All in one system?
Discussion
I’m in the market for a new system but I fancy something different. I’m liking the idea of something like the Kef LS50 wireless 2. But I hear the reviews are lacking bass and I do like a low frequency punchy bass so maybe not.
Or there’s a sonos system but I’ve never really enjoyed the sound of Sonos for some reason (I’ve not heard one for a few years admittedly).
Anything else in that sort of category?
Budget max £3k.
Or there’s a sonos system but I’ve never really enjoyed the sound of Sonos for some reason (I’ve not heard one for a few years admittedly).
Anything else in that sort of category?
Budget max £3k.
What sources do you want
Do you want multiroom
I’ve had Sonos since it first came out. It’s no longer the only option for multiroom and I’m not sure it offers hi-res- my gen1 install doesn’t so I’d not consider it.
All in one at that level:
Naim uniti atom with Kef Ls50
Cambridge audio evo 150
for starters
Do you want multiroom
I’ve had Sonos since it first came out. It’s no longer the only option for multiroom and I’m not sure it offers hi-res- my gen1 install doesn’t so I’d not consider it.
All in one at that level:
Naim uniti atom with Kef Ls50
Cambridge audio evo 150
for starters
The LS50 mkII has a subwoofer out socket. If your budget is up to £3K, and the speakers are £2K from Sevenoaks, Richers, and maybe your local specialist too (where they should do a better job of a demo so you can judge properly for yourself), then you still have up to a grand in the pot to add some bass if needed.
KEF LS50 mkII rear panel
£1000 buys you a lot of subwoofer performance from the likes of BK Electronics. They sell direct so you're not funding 30% dealer margins.
Broadly speaking, subs fall into two categories. There are ported subs - these are physically larger boxes for the driver size and go louder for a given wattage. Then there are sealed subs. These are smaller, the boxes being only marginally larger than the speaker diameter. They don't go as loud without more powerful internal amplification, but they're more linear in bass response and track the fast changes in music better*.
Start off with a look at the BK P12-300. Depending on cabinet finish the prices range from £425-£500. This is a 12" driver sealed sub with 1x active driver and one passive ABR (auxiliary bass radiator) which helps improve bass output volume without compromising speed and accuracy. There's a review here: AV Forums Best Buy
The rest of the BK range can be seen here: https://bkelectronics.co.uk
KEF LS50 mkII rear panel
£1000 buys you a lot of subwoofer performance from the likes of BK Electronics. They sell direct so you're not funding 30% dealer margins.
Broadly speaking, subs fall into two categories. There are ported subs - these are physically larger boxes for the driver size and go louder for a given wattage. Then there are sealed subs. These are smaller, the boxes being only marginally larger than the speaker diameter. They don't go as loud without more powerful internal amplification, but they're more linear in bass response and track the fast changes in music better*.
Start off with a look at the BK P12-300. Depending on cabinet finish the prices range from £425-£500. This is a 12" driver sealed sub with 1x active driver and one passive ABR (auxiliary bass radiator) which helps improve bass output volume without compromising speed and accuracy. There's a review here: AV Forums Best Buy
The rest of the BK range can be seen here: https://bkelectronics.co.uk
- The idea that sealed works better for music holds water with lower-priced subs where there are more compromises in driver design, amplifier power and cabinet rigidity. Ported is the flavour of choice in movie systems for 'big boom' on a budget. The closer you get to £1,000 then the fewer the compromises and so the two approaches achieve a better overlap for both duties.
Lucid_AV said:
The LS50 mkII has a subwoofer out socket. If your budget is up to £3K, and the speakers are £2K from Sevenoaks, Richers, and maybe your local specialist too (where they should do a better job of a demo so you can judge properly for yourself), then you still have up to a grand in the pot to add some bass if needed.
KEF LS50 mkII rear panel
£1000 buys you a lot of subwoofer performance from the likes of BK Electronics. They sell direct so you're not funding 30% dealer margins.
Broadly speaking, subs fall into two categories. There are ported subs - these are physically larger boxes for the driver size and go louder for a given wattage. Then there are sealed subs. These are smaller, the boxes being only marginally larger than the speaker diameter. They don't go as loud without more powerful internal amplification, but they're more linear in bass response and track the fast changes in music better*.
