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Rank studio monitors/active speakers you have heard

Martijn W

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Here also 310/750 with dsp (calibrated with Neumann MA 1 software and mic). Much better indeed. Sounds much clearer. I still like Geithain more, allthough no dsp corrections in my room.

more natural and lively.. less ‘boring’..
 

tongpoh

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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.
Hi, i saw you have smsl su8 and motu M2, which one better?
 

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)
Adding onto and revising this list:
S Tier:
ATC SCM150ASL (These kick ass, no way around it)
Neumann KH310 (Incredibly good albeit somewhat SPL limited in the bottom octaves)
ATC SCM25A Pro (Like a more detailed, less full range KH310; actually slightly better for mixing though far less fun to listen to)
Genelec 1031 (awesome)

A Tier:
Barefoot FP01 (Good sounding, but tiny sweet spot and a bit bass-heavy)
Kali LP-6 (Surprisingly excellent for the money)
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 (a little scooped sounding but not offensively so)
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, and something about the bass is weirdly one note-y and ringy. Couldn't say what...)
Genelec 8050 (8030s, but more bottom end, still with that weirdly uncontrolled decay behavior)
Focal Shape 65 (Lacking in bottom end and fairly bright in-room, but once corrected for the distortion performance was pretty good)
C Tier:
Barefoot MM27 (Gen 1) (Tear your head off bright, weird bottom end.)
Griffin G1.5 Active (reminded me of big Adams almost; weirdly separated sounding top end)
Yamaha HS8 (Just very okay)
Yamaha HS7 (sloppier version of an NS10)
D Tier:
Adam A7X (scoop boom and port noise, no thanks)
Adam S3A (Weirdly boxy and port noise galore - especially unimpressive considering they were 5 grand a pair!)
PMC 8-2 (overwhelmingly bassy and recessed indistinct mids, especially bad for $13,500 a pair)
 
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CumSum

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Hi, i saw you have smsl su8 and motu M2, which one better?
Motu M2 is the better value for all the bells and whistles you get for it being an audio interface. An extremely versatile product with a great DAC. I haven't compared the two DAC's directly, but I believe they'd sound indistinguishable. I compared the SMSL to the Topping D30 and they were identical. There is very very little separating good DAC's from one another in my experience.
 

tongpoh

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Adding onto and revising this list:
S Tier:
ATC SCM150ASL (These kick ass, no way around it)
Neumann KH310 (Incredibly good albeit somewhat SPL limited in the bottom octaves)
ATC SCM25A Pro (Like a more detailed, less full range KH310; actually slightly better for mixing though far less fun to listen to)
Genelec 1031 (awesome)

A Tier:
Barefoot FP01 (Good sounding, but tiny sweet spot and a bit bass-heavy)
Kali LP-6 (Surprisingly excellent for the money)
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 (a little scooped sounding but not offensively so)
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, and something about the bass is weirdly one note-y and ringy. Couldn't say what...)
Genelec 8050 (8030s, but more bottom end, still with that weirdly uncontrolled decay behavior)
Focal Shape 65 (Lacking in bottom end and fairly bright in-room, but once corrected for the distortion performance was pretty good)
C Tier:
Barefoot MM27 (Gen 1) (Tear your head off bright, weird bottom end.)
Griffin G1.5 Active (reminded me of big Adams almost; weirdly separated sounding top end)
Yamaha HS8 (Just very okay)
Yamaha HS7 (sloppier version of an NS10)
D Tier:
Adam A7X (scoop boom and port noise, no thanks)
Adam S3A (Weirdly boxy and port noise galore - especially unimpressive considering they were 5 grand a pair!)
PMC 8-2 (overwhelmingly bassy and recessed indistinct mids, especially bad for $13,500 a pair)
 

Rahan

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I just give me felling on speakers I use in the same room to make a fair comparaison;.

1 JBL lsr 705P
2 Focal shape 4 (+ rel sub)
3 Dynaudio LYD5
4 LBJ lsr 305 MKI
5 kali audio LP 6
 

lowkeyoperations

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Sep 13, 2021
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1. Amphion One15
2. Neumann KH120
3. PMC DB1S+
4. Dynaudio BM6p
5. Event 2020
6. Rogers LS6

These are what I’ve spent considerable time using. Generally each new purchase was a significant upgrade at the time.

Have also test run Quested s8, Adam A7, Focal 65 without any success.
 

lowkeyoperations

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Hi, i saw you have smsl su8 and motu M2, which one better?
Having owned a Metric Halo MH2882 8 in 8out ADDA for years I recently downsized to only requiring 2/2. I tried M2 first and found it a significant downgrade sound wise. As if layers of tissue had been added to my speakers. I sent it back and got an SSL2 instead, which I found to be pretty identical to the MH2882 and considerably better than the M2. It was a bit unfortunate as I really preferred the M2 form factor.
 

