Best audible bang for buck on Processor/Receiver for MK Speakers

dw89

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Hi All,

Starting to plan ahead for my next house build (touch-wood) and subject to lots of testing (hopefully with the help of Rob/Rich et al); I am wondering what people's experiences are with different receivers/processors and Mk Speakers? Especially interested in lower end of the 'budget' market (if you can really call it that!).

I am not sure (dependent on so many things but, for the most part, I'd factor in materials I choose for the house design for wherever it is) whether I will go separate cinema or just have it all in a lounge/media room so take room acoustics/shape out of the arena for the minute. So the questions are:

1) People's experiences of, say £5k ish stuff versus £10-15k+ Trinnov/Storm/Lyngdorf/Datasat etc
2) Experiences of different room correction software?
3) If you go for processor, what amps? Of Class? Audible Differences?

Personally I am not averse to spending money but I hate wasting it. I'm price-agnostic....I personally buy based on what I hear, so sound is most important and I'm not interested in spending double or triple for a tiny audible return. So 'if' I were to think going 'big' was an option I'd want something that could be updated when new HDMI standards/codecs come out (I know Trinnov can; I 'believe'?) but what about Lyngdorf/others? If it can handle 2.1 and codec changes I'd say (based on 1080p) we're probably good for 15years. Do those who've tested the 'biggies' really 'believe' they can hear a difference on a side by side comparison? Past the King's new clothes and all that. The last time I tested receivers at the £2k-£2.5k level (three of them) the winner (based on listening to the same disc, same scene over and over) was 100% obvious at the time. Is the difference between £5-6k and £16k that obvious for example? I assume, at that level, we're looking for a full 360 degree immersion bubble without being able to tell which speaker the sound is coming from. Obviously I will listen myself when it comes to it but I appreciate what you guys think.

On the speaker side...what experience does anyone have with the new circular in-ceiling MK's? Would anyone suggest (certainly with an Altitude 32 for example) 6/8 (or whatever) of those as opposed to, say, x4 950's or 150's? Perfectly acceptable to go for one x12 sub to upgrade to two at a later stage or have two x10s? I'm always happy to add to; I don't like replacing...again because of the waste of money.

Looking forward to hearing what you think.

dw;)
 
If you are looking for value bang for buck performance I'd suggest you steer away from MK speakers, especially their subwoofers.
 
"I am not sure (dependent on so many things but, for the most part, I'd factor in materials I choose for the house design for wherever it is) whether I will go separate cinema or just have it all in a lounge/media room so take room acoustics/shape out of the arena for the minute."

Hi, I went for lounge/media room and added projector and motorised screen as this suited our family viewing and requirements.

I chose M&K300 series and used IW150s in the ceiling as well as a pair of X12 dual 12 inch subs. Normal "living room", no acoustic treatment etc - normal plasterboard walls/ceiling and carpeted floor. Initially, processing and power was done by Anthem MRX1120 11-channel AVR - the ARC was very good and certainly made a difference. However, the speakers did tend to sound quite harsh and uncomfortable at higher volumes.

Since then I went pre-power using Lyngdorf MP-60 and a series of SDA2400 power amps. I chose these after reading about RoomPerfect (really easy to set-up). Now this has made a tremendous difference in two respects - the bass management has improved and the subs blend in exceptionally well with the other speakers. Also the headroom has massively improved and I can crank up the volume without any distortion or harshness whatsoever - you'll notice during pretty much any Disney movie, the volume needs to be increased substantially. Granted, the power to each speaker is now 400W per channel which obviously makes a huge impact but RoomPerfect really helped with bass control. Additionally there are various voicings that you can set for your own preferences depending on the content.

Highly recommended. But I would also advise demos to go and listen for yourself and appreciate the differences between the various systems out there. Best of luck!
 
Funny how we are installing many M&K loudspeaker systems and subwoofers into the pro area.

Maybe the professional music/movie engineers hear something that others just don’t get .......🤔
 
'I'd want something that could be updated when new HDMI standards/codecs come out' - never happens, the changes are too fundamental to simply 'swap' out just a board, the kit that gets close to offering a successful 'upgrade' path ends up more expensive than simply swapping out the 'legacy' unit or add/plan for a Lumagen video processor to deal with ever changing video standards.

Audio Processing and amplification - set the room up, install the speakers then organise home evaluation on the kit you are interested in, the most 'sorted' gear is costly as the software development costs are so high, the small scale 'factory direct' and pro-sumer electronics is great for amplification but often frustrating on processing!

Joe
 
Trying to future proof when HDMI 2.1 is just about creeping in is a fools errand at present. :/
 
It would seem that the big factor is your room design. If you need more than minimal room correction then lyngdorf is definitely worth the money over marantz, arcam etc. Lots of great speakers out there, I would argue that it’s worth the extra money to allow them the best opportunity to shine in your new area by having room perfect on board.
 

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