Equipment Suggestions?

resiak

resiak

Audiophyte
Hello everyone,

I recently decided to purchase the KEF LS50 Wireless IIs after doing some research. I was looking for some nice speakers without having to put any more effort into research than necessary. However, that started to change as soon as I received the speakers. I was absolutely blown away by how good they sounded which sparked further interest in home audio.

One thing I noticed was that the LS50WII’s could use more bass so I started researching subs. I ended up deciding to go with dual SVS PB3000s. A couple of days later, I got a phone call from the company I purchased them from telling me there was a mistake and that the subs were back-ordered. They offered to give me SB4000s at no extra charge or I could wait 2 extra weeks for the PB3000s. At this point, I was too excited to get the subs to wait another 2 weeks, plus, I had started to consider returning the LS50WIIs and buying some passive floor standing speakers, possibly the Arendal 1723 s Towers, and according to SVS, the SB4000s & PB4000s are a better match. I ended up getting a really good deal on dual PB4000s - they’re arriving tomorrow

As you can see my interest and budget have quickly snowballed. I originally just wanted a couple of speakers to listen to music and watch movies with but I now want to eventually have a full setup. Although I love the LS50WIIs, at this point I don’t see how they will fit into my future plans.

So to start with, I’m trying to choose LR floor-standing speakers. I’ve been considering the Arendal 1723 s Towers but I’m not sold on them yet. I also need to choose an AVR and an AMP - or whatever is best for my situation :confused:. My budget for this is currently* around $6k - shhh don’t tell my girlfriend ;). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ideally, the AVR will have the capability to connect to my laptop. I definitely need it to have wifi and Bluetooth. Other than that, I'm not sure what I want/need. Currently, I'll be using this for something like 75% music and 25% movies, maybe 60/40 at the most.

I’ve included photos of the room they’re going to be in for now (master bedroom) as well as the room they’ll likely end up in (17’x35’ “Family Room”). My master bedroom no longer has that furniture in it, only a bed and a dresser. Whatever AVR I buy, I’d like to be able to run a 7.4.2 (I think?) system but for now, it’ll just be 2.2 and I’ll add on as time goes by. I don’t know, please help :D
 

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Last edited:
resiak

resiak

Audiophyte
After doing some more research I'm thinking bookshelf/stand mount speakers may be a better option than the floor standing speakers, being that I have the two subs?
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
Welcome to AudioHolics! And thanks for the photos & floor plans. They help.
I recently decided to purchase the KEF LS50 Wireless IIs after doing some research. I was looking for some nice speakers without having to put any more effort into research than necessary. However, that started to change as soon as I received the speakers. I was absolutely blown away by how good they sounded which sparked further interest in home audio.
I've heard the passive LS50 version of your speakers, and I like them. I'd keep them, add a subwoofer or two. One sub is probably needed, two can be nice, but aren't required. It depends on how well one sub works in your room.

For future expansion, I'd also plan on using the KEFs, either as front left & right speakers or as rear channel speakers in a larger surround sound system in your family room. To keep things simpler in an expanded system for the future, you might want to consider passive KEF LS50s instead of the wireless ones. Remember, those speakers receive signals from the source wirelessly, but they also require electric power from a wall socket.

If it were my home, I wouldn't want a full surround sound system in the bedroom. You might want music there, but a smaller & simpler system might be all you want. It does depend on what you want, and what else the GF wants in the bedroom. So, wait and see.
As you can see my interest and budget have quickly snowballed. I originally just wanted a couple of speakers to listen to music and watch movies with but I now want to eventually have a full setup. Although I love the LS50WIIs, at this point I don’t see how they will fit into my future plans.

So to start with, I’m trying to choose LR floor-standing speakers. I’ve been considering the Arendal 1723 s Towers but I’m not sold on them yet. I also need to choose an AVR and an AMP - or whatever is best for my situation :confused:. My budget for this is currently* around $6k - shhh don’t tell my girlfriend ;). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Don't read too much audio stuff online too soon. It's purpose is deliberately designed to make you want to buy more stuff – and it usually works ;). And don't overthink things now. Wait and see how things develop in your new home.
Ideally, the AVR will have the capability to connect to my laptop. I definitely need it to have wifi and Bluetooth. Other than that, I'm not sure what I want/need. Currently, I'll be using this for something like 75% music and 25% movies, maybe 60/40 at the most.
Finding an AVR with WIFI and ability to connect to a laptop should be easy. Most of those should be able to run a 7 channel system plus 2 subs. Looking at the room sizes you have, I think 5 channels would be enough. Seven channels work better if you have two rows of seating, such as one sofa behind another. But most decent AVRs available now do handle 7 or 9 channels. AVRs such as the Denon AVR-X3800H or AVR-X4800H should do the job for you. Similar Marantz (owned by the same company as Denon) or Yamaha models are also good.

