Equipment Performance / Listening Space
 

I’m looking for some input on aligning equipment purchases with listening space.

On Saturday, I listened to top of the line CH Precision equipment and was very impressed. I have been considering their L1 preamp and the A1.5 amp. This purchase would be a considerable investment and I don’t want to pay for equipment performance I may not realize. My room is approximately 11 x 11 with 8 ft ceiling. If it has an impact, I have spent a good amount on room treatments.

Thanks in advance for your comments,

While I'm no expert by any means (so consider the source), in the same situation I'd be most concerned about the speakers in that room, the type, their placement, and how they sound.

I have Mirage M-3si speakers, and at the demo the soundstage was crazy deep. In my room that's not the case because of how they're placed, along the long wall with sound flowing across the short dimension. And due to the equipment racks being between them, they're a bit further apart than what's ideal. My living room is 14' x 18.5' with an 11' ceiling. Since they have to fire across that 14 feet, with me about 9' away from the speaker plane, I'm not getting all the Mirages are capable of. Buying better equipment hasn't improved soundstaging, though the quality of the sound has. In addition, there are LP and CD cabinets on the wall behind the speakers which are surely diffusing the sound; The Mirages are bipolar and rely on those reflections to help create the dimensionality they can bring. They still sound good, it's just that I don't get everything they can produce.

So if you can afford the CH gear, go for it, but don't ignore the speakers you get to go with it, what their properties are, and what speaker bests suits the room and conditions you have. My two cents.

Given your small room, your speaker choice will be critical and (IMO) should come before acquiring amplification. What are/will be your speakers?

The demo utilized Rockport Atria II. Currently, I have the Atria I so I am comfortable with the speakers. I was more concerned about spending the money on the amplification separates if I would be unable realize their benefits beyond what I could get from their integrated amp.

I'm in a 12x13x8 room.. I have the system in a corner, rather than against a wall, and the speakers are both spaced about 6' apart, but again, in the corner and about 1.5' or so away from the nearest wall.. I'm extremely happy with the sound.. but the key was getting the right sized speakers... my McIntosh XR50's on their stands absolutely fill the room, without overwhelming the space ..

My recommendation is get the best you can get, but in terms of speakers ... size matters, and in this case, you want a smaller size speaker with big speaker performance..

Corner placement of a system in a small room typically yields the best results. Consider the best quality book shelf type speakers you are willing to spend money on and focus on their midrange qualities and the type of a presentation/tonal/timber qualities you find appealing.

Do not go for a speaker not designed for small spaces as you will never get an even bass response from the speaker no matter what you do.

You will have 1000x the success of getting small bookshelf speakers to integrate well with a small subwoofer in a small room than a larger speaker that will obliterate the midrange with bass bloat and overhang from speaker to room interaction and room modes.

And I can attest, even with no EQ what so ever, the XR50's have ample bass... at times even too much. A subwoofer would not be needed with such a setup.

I personally think it's a balancing act. For all of us.

You don't want to put huge speakers in a small room, but I also don't think you need bookshelf. I feel the same way about the budget being a balancing act: Generally You don't want to spend 2x or 3x for electronics as you do on the speakers.

Given that, I am sure it would sound very good, but you may be leaving some performance on the table both because of the room size and shape, and the level of your speakers compared to the level of electronics.

If you plan to move to another room and/or speaker in the future, then go for it, because that is some really really great gear.

I have a 11’ x 14.5” x 8’ room. I have improved my gear several times in that room and every time it’s been worth it. I did have an expert setup my speakers to get the best cleanest bass response.

Plenty of stand mounted/bookshelf speakers from mild to wild out there. I was very happy with a pair of Soliloquy stand mounted speakers in a similar room 12x13 for a few years. Totem, ProAc, Dynaudio, Harbeth, Spendor, etc... etc... etc.. never felt the need for a subwoofer and they sounded mesmerizing and hauntingly good with tube amps. So plenty of appropriate choices. Most important thing is not to over do it.

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