Hi,
First post in the forum, so I hope I'm not breaking any rules.
I am looking to replace the main speakers in my 2.1 system. The room is about 13 x 26. The home was built in 1910 and the lath & plaster is still in place. The front wall has an open doorway just off-center to the left leading to another room. There is a wood floor covered (mostly) by a thick wool rug from the 1930s and there is a basement. The rug is 9' x 12' so there is about 18" of the floor on either side of it. Placing speakers on the rug also places the left speaker in front of the doorway. This forces me to place speakers to the outside of the rug near the outer walls. I am able to place them out from the front wall about 3'. The listening position is about 11' from the center between the speakers. Thus, the distance between the speakers is wider than the distance to the listening position. Clearly, the speakers must be toed-in.
I have been using stand-mounted speakers and sliding the base of the stands under the rug to move the speakers further away from the side walls. While that is still an option, I am looking seriously at moving to floor-standing speakers. The lower the front speakers reach with authority the lower I can cross over to the sub. This should also help distribute the standing waves in the room somewhat. I listen mostly to music, but I also listen to movies too. I'm not shy with the volume, but I don't play my system for the neighbors across the street either. I prefer low coloration and smooth and accurate frequency response. So, I've been looking at these as potential choices (in no particular order):
- Paradigm Premier 800F
- Focal Chora 816
- Polk Reserve R700
The 800F is near the top of my budget, but I might be willing to squeeze a bit more for something truly exceptional. It might be a reasonable choice based on what I'm reading. The 816 seems to have a prominent midrange and just O.K. bass response. I don't know if pushing up to the 826 would bring any substantial improvements. The R700 appears to have the smoothest response, but the tweeter's dispersion collapses substantially at higher frequencies. I have also read comments that the R700 bass response lack some definition, though it has good extension.
I am open to comments, opinions, and suggestions to break my analysis paralysis. I am open to either floor or stand-mounted speakers for around $2k. Yes, I know I'm unicorn hunting.
