Barefoot Footprint 01 Review (Studio Monitor)

[billiamg]

I’m new to the forum and a bit unclear on the takeaways from the Footprint 01 review. It is a near field that did not do so well when used as a far field, and then seemed to do well when placed in the near field. Can anyone clarify/summarize where the current thinking has landed on these?
I have Hedd Type 07 mk2’s and am considering adding their sub, going with Neumann KH310’s, or the Footprint 02 actually, because I am in a 12x14 foot room. I do have GIK traps and first reflection treatment and make drum and bass so the Footprint 02’s are tempting me for their low end.
I am demoing the KH 310 right now and they are interesting because most things sound good on my Hedd’s whereas the Neumann’s definitely sound not so great on certain tracks, a few classic Dr. Dre songs had snares/claps that sounded overly bright/wrong. I want a monitor that shows mistakes so maybe that’s a good thing or maybe they aren’t working well in my room. Some tracks have real nice bass on the 310’s and likewise, with others I struggle to feel the bass. Maybe these are very good for spotting flaws, whereas the Hedd’s may be more flattering to everything.
What would people here say about just adding the Hedd sub to my system, vs the 310’s, vs the Footprint 02’s given my need for low bass but also wondering if a dedicated three way would be more cohesive?

I am in a very similar situation as you and am also curious. I have just recently upgraded my studio with proper acoustic treatment (thanks GIK!), and am now looking to spend around $5k on new monitors. I also produce electronic music (love dnb, by the way) and the Footprint's are quite attractive in that they seem to be well suited for reference as well as casual listening. However, at this price point, I value absolute honesty over 'fun'; with this, my eyes (ears) are also set on the KH310's. Currently I have a pair of HS8's + their sub, so this will certainly be a major upgrade. I see many, many producers utilizing the Footprint's, though, and seem to be loving them.

The Footprint02's do not offer quite as much range in low end response as the 01's, is there a reason you considered them over the 01's?

 

[Katji]

hahahah The Panther showing his foot.

 

[Dolomick]

I am in a very similar situation as you and am also curious. I have just recently upgraded my studio with proper acoustic treatment (thanks GIK!), and am now looking to spend around $5k on new monitors. I also produce electronic music (love dnb, by the way) and the Footprint's are quite attractive in that they seem to be well suited for reference as well as casual listening. However, at this price point, I value absolute honesty over 'fun'; with this, my eyes (ears) are also set on the KH310's. Currently I have a pair of HS8's + their sub, so this will certainly be a major upgrade. I see many, many producers utilizing the Footprint's, though, and seem to be loving them.

The Footprint02's do not offer quite as much range in low end response as the 01's, is there a reason you considered them over the 01's?

I heard the 01’s and the bass was insane and did not sound balanced to me, sounded like the lower mids were lacking and it didn’t sound cohesive like the 02’s did. Vintage King salesman and others have said they think the 02’s are voiced better. Supposedly same bass frequency response between the 01 and 02, so for my 12x14’ room the 02’s would be plenty of bass.

 

[Dolomick]

yea, that's what I mean, even famous songs can have mixing errors as no tools/ human is perfect, but somehow I feel that upon a certain level of engineering, most respected monitor vendor's product are more similar than different, so somehow changing from A to B likely is more about gear acquisition syndrome than factual upgrade, especially considering the built in/ easy to use EQ and correction available nowadays

Normally I would agree about GAS, but in my case my other monitor’s dsp just died after 13 months, and as a result I don’t trust the brand. Also, I have always needed a bit more bass from my current speakers anyway, the car test is still revealing to me and I would like to speed up my process. One thing I like about the Neumann’s is that they are all analog, no DSP in the 310’s!

EDIT- to clarify, my previous monitor that had a DSP unit die was not a Barefoot.

 

[amirm]

I was hoping that there would be more follow ups from the company post my conference call. Alas, there has not been. The issue was one of calibration in the factory. They were doing so to the wrong measurements and hence the issues we saw. It was very fixable with the right reference to program into every speaker.

 

[Dolomick]

I was hoping that there would be more follow ups from the company post my conference call. Alas, there has not been. The issue was one of calibration in the factory. They were doing so to the wrong measurements and hence the issues we saw. It was very fixable with the right reference to program into every speaker.

