Suggestions for my First Hifi setup

[deeps007]

Hi guys,

I am new to hifi world...need help to decide on my first setup.
I have a fairly large room of 20*16 ft(pictures attached) and seating position would be atleast 10-12 ft from speakers/TV. Room is kind of an open hall cum living room.
I have an 65 inch sony Oled TV and would mostly be watching movies/ott series and casual music listening..60 to 40 ratio of movies to music.
I have shortlisted the below but now sure as this would be my first speakers ever and I am not an audiophile...I want my music to sound good, balanced(not over the top bass or treble) bit a tight punchy bass and smooth enough highs.

Please suggest speakers(preferably floor standing) and compatible AVR under a budget of 2-2.5 lakh including AVR.

So far with my limited knowledge, I am considering these:
Evo 4.4
Linton
Paradigm premier 800f
Elac debut 6.2

Note that these are just based on youtube reviews...I have not audioned any of them yet. I live in Delhi ncr region.

Thanks
Deepak

 

[DB1989]

Hi guys,

I am new to hifi world...need help to decide on my first setup.
I have a fairly large room of 20*16 ft(pictures attached) and seating position would be atleast 10-12 ft from speakers/TV. Room is kind of an open hall cum living room.
I have an 65 inch sony Oled TV and would mostly be watching movies/ott series and casual music listening..60 to 40 ratio of movies to music.

Good to know its a Sony OLED. That does wonders to the sound

I have shortlisted the below but now sure as this would be my first speakers ever and I am not an audiophile...I want my music to sound good, balanced(not over the top bass or treble) bit a tight punchy bass and smooth enough highs.

What is a tight punchy bass? One without overhang? Fast decay? More emphasis on mid-Bass than deep bass? Unfortunately, everyone has their own descriptors/adjectives.

But most importantly, bass is hugely dependent on placement for most if not all speakers.

For optimal results, it is usually necessary to pull out the speakers anywhere between 3-4 feet from the backwall and 2-3 feet from the side walls/

Remember, the distance of the speaker from the backwall and the sidewall should not be the same (for example, if the speaker is 3 feet from the backwall, it should be less or more than that distance from the sidewall to avoid speaker boundary interference).

Please suggest speakers(preferably floor standing) and compatible AVR under a budget of 2-2.5 lakh including AVR.

So far with my limited knowledge, I am considering these:

Evo 4.4

Very fussy about placement. Highs are not "smooth" per se.

Linton

May not be the best pairing for an AVR if you are thinking about building an HT.

Paradigm premier 800f

Definitely worth checking out

Elac debut 6.2

Thats a bookshelf speaker and quite a mismatch to the others in your shortlist.

Note that these are just based on youtube reviews...I have not audioned any of them yet. I live in Delhi ncr region.

You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you dont audition the speakers before buying them. And you won't be able to get a good discount either.

There are a large number of shops in the Delhi/NCR region which have these brands on demo. Whats your reservation?

 

[deeps007]

Good to know its a Sony OLED. That does wonders to the sound

What is a tight punchy bass? One without overhang? Fast decay? More emphasis on mid-Bass than deep bass? Unfortunately, everyone has their own descriptors/adjectives.

But most importantly, bass is hugely dependent on placement for most if not all speakers.

For optimal results, it is usually necessary to pull out the speakers anywhere between 3-4 feet from the backwall and 2-3 feet from the side walls/

Remember, the distance of the speaker from the backwall and the sidewall should not be the same (for example, if the speaker is 3 feet from the backwall, it should be less or more than that distance from the sidewall to avoid speaker boundary interference).



Very fussy about placement. Highs are not "smooth" per se.

May not be the best pairing for an AVR if you are thinking about building an HT.

Definitely worth checking out

Thats a bookshelf speaker and quite a mismatch to the others in your shortlist.


You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you dont audition the speakers before buying them. And you won't be able to get a good discount either.

There are a large number of shops in the Delhi/NCR region which have these brands on demo. Whats your reservation?
Thanks..could you name a few shops I could visit?

 

[deeps007]

Good to know its a Sony OLED. That does wonders to the sound

What is a tight punchy bass? One without overhang? Fast decay? More emphasis on mid-Bass than deep bass? Unfortunately, everyone has their own descriptors/adjectives.

But most importantly, bass is hugely dependent on placement for most if not all speakers.

For optimal results, it is usually necessary to pull out the speakers anywhere between 3-4 feet from the backwall and 2-3 feet from the side walls/

Remember, the distance of the speaker from the backwall and the sidewall should not be the same (for example, if the speaker is 3 feet from the backwall, it should be less or more than that distance from the sidewall to avoid speaker boundary interference).



Very fussy about placement. Highs are not "smooth" per se.

