High quality pro speakers have my vote. E.g. Genelec serie 8331-8351 with GLE room correction software. ATC mentioned. Kii. Barefoot, PMC, Many more. Pro speakers job is to reveal midrange. Some are also really nice to listen too. Some are too good at its job to listen too... |
Very nice recommendations and interesting thoughts here. Keep on!
At the moment I am surprised how good sound I have at my working place since I placed my ATC SCM12 there powered by a paradigm AMP with ARC2 room correction. Source is Tidal from PC with an Oppo HA2-SE dac. Crossing at 80hz to a Cambridge Minx sub. Very simple and low cost. Fantastic sound. Don’t want to leave the desk. Can’t work. With the ATC also you have no SPL limitations whatever when you want to crank it up. The Minx sub has limitations though, but it is small enough for the desk.
For desk top listening you really need a good correction system because of all negative interaction from the desk, terminals etc. Cleans everything up dramatically. ARC is very handy because you can easily save and load different correction files, e.g. if you have more than one speaker to change between.I use several but the ATC is the winner right now. Very detailed but still smooth or easy to listen too. |
Although I’m at the moment an ATC listener, PMC should not be forgotten. Their Fact serie speakers are very detailed and you can have them in all price categories. Naturally, as for ATC, also their big pro series. For ATC maybe the 20s are the best compromise for detailed (pro) sound at reasonable cost. Havn’t got it but would like to. When it comes to midrange details there are some singledrivers to investigate. Also don’t miss the studio standard Yamaha NS10 in its new creation. A tool used by most studios just to check out the midrange. Not to enjoy though! |
Have ATC150 asl and Tannoy DC10a for main systems. Sometimes changing the DC10a for Gamut L3, Lipinski L707s or Westlake BBSM10. All of them using the ATC woofers for the low bass (Lyngdorf crossover). Having a good time? Can confess that the Lipinskis are beautiful speakers. Marketed as pro monitors, but i believe they are too good sounding to be working tools. You just want to listen.... Would like the active Lipinski monitors and often think of buying the smaller L-505. I think you can buy Lipinski new from Germany and Greece. Sometimes you find them used. For active monitors the Unity Audio Boulders mk2 (or mk3) should not be overseen. There’s so many fine speakers.... :-) |
@woofer72
nice to find your comments. We seem to be on the same path. Wanting as much details as possible, but still a balanced and enjoyable sound - also sometimes at a very high listening volume. As far as I know of today ATC is the benchmark for this.
Since you are familiar to pro monitors, maybe try the new and highly praised monitors Kii three and/or Dutch & Dunn. I bought the Lipinskis from a master of cello with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra that just had bought the Kii’s for himself.
I’m not sure the Bolders have less details in the mid/highs. They use an interesting Elac element with the Jet5 ribbon mounted inside a flat mid. Don’t know if that one exists in any other speaker? However, the Boulders produce plenty of bass from the two woofers and in a not perfectly treated room you need to take that bass down to hear anything above 200Hz :-). I use an Antimode 2.0 for this (and soon Sonarworks) but will ask Unity if it might be a good idea to decouple one of the woofers. As a matter of fact also the studio I bought the Boulders from did "upgrade" to the Kii’s!
I’m using the Lipinskis for a more near-field listening and havn’t really compared them to the big ATC. You need to do a qualified A/B test to be sure about any real differences. What I can say is that I haven’t heard The wild, the innocent & the e street shuffle more beautiful, detailed and with a better soundstage than through these. Also, sitting closer to speakers and listening at lower volumes naturally makes you hear more details.
I’m very satisfied with the idea I got a couple of weeks ago and that was to remove all subs from my main listening room (which isn’t that large at all) and instead use the ATC woofers as subs to the different monitors I got there. Favourite today actually is the combination of the ATC woofers and the Tannoy DC10a as a monitor with a crossover at about 140 Hz. Suppose I will try the Lipinskis in a while. Since a couple of months I’m intrigued by the Tannoy sound. Very dynamic, lively and fun to listen too. A little coloured compared to the ATC. Good luck and please report of your findings! |
@shadorne
Would like to upgrade to the new tweeter for the 150's. Have a version of it in the new ATC 12 and like it a lot (desk top system). Though of course not listening at the same SPL.... The Excel tweeter you are talking about is that the SEAS tweeter I got or is it a much older tweeter?
