No, but I would like to. I am curious and if a €1000 speaker is reported to be outstanding I am interested.
No I have not or any in this line. The one thing about many of these powered speakers is they almost always say " near-field monitors ".
I wouldn't write them off entirely Tim. I'd given a few a pass, but even Yamaha HS7s, Genelec 8030 or 8040, various Mackies, Adam, etc, can all do the goods, esp in more modest sized rooms.
Yeah, it’s a tough call. Plus they’re primarily for studio applications so it’s a flatter frequency response. I use mine on occasion just to play music and they sound fine for that application but for your space that’s certainly a big unknown.
I wonder what a used pair of Dutch and Dutch 8c would run? I work with near - mid fields every day in the studio. I have heard the 8c fill a decent size room. Whether they are right for you sonically is anyone's guess. They were impressive in some areas, some not, but they were not dialed in when I heard them. Of course I have no idea what a used pair would run or if you are even into used. I'm not sure why people are talking about very expensive monitors when you stated your price range but that seems to be the way around here. Of course ATC monitors are exceptional but not your price range. I like the concept of active speakers and streamlining all the 'stuff' in a home environment.
I've worked at Ocean Way a few times when Allen Sides was mixing. He monitors at a very high level! When he was doing a 5.1 mix of Phil Collins' No Jacket Required I sat in the main studio instead of the control room and simply left the doors open. No idea what his smaller speakers sound like, but the giant horn systems were not to my taste. I've been in several large control rooms with three of those dual 18" Genelecs across the front and a pair of the 'smaller' dual 12" or 15" versions for the rears. If you want concert level, they will deliver it for you. One of the sessions was a M-ch mix of a live Rammstein album. It was an assault on the senses. I've even played with the 3-way 15" model they make, but I can honestly say that they are not my thing. All the studios with their largest monitors were fully tricked out, and care had gone into installation and set-up, but the sound was not to my liking. Give me ATC or PMC any day.
Legacy Audio Calibre XD would be above the OPs price new, but possibly in budget if found used. Cheers, Robert
I've read several people say Genelec "The Ones" are quite different from their old sound. Even heard some mixing engineers say they make everything sound "too beautiful" (their words) as they were used to Yamaha NS-10. I've never heard any Genelec. One more interesting thing I remembered - on Stereophile blog post from many years ago I still remember Michael Fremer saying the best sounding speaker system he heard was some massive DSP crossover system at a Greek residence, but using one of those kilo buck turntables as a source. Not that I think he is some guru, but it was interesting to see some analog die hard guy say that.
Yeah I was going to say that when it seemed Focal was getting thrown into that bucket alone. For a lot of the ones mentioned it’s the nature of what they are built to do. I love my Ayre Codex into Focal Shape 50s but it’s all a very different listening experience focused more on the mixes/masterings; less wide soundstage; more midrange centric. I’ve been listening to the Simaudio Moon 600 into Totem Forests far less because of how I’ve come to enjoy the engagement of the masterings/music less colored with more linearity; but it’s a different enough listening style, possibly too analytical enough, that I’d recommend definitely demoing something in your setup to be sure it’s your bag.
I learned my hi-fi from my father-in-law, at a time when in the UK most crusty enthusiasts owned ESL63s. He belonged to the other school, which used either B&W or, later, Meridian active speakers. He had B&W Active 1s, I believe. With the Revox reel to reel, LP12, Quad 44 and the B&Ws it wasn't shabby at all. I never owned any active speakers, and the most exotic set-up I tried before becoming a Quad person was to bi-amp some Castle Winchesters using a Marchand electronic crossover. Eventually I decided simpler was better, fewer components always being beneficial to sound as far as my ear can tell.
" Simpler " exactly why I'm looking at powered speakers, just add a preamp and source and you've got it all.
Joking aside, the system in my room pictured above is pretty simple, except that I have a mixing desk in the loop as well for other purposes (for multiple inputs, input gain matching where needed, analog EQ) plus a passive attenuator before the active speakers for real time volume adjustment. I just power up the speakers, mixing desk and CD player and press "play"
I was looking for something "simpler" but great sounding (and great looking) and ended up with the Naim Uniti Atom streamer/preamp with Elac Navis active speakers. Great combo soundwise. And you can get both for close to your budget of $5000.
Can't comment on the sound quality of this, I'm sure it's excellent - I've owned the big brother Nova and it was shockingly good. But the Atom is a streamer/preamp/amp - why would you pay for a core function you don't need with powered speakers? Also, does the Atom have an analog input for additional sources and, if so, does it AD said source? I assume so because the "preamp" is done in the digital domain. Some may not care for that approach... Just sayin'... Cheers, Robert