In the long run, if you end up with front left & right speakers that need more power than those AVRs can deliver, those models I mentioned make it easy to add external amplifiers to what you already have. That way, those AVRs can easily work as pre-amps.

I also suggest you avoid jumping into Atmos until last, if ever. It will require mounting overhead speakers in the ceiling, and depending on what AVR you get, it may require external amplifiers. Personally, I don't think Atmos is worth that extra expense. Others will have their own opinions.

It will be well worth it to spend most of your speaker money on the front Left, Center, and Right speakers, as well as sub-woofers. Rear channels and/or Atmos channels are where you can spend much less, and not loose out. Ignore salesmen or audio advice that urge you to overspend on channels other than those front three.
I’ve included photos of the room they’re going to be in for now (master bedroom) as well as the room they’ll likely end up in (17’x35’ “Family Room”). My master bedroom no longer has that furniture in it, only a bed and a dresser. Whatever AVR I buy, I’d like to be able to run a 7.4.2 (I think?) system but for now, it’ll just be 2.2 and I’ll add on as time goes by. I don’t know, please help :D
After doing some more research I'm thinking bookshelf/stand mount speakers may be a better option than the floor standing speakers, being that I have the two subs?
Very good idea.
 
Last edited:
Bucknekked

Bucknekked

Audioholic Samurai
Welcome to AudioHolics! And thanks for the photos & floor plans. They help.
I've heard the passive LS50 version of your speakers, and I like them. I'd keep them, add a subwoofer or two. One sub is probably needed, two can be nice, but aren't required. It depends on how well one sub works in your room.

For future expansion, I'd also plan on using the KEFs, either as front left & right speakers or as rear channel speakers in a larger surround sound system in your family room. To keep things simpler in an expanded system for the future, you might want to consider passive KEF LS50s instead of the wireless ones. Remember, those speakers receive signals from the source wirelessly, but they also require electric power from a wall socket.

If it were my home, I wouldn't want a full surround sound system in the bedroom. You might want music there, but a smaller & simpler system might be all you want. It does depend on what you want, and what else the GF wants in the bedroom. So, wait and see.
Don't read too much audio stuff online too soon. It's purpose is deliberately designed to make you want to buy more stuff – and it usually works ;). And don't overthink things now. Wait and see how things develop in your new home.
Finding an AVR with WIFI and ability to connect to a laptop should be easy. Most of those should be able to run a 7 channel system plus 2 subs. Looking at the room sizes you have, I think 5 channels would be enough. Seven channels work better if you have two rows of seating, such as one sofa behind another. But most decent AVRs available now do handle 7 or 9 channels. AVRs such as the Denon AVR-X3800H or AVR-X4800H should do the job for you. Similar Marantz (owned by the same company as Denon) or Yamaha models are also good.

In the long run, if you end up with front left & right speakers that need more power than those AVRs can deliver, those models I mentioned make it easy to add external amplifiers to what you already have. That way, those AVRs can easily work as pre-amps.

I also suggest you avoid jumping into Atmos until last, if ever. It will require mounting overhead speakers in the ceiling, and depending on what AVR you get, it may require external amplifiers. Personally, I don't think Atmos is worth that extra expense. Others will have their own opinions.

It will be well worth it to spend most of your speaker money on the front Left, Center, and Right speakers, as well as sub-woofers. Rear channels and/or Atmos channels are where you can spend much less, and not loose out. Ignore salesmen or audio advice that urge you to overspend on channels other than those front three.

Very good idea.
@Swerd speaks the truth! You got some good choices in the KEF LS50s. Paired with good subs, its a great building block. But it you read too much, particularly the Sound & Vision and high end stuff, you will get disillusioned pretty quickly. Slow and stead wins the race. Keeping things simple helps. Learning to slow down and just listen is a skill that will pay dividends over a long period of time.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
That room is going to need some padding, or some serious (cha-ching) acoustic treatment or you may end up getting the wrong idea with whatever speakers you put in there. Only place I would put speakers in there now is on stands on each corner of the foot end of the bed.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Was looking at those KEF LS50 Wireless IIs to see if they could work with an avr with analog inputs for use in a multich setup and don't see that they have the inputs for such; should work with an avr wirelessly in 2ch, tho.
 
