Which Active Speakers to look at?

[esanthosh]

No anubhav. Still confused. I can get 6010A or A5X and perhaps Rokit 8.

Once our EB decides to let us have power for more than 8-10 hours a day, will make my decision. Otherwise, a whole Sunday could be a rinse, repeat of..

• Finally after long hours of agony, power comes back.
• Switches on everything, rushes back to chair.
• Plays a song with shaky hands. Praying for power to remain. Tries to remember if there's a God of Electricity somewhere in some religion.
• Plays a track, wishes to try some other genre and see how they perform..... and power goes out again.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Once our EB decides to let us have power for more than 8-10 hours a day...

Is it still that bad there? The situation in Chennai has improved a lot, with only one hour a day cut.

Perhaps you need to shave a little off your speaker budget for a bigger UPS or inverter --- so that you can actually get to listen to the speakers!

 

[anubhav2345]

And we are lucky living in delhi, as I hardly see any power cuts these days.
Longest I have seen in recent years has not been more than 10-15mins.

+1 to Delhi's power supply.

 

[esanthosh]

Is it still that bad there? The situation in Chennai has improved a lot, with only one hour a day cut.

Perhaps you need to shave a little off your speaker budget for a bigger UPS or inverter --- so that you can actually get to listen to the speakers!

It was better for the last few months, but for the last couple of weeks, it's back with a vengeance. I do have decent backup (1400 sine wave), but since I am in no hurry, I can wait for things to get better.

 

[musicbee]

Things are bad in Hyderabad. Daily 3 hours of power cuts. Thankfully the home inverter takes care of the fan/light and my PC's UPS lasts 45 mins to 1 hour and also Beam's ISP works when power is out so its basically a max of 30-45 mins a day in the dark ages without internet.

But cannot imagine the same during the hot Hyderabad summers especially without AC.

 

[elangoas]

Things are bad in Hyderabad. Daily 3 hours of power cuts. Thankfully the home inverter takes care of the fan/light and my PC's UPS lasts 45 mins to 1 hour and also Beam's ISP works when power is out so its basically a max of 30-45 mins a day in the dark ages without internet.

But cannot imagine the same during the hot Hyderabad summers especially without AC.

You are lucky dude with just 3 hrs power cut. Ppl who stay in chennai are the luckiest in Tamilnadu... They just have 1 hr power cut everyday...

I stay 45 Kms away from Chennai (Tiruvallur - Town) & the power cuts are the worst i have seen... May be i never witnessed this in my Life.....

We have a Min of 8 Hrs Power cut and i heard that south tamilnadu is very bad as they dont have power close to 10 - 11 Hrs a day..:sad:

Initially i too suffered 11 Hrs of power cut a day but then it has been reduced to 8 Hrs....I am not exaggerating any thing here...This is TRUE....

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

One of the first things I do when the power cut comes is turn off my speakers! If I'm listening, then it's on with the headphones. The speakers are drawing several watts. Not much, perhaps not even more than my desk lamp, but every little counts towards getting the maximum duration out of the UPS.

 

[rishiguru]

We have a Min of 8 Hrs Power cut and i heard that south tamilnadu is very bad as they dont have power close to 10 - 11 Hrs a day..:sad:

Goodness gracious!

We in Kolkata have very rare power cuts. I can remember the last time it happened was some three months ago and stayed for just 6 mins or so.

 

[nagurum1974]

Goodness gracious!

We in Kolkata have very rare power cuts. I can remember the last time it happened was some three months ago and stayed for just 6 mins or so.

lucky peoples.

 

[esanthosh]

I am very used to power cuts (10-12 hrs a day which were regular for over a year). But what I hate most is the unpredictability in timing - sometimes, it's a total of an hour for the whole weekend, sometimes it's 12 hrs a day; most times it's 9-12, 3-6, but sometimes, it can be 7:30-12, 2-6. An inverter often may not get time to charge completely, especially during night hours where cuts can be quite frequent (day before yesterday, it was one hour of power and one hour cut).

On the flip side, when something becomes scarce, you find ways to utilize it efficiently whenever it is available.

 

[elangoas]

I am very used to power cuts (10-12 hrs a day which were regular for over a year). But what I hate most is the unpredictability in timing - sometimes, it's a total of an hour for the whole weekend, sometimes it's 12 hrs a day; most times it's 9-12, 3-6, but sometimes, it can be 7:30-12, 2-6. An inverter often may not get time to charge completely, especially during night hours where cuts can be quite frequent (day before yesterday, it was one hour of power and one hour cut).

On the flip side, when something becomes scarce, you find ways to utilize it efficiently whenever it is available.

Sorry abt the OT.. But just wanna share the power cut info...Me to a Victim...Infact the whole of TN except chennai....

 

[esanthosh]

It's not completely OT though. If the power situation does not improve in the coming days (or at least weeks), I'll need to postpone the whole idea of buying Actives

On topic though, seems like I should find a way to audition or just take a blind risk. Did a bit of reading today.


I get the general impression that...

