New Neumann stuff announcing Friday 9/12

[respice finem]

But should anyone care, and why?

 

[zonk]

I am happy we have both Genelec and Neumann. So almost everybody coud find something that fits to his needs and taste.

If not, then many other brands still offer speakers, no need to get upset.

 

[respice finem]

I am happy we have both Genelec and Neumann. So almost everybody coud find something that fits to his needs and taste.

If not, then many other brands still offer speakers, no need to get upset.

Choice (and competition) is always a good thing.

 

[Behrelec 37]

Neuman makes the best microphones on the planet, and Genelec focuses on how the sound comes out of them for a variety of different applications, such as music production studios, TV/video production, RVs/trucks, high end/hi-fi enthusiasts, film production with multi-channels, computer game sound design/VR, etc. etc.

 

[JIW]

Neumann indeed lacks "giant" farfielders which Genelec has, but there is no law known by me mandating it.
They cater to their market, and doing so, they are very conservative. Similarly, you can have your Neumann in any colour you like, as long as it's "mouse grey" or (sometimes) white. Business choices, not less, not more, IMHO. In fact I was long undecided between Genelec and Neumann before buying what I've bought. I don't regret it, but I don't think it would make a real difference if I had decided the other way. It's like with the "upper" Mercedes vs. BMW, or Lexus, same class, different "philosophy". One is not really better or worse than the other, just different, and each will have its loyal customer base.

You can have your Neumanns in any colour, as long as it's a RAL colour.

https://www.neumann.com/en-de/serviceundsupport_de/made-to-order

 

[respice finem]

You can have your Neumanns in any colour, as long as it's a RAL colour.
View attachment 475893

https://www.neumann.com/en-de/serviceundsupport_de/made-to-order

Thanks, that's new to me.
Got used to the mouse grey, meanwhile, mitigated by having the (ridiculously expensive but sturdy) steel grilles on the fronts.

Neumann GKH 310

Neumann GKH 310, Schutzgitter für Neumann KH 310 A Lautsprecher, Material: Metall, Farbe: schwarz (RAL 9005), Abmaße: 256 x 381 x 47,61 mm, Gewicht: 890g, 1 Stück

www.thomann.de

 

[JIW]

Thanks, that's new to me.
Got used to the mouse grey, meanwhile, mitigated by having the (ridiculously expensive but sturdy) steel grilles on the fronts.

Neumann GKH 310

Neumann GKH 310, Schutzgitter für Neumann KH 310 A Lautsprecher, Material: Metall, Farbe: schwarz (RAL 9005), Abmaße: 256 x 381 x 47,61 mm, Gewicht: 890g, 1 Stück

www.thomann.de

It will probably also cost a fair bit more comparing the prices on the website with retail prices. I don't mind the anthracite metallic on the KH 80. Also until not too long ago Genelec also only offered grey and white. Now they also offer black and the shiny silver raw finish apart from also offering made to order if I recall correctly.

 

[respice finem]

I may get another colour only if I need new speakers, anyway.
With the longevity of good speakers, this may never happen.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Just using this one example, the KH870 II uses different tuning and DSP controlled FR. Perhaps there were also driver modifications that allowed the tradeoff in max SPL that we see.

That looks like totally different drivers to me. Old ones are more like PA types, new ones have lower fs, the lower sensitivity that goes along with that and higher excursion, i.e. more typical subwoofer jobs.

 

[Curvature]

That looks like totally different drivers to me. Old ones are more like PA types, new ones have lower fs, the lower sensitivity that goes along with that and higher excursion, i.e. more typical subwoofer jobs.

I didn't go through the trouble of extracting them, but the H2 and H3 distortion traces are fairly similar between I and II. I would expect a wholly new driver to show more divergent behaviour. As good as Neumann is with disclosing tech specs, we don't have the TS parameters to really know. I think the box, port and sophisticated DSP account for what we see.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Neuman makes the best microphones on the planet

Neumann has the reputation for making the best microphones on the planet.

Ask most studio folks though and you'll find their reputation remains unimpeachable for reliability and consistency, others have passed them by on sound quality, and in some respects, Neumann has gone backward. Most pros feel their modern transformerless mics, like the u87ai and KM184, are a step back compared to the previous transformer-coupled generation including the u87i and KM84.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like Neumann is refreshing their microphone line-up with the same diligence and attention to modern engineering that they're giving to their studio monitors. At the same time the prices for many of their mics have gone up dramatically over the last decade.

I have a u87ai and it's a good mic, but it's not the best I own. I've used KM184s on several projects and they get the pants beaten off of them by multiple cheaper options (including SDC mics I've built myself) - I did a blind, level-matched shootout between the $1,000 KM184 and a $100 modified budget MXL 603s a few years back and the MXL mic won on every instrument as chosen by three different listeners.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Just subs
How disappointing

 

[Curvature]

Just subs
How disappointing

Last time they had a "big annoucement" it was new mics. This time was better. Next time... speakers!

 

[LTig]

Neumann has the reputation for making the best microphones on the planet.

What about Schoeps?

Schoeps - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Pearljam5000]

Neumann has the reputation for making the best microphones on the planet.

Ask most studio folks though and you'll find their reputation remains unimpeachable for reliability and consistency, others have passed them by on sound quality, and in some respects, Neumann has gone backward. Most pros feel their modern transformerless mics, like the u87ai and KM184, are a step back compared to the previous transformer-coupled generation including the u87i and KM84.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like Neumann is refreshing their microphone line-up with the same diligence and attention to modern engineering that they're giving to their studio monitors. At the same time the prices for many of their mics have gone up dramatically over the last decade.

I have a u87ai and it's a good mic, but it's not the best I own. I've used KM184s on several projects and they get the pants beaten off of them by multiple cheaper options (including SDC mics I've built myself) - I did a blind, level-matched shootout between the $1,000 KM184 and a $100 modified budget MXL 603s a few years back and the MXL mic won on every instrument as chosen by three different listeners.

Who has the reputation of making the best monitors on the planet?

 

[SuicideSquid]

What about Schoeps?

Schoeps - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Recording professionals know Schoeps and recognize they make some of the best SDCs around.

No one outside the recording world has any idea who they are, though. They're also a boutique company that specializes in a single type of mic design. They don't make dynamic, ribbon, or large-diaphragm condensers, only SDCs.

 

[lowkeyoperations]

Who has the reputation of making the best monitors on the planet?

Yamaha and ATC

 

[dfuller]

modern transformerless mics, like the u87ai

The U87Ai is transformer coupled. Plus, some of their transformerless mics (e.g. TLM102, TLM170, TLM107) are very well regarded.

That said, the KM184's problem isn't that it's a bad mic (it's fine, if nothing particularly special), it's that it sounds nothing like a KM84 - which it replaced in Neumann's catalog. It's way, way brighter.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Honestly I don't know what takes them so long
The KH310 is about 10 Year old if I'm not wrong

 

[respice finem]

For their standards, 10 years is not long
The "grandfather" is much older, and still strikingly similar.

Test: Klein+Hummel O300 - AMAZONA.de

Klein+Hummel ist ein deutsches Traditionsunternehmen und ist bisher vor allem im Bereich von Rundfunk-Regielautsprechern bekannt geworden. Im Jahr 2005

www.amazona.de