Speaker upgrade (2 lakh)

[Honkydefender]

Hey Everyone!

I'm planning to upgrade my stereo system to match my new living room. The room is 25'x20' and my the Dali Zensor 3's don't sound "full" vs. when I was in a smaller space.I'm going to move these speakers into my home office setup where they sound good.

Living room - 25' x 20' with 3 walls, one side open to balcony with french windows
Home office - 15' x 10' approx

Current equipment list:
- Dali Zensor 3
- Marantz PM 6006 - (stereo amp + DAC with optical inputs so you don't have to Google it)
- Yamaha WRC-50 - I feed the TV via optical input + use spotify/airplay on this.
- SVS PB-2000 Pro

What I want to solve for:
- New speakers - floorstanders that can do justice to the size of my room. I'm also looking for something more aggressive and faster sounding - the Dali + Marantz combo is warm and laid back. These will be run alongside the SVS sub.
- New stereo amplifier - open to which amp goes with which speaker
- Subwoofer output + room correction - I'm thinking of getting the miniDSP 2x4 HD to integrate/EQ the speakers and SVS sub
- Bridge to connect my macbook to amp in the office setup - USB DAC or a USB to optical bridge? Not sure what is the right approach.

Budget - 2 Lakh (flexible for the right setup)

Where to buy - I can get smaller components from the US which opens up more options. Speakers will be bought in Bangalore.

 

[rwnano]

SB acoustics ara speakers

 

[Bloom@83]

I’ve recently heard the Quad S5 at @DB1989 ‘s place , alongside dual REL subs and they have superb scale & attack. It was a living room & I would hazard lengthwise it was at least 25ft.

 

[Dhruv.Arora]

Look at KEF q750

 

[arj]

Hey Everyone!

I'm planning to upgrade my stereo system to match my new living room. The room is 25'x20' and my the Dali Zensor 3's don't sound "full" vs. when I was in a smaller space.I'm going to move these speakers into my home office setup where they sound good.

Living room - 25' x 20' with 3 walls, one side open to balcony with french windows

25x20 is a big room and Dali zensors are not meant for such a room hence them sounding perhaps anemic and mostly due to its lack of pressurising the room

You will need to plan for speakers with larger drivers/Multi drivers . considering your budget of 2L for everything maybe 1L for the speaker eg Monitor audio Bronze or Fyne audio 302 etc you can check Hifimart catalogue to get an idea

 

[Kannan]

Look at Focals

 

[Honkydefender]

I’ve recently heard the Quad S5 at @DB1989 ‘s place , alongside dual REL subs and they have superb scale & attack. It was a living room & I would hazard lengthwise it was at least 25ft.

Thanks for sharing. I see the ribbon tweeters and enjoyed it on emotiva airmotivs when I heard them. Was it comfortable for longer listening sessions or does it get quite bright. Will definitely try them out.

Look at Focals

Thankd! Any recommendations on amps that pair well?

25x20 is a big room and Dali zensors are not meant for such a room hence them sounding perhaps anemic and mostly due to its lack of pressurising the room

You will need to plan for speakers with larger drivers/Multi drivers . considering your budget of 2L for everything maybe 1L for the speaker eg Monitor audio Bronze or Fyne audio 302 etc you can check Hifimart catalogue to get an idea

Thanks! I didn't enjoy the monitor audio sound signature so went with Dali over it for my first setup. Haven't tried fyne so will check it out. What amplifier would you recommend in this range.

Look at KEF q750

Thanks! If you have them can you share why you picked them, and what amplifier you're using alongside?

 

[Dhruv.Arora]

Thanks! If you have them can you share why you picked them, and what amplifier you're using alongside?

I’m planning to upgrade from my Polk RTI A7 to KEF. Using Denon x6300h. Been doing my own research and that’s what I shortlisted. My issue is that Polk + Denon is a little too bright for my liking

 

[aeroash]

I’ve recently heard the Quad S5 at @DB1989 ‘s place

These fit perfectly for your use case @Honkydefender. I also think they're superb value for money. I'm just unsure of their availability.