I would love an 02 or even an update to the Footprint 01 test, should the opportunity ever present itself. The 02's are very attractively priced, especially used.

 

[YSC]

I was hoping that there would be more follow ups from the company post my conference call. Alas, there has not been. The issue was one of calibration in the factory. They were doing so to the wrong measurements and hence the issues we saw. It was very fixable with the right reference to program into every speaker.

but that also means we don't know how many units have got this way unnoticed. the deviation is not as severe as very clearly audible but and ppl tend to believe in factory calibration quite a bit

 

[amirm]

I would hope that if they had fixed something, they would have gotten back to me.

 

[dmbandtimmy]

I may be in the minority, but I love the look of these speakers and their mm26/27. I was between the 02’s and the the much higher priced ATC scm25a’s. I found a killer deal for a new pair of 01’s so I bit.

These things sound so awesome. They can get super loud and they maintain clarity. I’m no pro, but I don’t find them lacking in the mids. The bass does seem heavy at times, but I love it. I too heard that people were claiming the 02’s were more balanced. It would make some sense since they did come out 3 years later. I’m still wondering if I should have sprung for the ATCs, but so far I’ve been extremely happy. ATC is a stellar company.

I am disappointed that after the conference call they didn’t get back to you. They seem like a great company. As a business owner myself, I strive for perfection in everything I do. Just listening to Thomas talk, I feel like he is the same. I did purchase the soundworks reference ID, but I’m waiting on my GIK room treatment to arrive before I calibrate. I haven’t read what the forum thinks of the sound reference.

 

[Gates]

Hallo totally noob here, im gonna revise this tread for a brief moment,
iv been eyeing the Barefoots for some time, never had the cash, but I like to just read everything, and watch alot of interviews.

I have some findings I never seen other talk upon.

barefoot uses HIFI amps for normal stereo setups ~modified~ as active amps in their past range, I dono what they do now,
but im guessing myself its a very similar process as they are really a parts picker and combiner, more than a speaker company.
they guy him self Thomas have said in multiple interviews he was just a DIY guy that transitioned into a brand.

Also he showed in an interview that they test speakers in their warehouse by lifting them up in like 8+ meters inside the warehouse, he said that was. the same as a the chamber other s used but didn't cost 1 million $

I would not be supricced if the barefoot 01 had a SMSL 200 kit type amp inside with some extra bells, maby another Extra PCB made to add a little more power.
the 02 idk properly even more refined, I dont think it uses a hyperx amp as they cost min 1500 right, prob 1000 if a company, they would eat too much cost.

I have googled and re googled I cant find. ANY shots of a open BAREfoot speaker from any ppl other then Thomas himself in his own interviews or not any taredown reviews videos either, I find that super Odd, very strange, no-one want to show inside or maby they got removed with google strikes.


I got some images you can look at, some of the only ones I myself could find, as I wanted to know how they worked.

this images are basically how barefoot handle to make this active speakers with amps in the early days , im pretty sure its the same method now just more refined.
as himself said they could not handle making it themselves and having someone make them for them would also be very costly, was what he said.

as you can see how they modified the Bryston 2b stp amp into the back of the barefoot I think its a 2 x250w mono / stereo one idk im not expert tho with tweeter mid on one and the sub s on the other output with a passive crossover on the tweeter and mid at 250hz , (that sound familiar right) , subs they are in parallel or linked, properly some more trickery didn't mention , with a add-on PCB onto the Bryston amp made from a online retailer, and a new faceplate with the model name and knobs and plugs wired to the added PCB they made online modified onto the amp so they could control from the top side/lid of the amp. instead of the front.

and look at the method to make housing for the mids, simply PCB tube and or the white one, as the tubes got discontinued they used the white ones instead with a lid on the end. and the ring tighter to fuse the subs together as also just a off the shelve item, they now have custom bracket I seen, but its the same concept just metal to tighten the end together.

so im no expert, but im guessing that why ppl love the sound so much, the Bryston amp inside is the Big factor.
plus that's problem also why the price also sky-high for some of the models, im guessing the 3k ones uses some low-end amps modified, tho like I said, maby the SMSL kit modified or some newer low end hifi amp again with modified PCB add-on why ruin a formulae that works right., hyperx amp cost too much same for ncore ithink for the footprints 01 and 02, but I could be wrong. on the bigger models im very confident its still Bryston amps inside, he said himself they had a deal where he could drill holes ect, and the garrentee would still be in place, and Bryston have a 20 year warranty seems like a win win to me.

if anyone have more shot of inside or know about amps used in other models, please make a post. btw the pictures are of the MM12

 

[dfuller]

Hallo totally noob here, im gonna revise this tread for a brief moment,
iv been eyeing the Barefoots for some time, never had the cash, but I like to just read everything, and watch alot of interviews.

