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Subjective desktop speaker impressions (not an audiophile)

mrmojo

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So I have been trying to upgrade my desktop speakers setup and thought i'd share my subjective impressions, but i'm no audiophile.

Current speakers audioengine a2: sound fine, but was looking for something better.

Tried the following on my desk:
  1. yamaha nxn-500: these are my bookshelf speakers which i tried on the desktop - sound amazing 6 ft away on the bookshelf, not as good on the desktop and too big. I love listening to them on the bookshelf though - it's like the musicians are in the room.
  2. kanto yu4: sounded boomy and hollow compared to the a2. a2's emphasized vocals better.
  3. iloud micro: sounded big for their size, but again boomy and hollow compared to the a2. a2's emphasized vocals better. They didn't sound better/worse than the a2's, just very different.
  4. genelec 8010A: sound good, but similar to the audioengine a2. A bit better than the audioengine a2, but the differenc isn't worth the massive price increase. Surprised at how simialr they sound to the a2, given all the praise genelec's receive.
Tried the following in store :
  1. Neumann KH 80: hollow, boomy sound compared to genelec 8030 (i kept switching the music between these and the genelec). Don't understand how neumann and genelec are both so highly regarded when they sound so different. It was very noticeable.
  2. Genelec 8030C: sounded great at desktop distances, but quite large.
I know the vanatoo t0 is highly praised, but I'm not going to bother with this one as it's mentioned in the same breath as the ilodu micro's, which i found unimpressive.

Conclusion:

Once the store get's the genelec 8020's in i'll try these as maybe they're enough of an improvement over the 810 that they're worth the price increase.

Otherwise I'll just need a bigger desk setup and get the 8030's.

I think if you want really good audio on a desktop you just need room for bigger high end speakers like the 8030's or the like.

I was surprised at how different the neumann's sounded compared to the genelec's, and in general how boomy and hollow certain speakers sound compared to others of the same size.
 

raindance

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You've just discovered the effect of room acoustics on how speakers sound. Well done.
 

kongwee

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Never heard other monitor. 8010A because of the metal tweeter. I get used to it. All my current monitor are metal tweeter. Helpful on doing Digital Audio Workstation stuff too. Or Adam for alternative.
 

MaxwellsEq

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I was surprised at how different the neumann's sounded compared to the genelec's, and in general how boomy and hollow certain speakers sound compared to others of the same size
Boomy or missing bass is usually a room or location issue. I worked at a site with a large number of different studios and editing rooms all with the same monitor speaker but different dimensions and different levels of acoustic treatment. The bass was different in each.
 
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mrmojo

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Regarding the "boomy" sound:

1) How bass-heavy is your music?
The boomy/hollow sound was evident even in folk songs
2) How loud are these speakers playing?
not very loud. nowhere near their max volume - it's for listening in a condo at an arms length
3) Do you reject the idea of a sub? After all, these speakers are small, and they have inherent limitations.
live in a condo, so a sub isn't feasible as it'll disturb the neighbors
4) How close to the wall (or corner) are the speakers situated?
1-5 fett.
5) When you play the speakers loud, how far away are you sitting?
don't play them loud, but sit at an arms length
6) When you come upon one particular piece of music that exhibits these undesirable traits, have you either moved your listening position back 6 feet, or placed the speakers out in the room instead of on the desk, just to see whether there's any difference?

Remember .... if the bass falls apart, that can change the balance of the sound, causing the mids to sound recessed by comparison (the "hollow" sound).
that explanation about the hollow sound makes sense, thanks.
Hope to hear back from you soon. :)

Jim
 
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mrmojo

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Boomy or missing bass is usually a room or location issue. I worked at a site with a large number of different studios and editing rooms all with the same monitor speaker but different dimensions and different levels of acoustic treatment. The bass was different in each.
Interesting.

What if it's 2 speakers with the same sized drivers in the same room, positioned similarly, but one has the boomy sound and the other doesn't - still a room acoustics issue?
 

MaxwellsEq

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Interesting.

What if it's 2 speakers with the same sized drivers in the same room, positioned similarly, but one has the boomy sound and the other doesn't - still a room acoustics issue?
Yes, absolutely!

Speaker behaviour is a lot more than drivers in boxes. Varying amounts of damping, throw, box resonance etc. will interface differently in the room. You don't need a lot of variation to create completely behaviour in the lower frequencies.
 

LTig

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If budget allows get an UMIK 1 measurement mic and install free REW to measure the speakers in your room. Using software EQ you can fix boomy sound.
 
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