Finsup and Wemfan,
Finsup:
"Tim,
Of course, all your suggestions are sensible and probably have been extremely helpful to Wemfan. I re-read the thread and I still don't see him mentioning HT. He's mentioned TV twice in the thread. He'll probably clarify - I mean - he has the Oppo 105 so why not watch movies in the bedroom!??"
I agree that all my suggestions are sensible, as are yours(although I'm sure you just forgot to include the adjective "extremely" in front of "sensible" as you surely intended). Just having some fun.
You're correct, I assumed he would be watching tv, as well as bluray movies, in his deluxe bedroom system and referred to the totality as HT in my prior posts.
"I think it may be a mistake to forego a center channel speaker given he has mentioned a few times how important dialogue is. I don't think relying on a phantom center is this case will be sufficient - especially if he intends to watch 90% TV (and maybe movies) and 10% music."
Yes, given Wemfan's statements, he will probably want to include a dedicated center channel speaker in his system. I would not recommend the use of a 'phantom center', either. I think he agrees and is planning on including a dedicated center and bought a rack that has a position for it.
"As to his probable speaker choice - the KEF LS50 - I have not heard them, only read about them. Given his space limitations, those familiar with them, do you think they will work in his space? I am wondering if a speaker that isn't placement sensitive might merit consideration?"
I have never listened to the KEF LS50s, either. I actually recommended earlier a different pair of speakers to Wemfan, the Golden Ear Triton towers, but he chose to buy the KEFs. I do not think that Wemfan made a bad choice. On the contrary, the more reviews and info I read about these speakers, the more I think Wemfan made a good choice with the LS50s.
All speakers, in my experience, are 'placement sensitive' and require some sort of trial and error experimental positioning to achieve optimum sq results.
Currently, I have only 2 concerns once Wemfan gets his chosen system up and running:
1. Will it have sufficient and the proper bass response?
The KEFs are highly rated and may deliver sufficient and well defined bass response all by themselves, especially considering this is a bedroom system that will not require prodigious amounts of bass. The good news, if Wemfan decides he wants increased bass performance, is that this can be easily incorporated later by adding an amplified subwoofer. This is a decision that needs to be addressed after system setup and assessment.
2. What speaker stands will Wemfan purchase?
The LS50s require a pair of good quality stands for setup positioning and optimum sq performance. The critical factors are the height and left and right positioning in relation to Wemfan's head/ears at his listening position, presumably laying in his bed. A 3rd factor to consider is the coupling/decoupling desired from the stands/speakers to the floor. I am not well versed on this subject since I prefer to use floor standing panel speakers, not monitors.
I agree with Finsup, it would be very helpful to hear from LS50 owners/users and others knowledgeable of these speakers at this point.
As I currently understand it, Wemfan has the hdtv, Oppo 105,3-shelf rack and the KEFs are ordered and on their way. That leaves 2 components for Wemfan to decide on and order: the stands and an amplifier.
I've been looking into possible stands and would suggest Wemfan start by looking at Sound Anchor and Sanus stands. I found Google searches such as "Sanus(or Sound Anchor) stands for KEF LS50 speakers" works well, either pressing 'enter' for general results or clicking on 'images' if you want a visual of options.
You're almost there Wemfan,
Tim
Finsup:
"Tim,
Of course, all your suggestions are sensible and probably have been extremely helpful to Wemfan. I re-read the thread and I still don't see him mentioning HT. He's mentioned TV twice in the thread. He'll probably clarify - I mean - he has the Oppo 105 so why not watch movies in the bedroom!??"
I agree that all my suggestions are sensible, as are yours(although I'm sure you just forgot to include the adjective "extremely" in front of "sensible" as you surely intended). Just having some fun.
You're correct, I assumed he would be watching tv, as well as bluray movies, in his deluxe bedroom system and referred to the totality as HT in my prior posts.
"I think it may be a mistake to forego a center channel speaker given he has mentioned a few times how important dialogue is. I don't think relying on a phantom center is this case will be sufficient - especially if he intends to watch 90% TV (and maybe movies) and 10% music."
Yes, given Wemfan's statements, he will probably want to include a dedicated center channel speaker in his system. I would not recommend the use of a 'phantom center', either. I think he agrees and is planning on including a dedicated center and bought a rack that has a position for it.
"As to his probable speaker choice - the KEF LS50 - I have not heard them, only read about them. Given his space limitations, those familiar with them, do you think they will work in his space? I am wondering if a speaker that isn't placement sensitive might merit consideration?"
I have never listened to the KEF LS50s, either. I actually recommended earlier a different pair of speakers to Wemfan, the Golden Ear Triton towers, but he chose to buy the KEFs. I do not think that Wemfan made a bad choice. On the contrary, the more reviews and info I read about these speakers, the more I think Wemfan made a good choice with the LS50s.
All speakers, in my experience, are 'placement sensitive' and require some sort of trial and error experimental positioning to achieve optimum sq results.
Currently, I have only 2 concerns once Wemfan gets his chosen system up and running:
1. Will it have sufficient and the proper bass response?
The KEFs are highly rated and may deliver sufficient and well defined bass response all by themselves, especially considering this is a bedroom system that will not require prodigious amounts of bass. The good news, if Wemfan decides he wants increased bass performance, is that this can be easily incorporated later by adding an amplified subwoofer. This is a decision that needs to be addressed after system setup and assessment.
2. What speaker stands will Wemfan purchase?
The LS50s require a pair of good quality stands for setup positioning and optimum sq performance. The critical factors are the height and left and right positioning in relation to Wemfan's head/ears at his listening position, presumably laying in his bed. A 3rd factor to consider is the coupling/decoupling desired from the stands/speakers to the floor. I am not well versed on this subject since I prefer to use floor standing panel speakers, not monitors.
I agree with Finsup, it would be very helpful to hear from LS50 owners/users and others knowledgeable of these speakers at this point.
As I currently understand it, Wemfan has the hdtv, Oppo 105,3-shelf rack and the KEFs are ordered and on their way. That leaves 2 components for Wemfan to decide on and order: the stands and an amplifier.
I've been looking into possible stands and would suggest Wemfan start by looking at Sound Anchor and Sanus stands. I found Google searches such as "Sanus(or Sound Anchor) stands for KEF LS50 speakers" works well, either pressing 'enter' for general results or clicking on 'images' if you want a visual of options.
You're almost there Wemfan,
Tim