• Seems like the ones I would like in the Genelec and Adam line up would be around the 1L range (A7X, 8240A). In general, it seems that if I go for the 'cheaper' offerings, I'd probably need to invest in a sub as well, which will bring the total cost close up anyways.
• Yamahas and Adams are forward sounding, while Genelec can be a bit laid-back (or just not forward)?
• Yamaha MSP7 have a bit more low-end, cold sounding and a bit harsh at the top. Can be fatiguing for some. But, a good choice in the budget range.
• KRK Rokits can be too colored. Described in one post as a colored Hi-fi speaker than a monitor. Their VXT series and older speakers seem to be better.
• Genelec 8020A can be a bit colored in the mid range (likely 6010A too?). 8030A is a bit more neutral in the mid range and 8040/8240A seem to be worth considering as well, but are well be beyond my budget. I am guessing Genelecs can be much easier on the ears than Yammys?
• Adams are a bit tilted up in treble, crisp sounding, detailed, can be fatiguing only if you are not used to a treble tilt (not as harsh as Yammy). I don't have any issue with that. From what I've read so far, looks like I will like Adam A7X (recommended over A5X). But no shortage of contrasting opinions - One comment says sound is plastered on the speakers, another I read says he returned Focal CMS50 because it was less 3D than Adam A7 (not the X). Port noise seems to be an issue at higher volumes though it could be a batch issue. It may have slightly enhanced low end and high end than the original mix, but that's hardly an issue for a mere listener like me.
• Focal's sound seems to be the opposite of Adams in that those who dislike Adam pick Focal and those who like Adam dislike Focal.
• Neumann KH120 seems like another contender in that price range (Neumann KH 120 Review - Gearslutz.com). It's sound, especially the lows, seem to defy it's size. It is distributed by Sennheiser in India.
• Though they are all called "monitors" and used by several people for mixing, there are as many flavors within them as the IEMs I've tried. With limited availability and user impressions, I am thinking that I will be taking a HUGE risk whether at 20K or 120K if I buy without an audition.

Opinions collected from:

1. Yamaha MSP7 vs. Adam Audio A7? - Gearslutz.com
2. Yamaha HS80M vs Adam A7X - Gearslutz.com
3. Neumann KH 120 Review - Gearslutz.com

 

[pupupuchi28]

Hi esantosh: I read through all six pages of discussion and could summarise, you want a monitor for flexibility, better synchronisation, better frequency response, and if possible 'bass filled'. I would strongly recommend you, to talk to a sound engineer (if you have access to) and understand where a studio monitor will deliver its best and where it wont. "Monitors are very good" is different from "monitor are very good in my listening room". Most of the studio monitors (used by pros) are used in a completely treated room and mostly nearfield listening. Since you dont intend to do that (refering your first post), will it really deliver you whay you are looking for. Think about it and discuss with people who have used monitors.
No point using a high grade large diaghpragm condensor microphone, when all you plan is to sing in the corner of your bedroom

 

[esanthosh]

No point using a high grade large diaghpragm condensor microphone, when all you plan is to sing in the corner of your bedroom

While I agree with that, I would rather risk getting 50% performance from an accurate studio monitor than getting 100% out of a colored speaker. It's all about what capabilities lie underneath. A good speaker is like a good friend. If he gives you so much, you might be forced to bend some of your rules to accommodate him too! It's not much different from learning to insert deep with Etymotic IEMs.

PS: My bed room is free of distractions like TV or speakers. That that area, that that activity only!

 

[pupupuchi28]

While I agree with that, I would rather risk getting 50% performance from an accurate studio monitor than getting 100% out of a colored speaker.

Sounds good. As long as it satisfies you

PS: My bed room is free of distractions like TV or speakers. That that area, that that activity only!

Basic instinct!

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

As you are interested n Genelec, why not talk to these people. Clifford Pereira is one of the most knowledgeable audio guys I have ever met. OK, they will be faithful to their product, but i think they will also be very straight about what you can or can't expect from it.

 

[Pandamaudio]

• Though they are all called "monitors" and used by several people for mixing, there are as many flavors within them as the IEMs I've tried. With limited availability and user impressions, I am thinking that I will be taking a HUGE risk whether at 20K or 120K if I buy without an audition.

If you like to organize auditions of various brands at our Pandam showroom, we will be happy to provide our Genelec speakers for comparison if you can arrange for the other brands

As Thad recommends, Clifford Pereira is the Genelec technical support engineer for Asia, Middle-East & Africa. His mobile no is +919820182964 if you need to talk to him

 

[opeth]

I have been using KRK Rokit 8 since july 2010 along with parasound pre amp. One of the better sounding speakers in the price range. Bought the pair for Rs.25K from Ebay GEB. One of the reason to buy KRK was front ported design.

I have personally listened to M Audio,Alesis,Yamaha,Beheringer,Wharfedale Pro,Dynaudio,Genelec,K&H, & Tannoy in various setups(Demo & Studio). I personally like tannoy & K&H.

 

[prasadpatil]

Powered speakers are better. You can check KRK and Focal Professional. You can can stream audio directly from your NAS drive.

 

[Mr audio]

hi guys
i m new in the forum and also looking at active speakers.imho they are best bang for buck.i will be shortly demoing the avi adm 9t speakers and will post my thoughts .on paper they seem to have more power[325 watts per speaker] then any other active in their price and size.also have a build in dac.although they are not cheap