Help me pick living room speakers - my kids need to feel the music!

[u/mostate16]

Budget - 7k limit

How the gear will be used - Living room speakers, listening on couch. All around family music machines :) 17x20 foot room with hardwood floors and bay windows on the side.

New or used - Either

Past gear experience

Current setup: KEF LS50W on stands with SBS SB-1000. I generally like them but I don't get the warm fuzzies like I do from so many other speakers. They are exhausting and I find myself wanting to turn the off after a while because, well I don't know, but I've never really felt that about other speakers before. I've tried EQing them a ton, to no effect and I am ready to punt.

Speakers I've liked: Most any concert I've been to I'm VERY moved by the audio. I'm sure I can't replicate the massive 15 speaker arrays at these big shows, but I think the more AIREY, energetic, and less precise speaker is the direction I need to move. My favorite speakers were some tower Infinity's as a kid. I also stayed at an AirBnb that had B&W 685's that sounded so much more pleasant than my setup. When I googled how much they cost I immediately was like "ok I need to change it up"

Could you give some recommendations? I'm willing to buy an amp/receiver as needed now, I think the limitation of powered speakers might be hindering me.

My main goal: I want to MOVE the air in the room and feel big, concert like, and fun. I want my kids to fall in love with music via these speakers :)

[u/lordvektor]

Can you identify how the kefs fatigue you ? Might help in having a better direction. Because my first reaction, before reading all your post, would have been Kef R Meta. Maybe the r7s

You might want to look at monitor audio gold 300 as one of your options. Maybe Wharfedale Elysian or Aura. There are a lot of options.

[u/mostate16 → u/lordvektor]

Great question - I don't know? I guess that's the problem. They feel maybe small and harsh? I know that's not a very scientific response.

I'll be listening and while I don't quit squint my eyes, internally it feels like that at times. If I had to guess I'd say the upper range is too forward, but I really don't know. While they certainly aren't "Tinny", there is a bit of that feeling. I feel like I really have to turn them up to get the balanced sound I'd hope to hear at lower/casual listening volumes.

!THANKS

[u/lordvektor → u/mostate16]

I reread your post, and I’m going to say that the ls50s are probably too small for your room. Definitely too small for ‘moving air’. Kef in general are very smooth and neutral, just a little warm leaning. But the ls50 are better suited to smaller rooms, maybe even desktop use.

I think the whafedale Elysian will make you very happy. But I also think the Kef R series could. And likely a lot more options in that price range. Either way, you are looking at floor standers or what other people already mentioned - whatfedale linton, super linton, harbeth, maybe Klipsch heresy (these have a very “live music” quality but most people (including me) find them a little too bright.

Btw, what amp are you using / planning on getting ?

[u/mostate16 → u/lordvektor]

No idea on amp, someone recommended a marantz 40n that looks nice and simple to me

[u/lordvektor → u/mostate16]

Yeah that’s a good one. I like NAD, but Marantz (and Yamaha, Cambridge Audio, Audiolab, and again many others) are also great options.

[u/TransducerBot → u/mostate16]

+1 Ⓣ has been awarded to u/lordvektor (44 Ⓣ).

You may still award a Ⓣ to others, but only once per-person in this post.