10k speaker system- ideas? (Yes, USD!)

[Entropy.]

welcome to hell 

Please feel free to comment any ideas below, regardless of your experience (if you want to go into further detail about something you may want to specify your level of experience with it, however) :). 

 

Hihi! I've been snooping around some audio shops for a while now, looking to upgrade my speaker system. I wont go into full detail about the system, but I'd be happy to provide any additional details you might need to know. 

 

Basics

I have a (soft) $10,000 USD (purchsing in the US) Budget for a 2.1/2.2 bookshelf speaker system including Speakers, subs, preamps, amps, dacs, ddc's, stands and racks, and all other major equipment is included (Stands and racks can be ignored if need be). Cables, wall warts, ect. are not included, and this will be run off of a digital source (pc, most usually), so there's no need for things like cd transports, turntables, phono preamps, you get the gist. I'm lookig for this to be my semi-endgame system, so please don't tempt me with gear that'll need to be upgraded down the line, haha. I'm looking to mostly fill out my budget, so a cursory request that I am not recommended any $800 systems :)). It'll waste both my and your time. 

 

Sizing and room-related details

I'm looking for a somewhat compact bookshelf speaker system. I don't have any specific space requirements, but anything over 50x40x50 cm (HWD) for speakers Is going to be a little sketchy, but I should be able to make even something somewhat larger fit. In their initial setting, they'll be seperated ~5-6 feet from eachother, and can be dragged out about 80cm from the rear, and normally one speaker would be around 40cm from a side wall. I'll be listening nearfield-midfield, further than ~3m from my speakers is not possible in my current situation. My room can be somewhat treated, however It's in a more open enviornment, has windows, and metal/stone elements that cannot be covered up. Currently, It is not treated. Room is relatively small, with 2.75m ceiling height, 4m width, and 6.5m length. 

 

Equipment details, 

I'm pretty flexible here. Size isn't so important, and most factors can be overlooked unless they'd require me to go out of my way to make it work. Toobs, small amps, large amps, AV's, DIY speakers/amps/dacs/pre, all fair grounds. There's no real budget for each component, just whatever will maximize performance in your opinion, or be the most synergistic. I have nothing against say, $1000 DIY speakers and a $6000 Amp/dac cc. 

 

Existing gear, Sound pref, music

I don't currently have anything worthy of note. I have extremely low-end gear running in my system currently (in comparison to whatever this 10k budget will net me- Klipsch r41pm's on a zendac). Why such a big jump to this gear then? I've tried maybe a dozen high-end systems at this point (at or above 10k), and maybe a hundred systems alltogether. I'm an avid music listener, putting in maybe 30 hours weekly with my main system, and I know what I'm getting into with this high-end stuff. With that said, I'm not extraodinarily picky with sound traits. I'm good with anything with a warmer sound profile to something slightly moer exciting in the treble. I'm a fan of bass, so a somewhat 'V' shaped response is alright with me; however speed and musicality will always trump quantity of bass. If the bass needs to be a little leaner, so be it. Midrange I'd like to be a little on the warmer side with a more natural timbre, again, focus on timbre even if you have to sacrifice warmth. Finally I'm fine with a warmer, more rolled-off treble response that isn't harsh, as long as it isn't syrupy, tubby, anything like that. A more engaging, slightly exciting response is also something that I'm cosnidering, as long as it doesn't get to the point of sibilance. I'm a bit sensitive to treble, so perhaps keep that in mind. Stage is my god, it take priority over imaging by a mile. Excellent soundstage is what I'm after, as well

 

I listen more to electronic-type music (hard to specify further, I do lofi, edm, rap, ect.), however I'm looking to diversify quite a bit. I'm probably safe from country/folk and classical, opera and the like, but everything else is subject. 

 

Current considerations for gear

I'm relatively new to the relatively high-end scene. I've worked with quite a bit of relatively budget gear, but I'm not very experienced with higher-end stuff, especially amps and dacs at multi-thousand dollar pricepoints. Sure, I'ved tried a few and talked to dealers, but nothing extraorinary. Here's what I've liked so far, though:

-Kef ls50 meta and r3

-Dali speakers in general.

