KEF LS50 Wireless II + SVS SB 1000 Pro 2.1 Solution for PC - Music > Games > Movies?

[SpyVision]

Hi, would like a few last minute opinions on the KEF LS50 Wireless II.

Getting these for mostly Music (Bass Heavy / Electronic Music) > PC Gaming > Movies, in that order.

I will be pairing the LS50WII with the SVS SB1000 Pro (Speakers for now, Sub later)

—

For daily TV viewing I use the Sony HT-ST5000 for Movies, TV Shows, Console Gaming.
I am looking to upgrade my 2x KRK Rokit 8’s G3 (Studio Monitors) for my Music + PC Gaming experience.

—

I was previously recommended studio monitors (Dynaudio LYD 48) by a fellow member. I currently have KRK Rokit 8’s as my daily drivers, to be clear I do not want flat monitors anymore. Want something room filling (loud + clear) and coloured. Hence I’ve kind of settled for the KEF Active Speakers.
Heard the KEF LSX II recently at the WhatHiFi exhibition show in Mumbai and loved the sound for a small room, auditioned the LS50WII also but somehow it didn’t sound right in the small room. Hence I’ve asked ProFX for a home demo at my place which is due sometime next week.

Any owners of the LS50 Wireless II here? Need recommendation for a DAC (I know the KEF have an inbuilt AMP/DAC hence looking for a high quality Coaxial to USB pass-through device)
PC Output (USB) > DAC pass through (Coaxial) > KEF LS50WII.
Been recommended the Topping D10S but it’s not available here, found the Schiit Modi 3E on HeadPhoneZone for 18k which is quite pricey.
Don’t want the DOUK U2 Pro as it’s not perfect.
Any alternate recommendations?

Cannot use Optical because of its 96kHz limitations.
Cannot use HDMI because I don’t have a monitor with HDMI 2.1 support (yet), I use DisplayPort for 144Hz 1440p currently.
AUX is an option, but I’ve been told it has limitations drawbacks and that Coaxial (for my use case) is the better option!?

I will not be streaming often, maybe just spotify directly, but to get PC audio it needs it to be connected via the given options. Many users are upset over the USB connection been taken out from the LS50WII.

I’ve read that the LS50WII has an inbuilt AMP/DAC which is equivalent to or more impressive than some expensive (separate amp / dac) options.
Was considering vanilla KEF LS50 Metas but the Amp / Dac setup is driving me crazy, cannot figure it out, as for me I require a USB output from PC and have space constraints within my setup, also recommended Amps are working out more expensive than the active WII pairs from what I’ve seen and some (Hegel) not even available here.

This 2.1 setup will be used for Music mainly, example weekend parties. Music listening daily, Gaming and Movies.

Curious to get some valuable feedback, opinions or alternatives.

My overall budget is around 3 lakhs.
My listening room is around 265 sq ft.

If you could please point me in the right direction for best offers / consultancy of the above.

Thank You!

 

[chander]

Your choice is fine, LS 50 W II are pretty fine speakers, but their first gen had a fair amount of issues, I suggest you deep dive on forums (if not already) to rule out if the W IIs have addressed those. I have a friend who had to wait for the repairs for a while on his W 1.

If you have done your background checks - do consider some sort of stands for your W IIs, they are fairly finicky with placement and will appreciate the ability to be moved about the room to find the right spot.

The W IIs are very accomplished, however, as always with "most" BS speakers, your entire sound signature will benefit form a sub! SVS SB1000 Pro is a neat piece of kit & that app just makes life so much easier, I wonder why every sub manufacturer in the higher price range doesn't do it.

Now I am not sure if your budget of 3L includes everything or just the speakers + DAC, cause the maths is not working out, unless you are including a few used items. with WIIs around 2.2 on a great day & SVS around 80 - you have pretty much exhausted the 3L. What is left for DAC?

****I do not own the LS 50WIIs but I was recently doing the auditions of active speakers myself, so have heard these & KC62 sub combo a lot

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

What is the largest speaker size you can accommodate? In inches.

 

[SpyVision]

What is the largest speaker size you can accommodate? In inches.

14-15” Depth
18-19” Height
13” Width

Note - The current speakers are studio monitors, hence they are faced towards me, between the table.







Subwoofer location -

 

[SpyVision]

Your choice is fine, LS 50 W II are pretty fine speakers, but their first gen had a fair amount of issues, I suggest you deep dive on forums (if not already) to rule out if the W IIs have addressed those. I have a friend who had to wait for the repairs for a while on his W 1.

If you have done your background checks - do consider some sort of stands for your W IIs, they are fairly finicky with placement and will appreciate the ability to be moved about the room to find the right spot.

The W IIs are very accomplished, however, as always with "most" BS speakers, your entire sound signature will benefit form a sub! SVS SB1000 Pro is a neat piece of kit & that app just makes life so much easier, I wonder why every sub manufacturer in the higher price range doesn't do it.

Now I am not sure if your budget of 3L includes everything or just the speakers + DAC, cause the maths is not working out, unless you are including a few used items. with WIIs around 2.2 on a great day & SVS around 80 - you have pretty much exhausted the 3L. What is left for DAC?

****I do not own the LS 50WIIs but I was recently doing the auditions of active speakers myself, so have heard these & KC62 sub combo a lot

Won’t be able to move them around, they will be placed on the sides of my PC desktop.

3L budget is for Speakers + Subwoofer.

DAC (Coaxial to USB Pass-Through) budget is 10-20k (separate budget)
I feel spending 20k on just a pass-through device is a bit much, but maybe as long as it does the job well.
Schiit Modi 3E is an option and available via headphonezone at ₹17,999.

They do not have the Topping D10S, which I wanted and would have cost half the price.
I had requested them if they can arrange it, they replied recommending me this - https://www.headphonezone.in/products/fiio-bta30-pro
Not happy with their recommendation.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

@SpyVision have you audtitioned these speakers ?

I have KEF LSX II in my other house, and they sound brilliant.
Might suit your environment, and they are super tiny and gorgeous to look at. But don't judge them by the size, they sound big.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

You mention bass heavy electronic music and parties, but the size you wish for is small for a loud system. How loud do you wish this to be? Are you looking for nightclub levels of loudness?

 

[SpyVision]

@SpyVision have you audtitioned these speakers ?

I have KEF LSX II in my other house, and they sound brilliant.
Might suit your environment, and they are super tiny and gorgeous to look at. But don't judge them by the size, they sound big.

Have heard them recently, want something bigger and louder, as like I said for parties on the weekends. Heard them in a small hotel room at the WhatHiFi show. Sounded great for that room size. My room is much bigger (265sqft), not too sure it can fill it with sound.

Have requested a home demo for the LS50 Wireless II from ProFX, they are coming over next week.

You mention bass heavy electronic music and parties, but the size you wish for is small for a loud system. How loud do you wish this to be? Are you looking for nightclub levels of loudness?

Size can be equivalent or slightly bigger to my current KRK Rokit 8’s (W 10-1/2”, H - 16”, D 13”)

As for loudness, yeah almost nightclub levels.

Only looking for bookshelf speakers + sub (2.1 config), don’t have place for floor standing speakers.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Have heard them recently, want something bigger and louder, as like I said for parties on the weekends. Heard them in a small hotel room at the WhatHiFi show. Sounded great for that room size. My room is much bigger (265sqft), not too sure it can fill it with sound.

Have requested a home demo for the LS50 Wireless II from ProFX, they are coming over next week.


Size can be equivalent or slightly bigger to my current KRK Rokit 8’s (W 10-1/2”, H - 16”, D 13”)

As for loudness, yeah almost nightclub levels.

Only looking for bookshelf speakers + sub (2.1 config), don’t have place for floor standing speakers.

You will not get that loudness from such small speakers. You need larger speakers, any speaker you buy of that size, coupled with the likes of the SB1000 will not produce nightclub levels. You should look into floor standing speakers and large subs. If however you mean 100-105db then yes that should be okay for smaller speakers. If you can increase size a little, this is what you need -

K12.2

The QSC K12.2 active loudspeaker represents the best-in class loudspeaker system for today’s demanding audio professionals delivering extraordinary results.

www.qsc.com

If you go with something like this then you will need some DSP as pro speakers usually don't have baked in flavor.

The speaker I have suggested is also due to size restraints, ideally something bigger for proper sound.

 

[Phew]

@SpyVision Any possibility of getting a demo for svs prime pro wireless speakers and probably add in the svs 3000 micro sub or the SVS SB 2000 pro sub. The kef will be superior in many aspects like tonality, detail, overall refinement to the svs but for the purpose you mentioned the svs will be at home playing louder and also less fatiguing at higher volume's than the kef.

