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Presonus Sceptre S8 (optimized) & compared to Neumann KH120
- Thread starter ernestcarl
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ernestcarl
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- #42
It's just the room -- half of the speaker is in the middle of the hallway. I'm not sure if this is the exact EQ (possibly slightly different) to the one I use right now as this was just retrieved from an older saved mdat file.
Bought a B-stock pair of Sceptre S8 at 990€ two days ago put them in the same room with Mirage M3, CJ premier 10, two mono A&R SA200, DAC chord dac64II, signal and audio cables all magnum and oracle from MIT and various tuning devices harmonix and so on..... install them on two simple stands, cost 35€ each, signal from Merging Anubis, they blow-up my hi-end system, if I think that they cost like a mains cable I have.............
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ernestcarl
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- #45
Indeed, sporadically one can still find a few good deals of the Sceptres in the used market. However, prices for "new" have gone up a bit -- sales probably being low is partly to blame.
Some of these speakers, though, appear more heavily abused than others... I would esp. be careful to make sure the horn part isn't damaged. Perhaps even take REW measurements for extra verification.
This is what I found as of today on Reverb.com of the smaller S6 version
*looks pristine!
*and not so much...
I wish Presonus would update these to at least allow entry for additional manual PEQs, shelving as well as time delay adjustment programmability which can be very useful for some multichannel setups. Similar to the programmability found on their now discontinued StudioLive AI PA series.
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ernestcarl
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- #47
Well, that's a surprise! Could it be because you've just gotten used to the Sceptres after using them for so long? I know that the Genelec has a very wide directivity in contrast to the much narrower horn of the Sceptre. Depending on the room acoustics, that could be part of the reason for your personal preference.
Although, from my own experience the Sceptres (as is) are quite excellent with techno and psytrance genres. But pushing to max volume, even approaching electronic limiting with my S8 without a sub, one can sometimes hear the port chuffing. Eh, maybe that's just a consequence small BR designs... as even my KH120's suffer from it.
dasdoing
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A shame we have no Kipple of these
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ernestcarl
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- #49
True...
However, if the goal is objectively the smoothest, flattest and most neutral frequency response then the Sceptres aren’t gonna win awards over monitors like Neumann and Genelec. I've performed enough quasi-anechoic measurements to tell you that for sure… I would say even the waveguide of the cheaper JBL LSR studio monitors produce much more remarkably smoother transitions in the horizontal plane. However, IMO, the sound of the Sceptres still is subjectively better than any of those other more budget oriented monitors — or at least the few ones I listened when directly set side-by-side together in the same room e.g. JBL LSR, Mackie MR, and Fluid’s coax. Although, with the Neumann KH120, eh, it’s kind of a mixed bag. However, this should not come of totally as a surprise given that after a certain level of relative smoothness and flatness in speakers, it's the other differentiating factors that become more important e.g. bass extension and performance at increasing volume, as well as perceived tonality which primarily is influenced by the on- and off-axis dispersion and room interaction.
I may have explained it in this thread or others at ASR before... that it is actually the narrowness or particular frequency dependent off-axis directionality (some could call it lobing or beaming in the more negative/pejorative sense) that “can” make these speakers actually sound less harsh and more pleasing than the far more consistently flat Neumann — I’d presume this is going to hold true with some Genelecs as well.
Weakest point of the Sceptres may be from the on-axis “forwardness” in some of the upper mid-range area (and, this most prominently affects vocals more) but, on the other hand, this on-axis peak really mellows out quickly off-axis.
In the end, a lot of this also becomes a matter of taste. From experience, I’d say the bulk of any offending, subjective or even measurably objective attributes should be modifiable or "fixable" enough with EQ — that is, if one isn't averse to playing around with DSP.
Let me be clear, though, DSP cannot truly “fix” the inevitable, inherent diffraction caused by abruptly interrupted geometry of that small horn waveguide. But, we can shape the response enough so that perceived magnitude of those audible effects or "coloration" becomes significantly mitigated or reduced to the point of being... largely inconsequential.
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