- Higher-end dynaudio products

-Nearly all sonus faber products

-Klipsch La scalas

-KLH model 5

 

I'm currently looking at something like r3's with dual kc62 subs, monoblocked aegirs, LIM yggy and a freya +, or maybe some SF sonetto speakers, with undecided pairings. Damn, their higher-end stuff is tempting. As you can see, not a lot going on. I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks! 

 

Note: Sorry If I missed any essential details. 

 

Probably not the best forum to ask about this lol, but hey, when in rome.

 

[LIGISTX]

37 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Please feel free to comment any ideas below, regardless of your experience (if you want to go into further detail about something you may want to specify your level of experience with it, however) :). 

 

Hihi! I've been snooping around some audio shops for a while now, looking to upgrade my speaker system. I wont go into full detail about the system, but I'd be happy to provide any additional details you might need to know. 

 

Basics

I have a (soft) $10,000 USD (purchsing in the US) Budget for a 2.1/2.2 bookshelf speaker system including Speakers, subs, preamps, amps, dacs, ddc's, stands and racks, and all other major equipment is included (Stands and racks can be ignored if need be). Cables, wall warts, ect. are not included, and this will be run off of a digital source (pc, most usually), so there's no need for things like cd transports, turntables, phono preamps, you get the gist. I'm lookig for this to be my semi-endgame system, so please don't tempt me with gear that'll need to be upgraded down the line, haha. I'm looking to mostly fill out my budget, so a cursory request that I am not recommended any $800 systems :)) 

 

Sizing and room-related details

I'm looking for a somewhat compact bookshelf speaker system. I don't have any specific space requirements, but anything over 50x40x50 cm (HWD) for speakers Is going to be a little sketchy, but I should be able to make even something somewhat larger fit. In their initial setting, they'll be seperated ~5-6 feet from eachother, and can be dragged out about 80cm from the rear, and normally one speaker would be around 40cm from a side wall. I'll be listening nearfield-midfield, further than ~3m from my speakers is not possible in my current situation. My room can be somewhat treated, however It's in a more open enviornment, has windows, and metal/stone elements that cannot be covered up. Currently, It is not treated. Room is relatively small, with 2.75m ceiling height, 4m width, and 6.5m length. 

 

Equipment details, 

I'm pretty flexible here. Size isn't so important, and most factors can be overlooked unless they'd require me to go out of my way to make it work. Toobs, small amps, large amps, AV's, DIY speakers/amps/dacs/pre, all fair grounds. There's no real budget for each component, just whatever will maximize performance in your opinion, or be the most synergistic. I have nothing against say, $1000 DIY speakers and a $6000 Amp/dac cc. 

 

Existing gear, Sound pref, music

I don't currently have anything worthy of note. I have extremely low-end gear running in my system currently (in comparison to whatever this 10k budget will net me- Klipsch r41pm's on a zendac). Why such a big jump to this gear then? I've tried maybe a dozen high-end systems at this point (at or above 10k), and maybe a hundred systems alltogether. I'm an avid music listener, putting in maybe 30 hours weekly with my main system, and I know what I'm getting into with this high-end stuff. With that said, I'm not extraodinarily picky with sound traits. I'm good with anything with a warmer sound profile to something slightly moer exciting in the treble. I'm a fan of bass, so a somewhat 'V' shaped response is alright with me; however speed and musicality will always trump quantity of bass. If the bass needs to be a little leaner, so be it. Midrange I'd like to be a little on the warmer side with a more natural timbre, again, focus on timbre even if you have to sacrifice warmth. Finally I'm fine with a warmer, more rolled-off treble response that isn't harsh, as long as it isn't syrupy, tubby, anything like that. A more engaging, slightly exciting response is also something that I'm cosnidering, as long as it doesn't get to the point of sibilance. I'm a bit sensitive to treble, so perhaps keep that in mind. Stage is my god, it take priority over imaging by a mile. Excellent soundstage is what I'm after, as well

 

I listen more to electronic-type music (hard to specify further, I do lofi, edm, rap, ect.), however I'm looking to diversify quite a bit. I'm probably safe from country/folk and classical, opera and the like, but everything else is subject. 

 

Current considerations for gear

I'm relatively new to the relatively high-end scene. I've worked with quite a bit of relatively budget gear, but I'm not very experienced with higher-end stuff, especially amps and dacs at multi-thousand dollar pricepoints. Sure, I'ved tried a few and talked to dealers, but nothing extraorinary. Here's what I've liked so far, though:

-Kef ls50 meta and r3

-Dali speakers in general.

