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Remodelling TV area: Arc vs In-Wall vs Floorstander

  • 19 November 2023
  • 2 replies
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S
Userlevel 1
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Hello,

Obviously a subjective decision but I am remodelling a TV area…

Current have a Sonos Amp driving two “old but gold” floorstanders (AE Aegis Evo 3, about 20 years old) in a large open plan room in front of TV. Have two One rears paired for a 4.0 setup. Sofa in the middle in a reference “square” setup if that makes sense. Surround is limited but decent for me given my usage.

Sound quality is good but floorstanders have slightly different character vs the other Truplay’d Sonos speakers in the larger open room as these are not signature matched. I know it’s there but not enough to annoy me. I care most about music. Area itself is for TV but my listening is about 80/20 Music/TV.

Atmos etc would be nice for the TV but not at the expense of music which is why I have kept the floorstanders so long.

Weighing up options for re-modelling the area (moving to LG G2 77” wall mounted TV, yes I have money to burn), so soliciting the opinions of the learned community here please on the 3 main audio options:

  • Sonance in-walls fronts to replace floorstanders; very slick aesthetic, can Truplay, probably better music than Arc but not as good (??) as floorstanders. Maybe needs Sub (np). But no Atmos and stuck as stereo pair like my floorstanders.
  • Keep floorstanders, but missing out on Atmos etc. bulky in room. But good sound/known quantity. They look pretty awesome anyway :)
  • Arc (+ sub) front. All mod cons but weak(est?) for music which is important for me. I could up the rears to Fives or 300’s if I had to but have limited rear separation distance (about 4 ft) due to room constraints/aesthetics.

The TV area is also open on the right side about 25ft to the wall (closed on the left) which I presume (maybe wrongly??) means right side bounce/surround on the Arc will be less effective/weak.

Any opinions - or even better - real world experience - very gratefully received!!

Thank you!!

 

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Best answer by Stanley_4 20 November 2023, 09:27

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2 replies

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
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Amp and big speakers is the way to go for music and reportedly (I don’t have that setup) do an excellent job on TV audio.

You might look for some newer floor standers, there are some really nice ones out there, both in sound and appearance. 

I’d consider adding a sub-woofer to really improve the low end in a big room.

S
Userlevel 1
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Thank you, yes - I think the same and I am likely to be disappointed if I go down a big step. Most people with the Arc seem to say it shines for movies but less so for music, particularly in larger rooms (which I have).

I do like the Amp and floorstanders for music - it really comes alive at moderate volume levels and even without Trueplay sounds excellent to me (and I say that coming before from an older Arcam AVR driving the same speakers).

I think I might try something like the KEF T-Series on-wall, which have a decent reputation and a lot less bulky but they need a sub. I hope this would be less obtrusive without being a big step down in sound. Also relatively inexpensive and can be easily reverted if they really suck.

 

 

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