Nightclub levels of loudness with these bookshelf speakers is asking too much.

 

[SpyVision]

My KRK Rokit 8’s are quite loud (used them at around 100db) and the bass was quite punchy and decent. Would have been much better with an added sub but now they’ve reached their end of life.
Upgrading these because these have served me well for the last 7+ years. They’re currently giving me a lot of trouble, have taken them for servicing atleast 5-6 times in the past year and a half. One of the cones have torn this time and replacement costs 8k with a 3 month waiting time. So, I’m quite done with them, not willing to spend anymore money and time for repair.
Finally decided to get something better in sound, room filling, clearer and coloured. I have a much larger budget now than I had 7 years ago, hence was thinking of KEF, as it’s supposed to be one of the best.

You will not get that loudness from such small speakers. You need larger speakers, any speaker you buy of that size, coupled with the likes of the SB1000 will not produce nightclub levels. You should look into floor standing speakers and large subs. If however you mean 100-105db then yes that should be okay for smaller speakers. If you can increase size a little, this is what you need -

K12.2

The QSC K12.2 active loudspeaker represents the best-in class loudspeaker system for today’s demanding audio professionals delivering extraordinary results.

www.qsc.com

If you go with something like this then you will need some DSP as pro speakers usually don't have baked in flavor.

The speaker I have suggested is also due to size restraints, ideally something bigger for proper sound.

Yeah 100-105db max is my aim, perhaps I shouldn’t have agreed upon the nightclub level loudness. These are quite commercial, would prefer a mix of both worlds.

@SpyVision Any possibility of getting a demo for svs prime pro wireless speakers and probably add in the svs 3000 micro sub or the SVS SB 2000 pro sub. The kef will be superior in many aspects like tonality, detail, overall refinement to the svs but for the purpose you mentioned the svs will be at home playing louder and also less fatiguing at higher volume's than the kef.

Nightclub levels of loudness with these bookshelf speakers is asking too much.

Know any dealer who can provide demo in store or at home in Mumbai? Would definitely like to audition these.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

My KRK Rokit 8’s are quite loud (used them at around 100db) and the bass was quite punchy and decent. Would have been much better with an added sub but now they’ve reached their end of life.
Upgrading these because these have served me well for the last 7+ years. They’re currently giving me a lot of trouble, have taken them for servicing atleast 5-6 times in the past year and a half. One of the cones have torn this time and replacement costs 8k with a 3 month waiting time. So, I’m quite done with them, not willing to spend anymore money and time for repair.
Finally decided to get something better in sound, room filling, clearer and coloured. I have a much larger budget now than I had 7 years ago, hence was thinking of KEF, as it’s supposed to be one of the best.


Yeah 100-105db max is my aim, perhaps I shouldn’t have agreed upon the nightclub level loudness. These are quite commercial, would prefer a mix of both worlds.



Know any dealer who can provide demo in store or at home in Mumbai? Would definitely like to audition these.

Don't mistake commercial for sounding poor. Despite what many would have you believe the best sounding speakers in the world can be commercial, depending on your tastes. For 100-105db many "powerful" bookshelves should do fine. For bass you want to pay attention between 40-70Hz for the "meat" of most electronic music. Some stuff can focus a little higher or lower around 30Hz. A sealed design which is not using a powerful large driver will compromise here as the response rolls off. If looking for something like the SVS 1000 then the ported could be better, I'd say the sealed will sound better while the ported will satisfy you. Just a thought. For speakers I'm afraid I am more familiar with the pro/commercial side of things, if looking for a home audio speaker bookshelf I may not have enough information to suggest otherwise. I will say this that I would not spend more than 40,000 INR on a bookshelf. Speaker capacity/attributes is important and that is why I pay money and for this you need larger speakers. I understand space constraints but when spending what might be a considerable sum for you I advise you to rethink larger speakers to get more for your money and a greater auditory experience. If you do I am sure you will be glad you did.

 

[caspian1985]

My KRK Rokit 8’s are quite loud (used them at around 100db) and the bass was quite punchy and decent. Would have been much better with an added sub but now they’ve reached their end of life.
Upgrading these because these have served me well for the last 7+ years. They’re currently giving me a lot of trouble, have taken them for servicing atleast 5-6 times in the past year and a half. One of the cones have torn this time and replacement costs 8k with a 3 month waiting time. So, I’m quite done with them, not willing to spend anymore money and time for repair.
Finally decided to get something better in sound, room filling, clearer and coloured. I have a much larger budget now than I had 7 years ago, hence was thinking of KEF, as it’s supposed to be one of the best.


