Home Theatre Speaker Recommendations before I Waste Money

[markrohan]

Hi Non Techie Newbie here about to confirm a home theatre purchase and suddenly realised I could tap educated unbiased advice in this forum before potentially wasting money.

I want to know if I'm wasting money replacing my existing KEF speakers with Monitor Audio - especially the Towers, Centre and Sub and to a lesser degree the Amp. The rears I think need to go given the need to integrate with a false ceiling unless having 2 speaker brands is problematic.

I am a new apartment and undertaking some major renovations, part of which is turning the living room into a combined living / home theatre space. Intended use 70% movies - 20% music - 10% gaming. Construction is concrete with a lot of floor to ceiling windows which isn't ideal but no choice.

Ditching my Sony 75" TV and going with a 120" ALR screen combined with a UST projector (most likely Optoma Cinemax P2) - we've tested this in the apartment during daylight hours and I've had approval from THE BOSS on the degree of curtain closing required. For sound I'm targeting a 7 speaker AMOS setup with the rear + AMOS speakers being housed in a false ceiling given the concrete construction and THE BOSS's hatred of seeing wires.

Planned Audio setup:

• Marantz SR-6015 Receiver
• Monitor Audio Bronze for speakers - Tower 500, centre C150, Sub MRW10, rear / Atmos C265-IDC & PRO-80

Current Setup:

• Onkyo TX-NR626 Receiver
• KEF speakers - Tower Q700's, centre Q300, Sub Q400b, rears Q200c.

I'd welcome any advice as I'm about to confirm the order as the decision is holding up some renovation decisions. I feel the receiver definitely needs an upgrade and the rears are problematic because of the false ceiling + ATMOS but am conflicted on the front 3 speakers + Sub.

Note that I'm living in Dubai so don't have the same access to all brands as overseas.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Mark

 

[Leemix]

Thats probably a lateral move and not a definitive upgrade, not much has happened with speakers in the last 10 or even 20 years in many ways so newer isn’t necessarily better by default.
The bronze center speaker seems a bit low end compared to the towers and for home theater use the center shouldnt be skimped on.
Those were just my immediate personal opinions as i havent heard much monitor audio, some but not a lot and havent heard your KEFs i think. They will probably be quite different from each other but thats not the same as upgrade.

A not on atmos. You cant use in ceiling speakers for the 5 or 7 speakers in the ear level base layer and also use atmos in ceiling close by. Surrounds in ceiling may work with front height or front top atmos i dont know but thats it. Having surround/rear in ceiling with back/rear atmos in ceiling will be a complete mess as the point with atmos is the layer separation. Thats all there is to atmos, its the same sound stream as dolby digital+ or dolby truehd with some added atmos positioning data basically. It just moves some sounds from the main layer up to top/height layer.


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[BoredSysAdmin]

I’d say monitor bronze to replace kef q speaking is a lateral move. Don’t do it. Instead sell q300 and replace it with q600c or q650 center. Keep q700. Surrounds don’t have to match, you could go with pretty much any decent brand.
Avr must be replaced 6015 is fine, but I’d opt for denon (yes, same brand) 4xxxx series.

bigger issue i see is with sub(s) or lack of them.
Sub doesn’t have to match brands with other speakers, and svs subwoofers are sold in dubai.
You’d probably want at least two 13” subs

 

[markrohan]

Thats probably a lateral move and not a definitive upgrade, not much has happened with speakers in the last 10 or even 20 years in many ways so newer isn’t necessarily better by default.
The bronze center speaker seems a bit low end compared to the towers and for home theater use the center shouldnt be skimped on.
Those were just my immediate personal opinions as i havent heard much monitor audio, some but not a lot and havent heard your KEFs i think. They will probably be quite different from each other but thats not the same as upgrade.

