Neumann KH 310A Review (Powered Monitor)

[respice finem]

the performance / price ratio of the monitors is unbeatable

Exactly. You get tri-amping, first class drivers, waveguides etc.
All this would not only "cost an arm and a leg" in traditional "hifi hardware", it would clutter the room (6 power amps?) and in parts, it's simply not available, apart from rare passive constructions that have waveguides.

 

[brandall10]

Maybe Amir could say, how many home (or non-pro) users are buying studio monitors and other studio stuff (like me with the RME ADI2-DAC)?

My point exactly, it's the ASR crowd that is thinking about this, because it's what we do. I betcha the 8341a review last year was the first time many folks on this site even thought about using studio monitors for normal stereo listening.

In the more mainstream sphere, the traditional audiophile scoffs at actives. The newer technophile audiophile is going to want an all-in-one solution like the LS50W at the lower end or the D&D 8C/Kii at the upper end.

 

[respice finem]

...In the more mainstream sphere, the traditional audiophile scoffs at actives.

Audiophilia is a diagnosis
Let them scoff, more good gear remaining for those who know what they want, and why
The only valid argument against is looks, and looks are a matter of a) taste and b) acquaintance.
The more important aspect is how well a machine (and technically a speaker is one) does its job.

 

[DSJR]

Hmm. Audiophile (audiophool) markets want to play with the gear, so proper 'self contained' active monitors aren't usually looked at 'cos built in amps are boring apparently (that's what I was told on a Facebook group page). Oh yeah, also told that active is lazy as the real skill apparently is getting a passive crossover to work properly.....

You really can't make it up!

 

[respice finem]

An old German saying: "tell them they're right until the doc arrives" People will believe anything...
Why should we care, anyway?

 

[Evgeniy]

Dear Amir, pls. add step response and waterfall measurements for future tests of apeakers, if you can.
thanks.

 

[dfuller]

Dear Amir, pls. add step response and waterfall measurements for future tests of apeakers, if you can.
thanks.

They don't tell you a genuinely huge amount that isn't already visible in frequency response, to be honest.

Hmm. Audiophile (audiophool) markets want to play with the gear, so proper 'self contained' active monitors aren't usually looked at 'cos built in amps are boring apparently (that's what I was told on a Facebook group page). Oh yeah, also told that active is lazy as the real skill apparently is getting a passive crossover to work properly.....

You really can't make it up!

Well... It is harder to make a passive crossover work better. Why do you think you sometimes end up with super wacky impedance curves in passives? Because you have the impedances of all the caps and inductors interacting with the voice coils of the drivers. That's literally why active is better.

 

[Frgirard]

The great interest of the active crossover is the calibration of the speakers. Make the two, three or five speakers of the same model with the same sound.
In the 80's, in passive it was impossible to do that.
Now, with the improvements of the transducers manufacturing, this is possible with a cost.
The calibration of active speakers have also cost. The cheap active speakers are not calibrated and risk to sound differently.

 

[Robbo99999]

Okay, so my pair showed up today.

I think the thing I didn't anticipate was how ridiculously stable the phantom center is. This is one of only a very few speakers I've heard that actually sounds like there's a center channel. The detail is insane as well - but not in a false boosted highs kind of way, but rather an extraordinarily low distortion kind of way. Perhaps my only nitpick is they seem rather bass-light compared to the Barefoots they replaced... but those were pretty seriously bass boosted.

I got JBL 308p Mkii and they have a very strong phantom centre, indeed like there is a centre channel. Some of this will be aided by listening within an equilateral triangle and perhaps good & wide directivity characteristics are also influential.

 

[Takanaka]

I’ve set these up 2 weeks ago and I’m in love with them. Wonderfully uncoloured and transparent, reminded me a lot of the Genn 8030C’s just bigger and more extended in the low end. Hearing a lot of low end detail I haven’t heard before despite my sub-optimal room.

They do get pretty hot with this weather luckily they got gigantic fins on the back as well as a thermal limiter.

 

[Pearljam5000]

They're now €1600, who remembers the old price before rhe increase?

 

[Takanaka]

They're now €1600, who remembers the old price before rhe increase? View attachment 143412

Your price is without VAT. Still €1900 per unit for me on Thomann.

They used to be around €1600 per unit so it’s a pretty major price increase. I managed to get them before the price hike, when they still had stock from a previous batch.

Still worth the price if you’d ask me, there’s not many speakers who can challenge the KH310 at that price point or even beyond.

 

[respice finem]

I've paid 1699€ in March (incl. German VAT).

 

[Pearljam5000]

Your price is without VAT. Still €1900 per unit for me on Thomann.

They used to be around €1600 per unit so it’s a pretty major price increase. I managed to get them before the price hike, when they still had stock from a previous batch.

Still worth the price if you’d ask me, there’s not many speakers who can challenge the KH310 at that price point or even beyond.

Even though I'm sure they're excellent it's a pretty big price hike of an old model, so i wonder why they did that

 

[respice finem]

The parent company, Sennheiser, is in some trouble, including, but not limited to, COVID. And I suppose old or not, these Neumanns are "legendary" in Germany, as successors of Klein & Hummel, so they would probably still sell well at double the price (don't tell them)

 

[CMB]

Yes - for me it is a real deterrent.
I was not expecting such a price increase for a pair of speakers that exists already for so long, without any improvements.
They should become cheaper and not pricier.

 

[Matias]

FYI prices of many components including chips have been increasing a lot this year.

 

[respice finem]

I could bet they're still much cheaper than next year. Election year in Germany (September). Starting in October, expect no tax reduction

 

[Pearljam5000]

FYI prices of many components including chips have been increasing a lot this year.

It's still not an excuse for asking €300 more per monitor

 

[CMB]

FYI prices of many components including chips have been increasing

I wonder how much such a chip might cost?