Yeah 100-105db max is my aim, perhaps I shouldn’t have agreed upon the nightclub level loudness. These are quite commercial, would prefer a mix of both worlds.



Know any dealer who can provide demo in store or at home in Mumbai? Would definitely like to audition these.

Have you seen these https://www.klipsch.com/products/the-nines-powered-speakers
115dB max acoustic output. I heard them at the Delhi expo and was blown away, about 2L a pair. They played incredibly loud and clean.

No streaming, but that’s easily fixable by a WiiM mini. They have a sub out too but I didn’t feel a sub was needed. Only drawback was the size, 19” height but there’s also a smaller sibling The Sevens

 

[Phew]

Know any dealer who can provide demo in store or at home in Mumbai? Would definitely like to audition these.

Fellow Mumbai members can help you with that probably, i'm from delhi so clueless about who offers what outside delhi.

 

[Avinash Pai]

I have a pair of LS50WIIs, a pair of Quad S2 paired with Bluesound Powernode2i with a KEF Kube10B sub. I also have a pair of floor stander KEF Q700s paired with a Yamaha RN803 amp. I must say the Quads are my favorite for Jazz and other music that requires detail retrieval. The KEFLS50WII are also quite good for the same and for vocals as well while having reasonable bass extension in a medium-sized room. But they will run out of juice and get compressed over 90db very fast. They are also not the best candidates for electronic music based on my listening. I listen to a lot of classic rock, prog rock, etc and this sound best on the floor standers. Electronic music sounds best on the floor standers as well although I do not listen to a lot of it. I believe LS50WII would not be the best speakers out there for this genre of music as they are very revealing and perhaps a wee bit fatiguing from a treble perspective. The sound is also quite forward, especially the vocals. The KEF Q350s may be good for electronic music if they sound anything like their big brothers. Bluesound is a small form factor amp/network streamer that is quite good to pair with these and also has a Sub setup that allows for high and low pass.

I would recommend that you demo the LS50WII if you have not done so, with your choice of music and volume levels to find if they are appropriate for your needs.

Edit - I also forgot to add that I have a pair of Q Acoustics 3030i paired with a Yamaha WXA-50 and these are the least detail retrieving of the lot. I don't use them at all and probably will look to get rid of them at some point. But they do have deep albeit not super detailed bass because of their 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers. Better for electronic than for jazz. Also much more supportive of poor recordings than the other speakers.

 

[Shinto]

I can recommend KEF R3 and 2x kef kube 12 subwoofers from a recent experience. It was driven by Yamaha As 2200.what a sound. Big and Bold ,yet composed and nuanced with all the audiophile boxes still ticked .The guy later upgraded to Wharfedale Elysin 4s with single kef kube 12 and had a chance to hear it.The difference was not huge I would say with his initial setup.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

I can recommend KEF R3 and 2x kef kube 12 subwoofers from a recent experience. It was driven by Yamaha As 2200.what a sound. Big and Bold ,yet composed and nuanced with all the audiophile boxes still ticked .The guy later upgraded to Wharfedale Elysin 4s with single kef kube 12 and had a chance to hear it.The difference was not huge I would say with his initial setup.

Only beef I have with r series/reference series is the stupid shadow flare part they have. It’s a press fit thing like a speaker grill, and in many cases it was not in place for many users as per design. (Personal experience /experience from lot of other redditors) It’s a easy fix, (just push it flush to the baffle) but considering the price and this being a crucial component which affects the imaging by a large amount, it should be mentioned in the manual atleast, as a key thing! There are lot of people who buy these speakers and wonder why they are not hearing the “magic” reviewers mention.

 

[SpyVision]

Sorry for the late reply everyone. Will reply to each and everyone later today. Got a home demo for the LS50 WII yesterday, I’m now going to demo the Klipsch The Sevens and The Nines in about an hour. Will update regarding this..

 

[DB1989]

Sorry for the late reply everyone. Will reply to each and everyone later today. Got a home demo for the LS50 WII yesterday, I’m now going to demo the Klipsch The Sevens and The Nines in about an hour. Will update regarding this..

Waiting with bated breath.