 

[DB1989]

Hey Everyone!

I'm planning to upgrade my stereo system to match my new living room. The room is 25'x20' and my the Dali Zensor 3's don't sound "full" vs. when I was in a smaller space.I'm going to move these speakers into my home office setup where they sound good.

Living room - 25' x 20' with 3 walls, one side open to balcony with french windows
Home office - 15' x 10' approx

Current equipment list:
- Dali Zensor 3
- Marantz PM 6006 - (stereo amp + DAC with optical inputs so you don't have to Google it)
- Yamaha WRC-50 - I feed the TV via optical input + use spotify/airplay on this.
- SVS PB-2000 Pro

What I want to solve for:
- New speakers - floorstanders that can do justice to the size of my room. I'm also looking for something more aggressive and faster sounding - the Dali + Marantz combo is warm and laid back. These will be run alongside the SVS sub.
- New stereo amplifier - open to which amp goes with which speaker
- Subwoofer output + room correction - I'm thinking of getting the miniDSP 2x4 HD to integrate/EQ the speakers and SVS sub
- Bridge to connect my macbook to amp in the office setup - USB DAC or a USB to optical bridge? Not sure what is the right approach.

Budget - 2 Lakh (flexible for the right setup)

Where to buy - I can get smaller components from the US which opens up more options. Speakers will be bought in Bangalore.

Focal is definitely up there for speed and attack!

I'd heard the 826 at an FMs place coupled with a JL E110 and those attributes really stood out.

However, i do believe the 826 would be a bit small for your room. I suppose the Aria 936/948 would be more suited to your room dimensions.

I would be remiss not to mention that while the Focals provided the sparkle up top, it was the JL E110 which was responsible for the agression in the bass. That sub is really a force to be reckoned with.

And a sub is an essential part of the equation to eke out scale from relatively smaller speakers. Since you already have a PB1000 Pro, going dual would not be a bad idea.

I’ve recently heard the Quad S5 at @DB1989 ‘s place , alongside dual REL subs and they have superb scale & attack. It was a living room & I would hazard lengthwise it was at least 25ft.

You hazard right! It's 24 and a 1/2!

 

[Honkydefender]

Focal is definitely up there for speed and attack!

I'd heard the 826 at an FMs place coupled with a JL E110 and those attributes really stood out.

However, i do believe the 826 would be a bit small for your room. I suppose the Aria 936/948 would be more suited to your room dimensions.

I would be remiss not to mention that while the Focals provided the sparkle up top, it was the JL E110 which was responsible for the agression in the bass. That sub is really a force to be reckoned with.

And a sub is an essential part of the equation to eke out scale from relatively smaller speakers. Since you already have a PB1000 Pro, going dual would not be a bad idea.

You hazard right! It's 24 and a 1/2!

Thanks for the recommendation! On the sub - I have a PB-2000 pro, not the 1000.

 

[Raj22]

Kef R3 — I’m using it with Marantz 5015 & Arcam SA30, these perform better than Kef Q950s as well.
Also do listen to the LS50 Meta too, they are very good.
Focal — though I haven’t heard it personally, heard good things about them. Also, do audition B&Ws as well.

I have used SVS PB2000 earlier, switched to the Rel T9X and it’s amazing. Especially music sounds amazing and movies are great too!

 

[arj]

Thanks! I didn't enjoy the monitor audio sound signature so went with Dali over it for my first setup. Haven't tried fyne so will check it out. What amplifier would you recommend in this range.

Do try and look up Fyne. I would rate it over most usual brands based on reports from folks who have tried it all though I am not very conversant with the new speakers these days

For Amps if you have access to speakers from UK try and get a Croft integrated and you will never regret it. do not go by its power rating as it will go loud enough. Naim/Exposure etc are some of the other good ones for amps. Hegel is another good one which sounds right.

I am not sure of the newer Arcams/Nads/Rotels etc

 

[rwnano]

https://www.audiofy.in/product-page/sb-acoustics-satori-ara-be-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-kit-pair

This one is better than the Dynaudios which cost 5 times it's price.