May not be the best pairing for an AVR if you are thinking about building an HT.

Definitely worth checking out

Thats a bookshelf speaker and quite a mismatch to the others in your shortlist.


You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you dont audition the speakers before buying them. And you won't be able to get a good discount either.

There are a large number of shops in the Delhi/NCR region which have these brands on demo. Whats your reservation?

Thanks for the detailed explanation on placement...The thing is that I am new to this world and don't know what to expect...just want a good warm sound that doesn't hurt my ears with a good tight bass( not the boomy one). I now understand that the kind of bass we get depends on a lot on placement.
Could you plz suggest any shops in delhi that I could visit and also any brands that I should audition? Also, just to add..I would be adding center, surrounds and height speakers later down the line.

 

[DB1989]

Thanks for the detailed explanation on placement...The thing is that I am new to this world and don't know what to expect...

Sure.

just want a good warm sound that doesn't hurt my ears with a good tight bass( not the boomy one).
I now understand that the kind of bass we get depends on a lot on placement.

Whether the bass is boomy or not depends upon placement. Any good speaker worth it's salt will not have boomy bass if placed with a bit of care

Could you plz suggest any shops in delhi that I could visit and also any brands that I should audition? Also, just to add..I would be adding center, surrounds and height speakers later down the line.

AV zone near GK2/Nehru place is one. They host Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, Monitor Audio, Definitive Technology and a few others brand.

There's Vivid hi-fi which is by a forum member out here.

There's also the audio co. which has almost everything under the Sun.

Check whichever is closest.

 

[bansalp]

AV Zone has KEF Q950 demo units for 1.24l

 

[deeps007]

Sure.

Whether the bass is boomy or not depends upon placement. Any good speaker worth it's salt will not have boomy bass if placed with a bit of care

AV zone near GK2/Nehru place is one. They host Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, Monitor Audio, Definitive Technology and a few others brand.

There's Vivid hi-fi which is by a forum member out here.

There's also the audio co. which has almost everything under the Sun.

Check whichever is closest.

Thanks a lot! Will go asap and update

 

[deeps007]

AV Zone has KEF Q950 demo units for 1.24l

I went there yesterday..did not have Kef as it had been sold out.

 

[bansalp]

I went there yesterday..did not have Kef as it had been sold out.

If you're interested, I can connect you to dealer who will give decent price for KEF Q750.

 

[deeps007]

I got to audition Focal chora 826 , Q acoustic 3050i and Monitor audio bronze and silver 500 series. Didn't like 3050 and MA bronze series. QA 3050 bass was bad and MA bronze sounded a bit harsh for my ears....I liked the sliver 500 model though. But the one that sounded best to me was the Focal chora 826.
They did not have wharfadele or Keff.
Went to Vividhifi next and they only had Sonus Faber. Must say the owner was quite friendly and demo set was awesome.
Audio co. said they don't have demo facility available.

Could anyone suggest any other place In delhi ncr to demo wharfadele and Keff?

 

[deeps007]

If you're interested, I can connect you to dealer who will give decent price for KEF Q750.

Wanted to hear it out first , before I could decide.

 

[deeps007]

Howz focal chora 826 ? Is it a good brand/model?

 

[k-pad]

Hi guys,

I am new to hifi world...need help to decide on my first setup.
I have a fairly large room of 20*16 ft(pictures attached) and seating position would be atleast 10-12 ft from speakers/TV. Room is kind of an open hall cum living room.
I have an 65 inch sony Oled TV and would mostly be watching movies/ott series and casual music listening..60 to 40 ratio of movies to music.
I have shortlisted the below but now sure as this would be my first speakers ever and I am not an audiophile...I want my music to sound good, balanced(not over the top bass or treble) bit a tight punchy bass and smooth enough highs.

Please suggest speakers(preferably floor standing) and compatible AVR under a budget of 2-2.5 lakh including AVR.

So far with my limited knowledge, I am considering these:
Evo 4.4
Linton
Paradigm premier 800f
Elac debut 6.2

Note that these are just based on youtube reviews...I have not audioned any of them yet. I live in Delhi ncr region.

Thanks
Deepak



View attachment 72984View attachment 72985

Hi Deepak,
Welcome to the madness!

I see the room is already set up.

So, I have only two questions.
1. Can you place your TV on the wall where the three-seater is? And move the three-seater about 6-8 feet away from the new TV position? If yes, there is a possibility that you can achieve some bass with near-field placement. (a -VERY BIG- sub will have to be placed where your left leg is.)
2. If you can't do that, can you install a thick glass/wooden sliding/shuttered door from where the door to your left hand is and that other room in the front of the picture? You will have to cordon off this space to get good bass in this room as is.

