I need help with new speakers for a nearfield environment.

[sray1372]

Hello everyone! I’ve been getting so much help from all of you as always, and I’m truly thankful for it.
I’m finally ready to move forward with upgrading my gear after a lot of consideration. I’m currently using the Presonus Eris E5 XT with room correction via UMIK-1. My room measures 3660mm x 2220mm, and my desk is 1400mm x 700mm. It’s a small space, but I’ve positioned the desk as close to the center as possible. There’s enough room to comfortably accommodate up to 8-inch speakers.

My use cases are mixing, monitoring, guitar playing, and music listening, all in a 90cm nearfield PC-Fi setup. I typically listen at 75dB to 85dB depending on the track, so noise isn’t a major concern for me. I’m looking for a model with a flat sound profile optimized for mixing that also suits a nearfield environment well.
Here are the models I’m considering:

• Active: Kali Audio IN-8 V2 (new), IN-5 (new), Neumann KH80 (used).
• Passive: Polk Audio R200 (new), ELAC Uni-Fi UBR62 (new)
• Additionally, I’m thinking about the AsciLab F6B, which is highly recommended in Korea, though I don’t have exact measurements for it yet.
• I’d also love to hear your suggestions for any other recommended products.

Except for the R200, these are all in a similar price range in Korea. For the passive models, I’ve factored in the cost of a used Loxjie A30 (120,000 KRW). I plan to use this setup for about six months before adding a subwoofer. After that, I’ll likely move to a bigger place, where I expect I could extend the nearfield distance to between 1m and 1.5m.
I’d really appreciate your valuable input. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!

 

[Jimbob54]

안녕하세요 여러분! 저는 항상 여러분 모두에게서 많은 도움을 받았고, 정말 감사하게 생각합니다.
많은 고려 끝에 마침내 장비를 업그레이드할 준비가 되었습니다. 현재 UMIK-1을 통한 룸 보정 기능이 있는 Presonus Eris E5 XT를 사용하고 있습니다. 제 방은 3800mm x 2400mm이고, 책상은 1400mm x 800mm입니다. 공간이 작지만, 책상을 최대한 중앙에 가깝게 배치했습니다. 최대 8인치 스피커를 편안하게 수용할 수 있는 충분한 공간이 있습니다.

View attachment 441436
View attachment 441438

제 사용 사례는 믹싱, 모니터링, 기타 연주, 음악 감상이며, 모두 90cm 근거리 PC-Fi 설정에서 이루어집니다. 저는 일반적으로 트랙에 따라 75dB에서 85dB로 듣기 때문에 소음은 저에게 큰 문제가 되지 않습니다. 저는 믹싱에 최적화되고 근거리 환경에도 잘 맞는 플랫 사운드 프로필의 모델을 찾고 있습니다.
제가 고려중인 모델은 다음과 같습니다.

• 활성 : Kali Audio IN-8 V2(신제품), IN-5(신제품), Neumann KH80(중고).
• 패시브 : Polk Audio R200(신제품), ELAC UBR62(신제품)
• 또한, 한국에서는 강력 추천하는 AsciLab F6B도 고려 중인데, 아직 정확한 측정치는 모르겠습니다.
• 또한, 추천하실 만한 다른 제품이 있다면 알려 주시면 좋겠습니다.

R200을 제외하고, 이 제품들은 한국에서 비슷한 가격대에 속합니다. 패시브 모델의 경우, 저는 중고 Loxjie A30(82달러)의 비용을 고려했습니다. 저는 서브우퍼를 추가하기 전에 약 6개월 동안 이 설정을 사용할 계획입니다. 그 후에는 더 큰 곳으로 이사할 가능성이 높은데, 그곳에서 근거리 거리를 1m에서 1.5m 사이로 확장할 수 있을 것으로 예상합니다.
귀하의 귀중한 의견을 정말 감사히 여깁니다. 시간을 내어 생각을 공유해 주셔서 정말 감사합니다!

Please repost in English- thanks

 

[sray1372]

Please repost in English- thanks

Sorry about that. I uploaded it and was browsing the forum with the translator on, and it seems the language got switched when I edited it in that state. I’ve fixed it again

 

[vsch]

FWIW, I have the following system for pleasure listening in a similar room: Genelec 8030c + Arendal 1961 1S, integrated and room-corrected manually via a minidsp Flex. To my ears, it sounds sublime. Moreover, room correction and good sub integration seem to be crucial.

Based on that experience, I'd probably go for something similar. For instance, Neumann KH 80 / 120 ii or Genelec 8030 / 8330 speakers plus a decent sub (e.g., SVS SB-1000, Arendal 1961 1S, Neumann KH 750, or similar), integrated and room-corrected either via a minidsp Flex or the proprietary MA-1.