I have some findings I never seen other talk upon.

barefoot uses HIFI amps for normal stereo setups ~modified~ as active amps in their past range, I dono what they do now,
but im guessing myself its a very similar process as they are really a parts picker and combiner, more than a speaker company.
they guy him self Thomas have said in multiple interviews he was just a DIY guy that transitioned into a brand.

Also he showed in an interview that they test speakers in their warehouse by lifting them up in like 8+ meters inside the warehouse, he said that was. the same as a the chamber other s used but didn't cost 1 million $

I would not be supricced if the barefoot 01 had a SMSL 200 kit type amp inside with some extra bells, maby another Extra PCB made to add a little more power.
the 02 idk properly even more refined, I dont think it uses a hyperx amp as they cost min 1500 right, prob 1000 if a company, they would eat too much cost.

I have googled and re googled I cant find. ANY shots of a open BAREfoot speaker from any ppl other then Thomas himself in his own interviews or not any taredown reviews videos either, I find that super Odd, very strange, no-one want to show inside or maby they got removed with google strikes.


I got some images you can look at, some of the only ones I myself could find, as I wanted to know how they worked.

this images are basically how barefoot handle to make this active speakers with amps in the early days , im pretty sure its the same method now just more refined.
as himself said they could not handle making it themselves and having someone make them for them would also be very costly, was what he said.

as you can see how they modified the Bryston 2b stp amp into the back of the barefoot I think its a 2 x250w mono / stereo one idk im not expert tho with tweeter mid on one and the sub s on the other output with a passive crossover on the tweeter and mid at 250hz , (that sound familiar right) , subs they are in parallel or linked, properly some more trickery didn't mention , with a add-on PCB onto the Bryston amp made from a online retailer, and a new faceplate with the model name and knobs and plugs wired to the added PCB they made online modified onto the amp so they could control from the top side/lid of the amp. instead of the front.

and look at the method to make housing for the mids, simply PCB tube and or the white one, as the tubes got discontinued they used the white ones instead with a lid on the end. and the ring tighter to fuse the subs together as also just a off the shelve item, they now have custom bracket I seen, but its the same concept just metal to tighten the end together.

so im no expert, but im guessing that why ppl love the sound so much, the Bryston amp inside is the Big factor.
plus that's problem also why the price also sky-high for some of the models, im guessing the 3k ones uses some low-end amps modified, tho like I said, maby the SMSL kit modified or some newer low end hifi amp again with modified PCB add-on why ruin a formulae that works right., hyperx amp cost too much same for ncore ithink for the footprints 01 and 02, but I could be wrong. on the bigger models im very confident its still Bryston amps inside, he said himself they had a deal where he could drill holes ect, and the garrentee would still be in place, and Bryston have a 20 year warranty seems like a win win to me.

if anyone have more shot of inside or know about amps used in other models, please make a post. btw the pictures are of the MM12

The higher end barefoots use Hypex Fusion plate amps. No clue what the Footprints use.

 

[Bartic]

Hey community,

Are these Sonarworks measurements normal for the Footprint 01?
I'll attach the measurements of the left and right speaker separately (01s, Genelec 8040b and KH120). Unfortunately the left speaker is placed in a tri-corner, explaining the enormous peak at around 60hz. The 6db dip from 300hz to 1.3khz from the Barefoot FP01's left speaker is rather strange, since the Genelec and the Neumann don't exhibit the same issue. The results overall for each speaker are far from ideal. But the KH120 and Genelec hold up solidly, compared to the Barefoot.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[stevenswall]

The 6db dip from 300hz to 1.3khz from the Barefoot FP01's left speaker is rather strange, since the Genelec and the Neumann don't exhibit the same issue.

Could it be related to them having wider dispersion at those frequencies and that reflecting and causing a cancellation?

 

[ActiveCrossoverGuy]

I'm no monitor expert but let me see if I got this right - barefoot footprint uses what would require a very nearfield based usage based on what looks like a 35 dollar 4 inch aluminum cone Dayton RS-100-4 woofer and what looks like a mediocrely bright sounding 20 dollar Peerless by Tymphany XT25SC90-04 1" Ring Radiator Tweeter that these rocket scientist level monitor engineers didn't bother spacing closer together because that is probably not necessary to do for ultra nearfield monitoring.

Let's also witness the dual firing sideways bass woofer "display", probably also those magical elite level Daytons, which Barefoot advocates so happily report "big full bass in the room" at low volumes. Ya that low end must sound so clean and accurate in bedroom studios to fire in opposite sideways directions. Oh right, the DSP calibrates it. Wow what a solid way to get the most pure soundwaves. I've never heard of anything more purist. I'm sure theres some F35 equivalent level technology in the barefoot dsp to get it there!! How can there not be?

Hmm, I wonder if I should pick that over the possibly state of the art ultra high headroom power of the ultra flat response Adam S3V tested in a state of be art anechoic facility in Germany and sold for 2/3 the price of the Barefoot footprint 01, ultra clean amplification, double the weight, and Adam's own manufactured honeycomb woofers, dome woofers and AMT ribbon tweeters. Wow, such a difficult decision.

Let's also assess the common claim out there that Barefoot are better suited to hip hop and electronic forms of music, (no I don't remember KRK rockit guys also using that line.) And that Adams are better suited to rock and metal guys.

Let's not take into account the insights by speaker manufacturers that if a system sounds good with rock, metal or other forms of dense and busy music then it will sound good with anything. And wow, what lovely imaginary waveguides for the tweeters! And holy smokes! there is unique rounded rectangle box shapes. Must be some new groundbreaking revolutionary science for minimizing baffle diffraction!

But yet even still Barefoot are being touted as the new industry standard by some so called renowned people in the industry as well. Thats wild isn't it!

Wow. What a legit monitor that Barefoot stuff is. Must have some state of the art sound. Prolly has the most full sounding midbass on the planet.

What state of the art fine finish too with that "PA style" pickup bedliner sprayed on there.

I think I also now may have my appetite stronger than ever because of this satisfying research into this monitor company.

I wonder what kind of other funnels of observations I will find in this pyramid of Barefoot discoveries here!

 

[617]

I'm no monitor expert but let me see if I got this right - barefoot footprint uses what would require a very nearfield based usage based on what looks like a 35 dollar 4 inch aluminum cone Dayton RS-100-4 woofer and what looks like a mediocrely bright sounding 20 dollar Peerless by Tymphany XT25SC90-04 1" Ring Radiator Tweeter that these rocket scientist level monitor engineers didn't bother spacing closer together because that is probably not necessary to do for ultra nearfield monitoring.

Let's also witness the dual firing sideways bass woofer "display", probably also those magical elite level Daytons, which Barefoot advocates so happily report "big full bass in the room" at low volumes. Ya that low end must sound so clean and accurate in bedroom studios to fire in opposite sideways directions. Oh right, the DSP calibrates it. Wow what a solid way to get the most pure soundwaves. I've never heard of anything more purist. I'm sure theres some F35 equivalent level technology in the barefoot dsp to get it there!! How can there not be?

Hmm, I wonder if I should pick that over the possibly state of the art ultra high headroom power of the ultra flat response Adam S3V tested in a state of be art anechoic facility in Germany and sold for 2/3 the price of the Barefoot footprint 01, ultra clean amplification, double the weight, and Adam's own manufactured honeycomb woofers, dome woofers and AMT ribbon tweeters. Wow, such a difficult decision.

Let's also assess the common claim out there that Barefoot are better suited to hip hop and electronic forms of music, (no I don't remember KRK rockit guys also using that line.) And that Adams are better suited to rock and metal guys.

Let's not take into account the insights by speaker manufacturers that if a system sounds good with rock, metal or other forms of dense and busy music then it will sound good with anything. And wow, what lovely imaginary waveguides for the tweeters! And holy smokes! there is unique rounded rectangle box shapes. Must be some new groundbreaking revolutionary science for minimizing baffle diffraction!

But yet even still Barefoot are being touted as the new industry standard by some so called renowned people in the industry as well. Thats wild isn't it!

Wow. What a legit monitor that Barefoot stuff is. Must have some state of the art sound. Prolly has the most full sounding midbass on the planet.

What state of the art fine finish too with that "PA style" pickup bedliner sprayed on there.

I think I also now may have my appetite stronger than ever because of this satisfying research into this monitor company.

I wonder what kind of other funnels of observations I will find in this pyramid of Barefoot discoveries here!

Recording engineers are not loudspeaker design experts, but most of your critique is off the mark. Dayton drivers have consistently shown great engineering for years, and for all we know the drivers are well suited to their application. Bass is omnidirectional, so the location of bass drivers is generally not impactful. Purity cannot be defined in the context of a product which arbitrarily synthesizes a 3D sound field from a 2D signal. Honeycomb woofers and AMT tweeters are not necessarily better than paper cones and silk tweeters - any speaker designer will tell you that all driver types can excel in an appropriate design. The barefoot marketing is misleading, but so is all marketing, including marketing from Genelec and probably Adam as well.

I might also suggest that expressing anger over audio equipment is rarely productive or entertaining for others.

 

[ActiveCrossoverGuy]

Recording engineers are not loudspeaker design experts, but most of your critique is off the mark. Dayton drivers have consistently shown great engineering for years, and for all we know the drivers are well suited to their application. Bass is omnidirectional, so the location of bass drivers is generally not impactful. Purity cannot be defined in the context of a product which arbitrarily synthesizes a 3D sound field from a 2D signal. Honeycomb woofers and AMT tweeters are not necessarily better than paper cones and silk tweeters - any speaker designer will tell you that all driver types can excel in an appropriate design. The barefoot marketing is misleading, but so is all marketing, including marketing from Genelec and probably Adam as well.

I might also suggest that expressing anger over audio equipment is rarely productive or entertaining for others.

You can literally buy a couple of presonus monitors and a sub for under 500 and get a more real studio experience with them than the nonsense presented here in the footprint 01 which gives a very indirect experience from the low mid and down unless you flip the crossover to simulate large format monitors. You can't simulate the midrange of large format monitors with 4" drivers. Changing FIR filter response to do this is in my opinion a massive gimmick when FIR filters are supposed to be maximized in one optimum way for an enclosure that a driver is designed for. Changing the FIR filters on a 4" to simulate other monitors and charging this kind of money is to me something that needs to be placed on the Clownworld Twitter page. And ring radiator tweeters are not silk tweeters. They crush the air with distortion effect to liven up the top end. Another gimmick in my opinion.

Bass, Midbass and low midrange is more pure when there is nothing obstructing any part of the longer or medium long waveforms. Regardless of how non-directional they are below a certain frequency. Often times most people can only put a subwoofer where they can, sometimes downward firing or off to the side, but if we can afford it we have more direct experiences with soundwaves when we can. (the most ideal situation is sealed 15 inch sub enclosures installed in ideally a big front wall so there is a direct path or placed above desk level in a different way if we can't. Installing them above the mains and on a more downward angle is most ideal. But most people can have at least a direct midbass experience with most monitors. You can literally buy a couple great sounding presonus monitors and a sub for under 500 dollars.

I have heard the Adam A7V! S3V, S5V and even S5H. All those models sound cleaner and more pure than even items costing absurdly more expensive in the audiophile world.
Hedd brand the same with a bit of a 'softer' sound experience.

 

[617]

Thank you for correcting me

 

[ActiveCrossoverGuy]

Running midbass though the sub. Wow! So innovative and wow, must sound so clean!

Anyone else hearing the word Logitech in their mind for some reason?

 

[denzel200219]

Interesting how expensive, high end studio monitors like Focals and Barefoots dont measure as well as genelec yet they are found in so many professional mastering studios. Makes me wonder why they dont just buy genelecs.

 

[617]

Interesting how expensive, high end studio monitors like Focals and Barefoots dont measure as well as genelec yet they are found in so many professional mastering studios. Makes me wonder why they dont just buy genelecs.

My personal feeling is that most people making most records are tinkerers who think they have exceptional taste and judgement but don't. Engineers who capture exceptional performances probably want more accurate monitors, or don't care, but producers who create records by gluing together little scraps seem to have a different ethic, and are more influenced by trends.

Atc proudly states they are used by Coldplay, pink Floyd, queen etc, as if this is an endorsement somehow for a technical product.