- Higher-end dynaudio products

-Nearly all sonus faber products

-Klipsch La scalas

-KLH model 5

 

I'm currently looking at something like r3's with dual kc62 subs, monoblocked aegirs, LIM yggy and a freya +, or maybe some SF sonetto speakers, with undecided pairings. Damn, their higher-end stuff is tempting. As you can see, not a lot going on. I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks! 

 

Note: Sorry If I missed any essential details. 

 

Probably not the best forum to ask about this lol, but hey, when in rome.

 

AVSforums… but may get some

good help here. But I recommend going there. 

 

I have listened to 2.1 setups that were DIY speakers at a cost of about 3500 for the pair, and some schiit audio tube preamp, whatever mono block amps they have, snake oil whatever special wires (wires really don’t matter…) and an SVS sub, and I can say it’s quite incredible. But, I also know I don’t know enough to actually help you. It really is incredible the imaging and false center speaker a high end 2.1 solution provides. Like, truly incredible. 

[Entropy.]

9 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

AVSforums… but may get some

good help here. But I recommend going there. 

 

I have listened to 2.1 setups that were DIY speakers at a cost of about 3500 for the pair, and some schiit audio tube preamp, whatever mono block amps they have, snake oil whatever special wires (wires really don’t matter…) and an SVS sub, and I can say it’s quite incredible. But, I also know I don’t know enough to actually help you. It really is incredible the imaging and false center speaker a high end 2.1 solution provides. Like, truly incredible. 

Haha, yeah. I'm posting this in multiple forums, just wanted to see how LTT would go. 

[tikker]

10 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

I have a (soft) $10,000 USD (purchsing in the US) Budget for a 2.1/2.2 bookshelf speaker system including Speakers, subs, preamps, amps, dacs, ddc's, stands and racks, and all other major equipment is included (Stands and racks can be ignored if need be).

Good lord. For this price I was expecting a 5.1.X or 7.1.X setup lol. I second to have a look over at AVSForums as well.

 

10 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

-Dali speakers in general.

I have a pair of Dali Zensor 5 towers and Dali Spektor 1 bookshelves. Both are great, with the Zensors clearly superior. The bookshelf equivalents would be the Zensor 3, but for your budet you may want to consider their higher tiers. They're great and I've read good things about Dali in general. Towers will go deeper, but paired with a sub that probably won't be an issue. I have them paired with an SVS SB1000 Pro sub. For subs the brands I often see recommended are Rythmik, HSU and SVS.

 

I'm definitely not qualified to recommend any multi-thousand-dollar speakers or amps, but at this cost I'd definitely give the age old recommendation of listening to them before you pull the trigger.

[Derkoli]

I'd personally nab a pair of PMC 6-2's, then feed them with an Apogee Symphony Desktop. Use any interconnects you fancy, and then a pair of good, sturdy monitor stands. It won't look sleek, but it'll sound gorgeous.

[JZStudios]

At $10k for a stereo setup you're definitely entering snake oil territory. Music producers don't even spend that much on a stereo setup, certainly not for bookshelves. My buddy uses Yamaha HS5's and HS8's. The HS5s are only $400/pair and they're used by a lot of music producers. A high end SVS sub is ~$600 unless you want to get really crazy. Give budget for interfaces, you're looking $2k tops.

 

Conveniently I'm also American, so your metric measurements need to be re-converted. Your room is 9ft tall, 13ft wide, and ~21.5ft long.

1. You ideally want to be set up lengthwise, meaning having your setup against the 13ft wide wall.
2. At that size you really need room treatment and having stone and glass you can't cover is going to lead to a lot of reverb making high end systems pointless. You need to have at minimum rugs and curtains to help absorb something. My buddy's living room/house is pretty much all tile with nothing absorptive, which makes everything reverb, sound louder than it really should be, and extremely harsh. He blames his dogs for not having rugs.
3. At this room scale and what frankly very little I know about SVS subs, you only need one.
4. You're looking to get into the "audiophile" market, which I highly don't recommend. It's all snake oil. You're listening from your PC, so expensive analog equipment is entirely unnecessary, any cable can perfectly send a digital signal... there's a lot wrong with the scene. I want Klipsch speakers because they look good, and even then, they don't cost $10k for a full Atmos setup.