D

diwit

Audioholic Intern
Hello everyone,

I recently decided to purchase the KEF LS50 Wireless IIs after doing some research. I was looking for some nice speakers without having to put any more effort into research than necessary. However, that started to change as soon as I received the speakers. I was absolutely blown away by how good they sounded which sparked further interest in home audio.

One thing I noticed was that the LS50WII’s could use more bass so I started researching subs. I ended up deciding to go with dual SVS PB3000s. A couple of days later, I got a phone call from the company I purchased them from telling me there was a mistake and that the subs were back-ordered. They offered to give me SB4000s at no extra charge or I could wait 2 extra weeks for the PB3000s. At this point, I was too excited to get the subs to wait another 2 weeks, plus, I had started to consider returning the LS50WIIs and buying some passive floor standing speakers, possibly the Arendal 1723 s Towers, and according to SVS, the SB4000s & PB4000s are a better match. I ended up getting a really good deal on dual PB4000s - they’re arriving tomorrow

As you can see my interest and budget have quickly snowballed. I originally just wanted a couple of speakers to listen to music and watch movies with but I now want to eventually have a full setup. Although I love the LS50WIIs, at this point I don’t see how they will fit into my future plans.

So to start with, I’m trying to choose LR floor-standing speakers. I’ve been considering the Arendal 1723 s Towers but I’m not sold on them yet corporate etiquette training. I also need to choose an AVR and an AMP - or whatever is best for my situation :confused:. My budget for this is currently* around $6k - shhh don’t tell my girlfriend ;). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ideally, the AVR will have the capability to connect to my laptop. I definitely need it to have wifi and Bluetooth. Other than that, I'm not sure what I want/need. Currently, I'll be using this for something like 75% music and 25% movies, maybe 60/40 at the most.

I’ve included photos of the room they’re going to be in for now (master bedroom) as well as the room they’ll likely end up in (17’x35’ “Family Room”). My master bedroom no longer has that furniture in it, only a bed and a dresser. Whatever AVR I buy, I’d like to be able to run a 7.4.2 (I think?) system but for now, it’ll just be 2.2 and I’ll add on as time goes by. I don’t know, please help :D
It's great to hear that you're enjoying your audio setup and that your interest in home audio has grown! Building a full setup can indeed be exciting but also requires careful consideration. Here are some suggestions and recommendations to help you with your decisions:
  1. Floor-standing speakers: The Arendal 1723 S Towers are a solid choice and are known for their performance. However, it's essential to audition speakers whenever possible to determine which sound signature you prefer. Consider visiting local audio stores or contacting authorized dealers to arrange demos and comparisons with other speaker options in your budget range.
  2. AVR and AMP: Since you mentioned your interest in eventually expanding to a 7.4.2 system, it's advisable to invest in an AV receiver (AVR) that supports the required channels. Look for models that offer immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Some popular brands to consider are Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, and Onkyo. Ensure the AVR has enough power and connectivity options for your needs. As for an external amplifier (AMP), it's typically not necessary unless you have specific requirements or prefer a separate amplifier for your main speakers.
  3. Connectivity: Most modern AVRs come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. Additionally, check if the AVR supports AirPlay or other wireless streaming protocols if you use Apple devices. To connect your laptop, make sure the AVR has HDMI or other audio input options compatible with your laptop's output.
  4. Room size and setup: Consider the size of the room where your speakers will be placed. For larger rooms, it's crucial to have speakers that can adequately fill the space. Keep in mind factors like speaker placement, room acoustics, and any furniture or obstructions that may affect sound quality.
  5. Budget allocation: With a budget of around $6,000, it's essential to balance your expenses between speakers, AVR, and any additional components like subwoofers or surround speakers. Allocate funds based on your priorities, preferences, and long-term goals for your audio setup.
Remember, personal preference plays a significant role in audio equipment selection, so it's crucial to audition speakers and research different options to find what suits your taste. Consulting with audio professionals or enthusiasts can also provide valuable insights and recommendations. Enjoy the journey of building your audio setup, and have fun exploring the world of high-quality sound
 
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