Floor standing or stand mount for cinema

AngelRex

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Hey, quick question, I have a Denon 4500 and was considering upgrading my speakers.

Of course I will go listen first but to narrow it down any advice would be appreciated.

For note: I like the sound of the b&w 600 series and I was looking at the 606 or 603 speakers to pair with my existing htm61 S2. Personally I don't mind changing the centre too but I'm not loaded 😁

Essentially I watch sky and movies on my TV, 5.1 and will probably look at Atmos this year (but forget it for now).

My room is 16ft x 13ft and I sit about 10 ft from the TV/ speakers.

Currently they are pulled out 8" from the wall, the can't come out any further. The left speaker is then essential in the middle of the room and the right is about 10" from the right wall. Neither of these can be moved and are approx 1 meter out from the TV.

Oh and I have an xxls400.sub.

Ok so, in my room and space, would the 603 floor standers be too much? I don't listen to much music at all, occasionally via the heos app and that's only recently because no got the new amp and can!

So 606 with stands or 603 monsters? My gut says 603 BUT my gut also says they will be too close to the walls and that for movies and Netflix the 606 would create a better sound stage.

But meh. Help!

Thanks in advance
 
As you have a sub i would go for the most practical option. the low frequencies will be dealt with by the sub anyway so probably little advantage having floorstanders if you're going to high pass them anyway.
 
Either are practical and would work.

If they both create the same soundstage, which for movies is all I'm really interested in, I can go for either.

I'm edging towards the 603 because they will sound better without the sub in 2 channel music
 
i thought your thread title was for cinema...

id demo both if you can.. if the floorstanders work well with only 8 inches behind then id go for them.. you'll regret not getting them.. im assuming they come with bungs for you to experiment
 
It is only for cinema. And running them at 80hz crossover, I would indeed miss some low end, but realistically if the general consensus is go for floorstanders as the sound stage will be better, they do have the advantage of 2 channel if I do decide to increase my music listening.
 
i dont think the equivalent floorstanders will be better sound stage.. stand mounts can be sometimes be better with more control. the main advantage is often deeper bass and slightly higher sensitivity. i expect the tweeters to sound the same and mid similar in tone.

you can always experiment the xls400 with music.. the sub with standmounts will probably have lower bass than just floorstanders..
 
@AngelRex
These are not just a taller version from 606 as 603 is 3-way design with own FST midrange driver just like your center channel has, which is better than the new HTM center technically, albeit has different drivers so slight tone difference. But the new 2-way HTM center channel had tougher time to keep up with 603s (soundandvision review). After Audussey run they might sound close enough and the 3-way design is still superior with horizontal center channels so i would definitely start with it. If the tonal difference starts to bother you (if you even notice it), then swap..

683 S2 tower model was the sweet spot for the earlier 600 serie and i can only assume so is 603 too, but will they work in your room close to boundaries or is the bass boosted too much masking mids & highs? The 603 is likely deeper than what you have now, so can it still have that ~20cm space behind them as they come more in to the room? Audussey XT32 is quite effective with the bass range correction so it could potentially help with movies, but not everyone likes to keep Audussey On when listening music unless they have tweaked the correction limited to certain range. The Flat Eq curve can also work better.

While not a same room you could still go listen both models side to side if you have Audio-T or SSAV etc. dealer near you. You would hear the difference what the midrange driver brings and people do report the extra scale from larger tower speakers (compared to decent size standmounts with sub) when system is being pushed loud with a typical 80hz crossover.

You could try to put the 603 close to walls similar to home situation and even try the bungs in that scenario at dealer. It won`t be same as home still if treated demo room, but the idea to buy completely blind something this expensive is quite terrifying. Demoing doesn´t cost anything, well the trip to dealer.

606 would be safer pick, but then again if you crave larger towers then it might come haunt you later on. There is always something special with larger speakers! :) We can´t forget this side either as we watch the speakers for the next 5-15 years daily. So while how they sound is most important, i think they need to satisfy you in other areas aswell or you might end up in upgrade train soon..

No one mentioned that with a price of 603 you could get the superior speakers 706 S2 aswell which you could consider too and then upgrade the center channel in future to 3-way 700. :laugh:
 
given above info by gasp, i would go for the speakers with the closest tonal match with the centre.
 
Aye, all good points!

I think I would prefer the towers and seen some 684 S2 advertised for £400 but I think it's safer going new?

Not sure.... I could get the 603 and 606. Good 8" from the wall still so I'll demo and go from there ☺️

Cheers for the replies!
 
Another question -

Assuming I get a tower set, say 603's - without a power amp and in a 5.1 config, is it safe to say that the Denon 4500 will power them OK?
 
Another question -

Assuming I get a tower set, say 603's - without a power amp and in a 5.1 config, is it safe to say that the Denon 4500 will power them OK?
A 4500 will have enough to power them especially with a sub picking up anything under 80hz for 5.1. The 4500 also has a full set of pre-outs should you feel the need for additional external power.
 

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