Alan Parsons, the legendary mixer and recording engineer for Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Wings, solo work, and many others said that audiophiles don't listen to music. They use music to listen to their equipment.

[JZStudios]

9 minutes ago, Derkoli said:

I'd personally nab a pair of PMC 6-2's, then feed them with an Apogee Symphony Desktop. Use any interconnects you fancy, and then a pair of good, sturdy monitor stands. It won't look sleek, but it'll sound gorgeous.

Well if he's getting those, he needs at least 4, so his budget is a little too low. I've heard Chase has good credit card limits, they're interest rate is only 30%

[geo3]

Maybe Butchart A500 if you just want a one and done solution. Then you can add a servo sub. 

 

But why limit to bookshelves? Assuming you'll put them on stands they have the exact same footprint as towers. 

[CTR640]

3 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Haha, yeah. I'm posting this in multiple forums, just wanted to see how LTT would go. 

No sorry, take ya crappy lamborghini fetish, golden crap, gukki bag and mike shoes somewhere because we just poor plebs and we happy with our crappy audio gear and mobo audio is the best dirt!

 

Jokes aside. Before you actually spend that amount of dough, think first and ask yourself is it necessary? Will it be actually used? Or just for decoration? No audio is worth that much. Or you could buy many audio gear instead one or a few that actually costs like 10k USD.

[Entropy.]

3 hours ago, JZStudios said:

At $10k for a stereo setup you're definitely entering snake oil territory. Music producers don't even spend that much on a stereo setup, certainly not for bookshelves. My buddy uses Yamaha HS5's and HS8's. The HS5s are only $400/pair and they're used by a lot of music producers. A high end SVS sub is ~$600 unless you want to get really crazy. Give budget for interfaces, you're looking $2k tops.

 

Quote

 a cursory request that I am not recommended any $800 systems :)) It'll waste both my and your time.

I suggest maybe you try some high-end stuff out If you haven't already. Crossovers and a lot of componentry can get very expensive. I'm not here to debate what is or isn't snake oil, but I disagree. True, many producers don't use stuff that high-end, some do. You don't need great equipment to make great music, but I'm looking for something different.

 

Quote

 

1. You ideally want to be set up lengthwise, meaning having your setup against the 13ft wide wall.
2. At that size you really need room treatment and having stone and glass you can't cover is going to lead to a lot of reverb making high end systems pointless. You need to have at minimum rugs and curtains to help absorb something. My buddy's living room/house is pretty much all tile with nothing absorptive, which makes everything reverb, sound louder than it really should be, and extremely harsh. He blames his dogs for not having rugs.
3. At this room scale and what frankly very little I know about SVS subs, you only need one.
4. You're looking to get into the "audiophile" market, which I highly don't recommend. It's all snake oil. You're listening from your PC, so expensive analog equipment is entirely unnecessary, any cable can perfectly send a digital signal... there's a lot wrong with the scene. I want Klipsch speakers because they look good, and even then, they don't cost $10k for a full Atmos setup.

1. It is set up lengthwise. 

2. I have thick curtains that'll cover up the windows. I plan to treat the room where required. It won't be an anechoic chamber.

3. They're home theatre subs. Not really what I'm looking for. Large, High-excursion woofers with lots of power oftentimes. Great for shaking the ground. Not great for a small room. 

[Entropy.]

57 minutes ago, CTR640 said:

No sorry, take ya crappy lamborghini fetish, golden crap, gukki bag and mike shoes somewhere because we just poor plebs and we happy with our crappy audio gear and mobo audio is the best dirt!

ROTFL, actually pretty funny. Apologies if I appeared to be pretentious if I came off as that, though. 

 

Quote

Jokes aside. Before you actually spend that amount of dough, think first and ask yourself is it necessary? Will it be actually used? Or just for decoration? No audio is worth that much. Or you could buy many audio gear instead one or a few that actually costs like 10k USD.

Yep. I'm a hopeless case. I'm pretty aware of what's out here and the insanity of spending 10 grand on a speaker system, I'm doing it anyways. 

[Entropy.]

4 hours ago, tikker said:

Good lord. For this price I was expecting a 5.1.X or 7.1.X setup lol. I second to have a look over at AVSForums as well.

