New speakers $3000

[Purité Audio]

Have you checked out Pierre’s https://www.spinorama.org/
That’s where I would start the better the measurements the more transparent the loudspeaker, then try and audition a few possibles in your space.
Keith

 

[Mort]

Looking at the measured performance for the Orbits I'm struggling to see what's so amazing about them to be honest?

It checks all the jargon boxes (cardiod, coaxial etc) for a low price.

 

[easyrider]

Looking at the measured performance for the Orbits I'm struggling to see what's so amazing about them to be honest?



Local enough you can go have a listen? Price is in line with recent sold second hand ones on eBay so should be able to move on OK without losing money if you gave them a punt.

You didn't reply to my question about what you were looking to improve, which could help others help you.

Apologies must have missed that bit.

There is a rattle on the left side….that comes and goes like the migration of birds….its time to change them out…Adam offered to look and repair one…so more headroom, better sonics etc….

 

[Marc v E]

Currently running Adam A5X with an Adam Sub 7 but looking to upgrade.. budget of around £1500 -£2000 UK pounds

Room is 16 square metres. It’s treated with Gik 244 Bass Traps FlexRange.

Any suggestions in this price range…?

I reached out to Adam Audio about swapping out the A5X and getting the A7V and keeping my sub.

Adam responded and said A7H would be fine for use with my sub just alter settings to accommodate

I’m also looking at 3 way monitors like the Dynaudio LYD 48 and thoughts on those ?

Thanks

In my experience standmounts plus sub(s) give the best value for money high end sound.

Some things I experienced:
3 way monitors also need subs. That's why that path would not be an upgrade to me personally.

There are some quality differences in standmounts, but when you've reached a certain level it's very hard to improve upon. An even frequency curve that is pretty much the same off axis is all that is necessary. The rest (coaxial, very low distortion drivers) give small perceived gains for a lot of money.

Equalisation and low passing to a sub makes a lot of difference. Instantly noticeable clarity of voices and instruments being one. As you've probable experienced already, a sub can add substantially to the overall sound.

Given the above, I would suggest 1 or more subs and the possibility to apply eq in an easy manner.

One possibility would be the Neumann KH750 sub, which is seriously impressive.
The sub has dsp, all you need to add is the Neumann measuring microphone.

One other route I would consider is using an avr like the denon x3800h (or newer x3900h) which has dsp and microphone included and a possibility to connect up to 4 subs.

Personally I really like the Genelec 8030. Using these or the bigger 8040 or 8050 with subs and an avr to take care of the equalisation part, is the path I've personally chosen. They can be wall mounted too and are available in black, white or grey. The G3, G4 and G5 are the same but have both xlr and rca inputs.

 

[illusonic]

Looking at the measured performance for the Orbits I'm struggling to see what's so amazing about them to be honest?

Measurement interpretation is where things become complicated. Lets start with extension below 30Hz. This measn you can hear bass notes other speakers don't reveal - that's an easy one. Furthermore, cardioid dispersion down to 250Hz. While non-cardioid speakers mix frontal sound with lots of reflected sound from the rear side of the speakers, Orbits paint their sound image on an acoustically cleaner backgrund. This results in better defined sound image. Additionally, Orbits may be placed right at the front wall without notches in the frequency resonse that result from reflections for non-cardioid speakers. Then there is the coax speaker providing well controlled vertical diectivity unmatched by non-coaxial speakers. This gives freedom to move as the listener may lie on a sofa as well as stand in the room while allways getting balanced frequency response. For spinorama fans there is a tonality preference score between 6.26 (as is) and 7.45 (with a little EQ) or 8.35 (EQ + sub). So you get small and unobtrusive speakers that can be placed right at the wall without any compromise, give you fullrange playback, a clearly focused sound image and neutral tonality. These speakers come with included DAC, amp and a range of easily accessible user-EQ options. All for 800€/900USD. Can you point me to any speakers able to match this?

 

[neRok]

There is a rattle on the left side….that comes and goes like the migration of birds

I was going to ask "why" you want to upgrade, and so seeing this - that's probably not a big issue. Probably its a foam gasket or plastic internal-wiring-clip thats perished, or perhaps screw(s) coming loose in the wood. These are quite easy DIY fixable.

So I think you need to work out "why" new speakers could be better than your old ones?! Perhaps you want more volume, or less distortion, etc? Or maybe you just want something new, which is fair enough. And so from my limited experience, Adam Audio seem a reasonable company/choice - although perhaps they are never the "best choice", but that doesnt mean they aren't the second best choice! But if you must have "ribbon tweaters", then maybe they are the best choice?!

 

[Knightfal]

What about the new Fluid Audio Image 1? It has the AMT you are used to, and you will probably not need a sub.

Fluid Professional Image 1 | 3-Way Studio Monitor

Fluid Professional Image 1 is a 3-way reference studio monitor with AMT tweeter, DSP control, and dual-opposed woofers for accurate mixing, mastering, and Dolby Atmos production.

fluidaudio.com

 

[Ultrasonic]

Lets start with extension below 30Hz.

To me the bass looks like a problem area with the Orbits. Its level seems to be too high vs the rest of the frequency range (see estimated in-room response) plus the distortion is HIGH. Whilst the OP's sub doesn't go super-low I'd expect it to perform better tbh, and if it didn't upgrading to a better sub would get my vote over the apparent limitations of the Orbits.