@woofer72
I actully use two ATC c1 subs to the Lipinski's. Functions very well, but again they are near-field and not sure designed for very high SPL's like the ATC. ATC subs are very musical and plays the bass lines very clean. No distortion to hear. Using them with the Lip's makes a very fine full-range system. The Lip's works best I think as a closed monitor crossovered around 60-70 Hz. The C6 Sub is on my list but expensive also used and not sure I need it. You sell me yours Shadorne :-)
I have the older yellow one's. Actually I got three (one read).
Will hurry up the A/B test :-)
Have a look at the new XTZ Divine Delta speakers. Using Accuton and Mundorf. Nice price. Think I will try these. I bought their new Edge amp recently and am very satisfied with it. Cheap fine power. Sorry, no SALKs around here.
Shouldn't say this....... but will probably invest in some Infinity Kappa 9 soon. I mean they are legends. Also heard them in a store some time ago and thought the mids and tops were beautiful and very life-like and also worth a lot - you could stand up to them.
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Why not some (new?) music to crank up your systems:
Lukas Nelson @ Promise of the Real
yes, son of Willie..
ATC EL150A...wow! |
In the Pro world PSI monitors are regarded as a Swiss precision intrument. Still a fantastic listening but may be a bit fatiguing if you sit for long hours.
For very high precision but also a beautiful organic and very balanced sound you don’t want to leave - try Quested monitors (passive or active). Trad. British sound but on a Pro level.
(havn’t yet had time for my ATC/Lipinski duel)
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Monitor Audio Studio.
Standmounts. Borrowed over the weekend. May be the most clear and revealing dynamic speaker I’ve heard. Sold in hifi shops but this is more a working tool for the studio. Easy to integrate with subs while they don’t give you much below 80 Hz. New technology from top end MA range. Good on Bjork recordings (which are not easy). You hear and see every layer of sound. Extremely fast transients (folded ribbon tweeter). Try Garrett Brennan "These knees". Probably miss warmth in voices you’re used to. Yes, you will hear every recorded sibling. And every.....everything. Rather inexpensive. |
@shadorne
My ears are becoming more and more accustomed to the MA Studio. Or am I burning in the speakers? Well, I believe the first.. Listening to Charlie Musselwhite tonight "One night in America" (Telarc) and "Sanctuary" and I think the Studio’s doing a great job. His harmonica sounds just fine. Great imaging. It might be that MA eventually have succeeded here to part the very fast tweeter with two small 4" woofers in a d’appolito setting. The woofers are "free". Not screwed in the front baffle. Technique taken directly from their top model. One thing is clear. With these ribbons you hear more percussion and cymbals on some records than you possibly want. Listening nearfield at my desk at 1,20 meters. DSPeaker Anti-mode 2.0 to reduce interference from the desk (also DAC), Crossed 80hz to two JBL 310 subs, XTZ edge2 amp 300w d-class driving the Studios, no-name cables. Not a bad experience for rather low cost! |
These MPD tweeters (micro pleated diaphragm) are very fast. If you listen near-field as I do at the moment the transients may be a bit to much. They’re hard, almost hurt. Maybe you can call that "un-musical" or as Shadorne means the highs are standing out from the mids. In that perspective they may be different from what ATC monitors give you. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but very much a good experience and reference. They don’t have the power and authority of the ATC. I wouldn’t play the Studios very loud. To enjoy these you must prefer a very detailed and revealing sound (also in the upper bass) that adds nothing and leaves no prisoners. I do, mostly, but wouldn’t have these as my only monitors. You need something more "organic" besides them for a rest. Will do some A/B soon. |
And the winner is Lipinski L707. For their dynamics, resolution, 3d imaging and beautiful sound. But you need to xo them them to good subs. And they are hard on bad recordings. A little eq-ing down 3db in the 2-4 khz region will help. I use the ATC 15" basses. |
