Add IK ARC Studio to Neumann KH120a's or change to KH120 mk2 with MA1? Palmer Orbit 11?

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

I've been using a pair of the original Neumann KH120a's for around 15 years now and I love these monitors. I use them in a small room (roughly 3mx3.5m) and they have been excellent! I have also been using an Eve TS108 sub alongside these which has been ok but it doesn't integrate perfectly with these monitors in the small space I have but I do like how this sub sounds with the KH120's.

Last week the Eve TS108 stopped working and it turns out that the amp module has badly overheated and needs a complete replacement. The only way I can get this fixed is to post it to their service center and have a new amp module installed and then have it returned. From what I've heard from other users this will cost somewhere between £350-£400 to get this fixed (possibly more with the postage)!! This has left me in a bit of a dilemma as what to do next!?

I have been using just my KH120's this past few days and have rediscovered how much I like using these just by themselves without a sub! This has made me think about whether I should pay to get the sub repaired which I'm unlikely to make back if I then sell it on or buy the IK ARC Studio. I have also considered possibly changing to the KH120mk2 but I've heard quite a few people experiencing issues with these speakers developing faults!?

When I was measuring the frequency response in my room with REW I was getting a slightly flatter response with the sub but I have mode at 80hz. Because of this I'm also considering the IK iLoud Sub as I don't need anything massive due to the small size of my room and the levels I work at. However, the latency on this is noticeably higher than the Neumann MA1 and I do realtime tracking most days!

How does the IK Studio compare to the Neumann MA1? Which would give me the best results?

Finally, what are peoples thoughts on something like the Palmer Orbit 11 vs the original Neumann KH120’s in my room for my work requirements!?

 

[dasherzx]

I think the 120ii top end is better than the orbit but there’s no contest on the low end of things for movies and dubstep. If it were up to me I’d go 120ii with subs. Unbranded subs are very cheap with shipping where I’m from though. 600 bucks wouldve gotten me a 15 inch 40kg sub.
never tried ik's solution. i have dirac with the minidsp shd studio and ma1 but due to having to use non neumann subs in my setups i decided to just stick with dirac.

 

[LTig]

My (very costly) advice is to keep the KH120a and add a KH750DSP.

 

[illusonic]

Whenever I listened to KH120 I found them rather underwhelming. Just a small 2-way speaker with expected limitations. Still good for their size. KH310 sounded cleaner in the midrange in direct comparison. For >1m distance I would prefer the Orbits over any of them due to cardioid midrange and coaxial mid/tweeter alignment. Below 1m noise becomes an issue. Small room means no sub required for music on the Orbits.

Direct KH120 vs Orbit 11 comparison based on actual listening can be found in below thread. Conclusion: "In comparison to Neumann KH120a and KS-Digital D606, I would put the Orbit in first place, then the KS-Digital, and the Neumann in third place."
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...orbit-11-vs-neumann-kh120a.69857/post-2535434
There is a similar thread with Kef speakers. That clean directivity plots don't help if the whole lower midrange is polluted by front-wall reflections.

The thing about the Orbits is that allmost all people who actually own(ed) them also recommend them. But it can be expected that one of the very few (2-3 that I am aware of) forum members that listened to them and did not like what they heard, will soon join in to let us know. Quite a lot of people who never heard them, don't understand the outstanding value for money as they are misinterpreting measurements. But it's always the same people that comment negatively.

Nice thing in EU is that online buyers can easily return the speakers if they don't like them. Boxes are heavy but small and therefore easy to handle and low shipping cost. So no risk and lot's of fun while testing something with acoustic features that are actually new to most people.

 

[BVK]

While I can’t offer any insight on your actual question, I have a very similar setup and use scenario, and I did a shootout between Sonarworks, Dirac Live and IK Arc (the previous version 4) a while back as I was about to order the IK Arc Studio. I was pretty bummed, as it performed easily the worst with room modes in my space when measured and for the life of me I couldn’t get it to a point where I felt comfortable with it. Sonarworks worked better and I do have several years of using it in my past, but Dirac was still way ahead. YMMV.

I did buy a pair of Orbits to replace my 8030’s with a sub but ended up returning them. Not for me.