Start off with a look at the BK P12-300. Depending on cabinet finish the prices range from £425-£500. This is a 12" driver sealed sub with 1x active driver and one passive ABR (auxiliary bass radiator) which helps improve bass output volume without compromising speed and accuracy. There's a review here: AV Forums Best Buy
The rest of the BK range can be seen here: https://bkelectronics.co.uk
There's three varieties of the BK P12-300 - frontfiring or downfiring or the passive radiator version you mention.KEF LS50 mkII rear panel
£1000 buys you a lot of subwoofer performance from the likes of BK Electronics. They sell direct so you're not funding 30% dealer margins.
Broadly speaking, subs fall into two categories. There are ported subs - these are physically larger boxes for the driver size and go louder for a given wattage. Then there are sealed subs. These are smaller, the boxes being only marginally larger than the speaker diameter. They don't go as loud without more powerful internal amplification, but they're more linear in bass response and track the fast changes in music better*.
Start off with a look at the BK P12-300. Depending on cabinet finish the prices range from £425-£500. This is a 12" driver sealed sub with 1x active driver and one passive ABR (auxiliary bass radiator) which helps improve bass output volume without compromising speed and accuracy. There's a review here: AV Forums Best Buy
The rest of the BK range can be seen here: https://bkelectronics.co.uk
- The idea that sealed works better for music holds water with lower-priced subs where there are more compromises in driver design, amplifier power and cabinet rigidity. Ported is the flavour of choice in movie systems for 'big boom' on a budget. The closer you get to £1,000 then the fewer the compromises and so the two approaches achieve a better overlap for both duties.
I picked up a mint piano black frontfiring version secondhand a couple of weeks ago for £230 delivered - it's fantastic (and I only use it for music)
OP, what size of room and are you open to buying second hand on the speaker front? The Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 all-in-one gets absolutely rave reviews from owners and reviewers due to its 'Room Perfect' room correction system that integrate room/speakers/subwoofer/'s perfectly in your room and deal with any acoustic anomalies/position difficulties; 2x60w into 8ohm/doubles into 4, recently added Tidal Connect etc £2k - I've seen a couple of pairs of KEF LS50W Meta go in the last few days lightly used for £650-700, circa £350 for a BK XL200 sub (add another in future if you can!)
There's a few varieties of NAD all-in-ones with DIRAC room correction at a similar price to the Lyngdorf - DIRAC is more fiddly to set up than Room Perfect but there's plenty who prefer one over the other each way.
And tonnes of other speakers out there instead of the KEFs - if you can find an open box or ex-dem Lyngdorf it would bump up the speaker and sub budget too.
Thanks for the replies guys.......I ended up buying the Kef LS50 Wireless 2 and the accompanying subwoofer. Got the matching stands and a wireless kit for the sub too. Great deal from Home AV Direct with a bundle price too.
Arrives tomorrow, so I will give my review after I've had chance to have a play
Arrives tomorrow, so I will give my review after I've had chance to have a play
Left Field Choice.
KLH Model5's and a Bluesound Powernode N2.
The Model5's have an amazing neutral sound to them, which really show off both music and amps. Phonomenal Reviews too.
The Bluesound system is one of the best bang 4 buck solutions, with lots of streaming capability including HiRez / MQA.
If you are local to Northampton, there is a really good audio show next weekend at the De Vere Staverton, with some amazing demo rooms including this combo.
KLH Model5's and a Bluesound Powernode N2.
The Model5's have an amazing neutral sound to them, which really show off both music and amps. Phonomenal Reviews too.
The Bluesound system is one of the best bang 4 buck solutions, with lots of streaming capability including HiRez / MQA.
If you are local to Northampton, there is a really good audio show next weekend at the De Vere Staverton, with some amazing demo rooms including this combo.
VEX said:
Left Field Choice.
KLH Model5's and a Bluesound Powernode N2.
The Model5's have an amazing neutral sound to them, which really show off both music and amps. Phonomenal Reviews too.
The Bluesound system is one of the best bang 4 buck solutions, with lots of streaming capability including HiRez / MQA.
If you are local to Northampton, there is a really good audio show next weekend at the De Vere Staverton, with some amazing demo rooms including this combo.
Funny you say that, I'm in MK next weekend, so that's a good shout..........any more details?KLH Model5's and a Bluesound Powernode N2.
The Model5's have an amazing neutral sound to them, which really show off both music and amps. Phonomenal Reviews too.
The Bluesound system is one of the best bang 4 buck solutions, with lots of streaming capability including HiRez / MQA.
If you are local to Northampton, there is a really good audio show next weekend at the De Vere Staverton, with some amazing demo rooms including this combo.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff