Speaker Recommendations for living room

Hard to give layout suggestions without seeing the room and all surface construction. 

Theater setup or stereo?

FWIW I just installed some PSB CW26 speaks (in-wall) in my garage and I am very impressed. Powered by Onkyo A-8087. They aren’t particularly “loud”, but they handle the Onkyo very well at full power with zero distortion and have a really warm and rounded sound.

Klipsch Cornwall 

Not much better out there if you’re stuck on floorstanders. Heresys if you can’t afford corns.

Had the priv to listen to a Mac 2300 with heresys just last week, actually. Wooooo!

No worries zang we will get you all set up.

Nancy Pelosi

Is this a McIntosh thread hijack?
Let me throw in ......   ...........                            (I use Polks btw- I like em)

paging 

bweir I like cheese (jklowan)

He's got the answer

If you can find a pair of these in good shape it's what I would try, they are unidirectional and will sound good everywhere in that room. I have seen these pop up for around 700, this pair seems high

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9jh38-ohm-acoustics-walsh-tall-1000...

And if you are mostly watching TV I would go 5 channel with a sub, it will sound much better for TV but I'm not sure you'll fit it in under 2k unless you go big box store. you can match any brands of speakers provided the output is the same.

another older version

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ohm-Walsh2-speakers-Good-condition-Soun...

I am a fan of the Goldenear Triton series for floorstanders.  I have the reference speakers and they are about as good as it gets for my ears but like so many things audiophile your milage can and will vary and so many factors go into clean quality sound.  room acoustics and how the walls are treated are sometimes more important to the soundstage then amps and speakers

with that said, check out the triton 5s or 7s as a point of reference.  any store you go to who has them to be auditioned is also going to have some real interesting options at your price point.  I cant implore ya enough tho to go and audition multiple speakers before you make your purchase.  Ideally audition said speakers with the amp you will be using at home and the same media samples thru the same device you will be spitting the music back when you are listening the most at home.

happy hunting
 

https://www.goldenear.com/products/triton-series

Zang, I’m gonna go way out there and recommend you put a wanted ad up on your local craigslist. If you’re willing to spend a few thousand on a pair of speakers, then it would definitely be worth it to drive to “the guy” who collects and r&r’s hi-if speakers and can demo them all for you. Not a lot of these types around but there is one out there within driving range of you I bet. You’ll get a lot more for your money than buying new. What city is closest to you?

COOL Reading 

as components go

Denon Reciever

Into

Old School Sony 1 Disc Player

me It;s Amazing with 4 speaker Great Sound !!

with the Outlaws 5~26~78 Prisoner EX Sound A+++++ 9 mins Long 

Magnepan 3.7i and JL Audio Fathom f112v2 subwoofer

Nice Maggies, Thom.

You could do pretty well for yourself with the cheaper Magnepan LRS, Zang. $650 a pair.  Quite a steal. Placement is key though. They need to be 3' from the back wall to really shine.  They also need some power. A mass market receiver wont get much out of them. 

If you want something not too fussy with placement, the Buchart s400 monitor is an amazing little speaker and digs deep for a monitor...33hz.

The Philharmonic BMR (now made by Salk since Dennis Murphy is convalescing)  is a RAAL ribbon tweeter monitor that also has good off axis dispersion.  Ascend acoustics Sierra 2ex is also in the same category.  Pair any of these with a good subwoofer and youre home free.

If you have to have floorstanders take a look at Ascend's Sierra Tower (Raal ribbon tweeter) or the Tekton Double Impact (traditional dome tweeter) 

For subs, I like Hsu Research, REL and Rhythmik. They have different sizes and porting options to suit your taste.

In a 28 x 22 foot living room I have a pair of BP 7004's. I love em, nice thick full sound.

Ribbon speakers like the Magnepans are highly resolving, have excellent imaging/ soundstage and are extremely tight and fast. If you like Thom's, seriously look at their new LRS model for $650/pair.  Same panel style, just shorter and more wife friendly, imo.  Game changers, really and they'll get your foot in the door, seeing what a quality speaker can really bring to the game.

Curious what else you have in that rig, Thom.

Is that a Conrad Johnson Preamp third down? 

And whats that amp on the bottom? What DAC are you running?

Looks like a pretty personal setup there. Did you take the pic from your listening spot? With the speakers 5-6 feet apart like they are there, I picture a recliner or loveseat 6-7 feet out.

"more wife friendly"

LOL!    Yep, I married well.

I mean, traditionally, the ladies are known for not wanting two coffins standing up in the living room, but congrats.  

Look at the Buchardt s400 then.

They come close to playing like a floorstander in a monitor size and those Danes don't skimp on design. They are the only speaker my wife really liked the looks of.

You can find em used on hifishark.com for around $1400ish. 

