Studio monitor speakers without hiss?

[quorzar]

Hello,
because of the measurements, I bought the JBL 305P Mark II for my desktop. The problem is, that Im very sensitive with noise, but I wanted to give them a chance.
At the end I sent them back because of the hiss.

1. What measured speakers are dead silent?
2. Are there some silent ones in the same price range with similar performance? (max. 250$/speaker)

QUO

 

[restorer-john]

Active speakers are noisier than passive for the simple reasons they are generally connected directly to the amplifier that drives them. The tweeters don't have a passive attenuating network that is present in non-powered speakers. The other reason is the quality of the amplifier driving the treble units in active speakers. Generally, they are as cheap as they can get away with and overall power in compact package is the goal, not low levels of residual noise.

Skip the active route, buy some passive speakers you love and an amplifier with very low residual noise and all your hiss problems will be history.

Bear in mind, no amplifier is dead silent, they all have some residual noise, but amplifiers like the Benchmark take the noise to very low levels.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

The first clue should have been the pitiful published noise spec of a mere 75 dB A-weighted. By comparison, Audio Engine rates the A5+ at 95 dB A-weighted.

Thus you might have to up your budget if you want quiet active speakers.

I can’t find a noise spec for my old Swans M200, but they are dead silent.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[q3cpma]

Hello,
because of the measurements, I bought the JBL 305P Mark II for my desktop. The problem is, that Im very sensitive with noise, but I wanted to give them a chance.
At the end I sent them back because of the hiss.

1. What measured speakers are dead silent?
2. Are there some silent ones in the same price range with similar performance? (max. 250$/speaker)

QUO

Yamahas HSx are dead silent.

 

[sergeauckland]

If you don't mind used, you should be able to get some Genelecs for that sort of budget. My 1029a are very quiet, I can just hear they're on with my ear against the drivers. I have had some Adams which were also very quiet. As Wayne said above, I think you'll need to up your budget or buy used, as really quiet Pro monitors tend to be more expensive.

S

 

[Purité Audio]

The actives I have here are totally silent.
Keith

 

[restorer-john]

The actives I have here are totally silent.

Of course they are Keith. You have to plug them in and turn them on, to hear the hiss.

 

[Purité Audio]

You must try and hear some decent speakers John.
Keith

 

[danadam]

I can just hear they're on with my ear against the drivers.

Whenever someone says this, I always wonder if it was checked during a day and if the result would be the same in the middle of the night.

 

[restorer-john]

This is the key. Powered speakers, desktop distance and a sensitivity to noise:

I bought the JBL 305P Mark II for my desktop. The problem is, that Im very sensitive with noise

I would suggest the OP listens to the absolute quietest standalone amplifier he can find (residual A-WTD noise in uV) along with some speakers he really likes, preferably not super efficient ones, and does that in a desktop/near-field environment like his own usage scenario, in the quiet of evening or away from the hustle and bustle of a demo room or noisy city HiFi store.

Forget loud demos to de-sensitize your low level hearing often used by dealers (not always deliberately). Just turn them on, sit down and listen in peace.

All amplifiers make noise, but some a really terrible in that respect, especially the amplifiers in many powered speakers.

 

[2020]

Genelec is one if the few that reports this stat as "self generated noise".

 

[Ilkless]

Active speakers are noisier than passive for the simple reasons they are generally connected directly to the amplifier that drives them. The tweeters don't have a passive attenuating network that is present in non-powered speakers. The other reason is the quality of the amplifier driving the treble units in active speakers. Generally, they are as cheap as they can get away with and overall power in compact package is the goal, not low levels of residual noise.

Skip the active route, buy some passive speakers you love and an amplifier with very low residual noise and all your hiss problems will be history.

Bear in mind, no amplifier is dead silent, they all have some residual noise, but amplifiers like the Benchmark take the noise to very low levels.

The problem is there are almost no passives in the budget price range that approach the sophistication - in terms of dispersion control - of budget actives like the Kali LP-6 and LSR305mk2. Except maybe the KEF Q-series.

The LP-6 has amps, and a DSP chip managing the crossover and other functions like boundary adjustements, and costs $149/pc. Passives would be a much easier recommendation if there were more $149/pc speakers that actually exploited the BOM savings of not having electronics on superior acoustic performance (hiss notwithstanding) - think beefier drivers, crossovers worth a damn, directivity matching and so on.

 

[Daverz]

My NHT Xd also produce audible hiss. DSP by DEQX and amplification by PowerPhysics. I thought that there would have enough advances in DSP hardware and amplification in the past 15 years that this would no longer be a problem.

 

[Sancus]

Neumann and Genelec both have self-noise levels that are inaudible past 6 inches or less, and they provide a spec on it as well. Neither can be described as on the same price level as a JBL 305P MKII.

If you want the best frequency response, dispersion, all without any self-noise you pretty much have to accept higher prices than $150/speaker.

 

[renaudrenaud]

I used to use Focal active Alpha 65 monitors and did not found some hiss. But the price is around +400€ in Europe.

 

[LeftCoastTim]

Hello,
because of the measurements, I bought the JBL 305P Mark II for my desktop. The problem is, that Im very sensitive with noise, but I wanted to give them a chance.
At the end I sent them back because of the hiss.

1. What measured speakers are dead silent?
2. Are there some silent ones in the same price range with similar performance? (max. 250$/speaker)

QUO

1. My KH80 are dead silent (well, its self noise is barely noticeable with my ear against the tweeter).
2. I think it would be too hard to build one at that price. JBL LSR305 uses an STA350BW chip amp with DSP, which is a $4 part. Unless ST makes a low-noise version of the part, it doesn't seem likely.

 

[restorer-john]

There is nothing "high fidelity" whatsoever about audible hiss. It is against everything high fidelity has been striving for for the last 70 years- the reduction of extraneous noise.

There is no excusing it or explaining it away with hand waving about DSP and multiple amplifiers.

 

[LeftCoastTim]

There is nothing high fidelity whatsoever about audible hiss. It is against everything high fidelity has been striving for for the last 70 years- the reduction of extraneous noise.

There is no excusing it or explaining it away with hand waving about DSP and multiple amplifiers.

I think studio monitors are work horses designed to a price point.

 

[gvl]

Yamahas HSx are dead silent.

I seem to remember reading complaints about them hissing. In the same discussion the concensus was that only higher end monitors are quiet and alse specd for noise levels. I also want to move to active for my desktop setup but no ready to drop 2 large on a couple of small boxes. I'm using JBL 104s on my desk now, almost no hiss with the volume knob to the left of 12 o'clock but want something better, plus I hate them egg shaped as I can't put anything on top.

 

[majingotan]

I seem to remember reading complaints about them hissing. In the same discussion the concensus was that only higher end monitors are quiet and alse specd for noise levels. I also want to move to active for my desktop setup but no ready to drop 2 large on a couple of small boxes. I'm using JBL 104s on my desk now, almost no hiss with the volume knob to the left of 12 o'clock but want something better, plus I hate them egg shaped as I can't put anything on top.

Zero hiss with my Yamaha HS7 as you can see that my room background noise is about 31 dB and pointing my watch literally next to the tweeter didn't do anything. I play at around 77-80 dB average SPL at 2 feet away from tweeters and at this listening volume, I can hear the really quiet orchestra section from Pink Floyd's eclipse track which is a testament to very low noise floor of the HS7