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I'd like to hear folks' thoughts on using professional powered or passive studio monitor speakers (brands like Genelec, Mackie, etc., etc.) for 2-channel home audio. I'm more than familiar with some of the Brit monitors slotting into home use, and I've seen some recording studios using "living room" speakers.Some of the pro speakers look nifty - powered, active xovers - and many aren't so pricey. Could be interesting??
I suppose I could've posted this on the either the Speaker or Pro Audio Asylums, but I choose to post here.
Anyone have any experience with/thoughts on this?
Cheers,
- SJ
Follow Ups:
And I haven't heard a speaker I would consider trading them for, well maybe a Konus Essence. They are incredibly fast, accurate,tonally very balanced (its so easy to hear differences between upstream equipment & cables its not even funny) and are great for music and HT duties. Monitor's do have a different characteristic though, they are tools not toys, and are voiced as such. Make sure you audition before you take the plunge as they are certainly not for everyone.
Well, quite simple, in the living room I have these
In the kitchen I have these
and in the room where the more boring activities like ironing take
place I have these
All of them have volume control so you can connect any source component directly. All of them employ waveguides to obtain smooth controlled off-axis response.
Active speakers have the advantage of being small, so WAF is high. Studio monitors often have features that you don't find in domestic speakers, such as volume control, EQ, electronic limiters or metal grilles protecting the drivers. IMO studio monitors deliver much bang for the buck, more than domestic speakers, which makes them very attractive pricewise.Speakers are (from top to bottom)
Klein+Hummel O500C
Genelec 1029A
Genelec 8020A
Klaus
Hi Klaus,I am in the process of upgrading my speakers, and while very much attracted to one particular dynamic model (Vivid Audio which I found extraordinarily satisfying) am also intrigued by the idea of powered studio monitors, not least based on thoughts along the line of your points above and also in your profile (HiFi with HiWAF...). But I have absolutely zero conception of how they might work or "sound" in a concrete home setup (I know, this is too vague and general as a problem, but let's suppose for a moment that we can talk of studio montitors as a separate entity given their different rationale and modus operandi).
Despite the fact that I come from where the Genelecs come from, too, at present I don't have any realistic way of arranging for listening sessions with models that I find intriguing, so I'd be keen to hear you talk more about your setup and how it works for you. I'm almost exclusively listening to classical orchestral music so my first-order considerations would probably include dynamism and LF reproduction in the case of monitor setups. I much appreciate your earlier posts and would be delighted to see more comments by you in this regard, too.
TIA if you have time & interest.
TL
Hi TL,FYI I have posted a review of the O500C here
Since then we added a new living room to our house with optimized room dimensions, acoustic treatment and placement of speakers in the best possible location.
You can throw any kind of music at the O500C and they will play it at any level without any difficulty whatsoever. For me they are still the best speakers available at the moment. They are very neutral and uncolored and I never felt the need to use the in-built EQ, so for me they are perfect as they come out of the box. I still use the room-EQ though because they are close to the floor.
The O500C and both Genelecs provide better off-axis response (and higher directivity) that what you usually find in consumer speakers, which in turn means that they interact less with the listening room. On-axis response is flat ± 1.5 dB and ± 2.5 dB, respectively. Distortion is low, obviously higher for the Genelecs. Here the new 8020 are better, the older 1029 tend to produce distortion when pushed hard.
Both Genelecs on their own, i.e. without subwoofer, are not quite sufficient for stuff like classical orchestral music or hard rock. At the moment I have the 8020 in the living, next to the O500C, meaning great base and listening distance. They perform very well, intelligibility is very good, distortion is no problem eben when pushed hard, but one realizes that they are not designed for mid/farfield applications. I suppose that the addition of the subwoofer will make things a lot better. Don't get me wrong, they play well, given their size, with all types of music, but when you have the occasion to compare them to speakers like the O500C you see what's missing: bass is a bit boomy, the drivers are less well controlled (longer decay), they don't have the same slam.
I'm afraid that for your prefrered music small monitors won't do it, you'd have to get at least speakers of the Klein+Hummel O300 size, possibly combined with a sub or, if budget allows, the O500C right away.
Klaus
Thanks a lot. This is all very useful, and your review had somehow slipped out of my sight. Powered studio monitors have started to interest me increasingly much as a no-nonsense route potentially taking me right where I want to be (in front of a dead-accurate, uncolored, seamlessly integrated sound source that doesn't need to be seated in the middle of a 100 m2 dedicated listening space), though I know I have some more reading to do. And the ability to get rid of much gear in between the signal source and the speakers is appealing. Your experience is encouraging, as I think my (ultimate) goals probably overlap with yours. The O500Cs sound tremendously intriguing, in every respect, but with their current list prices they may remain out of my reach for the time being. But I am certainly left thinking.How did you set them up: on stands?
Thanks again.
TL
As you say, studio monitors are a non-nonsense affair, solid engineering as one can see in the latest Genelec family and true advancements such as DSP (e.g. Dynaudio, Klein+Hummel, KSdigital). Not much of that I can find in consumer speakers.Speakers you connect a source to and that's it are not numerous, some even with with volume control via a remote, such as Klein+Hummel, JBL and Dynaudio.
I've placed the O500C on wooden bases (which are part of custom made furniture covering the living room wall) , approx. 10 cm high. That's why I still use the room EQ. For a pic, mail me off-board.
Klaus
Thanks for the link, too, Klaus; all very pertinent to my current deliberations which are still as much about the concept as such as about the different solutions within it. Email forthcoming. TL
The British ATC speakers are true powered monitors and I know that Gordon Holt swears by the set of ATC 50s he bought a few years ago.
The P22A Adam active monitors made in Germany that I most familar with are very special - they truly sound excellent both in the studio as well as for home listening with just a cd player. The designer had home use in mind as well as studio use and they are often demonstarted at shows with just a cd player connected. The A.R.T. foil ribbon tweeter sounds great. Each driver has its own amp and thus crossover and amp has been voiced and designed for the speaker as a whole - tweaking can be done with onboard controls. I think they are about $2800 for the pair and are well worth every cent IMHO. Most studio engineers prefer them to Mackie, Genelec, Dynaudio and the like. Meyer HD-1 is another impressive one but pricier.
The only pro monitors I would consider using for home use based on what I've heard thus far would be the superb Harbeth Monitor 30. I would definitely not recommend Tannoy or Yamaha. I have a pair of Rogers LS5/9 on order. I'll report back when I hear them.
I stopped at a Guitar Center for a guy at work wanting a set of powered monitors.They had several sizes of Dynaudio, Event, M-Audio, KRK, and Mackie.
All but the Mackie 824 had severe problems. The Mackie was a bit soft but you could fix that with some EQ.
All the others (except the Dynaudio) gave me severe earwire, and all (including the Dynaudio) had response problems I don't think I could fix with an EQ.
Frankly, I'd pass on most of that self-powered rubbish. The one set of (slightly vintage) studio monitors I'd look for, would be a/d/s/ L1530s. 95db@1w/m sensitivity! Great sonics, good looking, not that pricey nowadays (under $2k/pr usually), kinda big but damn so sweet. They had bigger and little brothers too (L2030, L1230) and a smaller studio version (L910 or L980 I think). All sonically great. worth seeking out. If I had more space I would own a pair of L1530s now.(and maybe I will someday anyway)-Ed
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