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I am choosing nearfields: Presonus R80v2, Adam A7V or HEDD Type 07?

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dosifey

dosifey

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dosifey

dosifey

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So just reporting my results. I have completed a full circle and come back to Presonus R80v2. The reasons for selecting these:
1. Well below my budget. In fact, half the price of some other options.
2. According to this source https://prosound.ixbt.com/monitors/presonus-r80-v2.shtml the sound is not bad. They provide readings as well.
3. AB amps.
4. Fully analogue without DSPs and unnecessary conversions. As there is no digital input original signal definition is irrelevant, which may be convenient.
5. Reported to not have any background hiss.
6. A working auto standby mode.
7. A sleek modern minimalist design.

I do not like a plastic panel at the front, I think it is a bad idea as it may resonate, but I did not experience any problems with the v1 with that.

Unfortunately, these are not very popular and there are not a lot of reviews, measurements and readings of these. I had R80v1 previously and had no complaints apart from poor adhesive on vynil laminate. But this problem was fully covered under warranty, so not the end of the world. Hopefully, the new version improved in that regard.

I did not buy these yet and still considering HEDD Type 07 as alternative. I even bought HEDDs but because of the problems with suppliers in Australia the purchase was cancelled.

Alternatives:
HEDD Type 07 MK2 - great sound, good engeneering, but some things could be improved a bit - reliability of DSP, more flexibility with digital connections, better DAC.
ADAM A7V - no auto standby is a deal breaker for me.
Focal Shape Twin - I like wider sweet spot, but there were some reports of a non neutral sound. I do not like the colour of the wood of the front.
Focal Shape ALPHA 80 EVO - these are not neutral.
Kali Audio IN-8 - mixed reviews, budget materials, weak bass.
Dynaudio LYD 7 - good looking and inexpensive. I do not remember why I discarded these, but I think that soundwise they did not perform great in reviews.
jbl 305p - extremely cheap in quality.
Neumann KN150 - way over my budget and an ugly design, which is a shame as apparently the sound is great.
 
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AnalogSteph

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Kali Audio IN-8 - mixed reviews, budget materials, weak bass.
?
Are you referring to Amir's measurements of his first IN-8v1 that turned out to be defective?
According to Erin, here's how an IN-8v2 looks on the Klippel:
specs

A 3-way in this price class is obviously not going to feature any premium materials, it's enough of a feat as-is.
Dynaudio LYD 7 - good looking and inexpensive. I do not remember why I discarded these, but I think that soundwise they did not perform great in reviews.
You can just about match a 1" tweeter with no waveguide to speak of to a 5" woofer, at larger sizes it gets increasingly difficult. Not sure why the folks at Dynaudio prefer to be stuck in about 1990. The larger KRK Rokits should have much the same issue. I guess the idea might be being used in nearfield in a well-treated environment.
jbl 305p - extremely cheap in quality.
Those are much smaller than the others anyway. The ones to include in here would be the 308Ps.

I can't find any major complaints about the R80v2, aside from tweeter vertical dispersion being quite narrow (requring exact alignment with ear height) and perhaps the odd resonance (front-ported monitors are always a bit more likely to let some escape).
 
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dosifey

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A 3-way in this price class is obviously not going to feature any premium materials, it's enough of a feat as-is.
No need for a 3-way. Just give me a good two way, happy to buy a subwoofer for them.
As for the materials - there is cheap, there is cheaper, and then there is Kali.
There may be a number of defective ones circulating around as it will be hard to provide a good quality control considering the price. Oh and by the way - they got rid of the auto standby in v2, so it is an easy pass.

vertical dispersion being quite narrow
That is a big downside for me. But I can not find any good alternatives.

PS thanks for your reply.
 
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rtx_co

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just read about the iLoud Precision line which seems to be around the price range, does anyone have any input on how would those compare?
 

Untitled1613

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How did you get a refund for your HEDD type 07 mk2s? where and when did you purchase them from?
Ive had DSP failures for almost 2 years now, infact, ive literally just sent mine off for them to install the new and improved DSP.
 
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dosifey

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How did you get a refund for your HEDD type 07 mk2s? where and when did you purchase them from?
Ive had DSP failures for almost 2 years now, infact, ive literally just sent mine off for them to install the new and improved DSP.
In Australia. I am guessing, you are from the USA? Generally speaking, if you have a recurring problem with your electronics within warranty period as per legislation you have the right for a refund.
I was happy to get a refund, but was not able to find a good replacement for it, unfortunately...
 

Untitled1613

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In Australia. I am guessing, you are from the USA? Generally speaking, if you have a recurring problem with your electronics within warranty period as per legislation you have the right for a refund.
I was happy to get a refund, but was not able to find a good replacement for it, unfortunately...
I'm actually from the UK. I didn't even know that I am going to try and get a refund then from Thomann, thank you!
 
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dosifey

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I'm actually from the UK. I didn't even know that I am going to try and get a refund then from Thomann, thank you!
What would you replace them with though?
 

Untitled1613

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What would you replace them with though?
Not sure, but I think I’ll go up a price bracket and get a 3 way system from either Genelec or Neumann. It’s a shame as I am quite fond of HEDD and their AMT tweeters.
 

Untitled1613

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Another question; when you hadd your HEDDs did you get that annoying hissing tone that only goes off when the speaker is in standby mode?
Also, did yoou get your refund through HEDD or the Authorised seller?
 