A not on atmos. You cant use in ceiling speakers for the 5 or 7 speakers in the ear level base layer and also use atmos in ceiling close by. Surrounds in ceiling may work with front height or front top atmos i dont know but thats it. Having surround/rear in ceiling with back/rear atmos in ceiling will be a complete mess as the point with atmos is the layer separation. Thats all there is to atmos, its the same sound stream as dolby digital+ or dolby truehd with some added atmos positioning data basically. It just moves some sounds from the main layer up to top/height layer.

First off thanks for the reply. Re Atmos I am using one of the better home theatre specialists to do the install. They are mentioning the atmos and rear can all be in the false ceiling. The rear will be behind our ceiling position and angled down. The atmos 1.5 to 2 metres forward and also slightly angled back. I don’t have any other installation options because of floor to ceiling windows on one side and open kitchen on the other.

 

[markrohan]

I’d say monitor bronze to replace kef q speaking is a lateral move. Don’t do it. Instead sell q300 and replace it with q600c or q650 center. Keep q700. Surrounds don’t have to match, you could go with pretty much any decent brand.
Avr must be replaced 6015 is fine, but I’d opt for denon (yes, same brand) 4xxxx series.

bigger issue i see is with sub(s) or lack of them.
Sub doesn’t have to match brands with other speakers, and svs subwoofers are sold in dubai.
You’d probably want at least two 13” subs

Thank you. I am not sure I can buy KEF anymore here. The ones I have were a gift from a friend leaving country so it might mean buying a more expensive monitor audio centre if you can recommend one. I doubt THE BOSS will accept 2 subs as space is limited at the move to towers was a major discussion / battle. Is the KEF Sub q400 really lacking?

 

[Leemix]

Ok, so you are only doing front top atmos then, i thought you were doing atmos further back also but i did mention front height/top can work so hopefully it will for you with quite a bit of distance separation front to back.

Give extra consideration to sub(s) also like @BoredSysAdmin wrote, i forgot to mention them in mymlast post but they are very important for the home theater feel and in a concrete apartment you wont get any bass feeling for free. Ported sub(s) will be the best option, i live in a concrete apartment also and use sealed but needed 4 instead of probably only 2 ported.


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[AcuDefTechGuy]

Congrats on jumping from 75" TV to 120"! That is by far going to be the biggest upgrade right there.

For Atmos, I think you will only get the benefit if the Atmos speakers are closer above your head, instead of farther away in the front area. If you can only do front and far away Atmos, I think it's a lateral move from just 5.1.

I agree with everyone on the front 3 speakers and subs - lateral move so you won't hear improvement there.

AVR selections are extremely limited. But when available, I would look at the Yamaha RX-A4A and get the 5YR warranty.

 

[Eppie]

You want the front 3 speakers to be timbre matched so that dialogue sounds the same when it pans across the fronts. Is importing a new/used KEF centre an option? For Monitor Audio, can you afford to step up to the Silver line? They offer a good improvement over the Bronze line without the big cost of the Gold or Platinum. Would be ideal if you could try the Silver C250 in house before buying to see if it matches your KEF mains ok but the KEF Q650C would be preferred.

Sounds like your room is fairly large. The Monitor sub has around the same specs as the KEF so not gaining anything there. If your living space and kitchen space are open concept, I would second the motion to get a bigger sub. People recommend two because it evens out the response throughout the room so you are less likely to have a seating location where the bass is boomy. That's not always an option but moving up to a 12" with more power will improve things more than you may think. I went from a Klipsch 10" to an SVS SB2000 Pro and the difference was immediately apparent in both movies and music. That sub would easily outperform the 10" KEF or Monitor Audio. The ported version is a little larger but will give you better extension in the lower end. The KEF only goes down to 28Hz. An SVS PB2000 Pro will go down to 16Hz. The sealed version gets close to 20Hz and the smaller size may be more acceptable to the "boss" but ported is generally preferred if you have the space. You can get the SVS in gloss/flat black/white but the white may be a special order in your country. SVS also sells a wireless kit that lets you place the sub anywhere and connect to the AVR with the wireless module. The receiver module is powered via the USB port on the sub, so only one power chord needed.

