Neumann KH420 Review (Studio Monitor)

[Ellebob]

They say 5' on their website and I am sure that is accurate for minimum distance for driver integration if the acoustic center of the speaker is aimed at the listeners ears. There might even be a little fudge factor there and it might actually be 4' but they say 5' working distance so I hope that assumes not laser precision alignment.

 

[paudio]

They say 5' on their website and I am sure that is accurate for minimum distance for driver integration if the acoustic center of the speaker is aimed at the listeners ears. There might even be a little fudge factor there and it might actually be 4' but they say 5' working distance so I hope that assumes not laser precision alignment.

Mine are between 4' and 5' away due to the tiny room I am working in currently.

 

[ribonucleic]

The manual says that “bass managed loudspeakers” should not be positioned between 2.5 and 3.0 feet from side walls.

I assume this is a “bass managed loudspeaker” for that purpose?

 

[Ellebob]

With any speaker you will get a dip in frequency response depending on how close you place the speaker to the wall. This is called speaker boundary interference response. The further the speaker is from the wall the lower in frequency this dip will occur and be more noticeable. If you move the speakers more than 3.5ft from the wall with crossover of 80hz you will not get this dip because the dip would happen below 80hz and the sub would need to be closer than 3.5ft to the wall. I am guessing their recommendation is due to this response. This response is not something you can fix with EQ.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

If you move the speakers more than 3.5ft from the wall with crossover of 80hz you will not get this dip because the dip would happen below 80hz and the sub would need to be closer than 3.5ft to the wall. I am guessing their recommendation is due to this response. This response is not something you can fix with EQ.

Yes, this is what they mean. "Bass managed speakers" are those used with a subwoofer and crossover at 80Hz.

 

[ribonucleic]

Strictly sound-wise, would a pair of these with equalizer settings from a RME ADI-2 FS come out ahead of a pair of KH 150s, a KH 750, and Neumann’s own DSP?

[I know the 420s bottom out at 26Hz. But not being big on EDM or organ music, I can probably live without frequencies below that.]

 

[LTig]

Strictly sound-wise, would a pair of these with equalizer settings from a RME ADI-2 FS come out ahead of a pair of KH 150s, a KH 750, and Neumann’s own DSP?

[I know the 420s bottom out at 26Hz. But not being big on EDM or organ music, I can probably live without frequencies below that.]

I think so, as long as the listening distance is not too short. At the same SPL the KH420 will be cleaner (less THD and IMD) as the KH150.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Strictly sound-wise, would a pair of these with equalizer settings from a RME ADI-2 FS come out ahead of a pair of KH 150s, a KH 750, and Neumann’s own DSP?

[I know the 420s bottom out at 26Hz. But not being big on EDM or organ music, I can probably live without frequencies below that.]

as nearfields I think you'd actually come out ahead with the KH150 setup, but as midfields in a larger room I'd put my money on the KH420s. Both are going to sound phenomenal though.

 

[badspeakerdesigner]

These things are definitely a dream of mine, the performance is insane, it's got the looks I love.

I also consume a good helping of cannabis and couldn't help but find it funny that one of the most performant speakers out there is given model number 420 ayeee. I don't think I ever matured past my 20's, my gf may agree lol.

 

[ribonucleic]

couldn't help but find it funny that one of the most performant speakers out there is given model number 420

So much for sapping one’s ambition, eh?

I don’t know if 420 culture extends to Germany. But it is a completely arbitrary number, after all. They could have named it the 425, which sounds even more high performance.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

I don’t know if 420 culture extends to Germany

Never heard of it before, had to google it. There is an entry in german Wikipedia about it at least (https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(Cannabis-Kultur))
I think the KH420 is just the logical successor to the Klein+Hummel O400 and O410 ancestry.

 

[thecheapseats]

Never heard of it before, had to google it. There is an entry in german Wikipedia about it at least (https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(Cannabis-Kultur))
I think the KH420 is just the logical successor to the Klein+Hummel O400 and O410 ancestry.

my first pair of k+h mid-fields were o92... have a 420 pair now... which makes me old - I suppose...

 

[badspeakerdesigner]

Well that's what I get for making a joke I guess, calm down people my god.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Never heard of it before, had to google it. There is an entry in german Wikipedia about it at least (https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(Cannabis-Kultur))
I think the KH420 is just the logical successor to the Klein+Hummel O400 and O410 ancestry.

It's the most stoner culture thing ever - hippies in California in the 60s thought a "420" was the police code for a drug bust - it wasn't, but it became associated with stoner culture. Makes sense that it wouldn't really have escaped North America.

 

[Gianmarco]

Kh420 are incredible speakers out of the box no doubt about that!
but let's say i compared them to kh80+ 2sub (speaker mounted over sub) + room measurements and correction for flat response.
At the end of the day i will have probably a comparable frequency response and listening experience .
What do you think about it?

 

[Sancus]

Kh420 are incredible speakers out of the box no doubt about that!
but let's say i compared them to kh80+ 2sub (speaker mounted over sub) + room measurements and correction for flat response.
At the end of the day i will have probably a comparable frequency response and listening experience .
What do you think about it?

There is a lot more to speaker performance than on-axis frequency response, so no, those won't produce the same experience.

 

[Abaxial]

Kh420 are incredible speakers out of the box no doubt about that!
but let's say i compared them to kh80+ 2sub (speaker mounted over sub) + room measurements and correction for flat response.
At the end of the day i will have probably a comparable frequency response and listening experience .
What do you think about it?

Apples and oranges. KH420 is a midfield monitor for large rooms, KH80 is a nearfield monitor for use at a desk. Adding a subwoofer doesn't change this. Larger monitors tend to have better distortion response, which is different from frequency response. Figure out your listening position in the room (if you already have a decent speaker of some kind, then there is a test you can do for this), figure out if you have speakers on desk vs on floor/stands, then buy the largest monitors you can that match with their recommended listening distance.

For example, within Neumann's lineup, shortest recommended distance

KH80: .5m
KH120, 150, 310: 1m
KH420: 1.5m

 

[paudio]

I hadn't had larger speakers in some time and had forgotten about visceral impact. No port chuffing, they extend low and are quite effortless. I'm not sure how kh80 + subs would sound in comparison. I would attempt to hear them both before purchasing. I figure the bigger the better for the monitors and then subwoofers to fill in the bottom. Desktop or nearfield and at low volumes you can get away with a lot less speaker paired with subs. kh420 are very expensive brand new for casual listening Imo.

 

[Ciobi69]

I hadn't had larger speakers in some time and had forgotten about visceral impact. No port chuffing, they extend low and are quite effortless. I'm not sure how kh80 + subs would sound in comparison. I would attempt to hear them both before purchasing. I figure the bigger the better for the monitors and then subwoofers to fill in the bottom. Desktop or nearfield and at low volumes you can get away with a lot less speaker paired with subs. kh420 are very expensive brand new for casual listening Imo.

Depends on the necessities, the room, the listening distance, at 3-3.5 meters the 420 are the best, even with a big room

 

[auraluxstudio]

Does anyone have any idea how the 420’s ship? Are they in flight cases or just boxes?