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Topic: Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers (Read 4299 times) previous topic - next topic
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Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

My parents have asked me to buy new stereo speakers on their behalf. While I'm more up to the task than they are, I am not really competent about speakers or audio, either. I've read the last few pages of relevant threads in Audio Hardware, but am not really sure what to buy. From the threads, I take the advice to do some actual in-store listening to candidate speakers.

Budget: around 1000-1300 Euro

Music: Classical (in the broad sense, including symphonies, operas, etc.), sometimes Jazz or Classic Rock

Room: ca. 35-40 m2 living room. There is a MAF (mother adoption factor) to consider, speakers should look halfway decent. The left and right speakers would have to be placed such that a listening triange results in which the distance between the speakers is about 6 m, and the distance between any front speaker and the listener about 4 m.

Source: primarily a CD player, sometimes an Internet radio device or a turntable, connected via a Harman/Kardon HK6150 stereo amp (2 x 30 W into 8 ohm). What's slightly problematic is that the amp and the sources have to be positioned in a distance of 12+ m from the speakers.

Do you recommend a 2.0 or a 2.1 speaker setup?

Should I go for an active or passive system? If the system is active, the problem I foresee is that the sources are far away from the speaker so, probably, I would need to run balanced audio cables. Is the amp too weak and needs to be replaced?

Any models I should listen to in-store? Local stores I've checked seem to carry a lot of KEF, Canton, and B&W speakers but I should have listening access to a bunch of others brands as well.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #1 –
Quote from: audiophool on
My parents have asked me to buy new stereo speakers on their behalf. While I'm more up to the task than they are, I am not really competent about speakers or audio, either. I've read the last few pages of relevant threads in Audio Hardware, but am not really sure what to buy. From the threads, I take the advice to do some actual in-store listening to candidate speakers.

Budget: around 1000-1300 Euro

Music: Classical (in the broad sense, including symphonies, operas, etc.), sometimes Jazz or Classic Rock

Room: ca. 35-40 m2 living room. There is a MAF (mother adoption factor) to consider, speakers should look halfway decent. The left and right speakers would have to be placed such that a listening triange results in which the distance between the speakers is about 6 m, and the distance between any front speaker and the listener about 2.4 m.

Source: primarily a CD player, sometimes an Internet radio device or a turntable, connected via a Harman/Kardon HK6150 stereo amp (2 x 30 W into 8 ohm). What's slightly problematic is that the amp and the sources have to be positioned in a distance of 12+ m from the speakers.

Do you recommend a 2.0 or a 2.1 speaker setup?


2.1 is generally preferable, especially given the room size and budget.


Quote
Should I go for an active or passive system? If the system is active, the problem I foresee is that the sources are far away from the speaker so, probably, I would need to run balanced audio cables. Is the amp too weak and needs to be replaced?


A key outstanding question is: "What are your preferences in loudness given in dB SPL?

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #2 –
Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
2.1 is generally preferable, especially given the room size and budget.

Okay, that's what I was thinking. But wouldn't a 2.1 system most likely be active? So I would need to run audio cables (as opposed to speaker cables) over a relatively long distance. Again, the sub (and the right speaker) would be a cable length of at least 12 m away from the stereo.

Quote
A key outstanding question is: "What are your preferences in loudness given in dB SPL?

They listen at low volumes almost exclusively. So the answer is whatever is typical room loudness plus a few dB SPL as a reserve for the rare occasions where it's turned up ever so slightly.

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #3 –
Quote from: audiophool on
Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
2.1 is generally preferable, especially given the room size and budget.

Okay, that's what I was thinking. But wouldn't a 2.1 system most likely be active? So I would need to run audio cables (as opposed to speaker cables) over a relatively long distance. Again, the sub (and the right speaker) would be a cable length of at least 12 m away from the stereo.


Depending on your choice of speakers and other things, the logical centerpiece of your system could be an AVR.  The L&R speakers would likely be passive and subwoofers are mostly active.  The AVR has a line level output for the sub.  36 foot long RCA cables aren't necessarily a problem.  The AVR provides other valuable services including a good convenient volume control and input switching. It may also have a useful automated system optimization facility.

When faced with the problem of active speakers and an AVR with line output for only the sub and speaker outputs for LCR, I devised some high quality speaker simulators that had balanced outputs for my active speakers.


Quote
Quote
A key outstanding question is: "What are your preferences in loudness given in dB SPL?

They listen at low volumes almost exclusively. So the answer is whatever is typical room loudness plus a few dB SPL as a reserve for the rare occasions where it's turned up ever so slightly.


I'm going to interpret that as 70 dB SPL average with 90 dB peaks. Your current amp driving most passive speakers with average efficiency might do the job.

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
36 foot long RCA cables aren't necessarily a problem.

Okay, I am willing to take a shot at an unbalanced connection to an active sub then.

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
The AVR provides other valuable services including a good convenient volume control and input switching.

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
"What are your preferences in loudness given in dB SPL?

Quote from: audiophool on
low volumes

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
I'm going to interpret that as 70 dB SPL average with 90 dB peaks. Your current amp driving most passive speakers with average efficiency might do the job.

I am not opposed to the idea of purchasing a new AVR, as I agree it has other advantages as well.

However, suppose I wanted to check whether the old amp can handle newly-purchased 2.1 loudspeakers. The existing HK6150 amp doesn't have a pre-out. But that's not a problem because I could simply hook up the active sub to one of the HK6150's tape outs. Is that correct?

---

As for my main question--which speakers to buy--, one combo I want to listen to in the store are KEF Q100 plus a KEF Q400b sub. As I read good things about the Q100 on this forum, I would like to hear them. At this point, I'm considering the Q400b simply because it's in the same series as the bookshelf speakers.

Given the budget and intended usage, am I in the right ballpark with that KEF combo?

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #5 –
Quote from: audiophool on
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
36 foot long RCA cables aren't necessarily a problem.

Okay, I am willing to take a shot at an unbalanced connection to an active sub then.

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
The AVR provides other valuable services including a good convenient volume control and input switching.

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
"What are your preferences in loudness given in dB SPL?

Quote from: audiophool on
low volumes

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
I'm going to interpret that as 70 dB SPL average with 90 dB peaks. Your current amp driving most passive speakers with average efficiency might do the job.

I am not opposed to the idea of purchasing a new AVR, as I agree it has other advantages as well.

However, suppose I wanted to check whether the old amp can handle newly-purchased 2.1 loudspeakers. The existing HK6150 amp doesn't have a pre-out. But that's not a problem because I could simply hook up the active sub to one of the HK6150's tape outs. Is that correct?


Tape outs usually bypass the volume control. and the volume will likely be both wrong and out-of-control.  There are nice stand alone volume controls, but buy one and you've bought the better part of a refurb low end AVR.
 

Purchasing advice for 2.0 or 2.1 loudspeakers

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Tape outs usually bypass the volume control. and the volume will likely be both wrong and out-of-control.  There are nice stand alone volume controls, but buy one and you've bought the better part of a refurb low end AVR.

Yeah, I think it wasn't a good question anyhow because when operating a new 2.1 speaker that way with the old amp, the L and R speakers would be operating full range which is probably not what I want.

So, I'm pretty much convinced now that an AVR would be a reasonable upgrade to go along with the speakers.