Indeed, I'm a looney case. 

Quote

I'm definitely not qualified to recommend any multi-thousand-dollar speakers or amps, but at this cost I'd definitely give the age old recommendation of listening to them before you pull the trigger.

Definitely. I would either be very confident or very stupid to order gear of this magnitude without trying it... especially if you can't return it. 

[Entropy.]

1 hour ago, geo3 said:

Maybe Butchart A500 if you just want a one and done solution. Then you can add a servo sub. 

 

But why limit to bookshelves? Assuming you'll put them on stands they have the exact same footprint as towers. 

In the current setup they'll be used as "desktop" speakers. When I'm actually listening I'll roll back into a proper position. They'll have to at least somewhat fit on a desk, so that's the play. 

[CTR640]

19 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

ROTFL, actually pretty funny. Apologies if I appeared to be pretentious if I came off as that, though. 

 

Yep. I'm a hopeless case. I'm pretty aware of what's out here and the insanity of spending 10 grand on a speaker system, I'm doing it anyways. 

Lol no worries. Wether it's insane or not differs from person to person. If I'd have that amount of money, I'd spending on headhones and one good dac/amp. Speakers like bookshelf speakers or floor or whatever, I don't have any use for that. The most expensive soundbar I bought a month ago is a simple Yamaha SR-B20A for my OLED tv.

 

The past week I wanted to get the Meze Liric. It's quite a eye-catcher but after some days, I dropped it because it's just not worth it. All it needs and requires is a good amount of common sense. Don't make purchases you might regret it after some time.

[geo3]

5 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

In the current setup they'll be used as "desktop" speakers. When I'm actually listening I'll roll back into a proper position. They'll have to at least somewhat fit on a desk, so that's the play. 

I get it. I really do. The convenience, space issues, ect.   

 

But hear me out. By far the most important factor to sound quality is the room and positioning in the room.  More so than amps, dacs, power conditioning and cabling put together.  The speakers themselves are a close second, but still secondary to room and positioning.  If you're already constraining yourself by putting them on a desk the you might as well just get $500 to $600 powered monitors and call it a day.  Otherwise I think your goal is really "I just want to spend $10K" and not "I want the best sound I can get." 

 

One of the problems with placing speakers on a desk is that it gives you a super early reflection point that will screw with the sound.  Would placing them beside the desk work for you? 

[Entropy.]

59 minutes ago, geo3 said:

I get it. I really do. The convenience, space issues, ect.   

 

But hear me out. By far the most important factor to sound quality is the room and positioning in the room.  More so than amps, dacs, power conditioning and cabling put together.  The speakers themselves are a close second, but still secondary to room and positioning.  If you're already constraining yourself by putting them on a desk the you might as well just get $500 to $600 powered monitors and call it a day.  Otherwise I think your goal is really "I just want to spend $10K" and not "I want the best sound I can get." 

 

One of the problems with placing speakers on a desk is that it gives you a super early reflection point that will screw with the sound.  Would placing them beside the desk work for you? 

POFR Is not something that will change, regardless of if My speakers are mounted on a desk, or if I have floor standers. My speakers will have as much distance from any wall as possible while still being properly separated. Or to put it simply, it doesn't matter if the room was empty and I could have any type of speaker, the POFR and other reflection points would hardly change for the better if anything. My speakers are currently in one of the best conceivable positions I could put them in for listening. That just so happens to be on my desk. 

[Entropy.]

1 hour ago, CTR640 said:

Lol no worries. Wether it's insane or not differs from person to person. If I'd have that amount of money, I'd spending on headhones and one good dac/amp. Speakers like bookshelf speakers or floor or whatever, I don't have any use for that. The most expensive soundbar I bought a month ago is a simple Yamaha SR-B20A for my OLED tv.

 

The past week I wanted to get the Meze Liric. It's quite a eye-catcher but after some days, I dropped it because it's just not worth it. All it needs and requires is a good amount of common sense. Don't make purchases you might regret it after some time.

Already a bit more into headphones. Got some Anandas hooked up, for me it's endgame-ish, It works well enough that I'm satisfied. Speakers are the next frontier

[geo3]

13 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

POFR Is not something that will change, regardless of if My speakers are mounted on a desk, or if I have floor standers. My speakers will have as much distance from any wall as possible while still being properly separated. Or to put it simply, it doesn't matter if the room was empty and I could have any type of speaker, the POFR and other reflection points would hardly change for the better if anything.  

