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Rank studio monitors/active speakers you have heard

Bjpenn88

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I saw a similar concept on a headphone forum I follow, I thought it would be great/fun to get a list running of ranked Studio monitors/powered speakers with the great community here. I am a new member but have been following the threads on here for a while

List/rank the studio monitors/powered speakers you have heard

I think it would be a good idea to also list your listening preferences or sound signature for some context

1.Adam A5x (a bit too bright, only recently acquired still getting used to it but definitely above the rest I’ve heard)
2.Bowers Wilkins MM1
2.JBL LSR305
3.M Audio BX5a

Sound preferences: hi-fi, good bass, easy to listen to, music enjoyment
Background: just someone who loves music and tech, listening casually for last 20 years
 

hyperplanar

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  1. Neumann KH120
  2. Kali LP6
  3. JBL LSR305
  4. M-Audio DSM1
  5. JBL LSR305P MkII
  6. JBL LSR306P
  7. Focal CMS65
  8. Yamaha HS7
  9. Event TR8
  10. KRK Rokit 5
  11. Presonus Eris E5
  12. Adam A7X
Feel like I'm forgetting some, but that's a list out of what I've heard so far. Unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to listen to Genelec's lineup, such as the 8030, and the 8341 (which would be my next logical upgrade, then perhaps the D&D 8C after that). No particular sound preference, just value neutrality/accuracy/naturalness for both enjoying music and making it.
 
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Bjpenn88

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  1. Neumann KH120
  2. Kali LP6
  3. JBL LSR305
  4. M-Audio DSM1
  5. JBL LSR305P MkII
  6. JBL LSR306P
  7. Focal CMS65
  8. Yamaha HS7
  9. Event TR8
  10. KRK Rokit 5
  11. Presonus Eris E5
  12. Adam A7X

Wow, thats a pretty comprehensive list. Very interesting to see the position of Adam A7X to LSR305 on your list.
 

Tangband

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I have heard jbl 305 and genelec 8030c and genelec 8330 and the bigger 8340.
I bought the 8340.

I havent heard a better loudspeaker than 8030c and 8340 in this size and price.

The best standmount loudspeaker I have heard is the Linn Akudorik exakt system. Its better than any of the above loudspeakers. The price is very high though.

and the list :

1 . Linn Akudorik exakt
2. Genelec 8340
3. Genelec 8330
4. Genelec 8030c
5. Jbl 305
 

DSJR

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I'm so way behind now and my confirmed ATC fanboy status of old (10's to 200A's) was recently confirmed by my still rating the 100ASL's, 40A's, passive 11's (which probably don't count here) and still respecting the mid-forward 19 (passive and active), related 20A pro's. I appreciate things have moved on today, but the models above still offer so much to my ears and I'd always use them as a reference at least.

Do the Kii Three's count? I heard a set with controller a year or so back and found them delightful in a small room and just on their basic stands. I was expecting razor sharp highs and a cold clinical tone but that day they weren't like that at all. I found them delightfully sweet in actual fact and the ability to dip in and out of the music mix was so easy to do with no effort.

When this Covid situation allows, I'm making it a resolution to finally try to hear some of the popular cheaper active models if I can, to re-align my perceptions as much as my old ears will allow ;) A possible house move in the next year or two will almost certainly require me to ditch all the separates gear-stash I've accumulated over the years and a smaller half decent pair of active monitors is definitely back on the horizon...

Sorry for the drift, but I think it's important for anyone fairly new to this to investigate a decent active speaker solution in the price range now domestically occupied by used higher end gear of yore.
 

16/44

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Anyone else here have the M-Audio M3-8 or Denon DN-508S?
 

Pearljam5000

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1. Genelec 8050B
2. Genelec 8030C
3. Neumann KH120
3. Focal Solo 6
4. Focal Twin 6
5. Adam A7X
6. Eve Audio (forgot the model but wasn't very good anyways)
7. Yamaha HS7
8. PMC twotwo 6, but I think they were defective or the room was bad or something because there was no way they could sound that bad for such an expensive monitor
9. Focal Alpha 65/80
 

thewas

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8. PMC twotwo 6, but I think they were defective or the room was bad or something because there was no way they could sound that bad for such an expensive monitor
I wouldn't be too sure on that... ;)
 

sandymc

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Depends what you're using them for. The (true) joke about the Yamaha active monitors is that they are best monitors ever for mixing because they are worst speakers ever.