Rahan

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maybe the M2 had a probleme. I've never hear some bad thing about the M2 sound. It mesures good beyond human hearing.
 

carewser

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All I own are active/powered speakers so if you want to know about them ask away, I own and regularly listen to the:

M-Audio AV32.1
Logitech Z623
Edifier S730
Klipsch ProMedia
Audioengine A5+
Logitech Z2300
Kanto Tuk
Corsair SP2500
Logitech Z313
Paradigm Millenia CT2

I expect I lost many of you at "Logitech" and as many of them are computer speakers I don't expect to be bombarded with questions
 
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JVCaxv-4

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Genelec 8050A
Dynaudio BM15A
Dynaudio BM6Amk2
Dynaudio BM6A classic
Focal Solo6Be
FocalTwin6
Genelec 1030A
Focal CMS65
JBL LSR305
JBL 305P mk2
Dynaudio LYD7
Neumann KH120
Dynaudio LYD5
Focal CMS40
Genelec 8020B
Genelec 6010A
Behringer 2030A
M-Audio BX8A Studiophile
M-Audio BX8A d2
M-Audio BX8A
M-Audio BX5 d3
Yamaha HS7
KRK rokit 5g4
KRK rokit 5g3
Samson Resolv80A

Presonus Eris 3,5
Mackie CR3
Edifier R1280T
Alesis Elevate 5

there are many others that I don't even remember...20 years in music industry, audio stores and professional studios!
I have never been able to hear the ultimate speaker, Klein & Hummel O 300! :(
 

monx

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1. Neumann KH310
2. Neumann KH120
3. Genelec 8030A - fatiguing
4. Genelec 6020A
5. Ascend CBM-170
6. iLoud Micro ;)
7. MAudio Bx5

Wish I had more large monitors on my list, but alas, not much experience with them.

disclaimer: I interned at the Sennheiser Research Lab in Palo Alto many years ago, so I might be biased. We would crank the KH310 and KH120 head-to-head after hours, and the thing that amazed me was how close they sounded, except for the lowest bass octave. Then most of my other listening experience is in-home at lower volume levels.
 

stevenswall

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3. Genelec 8030A - fatiguing

I can imagine that a Genelec with little bass extension would sound fatiguing without GLM to add tilt. I tilt mine down for the treble but enjoy them either way. Curious what makes the Neumann's less fatiguing since they both aim for very flat frequency response and the KH150 (similar to the 120 you heard) seems to have a similar slope to the Genelec.
 

Pearljam5000

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I can imagine that a Genelec with little bass extension would sound fatiguing without GLM to add tilt. I tilt mine down for the treble but enjoy them either way. Curious what makes the Neumann's less fatiguing since they both aim for very flat frequency response and the KH150 (similar to the 120 you heard) seems to have a similar slope to the Genelec.
Genelecs sound much brighter to me (In a good way) than Neumanns that sound a bit rolled off.
Obviously it's a matter of personal taste
But from reading a bit on Gearspace it seems to be the consensus.
 

computer-audiophile

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Hi
I've been listening with the Neumann KH120 in the near field for 10 years now. At that time I was in an audio pro shop where I could compare many loudspeakers in this class. I found them outstanding. My wife, who is also an audiophile, uses the JBL 305P MK II in her piano room. Sometimes when I would walk into her room and hear some piano music, I'd think well, those little JBLs sound surprisingly good too, despite being so inexpensive, kind of fuller and with more bass. So I decided to sell the KH120 as I don't know how much longer they would last. And now I'm also listening with these little JBL monitors that I just bought new. Incidentally, I still have large JBL Studio 590 loudspeakers in my music room.

topping-e30.jpg
 

dominikz

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I can imagine that a Genelec with little bass extension would sound fatiguing without GLM to add tilt. I tilt mine down for the treble but enjoy them either way. Curious what makes the Neumann's less fatiguing since they both aim for very flat frequency response and the KH150 (similar to the 120 you heard) seems to have a similar slope to the Genelec.
While their on-axis response is relatively similar, KH120A and 8030C have quite different directivity patterns:
Screenshot_20221215-230355_Chrome.jpg

While Neumann KH120 is more even, Genelec is wider at high frequencies - which would likely sound brighter (especially in reflective rooms).
(Source)
 

Pearljam5000

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Revised list from weak memory :
1. Genelec 8361
2. 8050
3. Focal Solo6/ Twin6
4 Genelec 8030
5. KH120
6. Dynaudio BM5
6 Adam A7X
7. Eve Audio don't remember the model
8. Yamaha HS8
Heard some ATCs years ago don't remember the model but sounded nice, didn't include in list also some other models i can't remember right now
But definitely liked Genelec sound more than the rest and Focal and Neumann
Focals are less "accurate" but sound very musical.
Also heard some PMCs but hated the sound
 

Eetu

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Also the 8030C is better than the previous versions. According to Genelec:

"The latest revision of 8030C has ever improved frequency response accuracy over the A/B revisions. Overall differences are fairly small and the overall directivity is identical on all."

This can also be seen in the measurements found in the Genelec manuals of said monitors.
 

carlosatl

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Genelec 8050A
Dynaudio BM15A
Dynaudio BM6Amk2
Dynaudio BM6A classic
Focal Solo6Be
FocalTwin6
Genelec 1030A
Focal CMS65
JBL LSR305
JBL 305P mk2
Dynaudio LYD7
Neumann KH120
Dynaudio LYD5
Focal CMS40
Genelec 8020B
Genelec 6010A
Behringer 2030A
M-Audio BX8A Studiophile
M-Audio BX8A d2
M-Audio BX8A
M-Audio BX5 d3
Yamaha HS7
KRK rokit 5g4
KRK rokit 5g3
Samson Resolv80A

Presonus Eris 3,5
Mackie CR3
Edifier R1280T
Alesis Elevate 5

there are many others that I don't even remember...20 years in music industry, audio stores and professional studios!
I have never been able to hear the ultimate speaker, ! :(
Klein & Hummel O 300 are not much different than genelec 8050 in nearfield but with more low end, its a tomato, tamoto kind of comparison really, at least within our human perception of sound.
 
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