Rank studio monitors/active speakers you have heard

[DigiPete]

Would all of these speakers be ok for movies and games in a pc setup?
I'm confused on if studio speakers are literally only meant for music creation?

1) A well set up combination of monitors & room should be good at reproducing any sound - music or otherwise.

2) Special challenges may apply, if you set up at a desk, but that is unrelated to the type of sound source.

3) Monitors are used professionally to produce/record/mix/master/engineer everything from music & movies to sound effects in one or many channels. They are precise tools and should be as neutral as possible.

4) Some audiophiles may not agree, but IMO that is a lack of knowledge and/or experience.

 

[cats12]

Also IK multimedia micro monitor. It would be great to check by science of they achieve the miracle everyone prise on them

 

[sweetchaos]

Also IK multimedia micro monitor. It would be great to check by science of they achieve the miracle everyone prise on them

We already have measurements:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...surements-and-quasi-anechoic-spinorama.10988/
On axis looks neutral, but it will be limited by output and will have worse distortion than the MTM that Amir reviewed.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...imedia-iloud-mtm-review-active-monitor.18347/

 

[CumSum]

My preference list will be based on the speaker's sound in conjunction with subs and room correction. Though my list still doesn't change with regard to out of the box sound.

1. Emotiva Stealth 8
2. Emotiva Airmotiv 5S
2. Adam T5V
4. JBL 306P
5. JBL 305
6. M-Audio BX5 D2

I see people placing the JBL's high on their list or above Adams and I am really clueless as to why. To me the JBL's sound flawed. The sound is boxy and there is this grit to the sound that has to be related to the poor distortion measurements these speakers have. And their imaging is hit and miss. They struggle with any midfield use. For both sets of JBL's I have given them a best case scenario to succeed and they can sound good, but I am always left wanting more, especially having been exposed to their AMT colleagues.

The Emotiva's and Adam in comparison have no flaws in their sound when used with subs and DIRAC. Doesn't mean they are perfect speakers (especially out of the box), but when tuned properly, nothing stands out as weird or offensive and nothing from the sound is lacking. The sound truly is so good it is extremely hard to justify spending more on speakers. And they get very loud while still sounding clean.

 

[dfuller]

S Tier:
- Barefoot MM27 (Hands down to this day my favorite speakers - effortless volume and turn-on-a-dime bottom end all while being the clearest of any speaker I've ever heard)
- Genelec 1031 (This is where Genelec got their rep and they were a lot easier to work on than the 80X0 series I've used - none of that warm fuzzy boomy quality with all the excellent low distortion characteristics)
- Barefoot FP01 (Like the MM27 but less, albeit not quite as unforgiving about excessive top end)

A Tier:
- ATC SCM25A (actually pretty good, not a ton of low extension but the mids were very accurate and translated well)
- Focal Solo6 Be (straight up better in every way than the Shapes or Alphas - more accurate, not turbo-bright, lower distortion)

B Tier:
- Dynaudio BM6 (didn't use these extensively but they were a lot easier to work on than the Shape 65s I had at the time...)
- Focal Alpha 65 (actually pretty easy to mix on all things considered, but deffo a step down from the Shapes in terms of distortion)
- Genelec 8030 (or was it 8040? Either way, rather warm and fuzzy sounding as @Ilkless said was entirely accurate)
- Focal Shape 65 (tear your head off bright and kinda boxy, but once corrected for the distortion performance was pretty good)
- Yamaha HS7 (not fun or all that accurate, but a decent "sanity check" monitor though not as good as NS10s)
C Tier:
- Equator D5 (very dark, but the coaxial design was nice!)
- Adam S3A (Weirdly boxy and port noise galore - especially unimpressive considering they were 5 grand a pair!)
- JBL LSR305/308 (Hard to describe these. Despite the flattish measurements they sounded like a cheap hi-fi - although they did at all angles)
D Tier:
- Adam A7X (Scoop boom and fizz - hard pass! Also port chuffing was bad)

Update here.

The FP01s have been knocked down to A-tier under the SCM25As.

The KH310s sit right under the MM27s.

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

Update here.

The FP01s have been knocked down to A-tier under the SCM25As.

The KH310s sit right under the MM27s.

How come? Because of the measurements of the FP01s? I thought this thread is about subjective impression. Did you listen to them again and then change your mind?

 

[dfuller]

How come? Because of the measurements of the FP01s? I thought this thread is about subjective impression. Did you listen to them again and then change your mind?

The 310s have a way better defined stereo image and they are ruthlessly unhyped. The Barefoots to me by comparison were very boomy in the bottom end. Much more fun to listen to but worse to work on, if that makes sense?

 

[crappypanther]

Fluid FX8
Eve SC205
Krk Rokit 6
Yamaha HS5
F&D V520 (much better than r1280t
Edifier r1280t

 

[MNMLSM]

1. ADAM T5V
2. Mackie MR524
3. Yamaha HS5
4. KEF X300A
5. ELAC AM 150
6. JBL LSR 305
7. KRK Rokit 5 G2 or G3
8. ADAM A3X
9. Monkey Banana Turbo 5

Mainly listening to active speakers in the entry level.

 

[EAXAE]

9. Monkey Banana Turbo 5

How come Monkey Bananas are the worst in your rating?

 

[MNMLSM]

How come Monkey Bananas are the worst in your rating?

Hi,
I should add that I don't consider any of the speakers as bad, except of the rankings 8 and 9.
You can't blame the ADAM A3X because it lacks bass, it's really tiny and I didn't expect it to deliver it, but I also wasn't satisfied with the mids and treble. Plus it's pretty expensive for that performance, I wouldn't recommend it.
The Monkey Banana were the only pair of speakers that I unpacked, put them on my stands and I was like, are you serious?
Bass response was bad, and the whole sound sounded muddy to me, I returned them after only one or two days. But I also have to say that it has been a long time ago. It was at the time when I also listened to the ELAC AM 150.
Of course the rankings are highly subjective and I have to say the A3X and the Turbo 5 are the only two pairs which I saved as underwhelming in my memory.

 

[Martijn W]

Genelec seems to get a lot of love around here. Personally I like some of their products, but I am not that fond of them..

My list would be something like this:
Geithain RL944k + 11k sub (using now) / Geithain RL901K
ATC SCM50ASL PRO
PSI A25M
Kii Three (owned)
Barefoot MM27 gen2
Barefoot MM35 gen2
Barefoot MM35 (owned)
Neumann KH 310 / 750 sub (using now)

I think after that I would rate Genelec 8341 + 7360 sub. I did like the midrange and imaging and bass a lot but the treble still bothered me..

 

[stevenswall]

I think after that I would rate Genelec 8341 + 7360 sub. I did like the midrange and imaging and bass a lot but the treble still bothered me..

Were you able to use GLM to try and adjust the treble response to your taste? What didn't you like about it? Seems like it can be a little bright relative to other speakers, but with just the presets it seems like that is not an issue for any of the SAM monitors.

I'd love to see a Gethain measured.

 

[Gabe33]

1. Adam T8V
2. Yamaha HS7
3. Adam T5V
4. Kali Audio LP-6
5. Monkey Banana Gibbon 5

 

[CumSum]

Genelec seems to get a lot of love around here. Personally I like some of their products, but I am not that fond of them..

My list would be something like this:
Geithain RL944k + 11k sub (using now) / Geithain RL901K
ATC SCM50ASL PRO
PSI A25M
Kii Three (owned)
Barefoot MM27 gen2
Barefoot MM35 gen2
Barefoot MM35 (owned)
Neumann KH 310 / 750 sub (using now)

I think after that I would rate Genelec 8341 + 7360 sub. I did like the midrange and imaging and bass a lot but the treble still bothered me..

Any reason you buy matching subwoofers for the speakers? I love studio monitors and exclusively use them, but the subwoofer's these companies make are extremely overpriced and have subpar performance.