I'm saying the desk itself will become the first reflection point if you put your speakers up on them. I think the room you described "2.75m ceiling height, 4m width, and 6.5m length. " should be fine in and of itself. 

[Entropy.]

5 minutes ago, geo3 said:

I'm saying the desk itself will become the first reflection point if you put your speakers up on them. I think the room you described "2.75m ceiling height, 4m width, and 6.5m length. " should be fine on in and of itself. 

Forgot about that. That can be accounted for, I will have some stands bringing the speakers up somewhat, I can try to minimize reflections on my desk, and find where they'd reflect on my ceiling, treat it there. Plus. My speakers will be closer to the front of my desk (basically at the front when I'm properly listening) I have carpet flooring. It'd be somewhat like a 4-foot drop-off to the floor. Behind the speakers would be some heavy curtains, really don't think it'd be a huge issue.  

[geo3]

46 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Forgot about that. That can be accounted for, I will have some stands bringing the speakers up somewhat, I can try to minimize reflections on my desk, and find where they'd reflect on my ceiling, treat it there. Plus. My speakers will be closer to the front of my desk (basically at the front when I'm properly listening) I have carpet flooring. It'd be somewhat like a 4-foot drop-off to the floor. Behind the speakers would be some heavy curtains, really don't think it'd be a huge issue.  

Well I still think it's suboptimal and wouldn't put more than a grand into such a system. But it's your money.

 

Desk aside, what I would get with a 10k budget.... First set aside 10 to 15% of that for acoustic panels. Don't just get those cheap egg crate foams, they make proper diffusers for audiophiles that are also somewhat decorative. For speakers, since you said you're open to DIY solutions I'd definitely look into offerings from GR-Research or CSS Audio.  They're pretty similar sounding but GR errs on the side of more clarity as where CSS goes for more bass extension.  GR-Research options I think would work for you are: X-LS Encores, Dual X-CS centers, or NX-Studios. CSS: Chriton 1TDX or Criton 2TD-X MTM. And definitely max out on the components on which ever kit you get. Both companies offers kick ass subs, but GR uses servos so those are going to be faster and tighter. 

 

For powering them I'd either go for the Aegir/Freya combo, or something from PS Audio. You definitely want dual monoblocks and have them set up near the speakers to minimize the speaker cable length. 

 

As for dacs I think anything $500 and up should be good. I have a VMV D1se and it's quite nice. I also hear good think about Denafrips, but never heard one.  The HoloAudio stuff may be out of budget for you. (Sure they're less than 10K but you'd have to skimp on other areas and that just wouldn't be balanced. )

[CptnReflex]

I think your price range is far more than you need for your intended quality tbh, but the KEF is a really good idea imo. It's very hard to beat a quality coaxial speaker. 

 

for the subwoofer at that price range honestly I'd have a professional build a custom box and get a seperate amp for it with banana jacks hooked up to a solid metal plate for a terminal plate that's fiber glassed into the box. 

 

Dayton Audio UM18-22 18" Ultimax DVC Subwoofer 2 ohms Per Coil (parts-express.com)

 

pair that with a decent 1000 watt rack amp for it, and get a pro to build a quality box and you have a system that's easily repairable for years to come and the box will never break. amp dies, you can replace, sub driver dies, you can replace.

 

personally I bought used broken speakers and fixed them and have a mirage omni s12 which is garbage compared to your needs but at one point I was planning on putting one of those in a velodyne uld 18 box I had years back lol. you can even double all that up for a second sub if you wanted for probably the same price as an actual good subwoofer. people gunna give me flak for this idea, but that's just the way I'd go if I had your budget. 

 

I'd also suggest looking into some vintage high quality QUAD amps that are just individual amps per channel and get a good sound processor to tie it all together. Those quad amps usually never die, are extremely high quality and fit in your budget, and make good conversation pieces

 

Quad 707 Stereo Power Amplifier Manual | HiFi Engine

 

I'd go for something like that, and get either one or two depending on the power level your speakers needs

 

actually I looked and you only need one.

