Need opinions on these potential L/C/R upgrade options, $5-6K CAN price range.

sb01gt said:

I'll start off with the relevant information:

• open concept living room (condo)
• current speakers: KEF R300 + R600c
• speaker distance to MLP ~8-8.5 ft
• average movie watching volume -20 MV (fluctuates higher/lower due to some BEQ filters, preference, etc. volume will never go past -10 MV)
• AVR will be an AudioControl Concert XR-6 (Continuous power output, per channel, 8Ω / 4Ω: 100W/100W, not looking to invest in an external amp as of now)
• use case is 100% for physical media/streaming playback (also have BEQ implemented)

I've attached a picture of the room to give an idea at the bottom, it's a bit outdated (before room darkening shades installed, and using KEF KF92 as the sub now), but should give a good idea of the space in question.

Here is the list I've narrowed down for considerations with some potential pros/cons for each speaker. If I might be missing something that's also worth looking into, feel free to let me know. Due to being in Canada I will not be able to listen to most of these options before hand.

• Arendal 1723 S - towers + center
  pros: lots of speaker for the money, very dynamic, large wave guide, matching height channels for the future to replace KEF Q50a's if desired
  cons: 2-way center channel, hard to drive, towers maybe too large for space, lower end for aesthetics, importing from the US
• Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2EX + Horizon center with RAAL upgrade
  pros: 3-way center channel, great build quality & components, nice finishes available, ribbon tweeter advantage for HT?
  cons: center too tall for current stand, bookshelves harder to drive, ribbon tweeter disadvantage for HT?, importing from the US
• JBL HDI-1600 + HDI-4500
  pros: large 2.5 way center channel, compression driver
  cons: lowest end for aesthetics, sidegrade instead of upgrade? importing from the US (not sure if available in Canada)
• Paradigm Founder 40B + 90C
  pros: large 3-way center channel, brand new models, high end build quality & finishes, large wave guide, available locally
  cons: price (most expensive option), no solid reviews/measurements available yet
• Funk Audio - 6.1EP + matching center
  pros: great build quality & components, planar tweeter advantage for HT? available locally
  cons: 2-way center channel, price (few hundred $ less than Paradigm), planar tweeter disadvantge for HT?

Honorable mentions that didn't crack the top 5 for me are: Monitor Audio Gold 100 + C250 (not much info, hard to drive), B&W 705 S2 + HTM71 S2 (very bright), Polk Legend L200 + L400 (no reviews, low end aesthetics).

I was originally just considering the Arendals as I thought they would most likely be a significant upgrade (even moreso if not using the sub in the evenings), but as I looked into things more, I was definitely intrigued at the various different options in this price bracket. My biggest point of debate is what might the non-traditional tweeter options (Ascend, JBL, Funk) bring to the table (good & bad) over the more traditional Arendal & Paradigm options for home theater. The other main point is that maybe NONE of these options would be considered a significant upgrade for my use case, and the money can be used instead for a 77" Sony A80J this upcoming black friday to upgrade my current 65" Panasonic OLED (although I'm still waiting on reviews on that as well, and could wait another year to see what 2022 OLED models bring). Hopefully we can get a good discussion going in the mean time though.

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KEF - R600c Center Channel Speaker

www.musicdirect.com

kblackburn101 said:

You need a decibel measurement for movies , if you listen louder bookshelves will strain avr . But if not then there fine , your current speakers are very nice tho smaller then today’s q series but still better center has two woofers . How long ago did you purchase that sub too late for return ? You may need to add something more substantial for theater 🎭... ouch Canada 🍁 subs are harder to find ...

KEF - R600c Center Channel Speaker

www.musicdirect.com

You’d probably need towers for an upgrade over those fronts , almost kef r3 size .
In pics sub looks big , ehh if it’s loud enough. I don’t see anything wrong with your speakers unless you dislike kef ??
Panasonic makes OLED??? Can’t buy them in USA 🇺🇸 I’m using a 42” plasma in a bedroom it looks better then my 4k tv did ... I thought panny quit tv Business years ago ??