 

[SpyVision]

Don't mistake commercial for sounding poor. Despite what many would have you believe the best sounding speakers in the world can be commercial, depending on your tastes. For 100-105db many "powerful" bookshelves should do fine. For bass you want to pay attention between 40-70Hz for the "meat" of most electronic music. Some stuff can focus a little higher or lower around 30Hz. A sealed design which is not using a powerful large driver will compromise here as the response rolls off. If looking for something like the SVS 1000 then the ported could be better, I'd say the sealed will sound better while the ported will satisfy you. Just a thought. For speakers I'm afraid I am more familiar with the pro/commercial side of things, if looking for a home audio speaker bookshelf I may not have enough information to suggest otherwise. I will say this that I would not spend more than 40,000 INR on a bookshelf. Speaker capacity/attributes is important and that is why I pay money and for this you need larger speakers. I understand space constraints but when spending what might be a considerable sum for you I advise you to rethink larger speakers to get more for your money and a greater auditory experience. If you do I am sure you will be glad you did.

Thanks for your valuable feedback.

Have you seen these https://www.klipsch.com/products/the-nines-powered-speakers
115dB max acoustic output. I heard them at the Delhi expo and was blown away, about 2L a pair. They played incredibly loud and clean.

No streaming, but that’s easily fixable by a WiiM mini. They have a sub out too but I didn’t feel a sub was needed. Only drawback was the size, 19” height but there’s also a smaller sibling The Sevens

I don’t require wireless streaming, Wi-Fi, BT etc. Just analog / digital connections like this has will do. I had the opportunity to test them out yesterday. You can read my feedback about this below. Also, thank you for recommending me this!

I have a pair of LS50WIIs, a pair of Quad S2 paired with Bluesound Powernode2i with a KEF Kube10B sub. I also have a pair of floor stander KEF Q700s paired with a Yamaha RN803 amp. I must say the Quads are my favorite for Jazz and other music that requires detail retrieval. The KEFLS50WII are also quite good for the same and for vocals as well while having reasonable bass extension in a medium-sized room. But they will run out of juice and get compressed over 90db very fast. They are also not the best candidates for electronic music based on my listening. I listen to a lot of classic rock, prog rock, etc and this sound best on the floor standers. Electronic music sounds best on the floor standers as well although I do not listen to a lot of it. I believe LS50WII would not be the best speakers out there for this genre of music as they are very revealing and perhaps a wee bit fatiguing from a treble perspective. The sound is also quite forward, especially the vocals. The KEF Q350s may be good for electronic music if they sound anything like their big brothers. Bluesound is a small form factor amp/network streamer that is quite good to pair with these and also has a Sub setup that allows for high and low pass.

I would recommend that you demo the LS50WII if you have not done so, with your choice of music and volume levels to find if they are appropriate for your needs.

Edit - I also forgot to add that I have a pair of Q Acoustics 3030i paired with a Yamaha WXA-50 and these are the least detail retrieving of the lot. I don't use them at all and probably will look to get rid of them at some point. But they do have deep albeit not super detailed bass because of their 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers. Better for electronic than for jazz. Also much more supportive of poor recordings than the other speakers.

I had the opportunity to test the KEF LS50 WII + LSX II and the KC62 Subwoofer 2 days ago at my home, you were right about the LS50 WII regarding electronic music ~
I was wowed with the sound clarity and details, the pin point detail from each speaker was amazing! Infact superbly detailed! Sounded great with regular music, especially vocals, acoustic, old school rock, r&b & country.

But here’s the downside for my personal situation, it heavily lacked bass and I mostly listen to bass heavy music (Eletronic / Pop / Dance).
When connected to the subwoofer KC62 as recommended, it was great but very controlled! Cut-off was on point but lacked an oomph factor If you know what I mean when it comes to electronic music.
Initially was looking to add the SVS SB 1000 Pro as per a Redditer recommendation. He has a similar setup to mine but better placement for his LS50 WII speakers + SVS sub. I do not have the liberty to place it anywhere I want due to space constrictions.
I already have a PC desktop table made with the studio monitor user facing configuration.
I have space for the speakers to be placed with the face forward, but when I tried that with the KEF and sat on my table I felt the sound going around by me. It wasnt hitting me, like passing by the ears feeling but I guess I was too up close to the speakers (1 meter away), It was louder and clearer if the user is listening at the back. I mean I could hear it but it wasn’t so enjoyable when up close. I also tried it facing towards me (Studio monitor positioning), it didn’t sound right when placed like this.

