Speakers for a 4m by 9m room?

[worf]

Hi, I'm looking to set up my first audio system and the more research I do the more confused I become.

For my system I'm thinking of an integrated amp and a pair of floorstanding speakers. I live in Hong Kong so there's not too much equipment to choose from and not really many places where I can test equipment. (I'm hoping to get second hand gear)

The room where the system will be is rectangular, concrete walls and has a tiled floor.(around 4 metres by 10 metres It's the main living area so I wont have much room to play with. (I guess a more social set up would be realistic, although I do enjoy listening to my music and take it seiously)

Speakers I've been looking into are B&W and KEF but am open to any brand. May be able to get a pair of B&W603 S2, but should i go for floorstanding of bookshelf? Not even began to look at integrated amps yet.

Musical tastes are indi, rock, jazz

Most of my music is on an MP3 player (I try to use a higher bit rate 192 - 320) Would this make a significant difference in sound quality compared to CD's?

So with all this in mind, what type/style of speakers (should i biwire) and amp should I be looking out for and what would you recommend?

 

[j_garcia]

On a quality system, you will definitely notice a difference between MP3 and CDs. I don't notice it on headphones so much, but when I play them on my system, the compression is obvious even at 192K; 320K is much better.

KEF or B&W are both good choices, though it is hard to recommend what else might be good as I don't know what else is available in Hong Kong. An integrated amp would be a very good way to go, and as you can see I am partial to Marantz. Their Integrateds are quite good for the price.

 

[lsiberian]

I love my KEF speakers.They are amazing for their size. If you are doing mostly home theater then a KEF 3005SE would probably be perfect for most people. I would recommend that system to anyone that didn't want to look around and simply wanted the good system without the shopping hassle.

However if you do want to look around then I suggest a strong look at the KEF iQ series. They are very nice speakers and would probably be better for filling your room. I suggest iQ 5s on the front and an iQ6 in the center. You can do iQ5s for the surrounds, or go down to iQ1s or iQ3s. You could even get a couple of the 3005.2s for surrounds.

For a receiver I suggest an Onkyo 705. Pre-amp Outs, decodes all new formats. Lots of inputs. Decent power. not to heavy, not to light. THX modes

Auddsey. However I think Marantz also pairs very well with KEF speakers. the 4002 to is sold in bundles with KEF iQs sometimes.

 

[j_garcia]

Based on what was said, I believe he's looking for a 2ch system, not multichannel.

I have long been a fan of KEF also, though I've never owned them. A buddy of mine owned some Refs and they sounded great. Given a choice between KEF and B&W in that range, I'd opt for KEF.

You might check around for Cambridge Audio in HK. It is a British brand and you may be able to find them; also make excellent integrated amps.

 

[lsiberian]

Just to add on. KEFs do have a better off axis response than many other brands. This is because the Uni-q technology better distributes sounds throughout a room an not just in one spot. So KEFs tend to have a much wider sweet spot. Just some food for thought.

 

[j_garcia]

Just to add on. KEFs do have a better off axis response than many other brands. This is because the Uni-q technology better distributes sounds throughout a room an not just in one spot. So KEFs tend to have a much wider sweet spot. Just some food for thought.

The downside to that is if you ever have to replace a tweeter My buddy blew one and it was a little more complicated to replace than just pulling the tweeter out of a typical speaker. He was able to do it though.

 

[Shock]

I totally made a post on a thread identical to this one....