Good Stand Mount Speakers and Amp for Electronic Music?

[JMac]

Also, that they might be overkill for the size of the room they're going in. Looking at the spec, I'd image I'd never have them cranked above 30%!

 

[JMac]

Reading the reviews, I'm coming around to the Opals. They might not be the prettiest thing out there but they certainly seem to punch above their weight quality wise. The only proble would be the fact that I'd need to spend more than my budget if you include a new DAC to control them

 

[Craig M.]

I used to own Opals. I think you should demo some traditional hifi and then compare the best you can find at your budget against the Opals. And then buy the Opals once you've got over the shock of how much better they are. You could also look at Avi ADM9 plus the dedicated sub - without the sub they'd possibly roll off a little early - no need for dacs or anything else, the ADM9 has it all included.

If you haven't seen it, here is a thread that might put your mind at ease as to whether the Opals can do the 'hifi' thing. http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?77756-The-next-mammoth-review!-The-Event-Opal-Studio-Monitors

 

[Overdose]

Another vote for the ADM9s. They are the complete package. The sub is an extra that you may find you do not need.

 

[ID.]

What concerns me about the opels (and other monitor speakers) is how do they perform as a pair of hifi speakers, if you will, rather than stuido monitors? Whats the imaging, soundstage etc like. I know this sounds a little odd, but I find that sometimes clinical reproduction of the source isnt the best or most enjoyable listen in a home environment and sometimes you want the speakers or amp to add their own stamp to the proceedings.

Of the monitors I've heard, including the A7X, they had excellent imaging and soundstage.

While I sometimes enjoy speakers that make the music a bit more fun or warmer for rock, I find I love speakers that are highly revealing for electronic music. I've had extemely detailed and revealing systems, and while a number of my rock CDs sounded poor (the vast majority sounded good though), the insight really brough electronic music to life. Electronic makes up the majority of my own listening, ranging from chilled ambient with no beats through to trance, hardstyle, etc. and everything in between. I'm pretty sure that I will be purchasing some Adam A7Xs eventually. Would love to hear the Opals, but beyond my budget at the moment.

 

[JMac]

I used to own Opals. I think you should demo some traditional hifi and then compare the best you can find at your budget against the Opals. And then buy the Opals once you've got over the shock of how much better they are. You could also look at Avi ADM9 plus the dedicated sub - without the sub they'd possibly roll off a little early - no need for dacs or anything else, the ADM9 has it all included.

If you haven't seen it, here is a thread that might put your mind at ease as to whether the Opals can do the 'hifi' thing. http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?77756-The-next-mammoth-review!-The-Event-Opal-Studio-Monitors

Can I ask why you got rid of them if they're so good?

 

[davedotco]

Reading the reviews, I'm coming around to the Opals. They might not be the prettiest thing out there but they certainly seem to punch above their weight quality wise. The only proble would be the fact that I'd need to spend more than my budget if you include a new DAC to control them

The Opals are quite formidable, but might be too much for some owners, applications, rooms. Also they are not cheap.

If you feel that you need a high output capability the the Mackie HR824s mentioned above get closer to the Opals than you can reasonably expect for about £1000 less, if you do not need the massive output, the Adam A8x would do very nicely, significantly more potent than the otherwise excellent A7x.

Partner with the Matrix dac mentioned above, about £1500 all up.

 

[JMac]

Its the output that is actually putting me off them. They'll be used in a relatively small room that I use as a home office. Its an L shapped room and the area where I sit and listin/work is only probaly 6m x 4.5m in size. There is the remainder of the room behind me but that is being used for storage.

 

[davedotco]

Its the output that is actually putting me off them. They'll be used in a relatively small room that I use as a home office. Its an L shapped room and the area where I sit and listin/work is only probaly 6m x 4.5m in size. There is the remainder of the room behind me but that is being used for storage.

OK, I understand.

Research the Adam A7x and A8x models, they are very similar bar the bass output of the A8x, which is considerably more potent, both in terms of punch and extension.

It does have a 'shelving' control on the bass end, use a bit of cut for normal use, leave it flat in a bigger space to make a bit of noise with a few friends.

Also, the Adam's are pretty refined, smooth, good imagining, everything really. Well not quite, if you want hi-fi warmth and 'body', maybe not the speakers for you.

 

[Vladimir]

Its the output that is actually putting me off them. They'll be used in a relatively small room that I use as a home office. Its an L shapped room and the area where I sit and listin/work is only probaly 6m x 4.5m in size. There is the remainder of the room behind me but that is being used for storage.

The Event Opal's are small big boy speakers. Purposeful hi-tech engineering, not just filling a gap in manufacturers price range.

They were made to be used in small rooms and still have huge headrooms for the times when you want to unleash the dragons. Professionals actually use them in 1m per side listening triangle. If the headroom isn't there, welcome to the audiophile eunuch club.