 

[jmascreen]

https://www.audiofy.in/product-page/sb-acoustics-satori-ara-be-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-kit-pair

This one is better than the Dynaudios which cost 5 times it's price.

Any data to prove it?

 

[arj]

https://www.audiofy.in/product-page/sb-acoustics-satori-ara-be-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-kit-pair

This one is better than the Dynaudios which cost 5 times it's price.

you have been talking of this in several posts any links to their review ?

I am not sure if this is the right speaker for a room of the size asked by the OP since it goes down only to 45 and seems to have rather small drivers and is a 6inch drive bookshelf and is only 87db hence will need a relatively powerful amp. It seems to be better fit for smaller rooms.

 

[rwnano]

yes: This 20 year DIY experienced guy on Reddit - his posts and his word:

kokyunage (u/kokyunage) - Reddit

u/kokyunage:

www.reddit.com

"
I've compared the SB20FRPC to Seas FA22, Dayton PS220 and a no longer made (rightfully so) Lii audio 8".
The SB trounced all these drivers. It had better midbass, midrange and highs than all 3. The PS220 had more brittle highs and the Lii audio was so bad we turned it off after a few seconds, the highs were unbearably harsh.
Whilst not comparing direct to the BG20, diyaudio.com peeps did, to quote someone who compared and ranged them
Yes, I like SB20FRPC30-8 better. My favorite ranking of 7" - 8" I own.
SB Acoustics SB20FRPC30-8 > MarkAudio CHR-120 > Visaton BG20(adding magnet) > Sica Z004950 > Visaton BG20(original) > FOSTEX FE206Super
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...e-cheap-monster-ii.385062/page-2#post-7080191

A touch out of your budget but I've been enjoying these playing smashing pumpkins immensely. They look particularly good in white too.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2.5-way-speaker-kits/satori-rinjani-2.5-way-speaker-kit-pair/
Whilst within budget their smaller brother the Ara isn't that suited as well as these. These are a solderless idiot proof kit which stretches your dollar much further.
***We're tested the Ara with $7k Dynaudio bookshelf speakers and the Ara blew them away.***
"
"

kokyunage
2 points · 1 month ago

In my experience of buying and building, the best value commercially are
(1) active studio monitors (that you will need to match with a source and pre to get the sound you want as monitors tend to have no personality at all)
or
(2) DIY speakers with the same budget, my preferred route as i've of course dabbled in this for 20yrs

If you are slightly more adventurous, a diy kit that you just screw together, no soldering needed
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...ra-2-way-speaker-kit-pair-with-cabinets-2694/
These blew away 7k speakers like Dynaudio confidence C1




Frankyfrankfurt
1 point · 2 months ago

How does this compare to Jeff bagby Revolution or CSS Audio's 1TDX?



kokyunage
1 point · 2 months ago

The Bagby Revolution doesnt kicks as hard in the midbass and don't have as euphonic yet detailed and dynamic midrange and highs since Ara has satori drivers.
The Revolution Mini Be would be slightly more detailed but is even more limited in the bass due to the woofer size. It has a better midrange integration.
Ultimately I recommended the (SB Acoustics) Ara as this is r/stereoadvice and they arent quite DIY so approachable for most people.


"

and the fact that

SB Acoustics drivers are designed by their Danish team which is all ex-Scanspeak - the gold std. of drivers.

SBAc - highly rated by Ashish of IndiqAudio and other peers and rival speaker builders.

