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reading the first post of this was nostalgic. nearly 7 years on and all I own in terms of hardware now is a digitone, an eventide space, an eventide pitch factor, and the basic power/midi modules needed to build a modular again if i fancy it. Sold everything i owned, genelecs included, to get a stock portfolio, and subsequently had to use the money this year to survive the covid hospitality industry scourge.

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Man that sux.

but apparently a $600 stim is incoming? So I’m looking to get something new. Either a polyend tracker, or some better monitors for my hardware table. Right now I’m using some presonus eris 3.5”s as temporary ones. They aren’t bad for a $99 pair, but yeah, come on.

what would you guys do if the top of your budget was $600-$700? I currently use HS5s to mix on. They are great, but I’ve always wanted some HS8s. Right now my studio is oddly L-shaped and small, so the 8’s might be overkill, as from what I understand they punch above their weight.

i saw the new rokit g4, could be a good option. Also, how good is that genelec 8010a 3”? A pair would be at the top of my budget, but if I’m hitting $700 shouldn’t I just get the HS8s?

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For $600-700 I would get HS8 along with some room correction software like IK ARC 2 or the Sonarworks reference. Also get some bumpers from https://www.isolateit.com/ for acoustic decoupling.

I used HS8/HS8M for a long time before getting my current monitors (Neumann KH120A), and I like them, but I never bothered enough with room calibration and placement (equilateral triangle). Now that I have done that, everything is just so much better.

One thing to think about with the HS8 is that since the bass ports are on the back, it may be more difficult to do placement correctly - if there is a good alternative with front facing bass ports, I would consider those too.

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HS8s are very good. they're pretty flat, but without being as 'lifeless' as my Alesis M1 Actives were. HS8s hit, if you give them the volume. they still sound relatively solid at lower volumes, but really shine at that low-mid to mid-volume. never pushed them too loud tbh...in part because i need to get some sound dampening and diffusion in my studio room, it's pretty big and needs a fair amount of treatment i'm guessing. even without any of that, i they're well worth the cost imo....i got them second hand from a local Guitar Center tho, don't think i paid more than 600 for them.

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yamaha H8S are great speakers! the HS5 not so much, bc they're too small and bass light. HS7 are somewhere in the middle and good enough solution for s small room. the Neumanns (kh120a) are definitely step up from these yamahas in every possible way; had them for several years. you can find a used pair of kh120s for 700 euros or even less!

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28 minutes ago, xox said:

new babies in my room. waiting for stands to arrive from thomann

IMG-1514.thumb.jpg.4471e41b95f174e0e1445fa3402306f8.jpg

Fantastic! BTW, I suspect I recognized you on GS ^^ Better than the PSI ? :)

@sheatheman https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-product-alert/1332400-dmax-audio-introduces-super-cubes-5-active-near-field-monitors.html

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@Nil yes, that'd be me! ? 

i almost bought the PSIs!

IMG-1483.thumb.jpg.050b7d27e398b4d774d62def070f73ca.jpg

they're really great! superb! the yamahas are good, the Neumanns muach better and probably best buy (i've heard the kh310 too) but the PSIs are unbelievable! precise, revealing, you can hear everything! but they lack the body these Questeds have. the Questeds are less revealing in micro details but they're easily readable, understandable and much more 'musical' but very unforgiving, more the PSIs. the main reason i didn't go with Amphions bc some ppl at GS told me that their portray of the sound is much smaller than of the Questeds and less meaty but i'm sure they're superb for mixing, on pair with the PSIs, but probably not for me.

maybe ill add the Super Cubes 5 to the Questeds but so far i dont need them.

Edited by xox
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I used to drool over the PSI A17s hehe. A long, long time ago I heard their ancestors (Studer monitors) and they sounded fantastic. Quested are known to be marevelous, musical and inviting monitors too. Genuinely happy for you, mate, impatient to hear how such an upgrade impacts your tunes.

Amphion monitors aren't meaty... if the material isn't meaty ;) They're definitely demanding at first : there's a steep learning cuve. But once you gel with them (if you do) they become invaluable tools.

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5 hours ago, Nil said:

I used to drool over the PSI A17s hehe. A long, long time ago I heard their ancestors (Studer monitors) and they sounded fantastic. Quested are known to be marevelous, musical and inviting monitors too. Genuinely happy for you, mate, impatient to hear how such an upgrade impacts your tunes.

Amphion monitors aren't meaty... if the material isn't meaty ? They're definitely demanding at first : there's a steep learning cuve. But once you gel with them (if you do) they become invaluable tools.

Haven’t heard Amphions but may ppl on GS said that if you gel with Amphions you don’t need nothing else. And most ppl prefer the One15 to One18.