Personally, I like the relative openness of the minidsp route, but the proprietary solution might be more comfortable. Regarding Genelec vs. Neumann: both seem to be excellent, and it may come down to soft factors like aesthetics, perceived reliability, convenience of isopod feet, etc.

 

[ckernel8]

I think the Neumann KH120 II is as near perfection as you'll see on the market today for this size of room. Add in their KH750 sub and you'll have a great full range setup. Alternatively...Ascilab? Ascilab might offer a big more value since they're a local Korean company. They have a couple active designs in their portfolio now but I'm not sure if they've released yet. At a minimum I think the passive versions do exist for sale and the prices are really, really good. The Ascilab website links to this website as their distributor: https://ctishop.co.kr/product/list.html?cate_no=42

 

[ChrisG]

FWIW, I went with Genelec 8030C for my nearfield mixing setup. They're brilliant 60Hz and upwards, but I'd like to have a subwoofer. My main system is flat down well below 20Hz, so anything that doesn't match that is obvious to me.


Chris

 

[sray1372]

FWIW, I have the following system for pleasure listening in a similar room: Genelec 8030c + Arendal 1961 1S, integrated and room-corrected manually via a minidsp Flex. To my ears, it sounds sublime. Moreover, room correction and good sub integration seem to be crucial.

Based on that experience, I'd probably go for something similar. For instance, Neumann KH 80 / 120 ii or Genelec 8030 / 8330 speakers plus a decent sub (e.g., SVS SB-1000, Arendal 1961 1S, Neumann KH 750, or similar), integrated and room-corrected either via a minidsp Flex or the proprietary MA-1.

Personally, I like the relative openness of the minidsp route, but the proprietary solution might be more comfortable. Regarding Genelec vs. Neumann: both seem to be excellent, and it may come down to soft factors like aesthetics, perceived reliability, convenience of isopod feet, etc.

Thank you so much for your valuable response! The 8030C is quite a bit above my budget, so I’ll need to think it over a bit more.

 

[sray1372]

I think the Neumann KH120 II is as near perfection as you'll see on the market today for this size of room. Add in their KH750 sub and you'll have a great full range setup. Alternatively...Ascilab? Ascilab might offer a big more value since they're a local Korean company. They have a couple active designs in their portfolio now but I'm not sure if they've released yet. At a minimum I think the passive versions do exist for sale and the prices are really, really good. The Ascilab website links to this website as their distributor: https://ctishop.co.kr/product/list.html?cate_no=42

The only thing that bothers me about the KH80 is its 4-inch woofer—I’m a bit worried that it might feel too small after I move to a bigger place later on.

 

[sray1372]

FWIW, I went with Genelec 8030C for my nearfield mixing setup. They're brilliant 60Hz and upwards, but I'd like to have a subwoofer. My main system is flat down well below 20Hz, so anything that doesn't match that is obvious to me.


Chris

I’ll need to think about whether to first buy something cheaper than the 8030C and then sell it later to upgrade, or save up for a while and switch to it eventually.

 

[RayDunzl]

I like how you've anchored your head to the monitor.

 

[sray1372]

모니터에 머리가 고정되어 있다고 맞네요.

View attachment 441660

I tried my best to draw it as detailed as possible, haha. I even made sure to match the heights in the actual room!

 

[ckernel8]

The only thing that bothers me about the KH80 is its 4-inch woofer—I’m a bit worried that it might feel too small after I move to a bigger place later on.

Sorry, I missed that note at the bottom where you listed your options. I don't think I'd get the KH80 either. It may be worthwhile to save up for a used pair of KH120II though...

 

[Arindal]

My use cases are mixing, monitoring, guitar playing, and music listening, all in a 90cm nearfield PC-Fi setup.

I strongly recommend to find a monitor which is a smaller pointsource or close to a pointsource for such a listening distance. Would avoid any models with a big mid woofer like an 8" as well as units with woofer and tweeter in a waveguide separated. Furthermore get a model which would not cause overly fat bass when being positioned directly at the wall, and tending to have a more distant imaging in a nearfield setup.

Ideal speakers which come to my mind certainly exceed your budget. Maybe MEG Mo-1 Mk2 might be fitting. Out of the more affordable options, I would recommend to get the Elac UBR-62, block the port vents and apply EQ curve to correct the bass.

 

[bluefuzz]

The only thing that bothers me about the KH80 is its 4-inch woofer

As long as you have a subwoofer for the low end you should be fine. I'm currently using bookshelf speakers with ~4" woofers in a ~25 m2 room and they play plenty loud enough for my usage with a single 10" sub.