They have large and clean output but they are not themselves taking large space or need large space to work, unlike passive speakers both floorstanders and bookshelf.

One thing also to consider is the Opals hold value way more than budget Hi-Fi. When I bought my B&W CM1s and walked out the showroom door, I saw £300 fly out my pocket the very second.

 

[Vladimir]

Meridian's Bob Stuart on digital / DSP loudspeakers

 

[skippy]

Its the output that is actually putting me off them. They'll be used in a relatively small room that I use as a home office. Its an L shapped room and the area where I sit and listin/work is only probaly 6m x 4.5m in size. There is the remainder of the room behind me but that is being used for storage.

Like Vlad says, they can be used in smaller spaces.

Also consider Focal Solo 6be, Focal twins, Genelec 8050, 8040's.

I have the 8050's in a larger space, but they perform just as well at lower volumes. I had to turn the bass down to suit the room, but that's just turning a couple of dip switches off.

The best thing to do is listen for yourself, I found I was going round in circles reading review after review. I never even considered Genelec, but purely by chance I heard the 8050's and that was enough to make my decision.

I listen to all genres, but I do like the ambient and faster paced electronic music and they perform brilliantly.

I just have a Sonos plugged in, no external DAC and it works for me

 

[Craig M.]

Can I ask why you got rid of them if they're so good?

The Opals are quite big and VERY heavy, this plus the bases being slightly curved meant I couldn't secure them to the stands as I would've liked, we have a young daughter and whenever she was near the speakers I would have visions of her knocking the stands and one of them toppling on to her. It was a pretty unlikely scenario but I just couldn't rest whenever she was near them. I wouldn't worry about them being too powerful for your room, they have room positioning controls for the bass and it's also possible to put a 'dip' in the bass output at a specific frequency to help deal with any room/bass issues - you get a mic and software that measures the rooms bass and then suggested settings to help cancel peaks. They also sound great at low volume too.

I prefer what I have now, but even though it was a bit tongue in cheek when I said earlier about demoing some traditional hifi and then going and hearing how much better the Opals are, I do believe this is the case - the amp and speakers I had before them were almost double their price (and very well regarded) but the Opals were, to me, vastly better. I'd be pretty confident the other actives suggested by ddc and others represent very good value too.

As Skippy says above, see if you have a decent pro-audio shop near you and go take a listen. They might be able to sort you a dac/pre out at a reasonable price too.

 

[lpv]

All the passive recommendations in this price level are wrong. My Electro and SCM 11's are boxed now and waiting collection after I've checked myself what actives like Event, Adam, KRK, ATC, PMC can do and what money can buy.

New Electro ECI5II is 3,5k + SCM11's 1,2k but Opals simply and totaly eclipse them for half the money !! This expensive passive combo sound fragile and small in comparission.

OP - go active mate. Check any pro-audio dealer and prepare to be amazed what your money can buy.

 

[lpv]

btw, Opal's are great for electronica ... and equally great for jazz !!

 

[lpv]

http://shop.studioxchange.co.uk/Event_Opal_Pair_Event_Calibration_Software_Kit_p/EVENT-OPAL.htm?source=googleps&gclid=CICt9erI2r4CFbShtAodskQA7g

 

[mpapo]

Word. I'm not trying to diss the HiFi world, but things have gotten out of control and the prices asked for the performance offered are just ridiculous.

 

[JMac]

Looks like I need to find a place where I can audition them.....

What have people used in terms of DAC/Pre amp to take the signal from the PC to the speakers? I've seen people use RCA to XLR converter cable straight from the DAC, is that adequate? I dont mind replacing the DAC but if at all possible I'd like to get a few months use out of it as the Events would wipe my budget out.

 

[steve_1979]

This is easy.....

These..........

Event Opal, dead on budget at £2300.

Massive power, bass response to 35hz, capable of levels in excess of 111dB.

Zero bling, serious sound.

+1

 

[lpv]

Looks like I need to find a place where I can audition them.....

What have people used in terms of DAC/Pre amp to take the signal from the PC to the speakers? I've seen people use RCA to XLR converter cable straight from the DAC, is that adequate? I dont mind replacing the DAC but if at all possible I'd like to get a few months use out of it as the Events would wipe my budget out.

You can get them in some places for £2095.. some offer 'buy now pay later'... I did try them with Benchmark & Audiolab M-Dac ( used for around £350) then all you need is some XLR between DAC and speakers and if it's PC any USB cable.

 

[Broner]

When my girlfriend finally finishes her education and gets a job, and if we move to a bigger house, I might consider buying a pair of those Event Opals.

Yes, that's a lot of 'ifs'. I know.

