Neumann KH120 II Monitor Review

[Nuyes]

I also measured the KH120ii product.

I also did a THD test on the resonance, which is covered in this review.
(EHID, 3dB step)

In my tests, the distortion peaks at 82dB SPL@1m and is similar at 85dB SPL, but tapers off.
(So you can see that this is not due to nonlinear distortion in the unit).



And I measured the deviation between 2 samples.

Um... This is.....


Legen.. wait for it..

Dary!!!

 

[Ron Texas]

@Nuyes I think it's great that we have several around here with professional grade measurement gear and the skills to use it. Thank you.

 

[FutureFrenzy]

@Nuyes could you explain to a total noob why the distortion is not due to non-linear distortion of the speaker?

 

[Nuyes]

@Nuyes could you explain to a total noob why the distortion is not due to non-linear distortion of the speaker?

In most, but not all cases, the nonlinear distortion caused by the drive of a moving coil speaker is dominated by 'displacement'.

Therefore, if nonlinear distortion is found, it is common for it to increase with power.

(Of course, for some 2nd harmonic components, it can also decrease as output increases, as the asymmetry of the motion is corrected).
In the case of this problem, we only observe distortion at certain outputs, and it doesn't increase proportionally with output.

Furthermore, this distortion is a combination of 2nd and 3rd.

 

[PapaEd]

Im ok with the speakers not being at their implied best after 6ft or so,ñ. I know they still sound very good at the longer distance. When I move to a bigger room I will take the distance even further into account. Too bad the KH150 are so much more expensive than the KH120ii, but that extra spl and bass extension looks sweet. The narrower radiation not so much.

Me too. I listen to KH 120II at 7’ MA-1 aligned and I’m happy enjoying my music. Sure the KH 150 would be even better but don’t want to spend more. Maybe a 750 sub later.

 

[musicforants]

does that mean kh120 ii have design defect (resonance)? I was interested in buying this speaker but now I'm gonna wait until they fix it

 

[Pearljam5000]

does that mean kh120 ii have design defect (resonance)? I was interested in buying this speaker but now I'm gonna wait until they fix it

The KH150 is better in any cass

 

[perlindgren]

does that mean kh120 ii have design defect (resonance)? I was interested in buying this speaker but now I'm gonna wait until they fix it

In the original post, Amir made this comment:
"There is a resonance at 334 Hz or so. This is seen as a tiny blip in on-axis response as well. It is well below my threshold though so not an issue. And at any rate, is overwhelmed at higher SPLs I normally show:"

I guess that implies that this resonance shows up as distortion, but with very low amplitude so not a problem.

 

[IamJF]

@amirm - what did Neumann say to your results? Do they confirm?
I didn't get the same with my Audio Precision system with a measurement at listening position. Maybe I find time this week to do a proper measurement in my semi anechoic room setup. As I normally can measure down to 0,01%THD without problem and reliable I'm looking forward if can detect this phenomen with a completely different measurement setup.

 

[staticV3]

@IamJF Below are Neumann's THD graphs for the KH 120 II. You can download them here.

 

[IamJF]

@IamJF Below are Neumann's THD graphs for the KH 120 II. You can download them here.

View attachment 304298 View attachment 304299 View attachment 304300 View attachment 304301

That's the point. Neumanns official data (I belive Monkey Forest?) and mine quick measurements (Audio Precision) don't show the phenomen. But these measurements do show (Klippel).
So an official statement would be interesting if they can reconstruct this in any way.

It's acoustic measurement ... always question your results.
I for sure question mine and will try to do a more controlled attempt, maybe adding a nearfiel measurement to exclude any room influence. Stay tuned.

 

[FutureFrenzy]

It will also be interesting to see the measurements from Sound & Recording if/when they do their review.

 

[IamJF]

Yes! Hope they add a 80dBSpl measurement in this case, don't think these are standard.

 

[FutureFrenzy]

Yeah I wonder if they are aware of this "issue". I also wonder how much longer we have to wait for the review!

 

[D700]

Any streamers that support Apple Music AND have SPDIF out? Can't help but wonder if Neumann missed opportunity to throw in a USB-C port. How are folks typically feeding these Neumann speakers with DSP?

 

[williamr]

Any streamers that support Apple Music AND have SPDIF out? Can't help but wonder if Neumann missed opportunity to throw in a USB-C port. How are folks typically feeding these Neumann speakers with DSP?

Last time I checked not many. The Eversolo DMP-A6 supposedly supports Apple Music. Another possibility is to use a SONOS Port which has SPDIF out I believe.

 

[Spocko]

For those who are concerned by these minor imperfections raised previously, I'm curious as to what other speakers are on your shortlist in this price range that you consider would be better options for you?

 

[PapaEd]

Last time I checked not many. The Eversolo DMP-A6 supposedly supports Apple Music. Another possibility is to use a SONOS Port which has SPDIF out I believe.

I use Apple TV 4K to stream Apple Music to AirPort Express (2nd Gen) and use a simple toslink /coax Converter to send SPDIF to KH120 II Digital Input. After some research I couldn’t find a technical reason to invest in a more expensive streamer with features not needed for my use. The KH120 II has its ownDAC I’m very happy with sound for listening to Apple Music pop and classical. I used MA-1 mic/software and this made an audible sound improvement. I am sure there is another solution that could produce “better “ sound but u might want to give this inexpensive setup a go

 

[D700]

I use Apple TV 4K to stream Apple Music to AirPort Express (2nd Gen) and use a simple toslink /coax Converter to send SPDIF to KH120 II Digital Input. After some research I couldn’t find a technical reason to invest in a more expensive streamer with features not needed for my use. The KH120 II has its ownDAC I’m very happy with sound for listening to Apple Music pop and classical. I used MA-1 mic/software and this made an audible sound improvement. I am sure there is another solution that could produce “better “ sound but u might want to give this inexpensive setup a go

Interesting. I will check that out. I was considering an Apple TV 4K hdmi>audio splitter>spdif out. I posted earlier about Squeezebox 3, really would be perfect here with the coax out…but few services supported

 

[Steven Holt]

After I saw how small they are and how marvellous for their size I officially nominate them as the successor of my desk's fostex's when they die.

Thanks Amir!

Sokel, life's too short, go ahead and buy the damn things now!