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sb01gt said:

I'll start off with the relevant information:

• open concept living room (condo)
• current speakers: KEF R300 + R600c
• speaker distance to MLP ~8-8.5 ft
• average movie watching volume -20 MV (fluctuates higher/lower due to some BEQ filters, preference, etc. volume will never go past -10 MV)
• AVR will be an AudioControl Concert XR-6 (Continuous power output, per channel, 8Ω / 4Ω: 100W/100W, not looking to invest in an external amp as of now)
• use case is 100% for physical media/streaming playback (also have BEQ implemented)

I've attached a picture of the room to give an idea at the bottom, it's a bit outdated (before room darkening shades installed, and using KEF KF92 as the sub now), but should give a good idea of the space in question.

Here is the list I've narrowed down for considerations with some potential pros/cons for each speaker. If I might be missing something that's also worth looking into, feel free to let me know. Due to being in Canada I will not be able to listen to most of these options before hand.

• Arendal 1723 S - towers + center
  pros: lots of speaker for the money, very dynamic, large wave guide, matching height channels for the future to replace KEF Q50a's if desired
  cons: 2-way center channel, hard to drive, towers maybe too large for space, lower end for aesthetics, importing from the US
• Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2EX + Horizon center with RAAL upgrade
  pros: 3-way center channel, great build quality & components, nice finishes available, ribbon tweeter advantage for HT?
  cons: center too tall for current stand, bookshelves harder to drive, ribbon tweeter disadvantage for HT?, importing from the US
• JBL HDI-1600 + HDI-4500
  pros: large 2.5 way center channel, compression driver
  cons: lowest end for aesthetics, sidegrade instead of upgrade? importing from the US (not sure if available in Canada)
• Paradigm Founder 40B + 90C
  pros: large 3-way center channel, brand new models, high end build quality & finishes, large wave guide, available locally
  cons: price (most expensive option), no solid reviews/measurements available yet
• Funk Audio - 6.1EP + matching center
  pros: great build quality & components, planar tweeter advantage for HT? available locally
  cons: 2-way center channel, price (few hundred $ less than Paradigm), planar tweeter disadvantge for HT?

Honorable mentions that didn't crack the top 5 for me are: Monitor Audio Gold 100 + C250 (not much info, hard to drive), B&W 705 S2 + HTM71 S2 (very bright), Polk Legend L200 + L400 (no reviews, low end aesthetics).

I was originally just considering the Arendals as I thought they would most likely be a significant upgrade (even moreso if not using the sub in the evenings), but as I looked into things more, I was definitely intrigued at the various different options in this price bracket. My biggest point of debate is what might the non-traditional tweeter options (Ascend, JBL, Funk) bring to the table (good & bad) over the more traditional Arendal & Paradigm options for home theater. The other main point is that maybe NONE of these options would be considered a significant upgrade for my use case, and the money can be used instead for a 77" Sony A80J this upcoming black friday to upgrade my current 65" Panasonic OLED (although I'm still waiting on reviews on that as well, and could wait another year to see what 2022 OLED models bring). Hopefully we can get a good discussion going in the mean time though.

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Upgrader said:

You are starting with a really good budget. Since you are getting all 3 from the same company you may want to skip (or rank lower) the 2-way centers because ... your seating area includes a couch to the right of the stage which would certainly benefit from the 3-way.

That leaves the Ascend Sierras and Paradigm Founders. I would order them first and also order them both at the same time. Try them in your room with your equipment and your ears. Despite what anybody in these forums tells you only you will know what the better set is. Be comfortable with the idea of sending one of them back (and even both) and paying for the return cost.

Don't forget to drop us a note here with your impressions.

