found a pair of Bronze 2’s online as new for £90 with stands!!!
Sell my 2 x Q Acoustics 3010’s and buy the Bronze 2’s for the rear? Massive improvement?

Then later this year, replace the Denon AVR for someat better and then the sub?

Work in progress

I always set my speakers to small and never use LFE + Mains. These are my speakers.

SVS Ultra Tower Speaker | Reference Floorstanding Speakers

High end tower speaker for stereo and home theater. SVS Ultra Tower delivers deep bass, pinpoint accuracy, optimized cabinet geometry and stunning dynamics.

www.svsound.com

They're very capable of playing deep bass, but my subwoofers do it better so I let them handle all of the bass below 80 hz. I couldn't agree more with @ryanosaur about the large/small settings should just be "bass management on or off". It just creates confusion and guys like you see the word "small" describing their tower speakers and somehow think it means your speakers are lacking. That is not the case. Bass management is a very good thing imo and you'll want to use it anytime you're incorporating a sub.

If you want "massive improvement" replace that sub asap, before you buy a new receiver or anything else.

 

[WaynesterUK]

I’m getting a few comments from other forums telling me all my speakers should match and that they should all be made by the same company... I’ve replaced my 3010’s with the Bronze 6’s... so from tomorrow this is what I’ll have, I can’t afford anything else at the moment


1 x Denon AVRX2200W Amp
(Will upgrade this last)

2 x Monitor Audio Bronze 6
(For Main front speakers)

2 x Q Acoustics 3010 on their stands
(For rear surrounds)

1 x Q Acoustic 3070S Sub
(Will replace this next maybe?)

1 x Q Acoustic 3090C Centre Speaker
(Will replace this maybe a Monitor Audio Bronze?)

1 x Marantz CD63 MkII KI Signature CD Player

 

[ryanosaur]

That's BS, speaker snobbery.
You really want your front 3 to match. That's the most important for HT. After that, Surrounds and Atmos speakers do not need to be that strictly controlled.
If you were hard into 5.1 Music (not multi-channel stereo) I would say you want your surrounds to match your Front 3. Again, your Rears and Atmos (if applicable,) do not need to match.

All that said, sure, I think matching is better, but I know guys with epic systems that use different brands shamelessly! It's OK, especially if it works for you!

For you, I would work on the Subs and Center, next, with an eye towards eventually upgrading your AVR, perhaps next year. Watch out for sales as a good opportunity to step up. Denon x3600 should be deep diving this summer with eventual release of the 3700.

 

[Pogre]

I’m getting a few comments from other forums telling me all my speakers should match and that they should all be made by the same company... I’ve replaced my 3010’s with the Bronze 6’s... so from tomorrow this is what I’ll have, I can’t afford anything else at the momentImage

Front 3 matching are most important. Yes, it's nice to have everything match but is not necessary for you to have a proper surround sound experience. You can back burner that thought until you've taken care of other stuff first.

1 x Q Acoustic 3090C Centre Speaker
(Will replace this maybe a Monitor Audio Bronze?)

Sounds like a solid plan!

1 x Q Acoustic 3070S Sub
(Will absolutely replace this next maybe for sure!)

Fixed that for ya!

 

[WaynesterUK]

Front 3 matching are most important. Yes, it's nice to have everything match but is not necessary for you to have a proper surround sound experience. You can back burner that thought until you've taken care of other stuff first.

Sounds like a solid plan!

Fixed that for ya!

Okay okay I’ll get a new sub first!

 

[WaynesterUK]

Forgot to ask you all...

When I’ve set everything up...
(Before I do Audyssey setup)

what should I set my sub to on each dial pictured here?

 

[ryanosaur]

Forgot to ask you all...

When I’ve set everything up...
(Before I do Audyssey setup)

what should I set my sub to on each dial pictured here?

Start with Gain in the Middle.
Turn the Crossover knob all the way up to AV (Bypass, I presume.)
Phase to 0 for starting.

Gain will usually adjust with audyssey to match about 73dB at the Listening Position... after that, do not touch it, and just use the AVR to adjust Sub Level Trim.

Report back to us and we can help fine tune beyond that. (SOP)

 

[WaynesterUK]

On my room layout here...

Am I still okay with where things are placed?
Or do I need to change placement of anything?

I can’t put my rear surrounds any further behind me as my sofa is there and any further forward id be too close to my 55” TV

also wasnt sure of placement for my bronze 6’s?
How far from the rear of each speaker from the wall and should I use the foam bungs?

 

[Beave]

Some quick comments after speed-reading through the most recent posts:

1. I don't see the need to 'upgrade' your receiver.

2. Given that, your next upgrade should be center channel and/or subwoofer (assuming the Monitor Audio speakers work ok for you, which they probably will). Center channel doesn't have to match L/R but ideally it should (but then, even the so-called 'matching' center channel isn't a true match, as the only true match is a third tower of the exact same model, and that's usually impractical).

3. Whether or not to use the bungs can get complicated, as it depends on your tastes, your room, the speaker placement, Audyssey correction, etc. They're all intertwined variables.