 

[Pogre]

I'd put your amp money into better speakers unless there are features you need that you currently don't have. Sound quality improvements and upgrades will be best realized with higher quality speakers and proper positioning/setup. If looking at Monitor Audio I'd want at minimum the Silver series.

 

[Pogre]

Give extra consideration to sub(s) also like @BoredSysAdmin wrote, i forgot to mention them in mymlast post but they are very important for the home theater feel and in a concrete apartment you wont get any bass feeling for free. Ported sub(s) will be the best option,

Yes, this too. Do not short change your subwoofage. So many people underestimate good quality bass. It's a speaker also, and important to have, especially for ht use.

 

[markrohan]

Congrats on jumping from 75" TV to 120"! That is by far going to be the biggest upgrade right there.

For Atmos, I think you will only get the benefit if the Atmos speakers are closer above your head, instead of farther away in the front area. If you can only do front and far away Atmos, I think it's a lateral move from just 5.1.

I agree with everyone on the front 3 speakers and subs - lateral move so you won't hear improvement there.

AVR selections are extremely limited. But when available, I would look at the Yamaha RX-A4A and get the 5YR warranty.

The Atmos will be setup pretty much as you have described. Rear above and slightly behind and Atmos above and slightly in front. Exact positioning to be set by the installers and they should know what they are doing for this.

 

[Danzilla31]

Like so many have said the bronze speaker lime is a lateral move

Invest the money saved by beefing up your center something in the Kef lineup or you can as said get another center from another lineup but usually try to get the front 3 to match from the same brand

Subs subs subs is where it's at
That money saved needs to go into subs subs are one of the most noticeable upgrades you can do. People underestimate what high quality bass does to the home theater experience especially since your going to be doing such movie watching

 

[Danzilla31]

Hi Non Techie Newbie here about to confirm a home theatre purchase and suddenly realised I could tap educated unbiased advice in this forum before potentially wasting money.

I want to know if I'm wasting money replacing my existing KEF speakers with Monitor Audio - especially the Towers, Centre and Sub and to a lesser degree the Amp. The rears I think need to go given the need to integrate with a false ceiling unless having 2 speaker brands is problematic.

I am a new apartment and undertaking some major renovations, part of which is turning the living room into a combined living / home theatre space. Intended use 70% movies - 20% music - 10% gaming. Construction is concrete with a lot of floor to ceiling windows which isn't ideal but no choice.

Ditching my Sony 75" TV and going with a 120" ALR screen combined with a UST projector (most likely Optoma Cinemax P2) - we've tested this in the apartment during daylight hours and I've had approval from THE BOSS on the degree of curtain closing required. For sound I'm targeting a 7 speaker AMOS setup with the rear + AMOS speakers being housed in a false ceiling given the concrete construction and THE BOSS's hatred of seeing wires.

Planned Audio setup:

• Marantz SR-6015 Receiver
• Monitor Audio Bronze for speakers - Tower 500, centre C150, Sub MRW10, rear / Atmos C265-IDC & PRO-80

Current Setup:

• Onkyo TX-NR626 Receiver
• KEF speakers - Tower Q700's, centre Q300, Sub Q400b, rears Q200c.

I'd welcome any advice as I'm about to confirm the order as the decision is holding up some renovation decisions. I feel the receiver definitely needs an upgrade and the rears are problematic because of the false ceiling + ATMOS but am conflicted on the front 3 speakers + Sub.

Note that I'm living in Dubai so don't have the same access to all brands as overseas.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Mark

What sub brands access to in Dubai? What speakers do you have access to in Dubai can you upgrade the Kef center do you have access to Kef there?

 

[markrohan]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

My room size if it makes a difference is 4.5m x 6.65m (14.7 x 21.8 ft) but no dining room table just sofa at the rear of the room. Screen will be on the shorter wall. Right and rear walls are floor to ceiling windows and left side open kitchen / bar. The Boss has made it clear that when I buy her a villa I can have 10 subs but until then 1 is the limit. lol.