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KEF KF92

Compact powered subwoofer with dual 9" force-canceling drivers

www.crutchfield.com

Upgrader said:

You are starting with a really good budget. Since you are getting all 3 from the same company you may want to skip (or rank lower) the 2-way centers because ... your seating area includes a couch to the right of the stage which would certainly benefit from the 3-way.

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Kini62 said:

What do you find lacking with your current speakers as they are very good? What are you trying to gain? You might be better off with adding one or two Funk subs instead of changing out your current speakers for speakers that seem to be more of a lateral move.

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sb01gt said:

I should mention, that couch is barely ever used. I've been looking for a decent sectional to replace the couch & loveseat combo for over a year now for my space, but the pricing and availability currently (like many other things) has continued to get worse, so not sure how long it might be until I actually do get something. Any decision should be taken without the side seating in mind though.



I was mainly curious if there would be a notable performance increase for movie watching with any of these options, whether it be in dynamics/clarity/soundstage. If the consensus ends up being that there probably won't be, then like I said, I could look at possibly using the money elsewhere like the TV instead. Funk subs will be a no go until I'm in a house, I can't use the headroom they provide in this space. A second KF92 will be plenty at my listening levels to smooth things out, as a single already provides good performance to 9-10Hz in my space.

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RayGuy said:

Totem not on the list? In Canada, you won't find much better. Tribe III x 3, either on-wall or on stands. Lots of output with a small footprint for your room. Not to mention, if you live near a large city, you can hear them yourself before purchasing. That is invaluable in making a good selection you can live with long term. A dealer-driven product, so be sure to negotiate a hefty discount from MSRP!

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sb01gt said:

Not as much of a fan of their aesthetics and I don't know if their center channel options hold up to the others, but they do sell them at the one local place that sells Paradigm here so I can take a look at their offerings. I have been waiting on them to get the new Paradigm Founders series to take a listen, but they have no idea when they will be receiving any to demo. My main issue with demo'ing is that they only have setups for 2-channel music basically, which I have no interest in... but I can get some sort of idea on the sound signature of the speaker at least.

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sb01gt said:

• use case is 100% for physical media/streaming playback (also have BEQ implemented)

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Nick V said:

For strictly HT, planar/ribbon drivers tend to be the most delicate option with the highest risk of damage. I've blown an Aurum Cantus ribbon tweeter before in an HT application (they did sound great though).

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Zorba922 said:

Is this 100% video/TV streaming, or will you sometimes do MUSIC streaming as well?

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Zorba922 said:

OP does not appear to be a volume freak (he says -20 on his AVR volume is his typical level and never goes above -10, so from his 8ft listening distance that probably means 70-75db tops).

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sb01gt said:

No music streaming for this setup.

Correct. When doing amp power calculations I generally look at just 95db for peaks in SPL for movies, that's why I think I'm perfectly fine with the 100W all channels driven of the AudioControl AVR even with some of these potential 4 ohm choices.

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Zorba922 said:

100% HT, average SPLs, there's no need to blow $5-6K CAD unless you simply WANT to.

I wouldn't bother with RAAL tweeters, imo the qualitative difference during HT will be imperceptible.

Since you also seem to value aesthetics, being in Canada your best option is probably Paradigm and I'd simply stick to the Premier series, just try to get their best center which would be the 600C. In fact, if you wanted to go with the Monitor SE for all the other positions except for the center, I doubt there'd be much perceptible difference either, to be honest.

Where I might splurge would be on the subwoofer(s)...SVS is a poor bang-for-the-buck in the US, but in Canada it might be the least of available evils.

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sb01gt said:

In my current situation (condo), I can't go with huge subs or else I'd be getting two 18's from Funk Audio. A second KF92 will be in the future when I can find another good deal on one, it performs very good for my use case. Like you said, and as I mentioned near the end, it's quite possible I don't go with any option if I'm most likely not going to see a significant upgrade. I researched the potential options at this budget since I was curious, and that's why I'm currently just trying to get as much insight as possible here.

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