PSI are really special, extraterrestrial level of detail. I’ve heard many high end speakers but never something like this, even too much sometimes. But they also sounded beautiful, much more engaging and sweet than Neumanns kh120 and kh310, any Adams or Focals ive heard. Sometimes too beautiful but i managed to identify how they portray ugliness, and once you understand it you can used them as a microscope if you want, but you need to understand and accept their way. The a17m even have the full lower mids, they actually have everything. If I haven’t hear Questeds id buy them and probably be very happy with them! But even though they’re nearfields they need big room bc they portray stereo image very accurately and if the room is not big enough the image collapses and becomes blurry. I don’t think my room is big enough. Also, more then any other speakers that I’ve tried these are sensitive to bad converters the most. 
Regarding meatiness... there are many shapes and levels of it. The kh120 had the chicken type, when the material is meaty and you hear it kind of distant to you. Kh310s have 10 inch woofers and they’re much more meaty, type that resembles 10 kg of lamb with dark chocolate, they are quite full sounding + better clarity in the mids vs kh120s, but somehow they’re similar in sound and in taste. I didn’t actually gel with Neumanns for some reasons but i could learn to enjoy the kh310a with time; that clean bass is special and it goes down to 30 hz! Still find them kind of boring tbh, especially now after hearing Questeds. No turning back now!
Meatiness of the v2108 is a totally another level; it’s an ‘angus beef steak with a hot coal tar over it’ meaty, if a track is meaty! If it’s not then they’re crying and moaning and joking about it! But they also immediately tell you if the low mids are overly pumped. And it’s a very dynamic speaker! Not compressed sounding as Neumanns and some Adams. Sounds jump at you! You know that something was mixed upfront and left bc you can see/hear/feel the sound near your left shoulder. Quite impressive! I mean just look how they look! Total beasts! 23 kg each for a nearfields!

IMO They eat kh310a for breakfast even though they have smaller woofers, 8 vs 10 inch. But the Neumanns go lover. 

Hopefully I will find the time to finish my album now! ? sooooon

Edited by xox
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14 minutes ago, thawkins said:

Which ones are wagyu or kobe beef?

I like some good sushi sometimes.

Wagyu beef with a concentrat of caffee luwak over it would probably be Wilson Audio Alexandria speakers! ?

 

Sushi are cheap in-ears! Avoid!

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  • 4 months later...

I had to replace my beloved but out of warranty monitoring amplifier (Amphion Amp 100). Its right channel amp fried. The spare module not being produced nor sold any longer (I could have bought one for 3x its  original 150€ retail price... :S), I  went for a similar amp. I want the sound of my monitors to remain the same.

Still a class D amp, much, much more power, newer design, one stereo module instead of 2 monos (not sure how much of a difference it makes TBH) : I'm testing a Hypex NCore252MP based amp by Audiophonics.  Costs the same as the aforementioned spare part.

Can't A/B both amps properly, but first impressions are super positive : ridiculously tiny, tiny differences, like 2/3% more extended in both low and high ends of the spectrum, infinitesimally clearer in the low mids but maybe less mid-focused. That's the only potential downside here : with the Amp 100, the One 15s are stunning to get that aera right effortlessly.

Both amps are equally as fast when it comes to transient response. Which is marvelous really :)

image0.jpg

IMG_5683.jpg

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On a more serious note I think that's quite a dealbreaker - if I get fancy monitors with a paired amp, and then it's barely a year or two if something breaks and there are no spares - what?!?!

Because it was just barely 1,5 years ago when I was looking at those exact monitors thinking yeah I might get them.

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I bought the amp 4 years ago, and the Anaview modules were still in production back then. So I can't blame it on Amphion if the AMS0100-2300-D got discontinued since then Amphion are now using different modules in their Amp 700.

I'm upset they're selling the spare part for 3x the initial price (if you include VAT... and I have to pay VAT) though, for a module I would have replaced myself. I know that it's trade 101 yadda yadda yadda but eh, it's steep. I was 100% OK on the price when buying their products, because the combo with their speakers is beyond remarquable. No matter the unmoded bits of kits used, the Amp 100 was (and still is) worth so much more than the sum of its components when used with the One 15s.

For the last 4 years, the whole Amphion system helped me improving my chops 100 folds, so I don't regret my purchase one bit.

Still, I'll try to score a brand new Anamod module, and will certainly sell my repaired Amp 100 then.

On a more positive note, I'm glad I've found an equally relevant/useful, vastly similar and affordable alternative with the Hypex. FWIW, these are the same amps used in Barefoot and Kii monitors. Can't be that bad ^^

I've switched from one flavor of transparent and neutral... to another flavor of transparent and neutral :cisfor:

Edited by Nil
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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking for monitors on Craigslist. Yamaha HS8 are in the right price range and sound like they are generally well reviewed. But I haven't seen any come up locally in a while (Boston area). What are the other comparable options in that price range and aren't finicky? I'm probably getting anything second hand so I don't want something super fragile.

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Lately I've been checking all my mixes on these.

 

I've had to hot glue a few of the wires to keep them from disconnecting after the insulation broke, but for $12 I can't complain.   They've been really helpful.

 

HTB1q4jZacvrK1Rjy0Feq6ATmVXaW.jpg

 

Can confirm tha tthey are, indeed, Willful and Beyond your imagination.

Edited by TubularCorporation
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