 

[Paul7777x]

To me the bass looks like a problem area with the Orbits. Its level seems to be too high vs the rest of the frequency range (see estimated in-room response) plus the distortion is HIGH. Whilst the OP's sub doesn't go super-low I'd expect it to perform better tbh, and if it didn't upgrading to a better sub would get my vote over the apparent limitations of the Orbits.

Yes. I’d say the Orbits are a bit of a mess compared with good actives.

Trying to do too many things and therefore none of them particularly well.

 

[Jonazkur]

… and not forgetting the ever adored Genelec.

Genelec 8040 BMM

2-Way Active Studio Monitor Equipment: 165 mm (6.5") woofer with high efficiency and 19 mm (3/4") metal dome tweeter with DCW, Lower cut-off frequency: 45 Hz (-3dB), Maximum sound pressure: 115 dB SPL (peak) per pair with music material at 1 m,...

www.thomann.co.uk

I had genelec 8040, they were ok but prob one of the worst measuring genelecs there are. 3khz xo point is just way too high for that 6.5” to have good directivity.

 

[Marc v E]

(...)

In the music store the Neumanns were running with a KH 750 on the floor. Turned it off quickly, because it did not integrate seemless with the sound of the satellites and produced boomy bass. Surely that's a matter of sub/sat alignment and room EQ.

(...)

When I listened to the kh750 it produced the cleanest bass notes I ever heard. I would describe them as fast, deep, dynamic, a race car of a sub. It takes you on a rollercoaster ride and never lets you go. I'm not easily impressed, but this did.

I think they were not set up correctly and/or the room played a part.
I had the same when a genelec sub was demo-ed to me. Now I have one and I love it. Ime proper integration with the standmount speakers is needed at the bare minimum, and then eq/dsp will make the integration seemless.

 

[Paul7777x]

I had genelec 8040, they were ok but prob one of the worst measuring genelecs there are. 3khz xo point is just way too high for that 6.5” to have good directivity.

I’m surprised to hear that. And a bit disappointed too. I had assumed that all Genelecs were up to snuff.

Teach me to assume without research.

 

[Doenerkunde]

I’m surprised to hear that. And a bit disappointed too. I had assumed that all Genelecs were up to snuff.

Teach me to assume without research.

8040 with 6.5' woofer and 3khz crossover vs 8050 with 8' woofer and 1.8khz crossover from the manual:

 

[sidechain]

Yes. I’d say the Orbits are a bit of a mess compared with good actives.

Trying to do too many things and therefore none of them particularly well.

Have you tried the Orbits? What makes them a mess and what is a good active to you?

 

[illusonic]

To me the bass looks like a problem area with the Orbits. Its level seems to be too high vs the rest of the frequency range (see estimated in-room response) plus the distortion is HIGH. Whilst the OP's sub doesn't go super-low I'd expect it to perform better tbh, and if it didn't upgrading to a better sub would get my vote over the apparent limitations of the Orbits.

Too much bass? There are 5 (!) different user EQ filters to reduce the bass as required in various in-room setups. Too much bass is a luxury problem. Distortion in lower bass is a non-issue. All small subs have high distortion.

 

[Mort]

Have you tried the Orbits? What makes them a mess and what is a good active to you?

Did you read the review? it's all there. The implementation is a little janky, could be better.

They are probably the best actives at that price point and if you are strictly limited by budget - go for it.

But if you can invest a little more, there are better solutions.

 

[Somafunk]

You’ve probably decided by now but I’m perfectly happy with my Dynaudio LYD 48’s and two Dynaudio 18s subs in my room which is pretty mucvh same size as yours (if you have a 2.4m ceiling). Had them for 5/6 years without any issue but my room is fully treated and peq applied through roon

 

[illusonic]

I think they were not set up correctly and/or the room played a part.

Thankfully you quoted me completely. It should be clear from the quote that I suspect the same reason as you do. I mainly pointed out that full-range speakers don't require manual adjustment of the crossover region between two speakers. I find it interesting that some people expect trouble in adjusting integrated EQ filters to taste and prefer to complain about too much bass, while others see no problem with tuning sub/sat alignments.

 

[Ultrasonic]

Too much bass? There are 5 (!) different user EQ filters to reduce the bass as required in various in-room setups. Too much bass is a luxury problem. Distortion in lower bass is a non-issue. All small subs have high distortion.

Did you actually look at the predicted in-room response curve I referred to? This is no sort of positive. If it can be fixed with built-in EQ then this is a good thing but a better default response would be better.

Significant bass head-room would absolutely be a good thing but the distortion data clearly shows this isn't the case here. I also don't accept that the distortion shown in the review is a "non-issue" - it's a clear limitation of the speaker. This is why Amir explored and commented on this (both in the measured data and listening test). Listen at low enough volume and particularly in the nearfield and you could certainly be fine of course. The OP is listening in a medium sized-room and I strongly suspect farfield though.

However, the OP may well be using the high-passed output from their sub as input to their main speakers, in which case the bass response of the mains becomes irrelevant either way.

 

[easyrider]

You’ve probably decided by now but I’m perfectly happy with my Dynaudio LYD 48’s and two Dynaudio 18s subs in my room which is pretty mucvh same size as yours (if you have a 2.4m ceiling). Had them for 5/6 years without any issue but my room is fully treated and peq applied through roon

Pics?