Nearfields for audiophile listening?

I like that Quested ticks many of my boxes by using Volt drivers and nice Class-AB amp packs. At the same time their frequency response and directivity patterns fall short of other higher tech monitors from Neumann and Genelec.

 

Idk man that’s just on paper. Have you heard the Quested V series? They’re not really less flat in real world use as intended. The V2108 had more present mids than the kh310 despite being duller. The newer tech is almost always used as a crutch for worse drivers and amps. The waveguides kill imaging precision and are used to cross over worse tweeters to save money and to win poorly setup in-store shootouts to get sales rather than being used on making the band happy, crankable, mains monitors where they would be super useful. Genelec uses pa woofers now in their DSP speakers eww.

 

I'd love to hear the monitors you've guys posted but there's no dealers in my area that carries Quested, Neumann, Genelec, etc.

My local Guitar Center is practically an upscale flea market. Their "recording room" has a few monitors on shelves, not even plugged in for a demo. It's an unorganized mess, with unplugged cables strewn about, a basic drum kit, some recording table with nothing on it. If I recall I remember seeing the JBL 305/8 MK2 series, Yamahas and Adams. It looked dingy in there so I didn't stay for long.

I have no other choice but to gamble with an online retailer that has a good return policy. But I hate returning shit, so I have to rely on trusted reviews and check what's on paper.

@Riotvan very nice setup, love the silver color.

@Psalmanazar thanks for your recommendations.

 

I was just noticing how similar the Quested V2108 looks compared to the Meyer Sound HD-1... (though I have absolutely zero experience with either)

 

The tweeter on the Quested is perfectly to my taste, all the detail is there it's just not in your face. Quested's are about the mids and punchy bass. Reminds me of the HD650 really. Maybe HD600...

 

I've heard Questeds at one tradeshow, seemed ok, but I'd refrain from judging them at those conditions. Haven't really listened to them at a proper studio. As for on-paper, I'm referring to papers made from pretty real-world measurements.



The graphs above are from a V3110. Two clear resonant modes are visible in the CSD and directivity control clearly hasn't been a part of the design. The uneven off-axis response generally means two things - a very pronounced sweetspot and a colored reflection spectrum. Maybe not that big of a deal in a treated control room, but at home it might spell trouble. Or maybe not, if there's nothing near-by for a quick comparison.

I do get your point about new tech giving more leeway to use lower quality drivers and sometimes even electronics. However companies like Quested and PMC think that they can afford to ride the coat-tails of "British monitor" legacy, slap on some fancy Volt drivers and forego actual RnD. That's the other extreme, which I don't agree with. I want to get my hands on a JBL M2 and hear whether it's the sweetspot in this regard.

 

Sadly Most of the manufacturers with large r&d budgets are using their resources to value engineer. Sennheiser’s Neumann K&H is cost reduced from Klein and Hummel. TC Electronics did the same with Dynaudio BM mk ii and the lyds but now the R&D that Goretek pumped into them seems to be paying off. Even the JBL 705 and 708 are lol.

Questeds are clearly largely designed by ear. but they work and his better two way models have been around and updated for 30 years and underpowered speakers with equalized cheaped out drivers and amps aren’t going to touch their market.

PMC is their own special kind of awful like Harbeth.

By real world, I mean you can make a flat fr, muddy speaker with midrange suckout. The KH 120 is proof of that but it’s still better than the clearer Kh 80. Crossovers, multiple drivers , cabinetry, and all the active monitor bs make it possible but they still tend to have a better batting average than passives and hifi speakers.

 

Psalm it doesn't seem you are impressed with any of the currently available monitors to be purchased brand new. So why not just ditch the monitors and go PA speakers? They can get as loud as you'd like and come with a big woofer that can stay flat at 40hz or lower. They probably have no detail though.

 

I like a lot of them:
Yamaha hs8
Adam A7X
Quested 2 ways
KRK Rokit 5 G4, V6S4, V8S4
Dyn BM6A and BM15A
KH 120 and 310
Proac 100
NS10m studio
Jbl 305 mk2 etc

 

can this just get stickied for convenience-sake?

 

Have the KRK G series improved that much? I remember 1st and 2nd gen and felt they were just grattly meh. I would have picked Behringer Truths over them.

I can't remember the model number anymore, but I liked the older Mackie monitors with the passive radiators more than the models that replaced them.

 

Lol there are a lot of good and accurate enough sounding ones and it’s all preference. The problems are finding cheap ones without glaring issues or ones that translate your production over to the real world where people don’t put their faces right in front of the speakers.

 

Yeah because they finally started basing them off of the higher end krks. The 7 and the 8 still bury the midrange so I wouldn’t use anything but the 5. The port overhang in the 5 is a little annoying still but it’s better than the jbl 305 and smaller Yamaha.

Old Mackies were good and that very creamy bass was awesome for listening.

 

This is probably (or at least one of the reasons) why my tastes lately seem to veer towards sealed or passive radiator cabs.

 

I am quite interested in the quested. how are they compared to the Harbeth? both seems to be known for their organic sound.

i actually got intoxicated by the harbeth super5 on demo and went on to purchase a second-hand monitor 30.1. my goodness, what a nightmare having it on my desk. the mid bass is overwhelming causing fatigue.

 

They don't sound anything like Harbeths.

 

how so? the p3esr can be argued as being used as studio monitors as they sought to be neutral sounding. or at least that's what being said by alan shaw from harbeth. considering it is pretty organic as well, i thought the quested may sound similar

 

also, what's your take on kh120 vs kh310? I know you're a big fan of 310.

I've used the kh120 and the qualms I've had with it is with the vocals. it sounds dry and disengaging. does the kh310 have similar sound signature? I mean obviously 310 will have more details and deeper sounding, I'm just not sure if it is equally dry.

 

Nothing will align your chakras like Harbeth’s cabinet vibrations and resonances amplifying the inherent inter-dimensional vibrations of body and soul.

 

The KH 310 is even drier. But you can hear everything because it is a dry sealed three way. Hearing everything within their presentation is cool.

Honestly, I’d buy something else. I’m not a big enough fan of Neumann to buy any of their products despite being offered some great deals. I took KRKs over Neumanns and Genelecs dude and I’m gonna get some Dyns.