Active Studio Monitors VS Traditional Hi fi.

[the record spot]

brittondave:

So MR Record Spot is a future purchase likely or are you holding off for a while......................glad you liked the KRK's

incidently the best speakers I think I've ever heard are these Genelecs

http://www.genelec.com/products/2-way-monitors/1036a/

mind you I think they are £20000 each......

I'll be holding off for a while I think Dave; cost for a start, plus my existing set-up isn't too shabby. The Sansui's build inside pretty good, handmade throughout, dual mono design, a VERY conservative 85w, decent THD for the year (0.03% in 1977); picked up a copy of Elton's Here and There 2CD set and that is one brilliant remastering job I have to say; very nice recording and plays like a dream. Was sitting pretty much agog at how good the Sansui makes the 752s and the CDP work well together. Just worried that my little boy will do something, so the short term solution is to find a cabinet. Or a big cardboard box!

Loved what I heard today for the most part - the Dynaudios and Adams slightly less so (too flat for me, an obvious professional's box that's clearly pitched at the business end of production or mastering) but the KRKs and most of all the Genelecs were very good, both for different reasons - very different sounding speakers really, KRKs being a halfway house between the Adams and Dynaudios, the Gennies being, I suspect, the more home friendly sounding actives.

 

[AEJim]

the record spot:AEJim:
...we will certainly be making more of them over the coming years at both the budget and reference price points.

Oh thank God!! Will the, just out of interest of course, AE22 Actives likely drop down a pound or two ahead of their replacements coming in by any chance?!

AE22's not being replaced any time soon! They are a long-term pro/studio model and are already in many of the top studios so no point in changing - the engineer types hate change! (actually saw them on GMTV, which I am forced to watch , behind Tom Cruise and Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas in a studio interview, I'm guessing Metropolis in London...)

The amps are the costly part I'm afraid, hence the difference between AE22 Active and Passive prices - the next active model we're working on will be based on a cheap, high-performance mini speaker (passive should be around the £150 price point if all goes to plan) which will likely come in somewhere between £400-500 a pair early next year, the passives are acoustically finished and sound awesome for their size. The active should compete well with passives available at its price but as you can see the difference in cost makes them look expensive compared to its own passive version.

You should see a review from the WHF guys on the Active Pro Sub/Sat system sometime soon which will use the same amps - they are pretty expensive though and intended for 5.1 cinema track mixing, no idea what the team will think of them - 5.1 active systems need a lot of wiring so not that practical for home use!

 

[the record spot]

AEJim:

...(actually saw them on GMTV, which I am forced to watch , behind Tom Cruise and Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas in a studio interview, I'm guessing Metropolis in London...)

That's interesting to know; I like the sound of a lot of CDs I have mastered at Metropolis. Good news re: the AE22 actives though. If you ever get round to putting a left speaker on the AE Ebay shop, I might splash the cash on a pair after all!

 

[Anonymous]

AEJim: Making a good pro speaker isn't all about measuring "flat" (aside from other factors) - it depends on the usage. We made our AE22's to work in near/mid field on a mixing desk and they were designed and balanced as such, in-situ. If we made them as neutral as poss in free-space then the mid would thicken up and become coloured when placed with the large flat surface underneath. I don't actually think they work particularly well as a hi-fi speaker - placed on stands in free-space, the sound becomes a little "exposed" and on the bright side, but they should fair well in the less preferred positions like on a shelf or cabinet.

That is interesting, never thought about home/pro speakers that way. Is it possible to correct their response for free space with switches on the speakers back?

 

[AEJim]

ediots:AEJim: Making a good pro speaker isn't all about measuring "flat" (aside from other factors) - it depends on the usage. We made our AE22's to work in near/mid field on a mixing desk and they were designed and balanced as such, in-situ. If we made them as neutral as poss in free-space then the mid would thicken up and become coloured when placed with the large flat surface underneath. I don't actually think they work particularly well as a hi-fi speaker - placed on stands in free-space, the sound becomes a little "exposed" and on the bright side, but they should fair well in the less preferred positions like on a shelf or cabinet.
That is interesting, never thought about home/pro speakers that way. Is it possible to correct their response for free space with switches on the speakers back?

Yes, the active models have a 3-position +/- 2dB dip switch - the passives do not though. Again there are many factors with these things - I think they'd sound pretty poor in a lively room in free-space but if you had a lot of soft furnishings then the brightness might be welcomed. WHF's test rooms are pretty well damped so won't necessarily compare to sparsely furnished room with exposed wooden floorboards and big windows - and then your own hearing comes into it as well as taste in sound and music types... Part of what makes the Hi-Fi thing a fun hobby of experimentation - finding YOUR ideal system is the challenge! (though it can be a pricey one!)

 

[Clare Newsome]

AEJim:
You should see a review from the WHF guys on the Active Pro Sub/Sat system sometime soon

In our next (August) issue, in fact - being posted out to subscribers this Thursday (24th June); in shops by Wednesday 30th June.

 

[Anonymous]

AEJim:ediots:AEJim: Making a good pro speaker isn't all about measuring "flat" (aside from other factors) - it depends on the usage. We made our AE22's to work in near/mid field on a mixing desk and they were designed and balanced as such, in-situ. If we made them as neutral as poss in free-space then the mid would thicken up and become coloured when placed with the large flat surface underneath. I don't actually think they work particularly well as a hi-fi speaker - placed on stands in free-space, the sound becomes a little "exposed" and on the bright side, but they should fair well in the less preferred positions like on a shelf or cabinet.

That is interesting, never thought about home/pro speakers that way. Is it possible to correct their response for free space with switches on the speakers back?

Yes, the active models have a 3-position +/- 2dB dip switch - the passives do not though. Again there are many factors with these things - I think they'd sound pretty poor in a lively room in free-space but if you had a lot of soft furnishings then the brightness might be welcomed. WHF's test rooms are pretty well damped so won't necessarily compare to sparsely furnished room with exposed wooden floorboards and big windows - and then your own hearing comes into it as well as taste in sound and music types... Part of what makes the Hi-Fi thing a fun hobby of experimentation - finding YOUR ideal system is the challenge! (though it can be a pricey one!)

but not too pricey in my instance.........just reasonably

 

[Anonymous]

mine also have a high level adjust....but i havn't had to use them at home at all,,,but I could see it as a useful feature.

 

[AEJim]

Clare Newsome:AEJim:
You should see a review from the WHF guys on the Active Pro Sub/Sat system sometime soon

In our next (August) issue, in fact - being posted out to subscribers this Thursday (24th June); in shops by Wednesday 30th June.

Cheers for the info Clare! Ooh, new iPhone day! (Not that I'm that sad to be excited by that - I'm due my upgrade anyway, honest! )

Hope the system wasn't too much of a pig to set up - not the usual sort of thing I'd send out for review, being such a niche product, but as we were sending the AE22 actives anyway...

*EDIT - spelled "Clare" the way my sister does - sorry Clare!!