If you don't want to make any changes to this room, I unfortunately will have to break the news to you (I guess @DB1989 is being too nice): Pressurising a room this size with so many openings to other spaces is next to impossible. Near-field is your only hope. And even then, that gorgeous coffee table will have to go. Or you need to drape it with a thick cloth whenever you are watching movies.

Regards and best

PS: As for speakers, give some thought to what you want to do with this room before diving into speaker purchases; thank me later.
Am assuming there is a smaller space somewhere in this house that can be dedicated for AV.

PPS: It's a gorgeous, gorgeous living room!

 

[sandeepmohan]

For the love of god, please don't dump any Home Theater in that beautiful living room. Get a another room for this.
If you want to keep things simple and get good sound, I'd do no more than a pair of Dynaudio Focus 30's. Simple 2.0 setup with no external amplifier.
A second option is the new KEF LS60 Wireless

 

[deeps007]

Hi Deepak,
Welcome to the madness!

I see the room is already set up.

So, I have only two questions.
1. Can you place your TV on the wall where the three-seater is? And move the three-seater about 6-8 feet away from the new TV position? If yes, there is a possibility that you can achieve some bass with near-field placement. (a -VERY BIG- sub will have to be placed where your left leg is.)
2. If you can't do that, can you install a thick glass/wooden sliding/shuttered door from where the door to your left hand is and that other room in the front of the picture? You will have to cordon off this space to get good bass in this room as is.

If you don't want to make any changes to this room, I unfortunately will have to break the news to you (I guess @DB1989 is being too nice): Pressurising a room this size with so many openings to other spaces is next to impossible. Near-field is your only hope. And even then, that gorgeous coffee table will have to go. Or you need to drape it with a thick cloth whenever you are watching movies.

Regards and best

PS: As for speakers, give some thought to what you want to do with this room before diving into speaker purchases; thank me later.
Am assuming there is a smaller space somewhere in this house that can be dedicated for AV.

PPS: It's a gorgeous, gorgeous living room!

Thanks @k-pad
I understand your concern but unfortunately, I can't do anything about room. It's a living room and I can't have a dedicated HT room as of now, May be I will have it few years down the line but till then I want to get something that works for this room.
I understand now that I would not get the impact that I am looking for in this room but can I just start with a 2 channel stereo setup for music listening ? Maybe just with a good amplifier and decent pair of left and right towers? I don't want to do anything to the TV wall so I prefer floor standers.
Even if it is near field I am fine with it as far as I am listening to some decent sound.

 

[deeps007]

For the love of god, please don't dump any Home Theater in that beautiful living room. Get a another room for this.
If you want to keep things simple and get good sound, I'd do no more than a pair of Dynaudio Focus 30's. Simple 2.0 setup with no external amplifier.
A second option is the new KEF LS60 Wireless

Hi Sandeep! Yes I want to keep it simple now.
Are these active speakers?

 

[sandeepmohan]

Hi Sandeep! Yes I want to keep it simple now.
Are these active speakers?

Yes. Not to be confused with Active speakers used in a recording studio. These are a new breed of aesthetically pleasing, active loudspeakers for home use. Primarily targeted at the streaming segment and those who want to improve sound coming out of their TV's. Expansion is possible by means of adding a sub woofer if you like, however, maybe limited if you want to head down the path of home theater. All said done, you're looking at top notch sound quality from either of those options.

 

[deeps007]

Yes. Not to be confused with Active speakers used in a recording studio. These are a new breed of aesthetically pleasing, active loudspeakers for home use. Primarily targeted at the streaming segment and those who want to improve sound coming out of their TV's. Expansion is possible by means of adding a sub woofer if you like, however, maybe limited if you want to head down the path of home theater. All said done, you're looking at top notch sound quality from either of those options.

Yes. Not to be confused with Active speakers used in a recording studio. These are a new breed of aesthetically pleasing, active loudspeakers for home use. Primarily targeted at the streaming segment and those who want to improve sound coming out of their TV's. Expansion is possible by means of adding a sub woofer if you like, however, maybe limited if you want to head down the path of home theater. All said done, you're looking at top notch sound quality from either of those options.

Thanks Sandeep for the suggestion. Let me give it a thought..To be honest though..I am lost Feels like dreams for my first hifi setup are shattered! Atleast for now

 

[sandeepmohan]

Feels like dreams for my first hifi setup are shattered! Atleast for now

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[deeps007]

Can you elaborate on this?

The models you mentioned seem to be way too expensive and I have a budget of 2.5-3 lkh only.
I wanted to setup a 2.0 channel setup and gradually move on to 5.1 in this room. But as other forum members have suggested that it's not possible to fill this room with a good sound as it has a lot of open space.
So I am now confused and not sure how and what I can get.