Selecting appropriate speakers. (3 replies)
Hi Prateek,
I, personally, won't jump into the "what's the best speaker" discussion because I don't want indicate any HAA bias; real or imagined. I will say that Genelec and QSC are both top brands and I feel you should find both reliable and well made. Beyond the discussions of which speaker sounds the best or is the best, my general guidelines for speaker selections revolve around some basic criteria.
- What specifications are available? Both QSC and Genelec are stand-outs on this as they are both heavily invested in the "Pro" world where specs are required for entry into most projects.
- Is the speaker appropriate for your project? This where the specifications are required. Does the directivity of the speaker work well for the room and seating layout for your system? The key here is lining up the off-axis limit with the width of your seating area. Many commercial speakers are designed for larger rooms where the LCR speakers are far enough away from the listeners to provide good coverage. In a small room they can be "too close" thus limiting the extreme right and left listeners to less than satisfying focus.
- Can the speakers generate "reference" sound pressure levels? In general, we are looking for the capability to generate effortless SPL (105 dB plus 3 dB of headroom) at the distances where listeners will be.
- Other factors like low distortion, smooth response, and smooth off-axis response are trickier since were depending on the manufacturers specifications, but a good company will have this data for you to review.
I invite members to chime in with their own personal recommendations. I also would recommend you contact the respective manufacturers to get their recommendations on the suitability of these products in your room and seating layout.
Good luck!
Hi Gerry,
My genelecs cannot hit 105db and I have realized that they are really good for near field listening.
These have very narrow sweet spot. Which helps them perform well even in untreated room for near field listening.
I am planning to sell it but with which speaker to replace it has become a big challenge. Unless I finalise the speakers I don't want to sell these.
Reason for choosing qsc- can reach the reference levels without any issue. Price is within my budget.
US price for qsc sc 1120 is around 800$ and Indian price is around 500$(35000 rupees)
Other brands costs a lot here. Example- speaker XYZ costing 1000$ in USA will cost around 1400$ in India.
Doubts-
1)Will be sitting too close to the speakers.
2) will they sound harsh as they are horn loaded. Can calibration fix it?
Are there any other speakers under 500$ which can fit my criteria?
Thanks
Prateek Atasniya
Hi Prateek,
You are on the right track !
By the information you provided above, You can either add a matching centre channel and surrounds with the Genelec 2.1 to complete the Dolby 5.1 HT for a life like movie experience. Since you sitting at a 11 feet in a room with thick rugs and curtains which can control the reverberations but also narrow down the Focus or imaging of the front channels. You need to calibrate the room for a Dual usage of Music Listening and HD Movie watching, which requires the perfect speaker selection with appropriate Amplification and control.
I wouldn't be able to comment if you should replace the Genelec's with something else or just add the missing channels to complete the technical requirement for a residential 5.1 Dolby cinema, but suggest that you should check speakers with Alluminium/Silk Dome or ribbon drivers to replace the Genelec's (if required).
Reason for choosing qsc- can reach the reference levels without any issue. Price is within my budget.
US price for qsc sc 1120 is around 800$ and Indian price is around 500$(35000 rupees) # INDIA PRICE IS LOWER HERE 
Other brands costs a lot here. Example- speaker XYZ costing 1000$ in USA will cost around 1400$ in India.
#Business models have changed and its not the case anymore. We can arrange DEMONSTRATIONS for a plethora of pro speaker set ups and provide you direct contact to official distributors of the equipment you choose for transparent and fair pricing in India. Absolutely personalised demonstrations also available where you can listen and watch your own content for a thorough comparison and quality test.
#Main criteria is good sound for movies with thunderous crisp bass.
This is achieved with a complete integration process which starts by understanding the room aesthetics and boundaries, choosing the perfect sized speakers, Matching them with accurate amplification and , finally calibrating the entire AV to create a life like Movie and Music experience as per THX or Dolby Standards.
Hope you find these fundamentals helpful!
Cheers & Goodluck!
Rahul@tridentred.in&newtab
|| TRIDENT || ED-Mumbai
I have genelec 8040b studio monitors and genelec 7060b subwoofer for my bedroom theatre.
I watch a lot of movies and listen music from tidal HIFI frequently.
Main criteria is good sound for movies with thunderous crisp bass.
Listening distance from speakers is 10-11 feet.
Room size is 16 x 13 x 11 feet . 11 being the height.
Room is furnished with thick carpet curtain etc
I don't know if these speakers are right for this application.
I planned to sell them and buy qsc SC 1120 speakers. Coz they cost within my budget around 500usd in India. But have kept this idea on hold as I'm not confident about it.
Getting demos of speakers is very difficult here.
We have to buy blindly based on the reviews.
Other brands costs approximately (in rupees) 100 x American price of speakers in dollars.
Actual conversion -1 USD equals 72 Indian rupees
Thanks.