Nearfields for audiophile listening?

I read that they recommend you only mix monitors that are no more than one size away from eachother (8030+8040, not 8030+8050). I don't doubt they try to tune them the same, but I think even they say a larger driver will result in better imaging and or detail (not sure if that's true). I was flirting with the idea of the 8330s.

 

Yes. Bigger is usally abetter because of directivity. Notice this depends on the speakers designers. The few times I have spoken with Genelec engineers this has been their mantra. More direct sound towards the listener, less room...

 

those are pretty killer!
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR6332L

sound of mid high is very good, and the 12inch woofer sound fast and tight without a hint of boominess even when testing them loud with

 

the ls50 with a good amp is better then kh120a, much better I should add. so would be the scm7 v3 if your budget is around 1.5 k used.

if you must go active, in your budget, I would try to demo sonodyne srp600, yamaha hs8, jbl lsr308, and kh120a. but I think that going passive with a good amp is a better bang for the buck

 

I guess there's limits.

 

If I remember correctly it had to do with the max SPL the system can deliver, so that is the limitation

 

In case of Genelecs there really are little differences in performance bw big and small eggs. I even prefer high-mids from the smaller ones, while obviously bass goes lower with more convincing slam/dynamics with the bigger units. Resolution, imaging and even dynamics from high bass up are reasonably close. This tends to reflect on price as well. If it was my call, I'd still get 8050 (for little extra $) as you won't need a sub for these. They go to 30Hz in alright acoustic setup.
I would recommend the 8330 to someone who wants nice sound with next to no effort put into acoustics of room and chain synergies. (The measurement suite is usually not included, and without it the dsp Genelecs have very little going for them.)
In comparison TT/R-2R dac --> Good tube amp --> and for example a Harbeth will have much better tone and fluidity. Easily better for acoustic and vocal material. While the Genelec solution will be cleaner, have more clarity, larger more precise soundstage, fr will obviously be more linear. Might make more sense for edm, metal and such.

 

Anyone here have the jbl lsr305 or 308's? I need a set of powered monitors for my largish desk to connect to Gungnir Multibit.

 

I have the jbl lsr305s and Gungnir Multibit.

 

The JBL LSR305/8 is like the Audio Technica M50x. It's an easy recommendation and a solid performer in its price range. If you don't like it, it's also easy to scoop up or sell on the used market.

 

I'm torn between the JBL LSR305 and the LSR308. Does anybody here owns both models and willing to offer some advice. Thank you.

 

LSR305 here too with nothing to connect them at the moment... To me they sound harsh even when shelf adjusted although that could be my old harsh DAC doing bad things. The imaging however blew me away. When I walk around my room the imaging stays mostly the same as sitting down in front of them. Very good to mix with also with good seperation, dynamics and that harshness is actually useful in studio settings.

 

My Nord nc500 monos came in earlier this week which I'm using in a nearfeild set up with Ascend Sierra-2s.

I don't want to give a full review yet because my system isn't fully complete; my pre-amp won't arrive until late this month. But so far, the nc500s make my Sierra 2s sound as detailed as my HD800s...Very well balanced, holographic sound, incredible micro/macrodynamics. Violin concertos are something special with these. Very little colouration as far as I can tell. I recently sold my ragnarok and bought these instead and the difference in transparency is what really puts the Ragnarok to shame. The Rag was soft and glossed over so many details and dynamics in comparison, these just get out of the way completely. The Ragnarok isn't necessarily a bad amp either and the difference between the NC500s and the Rag is not subtle, the Rag feels like it was a massive bottleneck to my system in comparison.

I highly recommend the Sierra 2s and hypex based amps. I know they both receive a lot of praise already but I was honestly surprised how much they scaled with each other.

 

If you can, swing for the 8. It should play louder and lower.

Really glad that you liked them, maybe these guys are on to something with those Class D amps. A friend of mine used a couple of UcD180HG amps for his LX521 speakers. Really enjoyed the sound and told me that for the money they rival many Class-AB amps.

 

Never heard any of the UCD amps but the Ncores certainly live up to the hype IMO.

Here's a pic of mine with the Nord chassis. Can only use them with my CD player until the pre comes in because it's the only DAC I have with volume control.

http://m.imgur.com/ecklN98

 

Very interesting. Do tell more.

My own exposure to digital amplifiers (some pretty expensive one like Devialet) have always left me wanting.
Although good slam and soundstage size, they seem to fake fluidity/continuity and tone of acoustical performances. Note weight and physicality has been unconvincing vs good class A-B.

 

There are some helpful impressions in this thread I found when searching for reviews on Ncore amps. Its full of comparisons pitting TOTL Class A SS and tube amps against the NC400 which is the DIY version of the NC500 and almost identical: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105310.0

Maybe its partially due to switching from an amp outputting 100 watts to one pushing 700 watts into 4ohms, but driver control and dynamics are on a completely different level. Due to this they present the music and extra details in a much more natural/3-demensional way and also with a more realistic tone and timbre. The added clarity makes it remarkably easy to differentiate if violin #1 stops playing and violin #2 takes over for example; each instrument within their respective sections all sound obviously different.

Besides the huge differences in tone, transparency and dynamics I immediately noticed improvements in imaging, resolution, soundstage, spacial clues, speed etc. I'm not taking about small differences where you have to focus to pick out either. This upgrade has had the largest improvement on my speaker system so far. There is honestly nothing I can think of that the Rag has over the ncore amps, it would take a much higher end Class A/AB amp to compare.

 

I can say that while note weight and physicality are improved over my Ragnarok, it did not receive as big of an improvement as the other sonic attributes.

Although I always thought the Sierra-2s were more detail oriented and had less 'presence' than say my old SVS Ultra speakers. By that I mean it sounds more like you're listening to a high quality recording than a live concert albeit an extraordinarily 3 dimensional and tactical recording.

(Now that I think about it this could be due to lower SPLs)

 

There is a 8250 for sale at 2950$ and I wonder if it's worth it since my room is a little funky shaped. Going around clapping like some crazy person, I only get bad reflections above the bed, but I haven't put up panels yet though. Anyone had experience with Genelecs DSP models?

 

I found a local guy who has a set of these. I should go get a listen.