4. The L/R speakers just need to be a few inches from the wall behind them (assuming they have a rear port). If they don't have a rear port, they can go right up against the wall. However, with one being close to a corner and one not, you might want to pull them forward a foot or two. Just experiment and see what you like best. Try close to the wall with no bungs installed, close to the wall with bungs installed, a couple feet from the wall with no bungs installed, etc.

5. When you find a positioning you like, then re-run Audyssey.

Side note: That big glass table in front of your listening position is bad for acoustics, as you will get direct sound from the speakers plus lots of reflections of sound off of the table. If you can't or don't want to move it, consider putting some books or magazine or pillows on top of it to break up reflections.

 

[Beave]

Another thing I noticed: That center channel is really squeezed tight into its space. A bigger one probably won't fit. Is it angled up toward you? It should be if you can. Better still, consider moving the center channel up to where the TV is, and buy some kind of TV "riser" (not sure they're called that in the UK) to put under the TV supports to raise it a few inches so it's still above the center channel speaker.

 

[Beave]

And another thing: Maybe get the subwoofer as close as possible to the corner its in. Being crammed in a corner helps increase the output of a subwoofer.

 

[WaynesterUK]

Another thing I noticed: That center channel is really squeezed tight into its space. A bigger one probably won't fit. Is it angled up toward you? It should be if you can. Better still, consider moving the center channel up to where the TV is, and buy some kind of TV "riser" (not sure they're called that in the UK) to put under the TV supports to raise it a few inches so it's still above the center channel speaker.

yeah... the centre speaker is on a riser so it’s pointing up slightly..
I don’t think a bigger one would fit unless it was a better quality sounding one...

I’d like to get the TV higher definitely, then put Centre speaker higher, but it’s rented accommodation and I don’t want to start putting the TV onto the wall and putting holes in it... I’ve never heard of a TV Riser over here in the UK

 

[Pogre]

yeah... the centre speaker is on a riser so it’s pointing up slightly..
I don’t think a bigger one would fit unless it was a better quality sounding one...

I’d like to get the TV higher definitely, then put Centre speaker higher, but it’s rented accommodation and I don’t want to start putting the TV onto the wall and putting holes in it... I’ve never heard of a TV Riser over here in the UK

This pic is from when I first started upgrading my 20 year old system. I've since replaced pretty much the whole front stage and tv and have it mounted in the wall now. If you look under the tv you can see its sitting on top of 2 pieces of lumber (10cm x 15 cm) that I stained black, and it not only worked well, but I think it looked nice too. All you need is something to lift it up a few inches higher so you can slip your center channel under it.

I made those speaker stands too. I had the leftover scraps so cut a couple pieces long enough for the tv's feet and stained them black. Cheap, easy and non-invasive!

Man, it seems like a lifetime ago since my front stage looked like that. It has totally evolved and gotten much better looking. It was so bare up there!

 

[WaynesterUK]

This pic is from when I first started upgrading my 20 year old system. I've since replaced pretty much the whole front stage and tv and have it mounted in the wall now. If you look under the tv you can see its sitting on top of 2 pieces of lumber (10cm x 15 cm) that I stained black, and it not only worked well, but I think it looked nice too. All you need is something to lift it up a few inches higher so you can slip your center channel under it.

View attachment 36539

I made those speaker stands too. I had the leftover scraps so cut a couple pieces long enough for the tv's feet and stained them black. Cheap, easy and non-invasive!

Man, it seems like a lifetime ago since my front stage looked like that. It has totally evolved and gotten much better looking. It was so bare up there!

Looks awesome buddy! I like it

 

[WaynesterUK]

Looks awesome buddy! I like it

Forgot to say... I won’t be able to put my TV on any form of riser because as you can see, the legs curve around and it wouldn’t be safe

 

[Beave]

Regarding a TV riser, I was picturing something like this, only big enough to put a center speaker "inside" it and sturdy enough to put your TV on top of it.

I know this particular one won't work, but if you look around you can probably find something that works:

https://www.target.com/p/monitor-stand-black-project-62-8482/-/A-52724498?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Seasonal+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Seasonal&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9031300&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1247068&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIppiijeXX6QIVZRh9Ch1OeQ9OEAQYAiABEgJLb_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Pogre]

Forgot to say... I won’t be able to put my TV on any form of riser because as you can see, the legs curve around and it wouldn’t be safe

Hmmm... if you had a platform the right width you still might be able to scoot your tv back juuussst enough to slide your center in there. It shouldn't be too hard to find something you could temporarily experiment with.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Can you wall mount the tv? That would be easy.
Also, I would try to get the surrounds a little higher. I’d say 5-6’ off the floor, but at least over the back of the couch. Boxes, or blocks etc under the stands should work. I’d mount them on the back wall with some brackets that allow you to point them down, and toward the LP.

 

[Pogre]

Can you wall mount the tv? That would be easy.
Also, I would try to get the surrounds a little higher. I’d say 5-6’ off the floor, but at least over the back of the couch. Boxes, or blocks etc under the stands should work. I’d mount them on the back wall with some brackets that allow you to point them down, and toward the LP.

He's renting. No holes in the walls.