Based on the recommendations it seems my best option is to go with the rear setup using the monitor audio options, especially as this needs to be done while the contractor is around to build the false ceiling. I upgrade the Amp to either Marantz or the Denon. For the front, centre, and sub, I keep the KEF's for 6 months and try them out and if I upgrade go for higher level options than the monitor audio bronze. The SVS PB-2000 is within budget.

 

[Danzilla31]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

My room size if it makes a difference is 4.5m x 6.65m (14.7 x 21.8 ft) but no dining room table just sofa at the rear of the room. Screen will be on the shorter wall. Right and rear walls are floor to ceiling windows and left side open kitchen / bar. The Boss has made it clear that when I buy her a villa I can have 10 subs but until then 1 is the limit. lol.

Based on the recommendations it seems my best option is to go with the rear setup using the monitor audio options, especially as this needs to be done while the contractor is around to build the false ceiling. I upgrade the Amp to either Marantz or the Denon. For the front, centre, and sub, I keep the KEF's for 6 months and try them out and if I upgrade go for higher level options than the monitor audio bronze. The SVS PB-2000 is within budget.

Is that total room size? Does that include the open areas as well?

PB 2000 would be a start but open area concrete floors man concrete makes it tough on subs sometimes

Maybe if you put that 2000 nearfield or just get if for now and use there trade up option later

But also the boss may not approve if the subs are too big so I understand if your limited

Are you going to have a big seated area for guests or a smaller area more for you and the boss

I say this because if it's just a smaller area you can get away with one Sub easier just have to dial it in to sound best for one sweet spot not multiple spots

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The Atmos will be setup pretty much as you have described. Rear above and slightly behind and Atmos above and slightly in front. Exact positioning to be set by the installers and they should know what they are doing for this.

That's good. But I would still confirm with them before they install those 4 Atmos ceiling speakers. At least give them a drawing of your plan. Kind of like a house floor plan.

 

[markrohan]

Seating will be a U shaped Sofa for 4 people but 90% of the time it's just the 2 of us. In terms of room size, there is a 4m x 4m (13 ft) balcony behind the glass on the right and a 3m x 3m (9.8 ft) open kitchen on the left. While the floors are concrete, we will be installing rubber installation & a fake wood parquet on top which will hopefully dampened some noise. One other issue is we are in an apartment building with neighbours below and to the sides - this does limit how loud movies can be and particularly the sub.

For the Atmos install, the home theatre installer and my contractor for renovations have worked together on other jobs. I'll be getting plans for the speaker placement in advance and (after today's experience with all the great feedback) will post them here to make sure the design is correct. They've visited the apartment 3 times and even arranged the projector demo with the ALR screen temporarily being held against the wall.

 

[Eppie]

Another nice feature of the new SVS Pro line subs is that they support a wireless cell phone app. You can connect via bluetooth and adjust the sub from your seating position. You use the AVR to set the initial levels using Audyssey or whatever level correction is built in, and then you can fine tune with the app. This lets you dial down the sub for the neighbours if needed, or dial it up for certain movies or music. There is also a 3 band EQ built in to help eliminate any room artifacts.

 

[Danzilla31]

Yeah a PB 2000 would be nice considering your living situations and need to keep it down some some room pics would be nice to or room diagram I think you said you'll be sending us that stuff so we can continue to five recommendations

 

[Pogre]

As far as subwoofers, if you can swing it, a pair PB1000 Pros might be a better choice over a single PB2000. I'd contact them. Run it by them and see what they recommend between those two options. I've always gotten fast replies using the instant messenger app on their site during business hours, and they're always more than happy to help.

That is if you can work dual PB1000s into the budget. The updates they've made to the 1000 series subs are pretty significant and puts them a lot closer in performance to the 2000 series, and two subs are almost always better than one when it comes to smoothing room modes across a wider area.