Their waveguide around the tweeter is essentially a super engineered horn and makes real worrld, off axis listening much better a lot of other speakers.

https://www.buchardtaudio.com/shop

Mads, the owner, personally responds to all emails and is a really great guy in my experience.

stereo or Surround Sound?
 

Set up a 5.1 or 7.1 on the left side of the room. Put the tv on the wall with no windows

budget number?

then i would aks - what about the rest of the house. lanai?, Master Bed, Master Bath 

bump for the cat looking for speakers -- Scott

Damn! That's quite a set-up, Bss!

David Gans can't seem to say enough about his "Klipsch speakers in the living room."

Please explain your stack, there BSS.  Dummy here.

This is actually part of a friend's collection of solid state McIntosh amps.

You should see the Mc tube room.

klipsch cornerhorns in that one and just sounds like the voice of god

My current setup is McIntosh c32 > McIntosh 2125 > Infinity Kappa 8

and swapping the kappas soon for single woofer omegas

they're quite busy

4 - 8" ceiling speakers and a sub. I find the 8" give you more bass than the 6.5"

Pro 180 RPC from Klipsch, we had some 10" Klipsch in ceiling at our shop a few years ago and they were the best in ceiling product that I have heard but it looks like they are  no longer made. They were so heavy that you had to secure them with a threaded down rod from above 

Hello to sweater vest Zoner 

Klipsch F300 I hooked up a couple months ago.

I can't get enough of them -- they sound AMAZING.

y'all playin' MP3's on these?

y'all playin' MP3's on these?

LOL. I'm guessing probably not considering the cost of some of the equipment shown above. Playing MP3 sourced material to those who invest in such things pretty much brings about the same results as throwing water on the Wicked Witch of the West...total melting. 

Never

Those F300s look a bit too close to the fireplace.

It's gas-- I monitor the heat closely- not too bad  but I will be rearranging soon. I need them further apart -    thnx

what do those set you back, Vann?

No first hand experience, but 1970's Celestion Ditton 25's, 44's, and 66's from the UK get a lot of praise on audio boards.

Klondike, what do use to power those?  I'm looking to possibly upgrade to a set of those speakers and right not all I have is an old Harman Kardon receiver, which works pretty well with my old JBL studio monitors, but I want more powaah.

I'm looking for recommendations for a receiver/amp.  I know very little about what's out these days, but I what I do know is Mcintosh is out of my price range.  My current amp (Harman Kardon AVR 335) has 7 channels at 55 Watts per channel, but I only use 3 channels to drive 2 floor speakers and one center channel speaker (I also have a powered subwoofer).  This config works fine for tv/movies, which I will still need, but it's not cutting it for music, especially/specifically live GD recordings.

As mentioned, I'm looking at upgrading the speakers to Klipsch (RP 8000F) and keeping the Infinity center speaker and KEF sub, and I would like something that has the power to drive these properly (RP 8000F are rated to 150 watts continuous/600 peak). 

I would like to keep the price under $3000 (and preferably under $1500), and I would be ok with an integrated unit, but I would prefer a separate power amp with a pre-amp, but I am getting overwhelmed by the choices and lingo (DAC, Class A, AB, D, ect) I am confronted with when I search the web.

Any suggestions would be very welcomed!

Sorry for the (Klipsch) delayed response.

Scott - I ordered them straight from Klipsch and I think I got them on sale for about $890 for the pair. Klipsch shipped from their western  warehouse and they arrived in 3 days. I helped the driver pallet jack the pallet down my driveway and hyperextended my knee. Ok now.

Hall- I have a McIntosh CA 2500 tube pre amp pictured above powered by a Marantz amp (good one)  . Wish I could afford a couple of McIntosh Monobloc's- but I don't want to blow $22,000.

The good thing about the amp and preamp is they connect with XLR balanced cables- which I think makes a huge difference in clarity. I play music LOUD.

Also have a Polk sub hooked up.

Hall - check out the Rotel preamps- they're damn good---https://www.audioadvice.com/rotel-rc-1572-stereo-preamplifier-astock?gcl...

The power amp is a Marantz 7055- ran about $1200.

They would go good together.

In my humble opinion Mac stuff is way over rated right now, not worth the cash. If your gonna spend that kind of green go Bryston. 20 year warranty on the equipment with a great reputation and the sound will blow you away, you have never heard such a quiet/black background, trust me on this. Shop the used market as bargains can be had.

6b is the 3 channel amp at 300 watts per at 8 ohms / 500 watts per at 4 ohms and stable down to 1 ohm you will be in audio heaven. You should be able to pick a used one up for around 2500 and then add one of the pre's. You will never need another piece of equipment.

Yeah everybody that doesn't wanna cough up for Mc gear says that.

Bryston makes a great product at a great price. McIntosh makes a better product.