SB Acoustics Ara Speaker Kit

Introduction SB Acoustics is not a familiar name to many Audiophiles although they are one the largest OEM speaker suppliers in the world....

singaporehifi.blogspot.com

SB acoustics kit speakers reviews - Google Suche

 

[rwnano]

"

1. Commercial speakers can cost as little as 5% of their retail price due to the distributor/dealer network.
2. Completed speakers have a high import tax (i think 28% in india?) compared to just parts so that exacerbates the retail you pay.
3. Luckily for us, Speaker makers still bother to cater for the diy enthusiasts and offer kits. There are also many open source plans online from charitable diy veterans to encourage this behaviour.
4. The specific kit I recommended, the tweeters and woofers is by SB, one of the largest speaker factories in indonesia (making it affordable) and are designed by their danish team that is ex-scanspeak (the gold standard of drivers)
5. I've made speakers using those same midwoofer and tweeters before and they are insanely good value for the money
6. Recently there is a trend of selling speaker kits that already comes with professional finished cabinets and crossovers so no one can tell you cobbled it together in the shed and parts and wire.
7. Pride & Joy of telling others you MADE these pair of speakers.

tl;dr: Generally diy speakers gives you the sound at least 5x that of commercial speakers and now these kits make them look the part too."


From my past diy speaker projects compared to their equivalent commercial speakers.
One example was comparing the SB Ara (USD1.5k) to the Dynaudio C1 (USD7k). The C1 were blown away by the Ara in every way (detail, imaging, bass, midrange, etc)
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...ra-2-way-speaker-kit-pair-with-cabinets-2694/

https://www.facebook.com/palledn/posts/151994063210821

Here's the reviews i can find, not sure if all of them mention the comparative speaker (sometimes they cant or shouldnt)
https://audiofi.net/2022/04/sb-acoustics-ara-be-beryllium-goodness/
https://www.av2day.com/2022/04/sb-acoustics-ara-be-speakers-clean-cool-sound/
https://notanotherhifiblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/sb-acoustics-ara-be-speakers-built-with.html
https://singaporehifi.blogspot.com/2018/11/sb-acoustics-ara-speaker-kit.html
https://audioxpress.com/article/fresh-from-the-bench-sb-acoustics-rinjani-and-ara-speaker-kits
https://audiophilepress.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/sb-acoustics-ara-muse-review/

 

[arj]

thanks, could not go through all but these seem to be well reviewed drivers. I

On the speaker my view on the amplification seems to be similar to the link you gave. although 700 W is really excessive !

My own experience suggests that you need a fairly powerful amplifier to drive these speakers. The best amplifier match for these speakers in my room was the Mivera Audio Purepower-Icepower 1200AS2-2 amplifier, which delivers 700 watts per channel into 4 ohms.I preferred this match compared to my usual Conrad Johnson ART monoblock amplifiers. The Mivera was driven directly from my Totaldac DAC using digital volume control.

The Ara was set-up on 24 inch Partington Dreadnought Broadside stands, and placed in open space with minimal toe-in. The fairly long footprint (388 x 190 mm) of the Ara would probably require you to have a customised top plate for maximum stability.

 

[NewBee2020]

Hey Everyone!

I'm planning to upgrade my stereo system to match my new living room. The room is 25'x20' and my the Dali Zensor 3's don't sound "full" vs. when I was in a smaller space.I'm going to move these speakers into my home office setup where they sound good.

Living room - 25' x 20' with 3 walls, one side open to balcony with french windows
Home office - 15' x 10' approx

Current equipment list:
- Dali Zensor 3
- Marantz PM 6006 - (stereo amp + DAC with optical inputs so you don't have to Google it)
- Yamaha WRC-50 - I feed the TV via optical input + use spotify/airplay on this.
- SVS PB-2000 Pro

What I want to solve for:
- New speakers - floorstanders that can do justice to the size of my room. I'm also looking for something more aggressive and faster sounding - the Dali + Marantz combo is warm and laid back. These will be run alongside the SVS sub.
- New stereo amplifier - open to which amp goes with which speaker
- Subwoofer output + room correction - I'm thinking of getting the miniDSP 2x4 HD to integrate/EQ the speakers and SVS sub
- Bridge to connect my macbook to amp in the office setup - USB DAC or a USB to optical bridge? Not sure what is the right approach.

Budget - 2 Lakh (flexible for the right setup)

Where to buy - I can get smaller components from the US which opens up more options. Speakers will be bought in Bangalore.

You can check KLH Model 5 as well..Got some good rave reviews