Leave it to the Germans, Abacus Mirra 14

[Chimiel]

anybody else who has heard these speakers?
i like the sound of the kh310, but if these are on par or better sounding, than maybe "the new thing" is a better option. price difference in my country is not huge...

They sound awesome. This is all subjective of course during a short listening test, but for what it's worth: the music is all there, without any coloration. Instruments are very well separated. Highs are all there without being harsh, they go low without distortion (listened at moderate level) And the mids, especially vocals are something special, I did not hear before on my two way Cortex 10 and C Box 4. Probably very non-fatiguing when listening to for al longer period (which I did not like about the Genelecs) The KH310 just sound muffled compared to the Mirra. Only gripe I have: I brought my Cortex 10 from Holland to Germany for repair of the auto on / off function.
When I got back from this roadtrip it still did not work and I was told by Abacus it was probably something else, the fault was not in the monitor itself (one of them was working the other was not) or as we say in Holland, 'I was send in the woods'. Being taken for an idiot was for me the reason not to buy again any of their equipment.

 

[jean-benoit]

thanks, that is sounding promising as far as audio quality goes.
sorry about your bad experience with them, this doesnt sound right.

 

[Waxx]

This design is not invented by Neumann like many think, but by Klein & Hummel (bought by Senheiser/Neumann) with the O98 that also did not have waveguides (not common in the 1980's). But those and the Neumanns use dome mids, not cone, so it's easier to mate a dome tweeter to that. Neumann speakers are building further on the heritage of that German Klein & Hummel company (hence the model number system KHxxx).

We would need a full test to see if this Abacus can do it right. It can be done without waveguide, it's true. But with cone mids i would use a waveguide because matching it is way easier than without. And simulating waveguides is not that dificult anymore with modern software. On DIY audio amateurs can do it with freeware or relative cheap software, so no excuse to do not. And making them is even easier, with a 3D printer for small runs or with a mold for big runs. Many smaller companies do it, even diy amateurs are doing it.