Need help picking room for 2 channel rig

EndersShadow

My wife and I are moving in April of next year. We have the place picked out, etc. Here is where I need help. I have choice of 1 of 2 rooms for the office/2 channel room. Both are kinda small, but I am wanting to get thoughts on if one room is better than another. Right around the time we move I get my bonus and plan to really invest in my 2 channel setup.

Here are what the rooms choices are bedroom the 10 x 11 or 11 x 11. I believe both have windows on the outside wall.

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I also am wanting to know if this room is going to be too small for some SDA's (thinking 1C's or CRS's), Maggie MMG's, or Carver Amazings or AL-II's. Simply talking about room spacing, assume I will have the proper gear/amplification to run any of those speakers. I might also get a set of LSi 9's to start with and go from there.

madmax

My Amazings sounded pretty crappy in a small squarish type room. Square is not great for sound in general. For SDA's it will be tough to get them even close to 3' away from the side walls as well as how close you would be to them to keep in a triangle. Given the choice I would go with the 10x11 room. Actually I see the rooms I would use, either the 13x15 or more preferably the 21x13. I know, I know... Will you have a basement?

Conradicles

I would use the 10 x 11 bedroom with some small monitors on stands. Maybe a nice compact sub, depending on the monitors you choose. Room treatments also. Enjoy!

EndersShadow

madmax wrote: »

My Amazings sounded pretty crappy in a small squarish type room. Square is not great for sound in general. For SDA's it will be tough to get them even close to 3' away from the side walls as well as how close you would be to them to keep in a triangle. Given the choice I would go with the 10x11 room. Actually I see the rooms I would use, either the 13x15 or more preferably the 21x13. I know, I know... Will you have a basement?

Conradicles wrote: »

I would use the 10 x 11 bedroom with some small monitors on stands. Maybe a nice compact sub, depending on the monitors you choose. Room treatments also. Enjoy!

No basement, it?s an apartment and the 13 x 15 room will not fly as my listening room lol. I looked at the manual for the 1C and it said ideal placement is 4-6 feet apart with 3 feet on either side. Given that the 1Cs are 1.5 feet wide I would just barely have room for them (4 feet + 3 feet of speaker + 3 feet of separation) using the 11 foot wall. But that?s pushing it.

I know that square rooms are by no means ideal for 2 channel that?s what I wanted to get thoughts from you guys on what speakers I should be looking at for it since the biggest factor is the room.

The more I look at the room, the more I think a pair of LSi 9?s might be where I go to start. My goal is to invest about 1 to 1.5k into my entire 2 channel setup with focus on good sources/amplification and wiring. Everything will be purchased used where possible to cut down on cost.

I am going to be using a Squeezebox touch as my DAC, so I want a good pre w/ volume control (thinking Nakamichi CA-7), a good amp (like a Carver M500t) and some good speakers (right now thinking LSi 9?s on VTI stands). The speaker connections with either be some older MIT stuff, or Audioquest, with the preferred one being MIT.

I may also build some custom triangular bass traps.

cnh

10' is a decent width. I have my LSI-7s in my home office which is the same width but considerably longer at 10 x 17. The speakers are a foot and a half in from either wall and 2 feet away from the back wall and about 10 feet or less from me. The room is lined by 6' modular bookshelves behind the speaker and on the right wall. There is one bookcase on the left wall and an equipment rack next to it. Only one window on my side which I have surrounded by styrofoam boards (I know...a cheap treatment but it seems to work).

Don't know if much of the above would be applicable except that I do believe that LSi bookies (7s or 9s) would work well in your space IMO.

cnh

EndersShadow

cnh wrote: »

10' is a decent width. I have my LSI-7s in my home office which is the same width but considerably longer at 10 x 17. The speakers are a foot and a half in from either wall and 2 feet away from the back wall and about 10 feet or less from me. The room is lined by 6' modular bookshelves behind the speaker and on the right wall. There is one bookcase on the left wall and an equipment rack next to it. Only one window on my side which I have surrounded by styrofoam boards (I know...a cheap treatment but it seems to work).

Don't know if much of the above would be applicable except that I do believe that LSi bookies (7s or 9s) would work well in your space IMO.

Yeah, I think thats probably what I will end up with, the question now is LSi 7's or LSi 9's, and thats a subject that has been discussed infinitum

I have a desk and small entertainment center that will be in the office along with a bookcase.

I think I might put the LSi's along the outside wall and center the entertainment center (which will house all the gear) on the window I believe is there. The desk will probably be along the non common wall along with the bookshelf (if it fits).

I am going to purchase a nice recliner/chair to sit in and place that dead center in the LP. I just wish May would hurry up and get here so I could start ordering gear and setting everything up

madmax

Personally I find the lsi7's to be more musical. Either one should be a good mate with that size room too!

EndersShadow

madmax wrote: »

Personally I find the lsi7's to be more musical. Either one should be a good mate with that size room too!

Yeah, but my thought is w/ the LSi 7's I personally would probably want a sub (I like bass). With the LSi 9's I dont think I will need one (after hearing them at dcmartinpc's place), or if I do it would be much later. Obviously adding a sub means I have to shed cost somewhere else, and also adds another set of cables (or two if using line level in's) to the mix which further subtracts.

I think the LSi 9's will give me the best bang for my buck right now, but my mind may change between now and my purchase. I just know that in looking at cables (2 pair of Audioquest Sidewinders or higher paired with Audioquest Rocket 33 or Series 4 speaker cables, or comprable MIT wire) I am looking at around 200-400 bucks on cables alone + Squeezebox + good pre + amp. I can always cheap out a bit on the pre now, or just get a totally passive one w/ volume control (since I only will have the squeezebox touch as my source), but we will see.

I guess I will just have to wait on owning the bigger speakers till we get a house which is about 5 years out :frown: