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Fluid Audio Image 2 Review (Monitor Speaker)

uwotm8

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the DD8C is cardioid
That does not make them incomparable but yes +1 big advantage of DDs.
Also I didn't start that. Just sayin' 40 Hz F3 may be enough but definitely not a last word in bass depth
 
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Sean Olive

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If you are asking me, yes. :) There is no such signal as a step in music. And your room will create plenty of that ringing.
But there is something in music called the two-step. It requires a speaker with good pace and rhythm
 

TCM

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Been lurking around this forum's pages for a while, thank you for the always great reports and for the useful discussions with members. I have been considering the Genelec 8341 + Sub for a while but, even if at a very different price range, I am wondering if these Image 2 could be a reasonable substitute, maybe especially if/when Fluid Audio will release the DSP correction for it? Or am I really talking nonsense as the sets I mention are so different in performance and target market that it's either one or the other depending on use? In my case Production/mixing home studio.
 

JimmyBuckets

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Do I put too much emphasis on step response?
(I’m coming from Vandersteen 2C, but Thiel and Dunlavy people would likely also wonder.)
I am surprised that not more here are not interested in the time alignment of the actual speaker. The true greats of time alignment...Thiel and Dunlavy and Vandersteen. Don't forget Meadowlark hung in there for a while. Earthworks, made a nice little time correct speaker for a short time. On a powered speaker that has DSP built in....why is this not a time perfect design?
 

Holmz

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I am surprised that not more here are not interested in the time alignment of the actual speaker. The true greats of time alignment...Thiel and Dunlavy and Vandersteen. Don't forget Meadowlark hung in there for a while. Earthworks, made a nice little time correct speaker for a short time. On a powered speaker that has DSP built in....why is this not a time perfect design?

^Exactly^

I picked up an Octo Dac-8 Pro a while ago.
It is still in the box.

I also got an RME ADI-2 Pro, which arrived last week…

I was/am/maybe thinking of doing the whole XO in s/w.
 

Chromatischism

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I am surprised that not more here are not interested in the time alignment of the actual speaker. The true greats of time alignment...Thiel and Dunlavy and Vandersteen. Don't forget Meadowlark hung in there for a while. Earthworks, made a nice little time correct speaker for a short time. On a powered speaker that has DSP built in....why is this not a time perfect design?
I thought it has been shown to not make an audible difference to the brain as long as they are close enough?
 

JimmyBuckets

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I thought it has been shown to not make an audible difference to the brain as long as they are close enough?
Yeah for the most part...most people say you can't hear it. I'm still a believer that it matters. It isn't a knock against the design, there are obviously tons of great speakers that don't subscribe to the time perfect thang. Honestly time perfect designs are only time perfect on it's design axis. Once you move up or down from that...now you are out of alignment. I feel if it can be right, why not make it that way.
 

Sancus

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I am surprised that not more here are not interested in the time alignment of the actual speaker. The true greats of time alignment...Thiel and Dunlavy and Vandersteen. Don't forget Meadowlark hung in there for a while. Earthworks, made a nice little time correct speaker for a short time. On a powered speaker that has DSP built in....why is this not a time perfect design?
The best time-aligned speakers are just normal active speakers that time align using DSP like Kii3.
 

VenVile

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Sound on Sound review:

The cons were a bit surprising, though they're not that bad. I for one don't really care too much for vertical dispersion.

Amir, will you be reviewing the production model soon? Has anyone else gotten their hands on them?
 
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Rahan

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I was thinking the same. Is not that usual to see SOS cares so much about dispersion... I see more and more products using dual (or more) opposite woofers (dynaudio, focal, kii, barefoot etc...) will it be the new standard? this design seems to have only pros.
 

VenVile

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I was thinking the same. Is not that usual to see SOS cares so much about dispersion... I see more and more products using dual (or more) opposite woofers (dynaudio, focal, kii, barefoot etc...) will it be the new standard? this design seems to have only pros.
It was a bit weird to me, especially in the field of music production and engineering (mixing). Vertical dispersion really isn't that important. Unless the it's ridiculously narrow (and I doubt it is), I really don't see why it was such a focus. Horizontal exis is way more important, and a wide (but not overly exagerrated) stereo field is a big pro in the music production world. However, they didn't touch on that too much in this review.

Possibly, and simply, the reviewer just wasn't moved by the monitor, outside of its bass reproduction.
 
D

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I use to Record and Mix music as a living and other then deaf musicians asking me to crank my monitors loud, I have never, by my own need, listened to music at 96 db.

This is EXTREMELY Loud.

That's Live concert Loud, where I always use ear plugs.

I usually mix between 75 and 80 db and most often lower then that to check my levels and compression.

I don't know who listen to their system at 96 db but hopefully their neighbours are very far from their home and they have regular ear check.
 

Holmz

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I use to Record and Mix music as a living and other then deaf musicians asking me to crank my monitors loud, I have never, by my own need, listened to music at 96 db.

This is EXTREMELY Loud.

That's Live concert Loud, where I always use ear plugs.

I usually mix between 75 and 80 db and most often lower then that to check my levels and compression.

I don't know who listen to their system at 96 db but hopefully their neighbours are very far from their home and they have regular ear check.

I lost the contaxt of where the 86dB came from…
What are you referring to exactly?

or is it just a story?
 
D

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I lost the contaxt of where the 86dB came from…
What are you referring to exactly?

or is it just a story?
The test made on the monitors.

86 db is my monitor SPL level for “club alike” rendering .

96 db is not even thinkable and that would require ear plugs.

Most people mix between 73 and 80 db spl at their listening spot in their studios.

Much lower for the most part.

Anything else higher then 85 db spl is starting to be ear damaging on the long run and we run sessions for 12 and 16 hours regularly when we are active .
 
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