Monitor: what should be the next step?

combination thread.
protokoll
mnml newbie
mnml newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 4:18 pm

Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by protokoll »

hello all,

for long i have been lurking around the forum and appreciate it tremendously! this is a topic where i think i can contribute a little since i just made the same investment.

in the beginning i set my maximum budget to 1000 euro as well. i considered the Adam A7X strongly but was super disappointed when i tested them. no offense but the bass region is just cardboard like and not as firm as you want it.

my next step was a insider tip from germany, they are called abacus audio and you can order the speakers for a test, the A5 is great and the bass goes all the way down to 16Hz which is quite unbelievable for a speaker this size.
http://www.abacus-electronics.de/110-0-A-Box.html

they sound great but I wasn't so convinced by there build quality and i found the sound a little bit shaky. so i ordered the new neumann kh-120, they cost a little more but i thought i try them out. when i compared them at my local dealer they sounded a bit similar to the genelec 8030 but better. thats what draw my attention.
http://www.neumann-kh-line.com/neumann- ... ors_KH120A

when i compared them to the abacus in a direct a/b they came out as winner even though the abacus are great as well, the neumanns are perfect. you hear all the stuff you always wanted to hear. i come from a pair of Fostex PM0.5 MKII ... and the new speakers make such a huge difference ... i use them without a sub but the kick and bass region is f***ing great! though they just go down to 50Hz ...

neumann bought the speaker segment from klein+hummel, so these are basically like the old k+h o120, which were more expensive.

don't worry i'm not working with them in any way i'm just super happy about the investment i made. and maybe this helps you as well!

cheers!
User avatar
blizt
mnml maxi
mnml maxi
Posts: 914
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:08 pm

Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by blizt »

@protokoll Thanks for the feedback! The Neumann look awesome and bet they sound great, but at the moment they dont fit my budget. The abacus I dont really know that brand, and I dont think I will have the possibility to listen them.

I've been reading lots of user review's on the Focal CMS50 and almost everybody rate them very high and with little complaints. Very neutral and flat and not hyped was one thing I've read the most. Really looking forward to hear them.

About the mackie HR824 I wonder if the size of my room (3,5m x 3,5m)will compromise the bass coming out of these.
lem
mnml maxi
mnml maxi
Posts: 742
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:31 pm

Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by lem »

I think that it's important to note what peoples perception of 'good' is.

If you come from a background of hi-fi speakers or small sub heavy monitors. You grow acustomed to that hyped sound, so when you hear monitors that accurately represent bass (for example) then it will probably sound really thin, boxy etc....
The thin, boxy monitors are often much more accurate. When you adjust to them, I swear your mixes improve...

The fact is that small monitors can't represent bass at 20hz -3db. If they do, or claim to, there is almost definitely going to be problems between 20hz and 100hz. If you notice a lot of medium sized high-end monitors only have the frequency response quoted to something like 50hz sometimes higher! This is because they don't make any effort to extend the low-end response at the cost of other frequencies.

I spent out on high-end monitors a couple of years back (way more than I could afford at the time)
I have to say that it is the only thing I would buy again. They have actually discontinued the model I have, so if these die I am probably looking at spending even more...
User avatar
hydrogen
mnml maxi
mnml maxi
Posts: 2689
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:41 am

Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by hydrogen »

protokoll wrote:they sound great but I wasn't so convinced by there build quality and i found the sound a little bit shaky. so i ordered the new neumann kh-120, they cost a little more but i thought i try them out. when i compared them at my local dealer they sounded a bit similar to the genelec 8030 but better. thats what draw my attention.
http://www.neumann-kh-line.com/neumann- ... ors_KH120A
Just picked these up as well. I am very very happy with them. thanks!
------------------------------------------------------
http://soundcloud.com/kirkwoodwest
Post Reply