 

[davedotco]

Looks like I need to find a place where I can audition them.....

What have people used in terms of DAC/Pre amp to take the signal from the PC to the speakers? I've seen people use RCA to XLR converter cable straight from the DAC, is that adequate? I dont mind replacing the DAC but if at all possible I'd like to get a few months use out of it as the Events would wipe my budget out.

You need to think a little about what you want and need. The Opals are phenominal speakers, but if they are going to be burbling away at reasonable hi-fi levels then they are perhaps overkill. Yes they are better sounding than active speakers at half the price but a fair amount of that extra budget goes into producing the massive output capability and battleship build.

The general concensus in the pro market, is that the Adam A7x is the best 'all round' monitor under £1000, there are other fine speakers but at just £800pr, the A7x is highly regarded and great VFM.

As I said it is an all rounder, if you want deeper bass, Adam suggest a sub (they make several), if you want more bass punch, spend a bit more and get the A8x at just over £1k. Apart from sounding great in conventional hi-fi systems they will both, the A8x especially, handle moderately loud 'house party' duties if that is required. If you feel that you, or your music requires, a bit of extra at the bass end, go with the A8x, it has a bass shelving control, so you can drop the bass level should you need to.

Getting your signal from the computer to the speakers largely depends on what you want and how you want it to operate.

Simplest option is to use a decent soundcard (they do exist, Asus Sonar for example) or an inexpensive outboard usb dac. No great funtionality and you would need to adjust volume on you computer software but it will work and sound great. Consider that the 'entry level'.

You can then, if you wish, go to a better dac with greater functionality, volume, remote, headphone amp, whatever you want. Sound quality may be better than the entry level dacs but probaly not by much. You are paying for convenience and extra functions in the main.

Finally, Adam speakers have both XLR and RCA phono inputs, so are simple to set up.

 

[Esra]

The Adam ...x can be very bright.I didn´t liked them at all,way too bright and you have to sit 2m to them to get a good sound.Very narrow sweetspot.They are maybe good for highly damped studios but not for home hifi.I would much prefer the Mackies or JBL which have a remarkable bigger sweetspot in terms of studio monitors..Event Opal are great but expensive and can easily overpower the room if it´s small enough.For that kind of money you get also great "normal" hifi ,expecially sec.hand.I can order a pair Opal Event for 2400 Euro.Just make a call if I should provide the dealer adress.

 

[davedotco]

The Adam ...x can be very bright.I didn´t liked them at all,way too bright and you have to sit 2m to them to get a good sound.Very narrow sweetspot.They are maybe good for highly damped studios but not for home hifi.I would much prefer the Mackies or JBL which have a remarkable bigger sweetspot in terms of studio monitors..Event Opal are great but expensive and can easily overpower the room if it´s small enough.For that kind of money you get also great "normal" hifi ,expecially sec.hand.I can order a pair Opal Event for 2400 Euro.Just make a call if I should provide the dealer adress.

That is entirely the opposite of my experience. In almost every aspect....... :doh:

The ribbon tweeter is ver smooth and integrates well in the overall design. Horizontal dispersion, is excellent, particularly so at high frequencies where domes become more directional, in fact I have never known listening distance to be an issue with Adams at this level. They have a range of controls to help with positioning and general balance, they are among the most user friendly speakers I have ever used.

Whilst I like the Mackies for what they do, I find them a little unrefined, particularly at lower levels, I generally avoid the modern cheaper JBLs, whilst I am a huge fan of their 'vintage' models the modern versions do not really do much for me.

 

[Broner]

The Adam ...x can be very bright.I didn´t liked them at all,way too bright and you have to sit 2m to them to get a good sound.Very narrow sweetspot.They are maybe good for highly damped studios but not for home hifi.I would much prefer the Mackies or JBL which have a remarkable bigger sweetspot in terms of studio monitors..Event Opal are great but expensive and can easily overpower the room if it´s small enough.For that kind of money you get also great "normal" hifi ,expecially sec.hand.I can order a pair Opal Event for 2400 Euro.Just make a call if I should provide the dealer adress.

That is entirely the opposite of my experience. In almost every aspect....... :doh:

The ribbon tweeter is ver smooth and integrates well in the overall design. Horizontal dispersion, is excellent, particularly so at high frequencies where domes become more directional, in fact I have never known listening distance to be an issue with Adams at this level. They have a range of controls to help with positioning and general balance, they are among the most user friendly speakers I have ever used.

Whilst I like the Mackies for what they do, I find them a little unrefined, particularly at lower levels, I generally avoid the modern cheaper JBLs, whilst I am a huge fan of their 'vintage' models the modern versions do not really do much for me.

Jeez Dave. So you hooked me up with a pair of overly bright speakers that only work well up close. I might need to search for something different then...