Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Our room is rectangular with fairly high ceilings and a bay window to the left of the TV in the photo.

The left third of the room has a single chair in the bay window and a record player.

Two thirds on the right is where the sofa / TV are, so the arc has a large space to the left and a closer wall to the right.

I think it works really well the width of sound extends left and right. Worth noting that we’ve got two surrounds which might help.

Would definitely recommend one if you’ve got a tv that can support eARC.

Topping MX3s, a miniDSP nanodigi and a REL T5 are currently surplus to requirements if someone wants them

Prices ?

Cheers. Doesn't sound that different to mine so it's worth considering if I decide to upgrade my TV (I have an 8 year old plasma tv with a great picture but it's a bit bulky).

Yeah, it’ll sound nice with an old tv but Atmos is where it’s at and you won’t get that on anything that doesn’t have eARC.

Speaker placement help please!

I've got Q-Accoustics 3010is hooked up my technics amp and I've put the speakers on the floor as a temporary measure (they were driving too much interference near the turntable).

I think the only solution might be to wall-mount them to get them the right height - any suggestions on location/placement? It's only a 2.8m by 3m room....

Any suggestions?

This is the wall mount

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Tweeter at ear level when sitting in your listening position. Make an equilateral triangle with each speaker and your noggin.

http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_main.php

If possible, put the turntable on a wall mounted shelf.

... and with a little toe-in.

Thanks guys - the basic problem is space! With the door where it is and the width of the wall, practically it’ll be more of an isosceles triangle...

For these speakers, I don’t think it’s as vital to get them spaced from the wall since they (I think) are designed to be tolerant of small spaces!

Although reading the link that @dbr posted, the solution might be to mount them on the wall but aim them not for the sofa on the opposite wall (Long, narrow triangle) but for the room midpoint, to reduce the angles and to mitigate the door problem. My main concern is how far they should be from the turntable to avoid interference - I wouldn't find any set guide on this.

I did consider wall mounting the turntable, but the shelving above is quite narrow, so it’d stick out quite a lot! Plus our house is so uneven that a level shelf looks quite hilarious...

Drawing inspiration from this model really, without following the measurements exactly.

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That model of speaker do seem to need proximity to help with bass so being near the wall might help a bit. I've been struggling with the larger model on shelves, bass seems to disappear.

Wall mounting the turntable is probably going to be necessary. I use a small set of Vitsoe shelves to do that in one setup. Then you could put the speakers on top of the furniture in the pic and you'll have a decent sound but little or no stereo soundstage etc.

It's always handy to have a couple of free floating speakers to trial positioning because they interact with the room acoustics and there will be a decent placement but maybe not obvious. I use Libratone for this but I used to use any portable devices that were available or speakers on wire if it doesn't offend or endanger householders!

There's nothing wrong with the triangle positioning rule but it really applies to listening rooms where you are going to arrange the furniture around the stereo. It's possible to get enjoyable results with other methods if it's not a dedicated listening room.

Vitsoe works if you need a small wall mounted shelving system but it might not fit your aesthetic.

Thank you! I took a look at those shelves - I’m pretty sure they won’t meet with the required approval...I had a crack at trying to work out where else I could put everything (maybe, moving the whole setup minus the speakers, elsewhere in the room but leaving the speakers on the dresser)

But I think I’m just going to try wall mounting the speakers themselves - as I understand it, it’s the vibration from the speakers that interferes with the operation of the turntable, so if i wall mount them, that should resolve it. I will definitely test a few positions before I start drilling - I’ve only got wired speakers, it’ll be one person holding a speaker and another listening...

There is another problem which is the furniture that your turntable is sitting on will absorb energy from the speakers and your cartridge will pick it up.

Isolating your turntable really makes a difference.

on the subject of isolation, i'm looking for some pads to go under my speakers, as they'll be sitting on a TV bench/cupboard (Ikea Malsjo, if it makes a difference).

are there any great differences regarding brands here?
just looking at getting one of the cheaper sets on gear4music at the moment, something like this

Thanks guys - the basic problem is space! With the door where it is and the width of the wall, practically it’ll be more of an isosceles triangle...
For these speakers, I don’t think it’s as vital to get them spaced from the wall since they (I think) are designed to be tolerant of small spaces!

Your priority should be to get the speakers at ear level and as close to an equilateral triangle as possible. If you do wall mount them then point them down towards your listening position. You also need to think about wiring if you’ve a low PAF (partner approval factor).

Alternatively, I’d suggest either ditching the turntable and putting the speakers on the drawer unit, or better, ditch the amp and the speakers and switch to a pair of stand mounted Sonos Play 5s (or any active speakers) which you can then plug your turntable into

Where is your listening position in this diagram?

Edit: and the door / other furniture?

Ive boiled my options down to two speakers and need advice. Given the choice, which would you buy? new fully warrantied PMC Twenty5 23’s or lightly used KEF Reference 1s?

I love the PMC bass. Transmission line is not for everyone but I've been sold on it for years. Having said that the KEF are likely no slouch either. The only set of PMC I bought new were direct from PMC when they wanted customers to upgrade from the DB1SA so I got a decent discount. I've not heard the Twenty5 23's either, it seems unlikely they would disappoint, but would they be significantly better than a second hand older model from PMC ?

I should add that PMC have stood by their product over many years, often it was problems caused by amps which they replaced without cost and quickly. I'm guessing you are looking at passive versions so it will make less of a difference but their support has been exemplary.

Generally its the speakers vibrating the turntable if they are in close proximity (or at very high volumes) but there's a good chance the turntable can pick up vibration through the furniture from the floor when people are moving around or god forbid.. dancing!

Curious as to how you have narrowed down to those two options.

The last PMCs I heard were in the earlier letter based series. Can't quite remember if they GB1s or FB1s. At the time, I preferred something else.

If you want something to compare to the 25 series, I'd suggest the Spendor A line.

Right now, I am looking at a pair of Spendor A6 and also S9s on eBay. May not buy either, but then again...

Until recently I had a pair of Spendor A5s which are among the nicest speakers I've owned. Can't remember exactly when I acquired them but it was at least 10 years ago, maybe 15. So they did a good stint.

I’ve got the PMC’s and they’re great. I would say they excel with mids and highs but they do struggle with bass. They lack a little oomph.

I think it's a common perception with transmission line bass, not without foundation. I did see it improve with my LB1's when I used a couple of 250w Hypex amps to power them. Really improved the bass extension. The Bryston 4B is a classic combination with these apparently and that's a 250pc watt amp.

I use the PMC tw0two.Sub1 under my desk with the twotwo.5 wall mounted. I also have the remote which is insanely expensive but worth it. I'm still a bit stuck on full range where there's no desk involved but the sub really fills things in so nicely, it probably does a great job even with the floorstanders.

I guess the other thing to note about PMC and similar speakers (ATC maybe Spendor), they are designed to be pretty flat, so if they suit your room they're very revealing. I've come to like that quality.