DT79
Distinguished Member
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Long rambling post alert! See signature for kit.
Well this past week has brought with it the horrible realisation that I’m getting old and even just sitting and listening to music is not immune from my decrepitude.
My lower back has long troubled me, but whereas for many years it would be a case of doing too much would make it hurt, then I’d take it easy for a few days and it would get better, over the past couple of years it has just deteriorated to the point where it’s more or less constantly niggling me and I struggle to sit in any kind of seat for more than about half an hour. Unfortunately the sofa in front of my speakers in the lounge was just no good for me. There is another in the room and swapping them round was an option but whilst the other one is better, it would only buy a little more time before the discomfort kicks in each time I sit there and it would still be a non starter if I’m already suffering.
I am seeing the doctor and hoping that there can be some effective treatment, but that’s going to take time, and I expect there will always be some element of ongoing management of the situation (also been seeing a Chiro regularly for ages) and sitting in the most comfortable seat possible is obviously a no-brainer.
Then this week for no reason that I can discern it got severely bad, worse than ever before, and I couldn’t even contemplate sitting on that sofa for 3 days and I just thought enough’s enough.
So the sofa has moved to the window bay to make way for a comfortable chair, thereby displacing my subwoofers. We found a s/h Stressless chair locally and that is now in situ in my main listening position, which makes a huge difference to my comfort.
TL/DR: bad back; sofa moved to front wall between speakers thereby displacing subs, to make way for comfortable chair in MLP.
Right now I’m slumming it with ‘just’ my Special Forties (I do realise how ridiculous that statement is). I’ve re-run RoomPerfect and to be fair it sounds great. The bass is even one of their strengths and if I hadn’t heard what it could be like with perfectly integrated stereo subs I’d be quite content. Even my wife commented the same. But I have heard what’s possible and I’m totally addicated to this game, so the “Hmm I wonder…” has already started. I could try to fit one or both of the subs in the room somewhere, but as you can see from the ‘after’ photo It’s not going to be anywhere on the front wall and I don’t think I’ll be happy with them sub-optimally shoe-horned in just or the sake of it. I’m wondering what options I might have for a stereo pair with deeper bass…
I reckon I could rustle up £5k including the proceeds of selling the S40s and the BW-2s, or maybe £3.5k if I hang on to the BW-2s ‘just in case’ (there is an outside chance that we will lose one of the sofas at some point and I get the front wall back).
Stand mounts are preferred by the Interior Design Authority; wood veneer floorstanders are definitely out. I may get away with an elegant floorstander if the design/colour is right*. Don’t mind s/h.
The good thing is that in addition to the regular speaker cables, I have 75ohm coax and balanced microphone cables installed going from the Hi-Fi to each speaker position, so passive and active (whether by analogue or digital RCA, or analogue XLR) options are open to me.
TL/DR 2: Looking for stereo speakers with even better bass than Special 40s for up to £5k, new or s/h.
What would you do? Advice and suggestions please . Looking on eBay a few options jump out at me…
Of those options I think the 30XDs appeal the most on paper and I could keep the BW-2s just in case, however this particular pair are collection in person from Harrogate, and driving there and back is a complete non-starter with my back.
Before:
After:
Cheers
Dan
Well this past week has brought with it the horrible realisation that I’m getting old and even just sitting and listening to music is not immune from my decrepitude.
My lower back has long troubled me, but whereas for many years it would be a case of doing too much would make it hurt, then I’d take it easy for a few days and it would get better, over the past couple of years it has just deteriorated to the point where it’s more or less constantly niggling me and I struggle to sit in any kind of seat for more than about half an hour. Unfortunately the sofa in front of my speakers in the lounge was just no good for me. There is another in the room and swapping them round was an option but whilst the other one is better, it would only buy a little more time before the discomfort kicks in each time I sit there and it would still be a non starter if I’m already suffering.
I am seeing the doctor and hoping that there can be some effective treatment, but that’s going to take time, and I expect there will always be some element of ongoing management of the situation (also been seeing a Chiro regularly for ages) and sitting in the most comfortable seat possible is obviously a no-brainer.
Then this week for no reason that I can discern it got severely bad, worse than ever before, and I couldn’t even contemplate sitting on that sofa for 3 days and I just thought enough’s enough.
So the sofa has moved to the window bay to make way for a comfortable chair, thereby displacing my subwoofers. We found a s/h Stressless chair locally and that is now in situ in my main listening position, which makes a huge difference to my comfort.
TL/DR: bad back; sofa moved to front wall between speakers thereby displacing subs, to make way for comfortable chair in MLP.
Right now I’m slumming it with ‘just’ my Special Forties (I do realise how ridiculous that statement is). I’ve re-run RoomPerfect and to be fair it sounds great. The bass is even one of their strengths and if I hadn’t heard what it could be like with perfectly integrated stereo subs I’d be quite content. Even my wife commented the same. But I have heard what’s possible and I’m totally addicated to this game, so the “Hmm I wonder…” has already started. I could try to fit one or both of the subs in the room somewhere, but as you can see from the ‘after’ photo It’s not going to be anywhere on the front wall and I don’t think I’ll be happy with them sub-optimally shoe-horned in just or the sake of it. I’m wondering what options I might have for a stereo pair with deeper bass…
I reckon I could rustle up £5k including the proceeds of selling the S40s and the BW-2s, or maybe £3.5k if I hang on to the BW-2s ‘just in case’ (there is an outside chance that we will lose one of the sofas at some point and I get the front wall back).
Stand mounts are preferred by the Interior Design Authority; wood veneer floorstanders are definitely out. I may get away with an elegant floorstander if the design/colour is right*. Don’t mind s/h.
The good thing is that in addition to the regular speaker cables, I have 75ohm coax and balanced microphone cables installed going from the Hi-Fi to each speaker position, so passive and active (whether by analogue or digital RCA, or analogue XLR) options are open to me.
TL/DR 2: Looking for stereo speakers with even better bass than Special 40s for up to £5k, new or s/h.
What would you do? Advice and suggestions please . Looking on eBay a few options jump out at me…
- ex-dem Kudos Titan 505s for £5k
- s/h Kudos Super 10 for £2k (original version not ’activateable’; could be worth a punt?)
- s/h Dynaudio Focus 30XD for £3.5k (pretty much the same footprint as what I have now and *this is an example of an acceptable floorstander, in the grey oak finish)
- s/h KEF Reference 3 for £4k (I think I’d get away with these because of the slim profile and silver baffle)
- new Kudos Super 10A £4k (not sure the bass will be any deeper than the S40s)
Of those options I think the 30XDs appeal the most on paper and I could keep the BW-2s just in case, however this particular pair are collection in person from Harrogate, and driving there and back is a complete non-starter with my back.
Before:
After:
Cheers
Dan
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