 

Quad 606 MK2 / Power Amplifier | eBay

 

this right here will power those KEFs very nicely. I do not however have a recommendation for your sound processor, but I'm just here to tell you that you don't need to spend 10k haha

 

  

3 hours ago, geo3 said:

I get it. I really do. The convenience, space issues, ect.   

 

But hear me out. By far the most important factor to sound quality is the room and positioning in the room.  More so than amps, dacs, power conditioning and cabling put together.  The speakers themselves are a close second, but still secondary to room and positioning.  If you're already constraining yourself by putting them on a desk the you might as well just get $500 to $600 powered monitors and call it a day.  Otherwise I think your goal is really "I just want to spend $10K" and not "I want the best sound I can get." 

 

One of the problems with placing speakers on a desk is that it gives you a super early reflection point that will screw with the sound.  Would placing them beside the desk work for you? 

I think the best way to place is a few feet behind your desk, put a mouse mat on desk probs, possibly foam on the wall behind it and such. my focal shape 65 sit right on top of glass but the feet are very good at absorbing vibrations and reflections aren't bad at all, but it wouldn't even keep up with your budget lol I fixed them and got them all total for $380 including my subwoofer. 

 

edited to add my semi good setup. My frequency response is 24Hz-35,000Hz at least the speakers can do that, my pc can't go that high though. 

 

it's a ghetto janky setup lol I'm no professional but just trying to save you some money

[JZStudios]

18 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

I suggest maybe you try some high-end stuff out If you haven't already. Crossovers and a lot of componentry can get very expensive. I'm not here to debate what is or isn't snake oil, but I disagree. True, many producers don't use stuff that high-end, some do. You don't need great equipment to make great music, but I'm looking for something different.

 

1. It is set up lengthwise. 

2. I have thick curtains that'll cover up the windows. I plan to treat the room where required. It won't be an anechoic chamber.

3. They're home theatre subs. Not really what I'm looking for. Large, High-excursion woofers with lots of power oftentimes. Great for shaking the ground. Not great for a small room. 

If you want to listen to your equipment in a woefully unprepared room, go for it. Can't stop you. In fact, I encourage you. I'm telling you for a fact that a $2500 setup will produce exactly what the musician and recording engineer/mixer intended. You're looking to spend about as much money as a movie theater sound system on a stereo setup in your living room. You sound like these Japanese guys.

 

I have no idea what to make about your #3 point. You want to spend $10k on a stereo system, but you don't want a nicely tuned sub with a wide, flat response because they'll shake the room? What the hell kind of sub are you looking for? And why wouldn't you be able to turn the SVS down? None of your requirements make any sense.

 

17 hours ago, geo3 said:

I get it. I really do. The convenience, space issues, ect.   

 

But hear me out. By far the most important factor to sound quality is the room and positioning in the room.  More so than amps, dacs, power conditioning and cabling put together.  The speakers themselves are a close second, but still secondary to room and positioning.  If you're already constraining yourself by putting them on a desk the you might as well just get $500 to $600 powered monitors and call it a day.  Otherwise I think your goal is really "I just want to spend $10K" and not "I want the best sound I can get." 

 

One of the problems with placing speakers on a desk is that it gives you a super early reflection point that will screw with the sound.  Would placing them beside the desk work for you? 

It's probably up against the wall too.

[Entropy.]

13 hours ago, JZStudios said:

If you want to listen to your equipment in a woefully unprepared room, go for it. Can't stop you. In fact, I encourage you. I'm telling you for a fact that a $2500 setup will produce exactly what the musician and recording engineer/mixer intended. You're looking to spend about as much money as a movie theater sound system on a stereo setup in your living room. You sound like these Japanese guys.

 

1. $2500 won't make anything magically happen, you should know that. Pointing a million dollar speaker system backwards in a room entirely made out of glass won't do anything. Speakers with wonk, or even different tuning, tube amps instead of solid state, ect. same thing, just more subtle. If you really mean exactly  what a mixer intends, I would assume you mean that you're saying $2500 would make a setup sound exactly like a mixers setup.. which is just something that isn't true. Also in regards to my room... what, exactly is "woefully unprepared?" I said I was going to treat it, but I have a little glass and stone. I honestly have no clue.