 

[dfuller]

Genelec seems to get a lot of love around here. Personally I like some of their products, but I am not that fond of them..

My list would be something like this:
Geithain RL944k + 11k sub (using now) / Geithain RL901K
ATC SCM50ASL PRO
PSI A25M
Kii Three (owned)
Barefoot MM27 gen2
Barefoot MM35 gen2
Barefoot MM35 (owned)
Neumann KH 310 / 750 sub (using now)

I think after that I would rate Genelec 8341 + 7360 sub. I did like the midrange and imaging and bass a lot but the treble still bothered me..

Yes, I agree w/r/t Genelec. Mostly not my bag. They're really flat, but something about the design makes them sloppy in the bottom end - probably a consequence of how the port behaves. The Gens I've really liked were the older 1031s, which to me are a straight up better speaker than the 8050 that replaced them.

 

[stevenswall]

The Gens I've really liked were the older 1031s, which to me are a straight up better speaker than the 8050 that replaced them.

I borrowed a 1031... The ports chuff more than the improved, flared ports on their 8000 series, and the room correction takes care of bass issues which are primarily caused by the room. Curious how the old box style ones would measure, as it seems like there would be more internal reflections and resonances and port issues.

To me it sounds like once bass peaks are taken care of, the bass sounds tighter.

 

[Martijn W]

Were you able to use GLM to try and adjust the treble response to your taste? What didn't you like about it? Seems like it can be a little bright relative to other speakers, but with just the presets it seems like that is not an issue for any of the SAM monitors.

I'd love to see a Gethain measured.

I did not participate in the GLM ccorrection but he told me he decreased high-end output more than the proposed response, and it still sounded forward to me. Midrange was really good (much better than for example 8040).

Yes, I agree w/r/t Genelec. Mostly not my bag. They're really flat, but something about the design makes them sloppy in the bottom end - probably a consequence of how the port behaves. The Gens I've really liked were the older 1031s, which to me are a straight up better speaker than the 8050 that replaced them.

O I think the Ones (a friend of mine had 8341 with 7360 sub) are much better than 1031. Bass is very tight and mids are smooth. Only the top end bothers me (but much less than the old 10*0). I guess end the end it is very personal.

Any reason you buy matching subwoofers for the speakers? I love studio monitors and exclusively use them, but the subwoofer's these companies make are extremely overpriced and have subpar performance.

When looking at the subwoofer only I can understand what you mean. There might be subs out there with matching performance specs for a lower price. But when looking at the whole system I find adding the matching subwoofer adds up to the best performing system. I am not saying that is always true, but that is my experience with integrating subs in active monitoring systems.

 

[stevenswall]

looking at the subwoofer only I can understand what you mean. There might be subs out there with matching performance specs for a lower price. But when looking at the whole system I find adding the matching subwoofer adds up to the best performing system.

I spent days repositioning, measuring, inverting polarity, and trying to get a quad sub SWARM system integrated with my Genelecs.

Sent them back and tried dual PSA 15" subwoofers, in a larger room... Didn't integrate well. Always sounded different than the Genelec 8260 monitors so I'd opt for them to be off. This is even with a MiniDSP handling the crossover and doing some correction and volume control.

Ended up with a much less powerful, dual 12" 7271 Genelec woofer I found online used for half off.

I have never heard a better subwoofer in my life, and it took maybe an hour to hook up and get calibrated... No joke, a roomate asked me a couple weeks after I turned it on, "why aren't you using that subwoofer you bought?"

He didn't believe me that it was on, it was so perfectly integrated.

I had to toggle it off and on and toggle the bass management off and on in GLM and explain to him what I was doing on the computer screen for him to realize the difference it made. It just sounds like the speakers are doing crazy low bass, or making the entire room emit bass.

Wish I could find a second one or a half off 7380 used... As a system, it makes sense even from a price to performance standpoint compared to many other high end systems.

 

[Martijn W]

That excactly reflects my experiences with 3rd party sub integration vs. matching sub integration!