But IMHO:
  1. Some of the high end Genelecs
  2. Focal twin series (the ones with beryllium speaker cones)
  3. KRK V series
  4. Focal CMS (haven't heard the Alphas)
  5. Adam A series
  6. KRK Rokit
  7. M-Audio BX series
 

edbosscom

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Hard to minimise the influence of the room, mindset & listening duration, but this is my list:
  1. Genelec 8330A
  2. Genelec 8050B
  3. Genelec 8030C
  4. Neumann KH120
  5. KRK Rokit 8 G3 + KRK 10S Sub (relatively high mainly because strong bass/power)
  6. Mackie MR8 Mk2
  7. Adam A7X
  8. Yamaha HS8
  9. Mackie MR5 Mk2
  10. Ikey M808 V2
  11. KRK Rokit 6 G2
  12. RCF Ayra Five
  13. M-Audio BX5
  14. Yamaha HS5
  15. Behringer B2031A
 

dominikz

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Haven't really heard much of the mid or high-range active monitors so here's my list of the budget actives:
  1. Yamaha MSP5
  2. JBL LSR305 (gen 1)
  3. Fluid Audio F5
  4. Yamaha HS5 / HS50
  5. Tannoy Reveal 502
  6. M-Audio AV30/AV40
  7. Kurzweil KS40A / Edifier R1280T
  8. Genius SP-HF3000A
  9. KRK RP5 G3
Of course the ranking is for the most part based on memory and uncontrolled listening so could be way off :) These are the ones I compared side by side (but unfortunately not properly level matched nor blind):
  • MSP5 vs JBL vs Fluid vs HS50
  • Fluid vs Tannoy vs KRK
  • Kurzweil vs Genius
  • JBL vs Genius
In the past I also heard Adam A5X and a 5" Presonus at some point, but that was a long time ago and I can't really place them - I just remember thinking Adam was very nice, perhaps a little bright; and disliking Presonus for being boomy - could have been the room, though...

It's really about time to give something like a Neumann or Genelec a listen :D
 

thewas

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Hard to minimise the influence of the room, mindset & listening duration, but this is my list:
Same here, so I prefer ranking them in groups of similar sonic quality levels, sorted alphabetically:

Class AAA
Geithain 901K
Geithain 921K
Kii Three with BXT
Neumann O500C with Neumann FIR controller
Neumann KH420

Class AA
Adam S3X
D&D 8c
Genelec 8260
Genelec 8351a
Grimm Audio LS1
Kii Three
Neumann KH310

Class A
Genelec M040
Kali IN-8
Neumann KH120

Class B
JBL LSR305
JBL 308MKII

Please keep in mind those are imho all great monitors in their respective price ranges which I would all recommend, I didn't include any loudspeakers which I didn't like (so Class C to Class...) as I luckily forget most of these quickly.
 

Pearljam5000

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Hard to minimise the influence of the room, mindset & listening duration, but this is my list:
  1. Genelec 8330A
  2. Genelec 8050B
  3. Genelec 8030C
  4. Neumann KH120
  5. KRK Rokit 8 G3 + KRK 10S Sub (relatively high mainly because strong bass/power)
  6. Mackie MR8 Mk2
  7. Adam A7X
  8. Yamaha HS8
  9. Mackie MR5 Mk2
  10. Ikey M808 V2
  11. KRK Rokit 6 G2
  12. RCF Ayra Five
  13. M-Audio BX5
  14. Yamaha HS5
  15. Behringer B2031A
Why did you like 8330 more than 8050?
 

Ilkless

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1. Neumann KH420
2. Genelec 8030B
3. HEDD Tower Mains
4. HEDD Type 07
5. Genelec 8040B (you read right, the slight rise towards 1kHz, saddle-shaped bass and relatively-compromised directivity vs the 8030 gives it a light and fuzzy sound).
6. Focal Shape 65 (boxy and hollow...)
 

dfuller

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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)
 
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Moonhead

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Neumann KH120
AVI DM12
AVI ADM40
JBL LSR308
Yamaha HS8
Mackie MR8
B&O Beolab 20
Linn Akubarik
Genelec 8040
AVI ADM9RS
Yamaha HS7
M Audio BX8
Event 20/20
JBL LSR305
Yamaha HS5
Focal solo6be
Eve SC205
Dynaudio BM5
Dynaudio Xeo5
Personus Eris8
Presonus Eris5
Tannoy Reveal
Adam a7X
Adam a5x
KRK rockit8
KRK rocket5
 
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