Apples and oranges really

Hall ~ Honestly, I would give your current receiver a try with the RP-8000F's. They have a rated sensitivity of 98db so, unless you have a rather large room, they will play plenty loud with the power you have now. If after you give them a listen you feel you need more oomph, you can upgrade but chances are the difference in sound will be minimal unless you go with something that is quite expensive.  

So, you have ears like a dog? Just buy a good set up and enjoy it already.

McIntosh promo, The Voice of Sound, narrated by Bob Weir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2TO9K00SaU

There's also the 'McIntosh At Home' Bobby demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSg3yzuEbdU

"If you can afford the best, you should get the best."

I wish I could afford a $100 000+ Mac stereo setup like Bob has.

McIntosh are excellent amplifiers. They are loved by a lot of people. They have a rich midrange and lots of bass. They are excellent for Rock music when paired with the right speakers. Personally, I do not like them. I love the look and have gone into audio shops with the express purpose of buying one and within 30 seconds abandoned the idea. A real lack of detail and balance to me. My audio guy sells them. A few years ago he said they changed and added detail… that I should listen again… it took me less than thirty seconds to realize again… sounded like a Mac to me. I left the room immediately.

It is a matter of taste. The brand is hugely popular. They are well built and most guys love the look

There is a reason most sound engineers master recordings using Bryston and not Mc equipment, reliability and neutrality. Your mileage may vary, but my wallet and ears are very happy

and one final comment about the newer Mc Brand...

Don't shoot the Messanger just stating facts - in my experience over the last 25 years in the AV industry every time a Private Equity company purchases a product that has been manufactured with Soul and Passion it ceases to have the build quality. If you know how a PE makes money, it's plan is to recoup its investment in 3 to 5 years from the purchase date. Think....How can they do that ? Find a way to make it cheaper and open up distribution... Shocking ? Who sells your beloved Mac now ? BB ? You can find it all over the net ... Go back in time and research how many great companies ( Fosgate, Levinson, Boston Accoustics, Infinity, Warfdale, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer Elite, Sunfire I can go on and on)  that were purchased by PE and where are they now ? Mac has weathered the test of time because it still looks great and it has a loyal following in the Asian market. I'm not saying its a bad product just not the same product that got its reputation when Frank McIntosh started the company in 1948. 

I personally found Bryston amps to sound a little too sterile/ clinical for my tastes in my rig.

It's all about synergy and matching with the character of your speakers/ system. The Philharmonic BMR monitors (3 way w/ ribbon tweeter) I have are extremely neutral and detailed and I landed on the Pass Labs x150.5 for my amp. It's a great balance between neutral and musical. It's a solid state and pairs perfectly with my Cary Slp-05 tube preamp and the BMR speakers.  The tubes in the pre give the sound a little bloom warmth and sweetness and the ss amp has a tight grip on the bass and plenty of slam. Transients are fast and articulate. 

Pass Labs make great product and would imho be in the top tier of manufacturers right now.  I am currently using Bryston Amps (14bsst & 6b sst)/Front end with Thiel 3.6 /Power points for the middle and rears speakers and they are a great match, I have my heart set on a pair of Magico's but my pockets right now cannot accommodate them :)

I also am running 2 JL audio F12 subs

my Tannoy Sensys DC2s, coupled with a 10" Klipsch sub in my office powered by new Sonos amp. Got away from the old Denon amp, and I am 100% Sonos, just don't need the power and Sonos makes whole house control and Surrond control thru the Arc so,easy my wife can use it all. She could not figure out the Denon and how to turn on other areas and also,how to set up surrond sound it was not used much by her. 

Those Magicos are phenomenal speakers.

Def pricey though. 

On the short list for if I ever upgrade to towers along with the Philharmonic Towers that Dennis Murphy just added to his lineup after a year or so off for health reasons. This guy makes some serious "giant killers" and his speakers are often referred to as the best value out there.

Right now though, these BMRs paired with a HSU sub do great in my 25 x 30 living room and already play louder than my wife wants at times. Ha

Looking back at Halls specs though, it sounds like a good new AVR integrated is prob the way to go. He still needs to drive the center speaker and a traditional Amp/ preamp combo won't cut it, unless he gets a multichannel amp. Then he needs to be able to toggle back and forth between TV and stereo, which would mean a separate preamp would need a cinema pass through/ bypass switch. That's what I came up with for my dual duty system Cary Preamp for stereo/ Marantz AVR for surround.

Denon x3700h and the new Onyoko are consistently getting rave reviews in this area, especially on the stereo playback side of things. These also allow for more surrounds eventually, manage surround, room correct, allow for other zones to be added in the house and have a lot of features for the buck, which I think is in the $1500 realm.

I'd have gotten the Denon if it was available when I got my Marantz.

I do one the Bryston SP3 which is a great pre pro and a very good stereo pre-amp, but way out of Hall's budget.

FYI -- those Klipsch F300's are now on sale for $225 each- Klipsch black friday sale.