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dosifey

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Not sure, but I think I’ll go up a price bracket and get a 3 way system from either Genelec or Neumann. It’s a shame as I am quite fond of HEDD and their AMT tweeters.
I see. I just thought maybe I missed some option.
Another question; when you hadd your HEDDs did you get that annoying hissing tone that only goes off when the speaker is in standby mode?
Also, did yoou get your refund through HEDD or the Authorised seller?
No, I do not remeber any hissing, but I also have to say that I am changing my mentality more from a fetishism and obsession over gear to "it is just a tool" attitude. So, a slight hiss when it is not under load will not bother me... There should be more music and less gear fetishes in my opinion.
It was done via retailer.
 
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regan

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I hear details in my music and games I never knew were there when I ran passive speakers + integrated amp systems.
Which passive speakers did you previously listen to?
 

Klonatans

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I was in the same boat a month ago: nearfield monitors with AMT/ribbon tweeter and decent LF extension. Hedd Type 07 Mk2 was my first choice, but after reading many horror stories I changed my mind. Eve Audio SC2070 was an option too, unfortunately my listening space does not allow to move rear ported speakers far enough from the wall. Adam Audio A7V could also be a good choice, but according to the claimed frequency range I would still need a sub.

You might also consider Unity Audio The Rock Mk3 monitors with AMT tweeter and woofer sourced from Elac. The boutique British brand has many loyalists and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Here in Germany there's only one store that sells them. I wrote them an email and wasn't honoured with an answer, so in the end I got Neumann KH 150 from another store with a superb customer service.

Then there are ESi Unik 08+, relatively affordable rear ported German monitors equipped with 8 inch woofer and magnetostatic tweeter.
 
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dosifey

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I was in the same boat a month ago: nearfield monitors with AMT/ribbon tweeter and decent LF extension. Hedd Type 07 Mk2 was my first choice, but after reading many horror stories I changed my mind. Eve Audio SC2070 was an option too, unfortunately my listening space does not allow to move rear ported speakers far enough from the wall. Adam Audio A7V could also be a good choice, but according to the claimed frequency range I would still need a sub.

You might also consider Unity Audio The Rock Mk3 monitors with AMT tweeter and woofer sourced from Elac. The boutique British brand has many loyalists and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Here in Germany there's only one store that sells them. I wrote them an email and wasn't honoured with an answer, so in the end I got Neumann KH 150 from another store with a superb customer service.

Then there are ESi Unik 08+, relatively affordable rear ported German monitors equipped with 8 inch woofer and magnetostatic tweeter.
I have given up on trying to find the alternative and simply wait until I can buy another pair of HEDDs (they are currently not available in Australia).
I checked all options that you provided and I was able to find ESi Unik 08+ for about 1/3 of the HEDDs price. I am unsure of the quality and sound though, and also I do not think they have the sleep feature (low power consumption) which is important for me. So a little bit on the fence. On the other hand, hard to believe Esi will sound similar to HEDDs given the price difference.
 

Klonatans

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I have given up on trying to find the alternative and simply wait until I can buy another pair of HEDDs (they are currently not available in Australia).
I checked all options that you provided and I was able to find ESi Unik 08+ for about 1/3 of the HEDDs price. I am unsure of the quality and sound though, and also I do not think they have the sleep feature (low power consumption) which is important for me. So a little bit on the fence. On the other hand, hard to believe Esi will sound similar to HEDDs given the price difference.
They do have an automatic stand-by mode. "standby switch - you can turn the standby functionality ON or OFF. When set to OFF, the standby energy saving functions are not available and the unit will always be turned on. When set to ON, the unit will switch to power saving mode after a while without any audio signal. The power saving mode is indicated by a red ESI logo LED on the front panel (instead of the normally orange power ESI logo LED). When there is an audio signal again, regular operation resumes."

As to sound quality, according to reviews there is some mild colouration, typical for monitor speakers in this price range, however the user feedback is generally positive. I cannot confirm or refute that as I haven't heard them myself.
 
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dosifey

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They do have an automatic stand-by mode. "standby switch - you can turn the standby functionality ON or OFF. When set to OFF, the standby energy saving functions are not available and the unit will always be turned on. When set to ON, the unit will switch to power saving mode after a while without any audio signal. The power saving mode is indicated by a red ESI logo LED on the front panel (instead of the normally orange power ESI logo LED). When there is an audio signal again, regular operation resumes."

As to sound quality, according to reviews there is some mild colouration, typical for monitor speakers in this price range, however the user feedback is generally positive. I cannot confirm or refute that as I haven't heard them myself.
Good to know and sways my decision in favour of them a little bit. But on the other hand, don't want the monitors which are "good for the price". Their price is very tempting but don't want to buy them, then become dissapointed and bother with reselling them and buying new ones again...
 

Klonatans

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Good to know and sways my decision in favour of them a little bit. But on the other hand, don't want the monitors which are "good for the price". Their price is very tempting but don't want to buy them, then become dissapointed and bother with reselling them and buying new ones again...
In Germany they cost 299 EUR per piece and according to EU regulations customers have a right to send the product back within 14 days. If the seller accepts returns you can give them a try. Otherwise I'm pretty sure Hedd Type 07 Mk2 are better speakers.
 
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