Hence was looking into something with the best of both worlds, something good for close and far application. Overall I would say the KEF LS50 WII experience for my music taste would be too ‘clinical’! This would rather suit people with different music tastes like r&b, rock, country etc and people sit further back away.

As for the LSX II it sounded great! Tested it at 90% volume, it was loud but felt something missing, I don’t know what, in the end I wasnt happy about it, tried it with the KC62 subwooder too. Also, it didn’t have coaxial input which put me off regarding this. I require either USB or Coaxial input from my PC.

A big thanks to ProFX for getting it over to my home and the opportunity to listen to it in my home setup.

I can recommend KEF R3 and 2x kef kube 12 subwoofers from a recent experience. It was driven by Yamaha As 2200.what a sound. Big and Bold ,yet composed and nuanced with all the audiophile boxes still ticked .The guy later upgraded to Wharfedale Elysin 4s with single kef kube 12 and had a chance to hear it.The difference was not huge I would say with his initial setup.

Out of budget! R3 + 2 Subs + Amp, all this is exceeding by a huge margin unfortunately. Many people have recommended me the R3 but it’s a passive speaker, I don’t have place for a huge amp to drive these speakers. Hence was looking for an all-in-one box solution.
Aren‘t Wharfdales more inclined for Home Theatre setups?

—

Now coming to the Klipsch The Sevens and The Nines ~

Yesterday I got to demo these two speakers, heard The Sevens first, it was clear, detailed, noticeably decent bass - sounded fun!
But now after hearing the KEF a day ago, it didn’t sound crystal clear or as detailed, but it still sounded great!! The KEF’s surely spoilt my ears, in a good way! The Sevens reminded me of my KRK’s but way better of course which is the whole point.
They connected a Klipsch R100 sub I think, they didn’t set it up right initially therefore it sounded terrible, but then he adjusted it. It sounded much better! I felt it wasn’t a good pairing, it was a Home Theatre sub maybe?

Then I listened to The Nines, in this one the bass was excellent!! In certain songs it felt like a sub wasn’t required at all!!
I listened to it up close like a meter away and far 4-5 meters away, I didn’t find it fatiguing or harsh. Sounded great with some good bass!
Was listening to it at 50%-60% volume. If at home and listening by myself I will be using it at these volumes or lower. Then I tried it with the R100 sub, it was awesome! Loud and the bass with sub pairing was sounding great together!
For my kind of (electronic) music and use case, this suited me better than the KEF combination.
Then I asked them to switch off the sub, weirdly it sounded a little poor all of a sudden for that particular song, like i felt for certain songs a sub is required for that oomph factor and depth. The sub pairing spoilt my ears, don’t get me wrong, they have great bass alone, but for my kind of music, I would require just a wee little bit more for that added depth, if you know what I mean.
Also, bonus point these speakers can be listened to when tilted a bit towards the user, so this sounds perfect for my setup!

Edit: The Nines we’re a new piece opened for demo, they weren’t broken in, these speakers are supposed to sound even better after 300 hours apparently, so imagine that!

For an added sub, I’m not happy with Klipsch’s suggestion of the R100, since I was looking into the SVS SB 1000 Pro for the KEF, could this be an option? Good pairing?
The overall price of the KEF LS50 WII + KC62 sub pairing was coming to quite a bit, nearly 4 Lakhs! While Klipsch The Nines + SVS SB 1000 Pro pairing price seems to be well within my budget. Plus I would save on an added DAC or some converter because they have USB input, this solves my PC to speakers dilemma.

I was informed last evening about the Klipsch The Nines McLaren Edition, I have asked the store to arrange a demo for these, been told by the sales people the sound is better than the vanilla version. However I cannot find any review of these online or if there is any sound difference other than aesthetic changes, I like the retro front grill design but I don’t like the McLaren livery vinyls on it.
Hopefully in the coming week I can test them and hear for myself if any sound differences are worth it. I’m already quite liking the basic The Nines sound profile, hoping the McLaren Edition sounds better and worth the money!

Will most likely be pulling the trigger for the Klipsch The Nines in about 10-14 days.
Would like to ask you’ll for any last minute recommendations? Cannot test the SVS Primes as recommended above because the store location is not in my city, it’s in Pune. Other than these please let me know, would like to purchase something knowing there isn’t anything better for the said budget.

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the recommendations and advice so far!