Pendant speakers

[maxhifi]

I guess a pair of LS50s hung or placed high won’t fill that space?

Maybe this is a situation where size just matters - law of physics. Too bad!

Yep, that'd be like using a Fiat 500 to haul gravel.

IMO this space is much larger than most domestic hifi speakers are designed for. Most of the kinds of speakers discussed here are for living room sized rooms in houses.. your application may be better served by a commercial sound product. I'd want to know what is the space used for, and what are your priorities?

 

[Raphaz]

Yep, that'd be like using a Fiat 500 to haul gravel.

IMO this space is much larger than most domestic hifi speakers are designed for. Most of the kinds of speakers discussed here are for living room sized rooms in houses.. your application may be better served by a commercial sound product. I'd want to know what is the space used for, and what are your priorities?

It’s our home, where I live (and my office where I work three days of the week). I listen to Spotify a lot but also have a large vinyl and CD collection.

I’m looking for a solution where the sound is well distributed in that open space, where I can here it well in most areas of the space. I don’t have a preferred listening space (but if I had to chose it’d be the center of it).
Ideally I can work with the gear, the receivers and the sub I already have, but I’m open to even reconsider that.
My budget for speakers right now is max $1000.00, but if I can be convinced that it’s totally worth spending a bit more, I may consider it. That’s a big if though.
I like to hear details through the whole sound spectrum. Clarity, a full body, and punch. I mainly listen at lower volumes but sometimes I crank it up.
I’m not unhappy with what I have right now, I just wish it would fill the space more and that it sounded almost equally good at both ends of the space. That may be an illusion but I’d be happy if I could just get a bit closer to that.
And then, if I could have that magic wand, it would come with a relatively small footprint, and of course all of this wouldn’t break the bank.

Hey, I can dream…

 

[maxhifi]

It’s our home, where I live (and my office where I work three days of the week). I listen to Spotify a lot but also have a large vinyl and CD collection.

I’m looking for a solution where the sound is well distributed in that open space, where I can here it well in most areas of the space. I don’t have a preferred listening space (but if I had to chose it’d be the center of it).
Ideally I can work with the gear, the receivers and the sub I already have, but I’m open to even reconsider that.
My budget for speakers right now is max $1000.00, but if I can be convinced that it’s totally worth spending a bit more, I may consider it. That’s a big if though.
I like to hear details through the whole sound spectrum. Clarity, a full body, and punch. I mainly listen at lower volumes but sometimes I crank it up.
I’m not unhappy with what I have right now, I just wish it would fill the space more and that it sounded almost equally good at both ends of the space. That may be an illusion but I’d be happy if I could just get a bit closer to that.
And then, if I could have that magic wand, it would come with a relatively small footprint, and of course all of this wouldn’t break the bank.

Hey, I can dream…

See the thing is, that for a home stereo setup, stereo imaging is a big factor, as it contributes for the realism of reproduced music. This is at direct odds with "well distributed" in a giant room, unless the source of the distribution is enormous speakers at one end of the space, replicating a stage. This is the main reason why a distributed approach will fail to meet the goals of high fidelity... no instrument or performance comes from the ceiling evenly throughout a space. And no amount of punchy sound or broad frequency response can correct this.

The best you can hope for with this approach is something like a good restaurant or bar sound system. Everyone hears the music, there's plenty of volume and bass, but no illusion of realism. If this is actually what you want, then just look for wall or ceiling installation speakers from a good brand.

 

[pingpongcomp]

Maybe keep an eye on local CL/FB marketplace for a set of large PA/sound reenforcement speakers, or some Altec VOTT. A pair showed up close to me for $500 with original horns and compression drivers and Celestions for the LF drivers. I don't have the space but those would do the trick. They will be much louder closer to the speakers than at the other end of the space however.

 

[Raphaz]

Thank you all for your suggestions, advice and edu!

Looks like a commercial, PA-like set of speakers may work. I see some on-wall, respectively surface-mount, solutions out there. With enough punch (I guess it needs to be louder/fuller than my Q500s), hung a bit higher on the wall (straight or in corners) and angled just slightly downwards may be interesting. Does anyone have experience with something like that – ideally below $1000.00 for the pair, and drivable with my R-2000?
Thank you!

 

[eiraved]

Try the Bose 802 Panaray PA speakers. They will fall well within your price range.

 

[rothwellaudio]

...large open loft space, 1100 sqft, wooden floor, brickstone walls, 7ft ceiling, large windows.

Even with 15ft ceilings, not 7ft, I'd say the speakers would be the least of your problems. What you describe sounds like an acoustic nightmare.

 

[Raphaz]

Can

Try the Bose 802 Panaray PA speakers. They will fall well within your price range.

Try the Bose 802 Panaray PA speakers. They will fall well within your price range.

Can they be driven with a “regular” receiver?

Even with 15ft ceilings, not 7ft, I'd say the speakers would be the least of your problems. What you describe sounds like an acoustic nightmare.

I’m not looking to change the space as it is, and I’m not planning to move anytime soon. I came here to look for improvements.

 

[eiraved]

The link below directs you to the Series IV, but the earlier series of 802 speakers will also work well and are within your price range. https://www.crutchfield.com/S-2EHpNhaEMeA/p_201B802/Bose-Panaray-802-Series-IV.html

A regular receiver can be used, but you'll need the Bose SP-24 active EQ for the Series IV, or purchase an earlier series 802 and use the Bose 802-C System Controller.

The 802 speakers use Neutrik (Speakon) connectors. You can buy the connectors and easily wire them to use on any standard receiver/amp per the video below.