2. It isn't a living room, don't know where you got that from, or how a movie theatre sound system matters. Also don't get what you intended to do by sending the video, like is it to insult me? (because it looks like it), or is there something else you want to say? I really don't get the point. 

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I have no idea what to make about your #3 point. You want to spend $10k on a stereo system, but you don't want a nicely tuned sub with a wide, flat response because they'll shake the room? What the hell kind of sub are you looking for? And why wouldn't you be able to turn the SVS down? None of your requirements make any sense.

They're more tilted towards home theatre subs for the most part on the lower end, they work for music but I would probably think there's better. Let me revise my statement, my priority isn't about shaking the ground & watching movies, and I beileve that most svs subs are primarily designed to do the afformentioned, with side functionality of being able to be used competently for music. That's at least what I've seen with my experience with their subs. Sealed isn't as much like the ported, but still there.  Before you bring up say, the 3000 micro, yes, I know. But that's a little lower than my pricerange, and is somewhat isolated. 

 

I was looking for a faster, more musical sub. I don't see how that doesn't make sense, it would be wonderful if you can explain.

 

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It's probably up against the wall too.

Now I'm questioning if you read my post, because I said this regarding to distance to the rear wall: 

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In their initial setting, they'll be seperated ~5-6 feet from eachother, and can be dragged out about 80cm from the rear, and normally one speaker would be around 40cm from a side wall.

That was a mistake as well, I can have them up to like 120cm from the back wall or something. And again, I don't know if you said that for a reason, if it's to insult me, or like... ? Your post just leaves me kind of confused. Some clarification would be great. Or, if you aren't interested in helping out, we can just end it off here. No need for excess bickering if you don't like my guts or something. 

[Entropy.]

On 11/21/2021 at 5:13 PM, geo3 said:

Well I still think it's suboptimal and wouldn't put more than a grand into such a system. But it's your money.

Could you provide an explanation on why having speakers on free-standing stands instead of just say, on stands right at the edge of my desk would be so much better? I'm genuinely curious, I can't really figure that one out. Also is there a science behind that 1k cutoff or are you just winging it?

 

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Desk aside, what I would get with a 10k budget.... First set aside 10 to 15% of that for acoustic panels. Don't just get those cheap egg crate foams, they make proper diffusers for audiophiles that are also somewhat decorative. 

Got any recs besides GIK? But yeah, cheap, low density foam crap isn't an option, never was. 

 

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For speakers, since you said you're open to DIY solutions I'd definitely look into offerings from GR-Research or CSS Audio.  They're pretty similar sounding but GR errs on the side of more clarity as where CSS goes for more bass extension.  GR-Research options I think would work for you are: X-LS Encores, Dual X-CS centers, or NX-Studios. CSS: Chriton 1TDX or Criton 2TD-X MTM. And definitely max out on the components on which ever kit you get. Both companies offers kick ass subs, but GR uses servos so those are going to be faster and tighter. 

Just wondering, have you actually tried those in person (and if so what are your impressions)? DIY is a bit of a tough pill for me to swallow since I won't be able to demo before I buy most likely, so If I blind, I want to be at least relatively confident. Yes, I've seen a few youtube videos and blog posts, but I'm hoping for a little more than that. 

[Entropy.]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:07 PM, CptnReflex said:

I think your price range is far more than you need for your intended quality tbh, but the KEF is a really good idea imo. It's very hard to beat a quality coaxial speaker. 

Probably lol. Like I said, I'm a bit batshit crazy. I'll keep demoing and narrowing down my budget if need be. Right now 10k to me seems to be generous enough that I'm not really constrained, and I can always cut down a bit if that turns to be too far into the realm of diminishing returns. 

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I think the best way to place is a few feet behind your desk, put a mouse mat on desk probs, possibly foam on the wall behind it and such. my focal shape 65 sit right on top of glass but the feet are very good at absorbing vibrations and reflections aren't bad at all, but it wouldn't even keep up with your budget lol I fixed them and got them all total for $380 including my subwoofer. 

 

Have very little space and that would be jank, right now behind my desk is the windowed portion, however with the heavy curtains It's ok. To the side of the room is kind of an open walkway just like a standard room, so having the desk back that much might be a little wonky, but It might work I suppose. Also would only be able to roll back a few feet in my chair in that position, so midfield would be dead if I did that. 

Nice setup though for $380, I wish I were that brave lol.