Speaker Recs

I use these as well. Sound great.

1 Like

I do like Adam a lot but try the Aerial/Aground 12 on any of the larger 3 way ATCs (yes I know way beyond OPs budget) but I guarantee it’ll be one of the standout listening experiences of your life.

Edit: I know you probably have access to some of the best studios in London, however I stand by my words! :pray::grin:

I will be buried with these, one either side!

2 Likes

Treated myself to a pair of LS50WIIs and am head-over-heels in love. Replaced a pair of B&W 805S and a Primare I30. So much better in every way.

1 Like

I’m jealous! New monitors are on my list for '23. As I do most of my listening whilst at the desk I just need to check them out in a near field situation, but by all accounts they are suitable as near field monitors - have you tried them in that capacity? If not I’ll probably opt for some powered Genelec nearfields.

1 Like

I use mine near field because my listening room is poor acoustically. They are brilliant - a bit like wearing a massive pair of headphones (in a good way!).

1 Like

That scenario sounds right up my street!

Resurrecting this thread…

So I’ve been slowly auditioning speakers over the last few months and I’m almost certain I’m going to either go for the KEF LS50 Meta’s or Focal Shape 65.

The Focals were fantastic, but the con: I’ve read the standby feature kicks in if left ‘quiet’ for a period of time, and that can be a bit annoying. The pro being they’re active and don’t need an amp.

With the KEFs being passive, can anyone offer any insight into a decent amp?

My set up is 2 x 1200s, with Naga MP200 carts, and an Ecler Warm 2 Mixer.

I’ve got those Focals. They are good (as bass bass cones are effectively in the side they can sit a little tighter to a wall) but I heard the equivalent Adam’s monitors and they were incredible. Active monitors with a bit of colour are a pretty good idea for dj set ups that aren’t being driven hard (in my book).

P.s never noticed the standby thing being a problem.

1 Like

Cool. Thanks for this. Which equivalent are you referring to? The A7X or T7V?

I auditioned the T7V and the sound was a little flatter overall, extended bass maybe and crisper at the top end.

I’m useless at this kind of thing though tbh. I play allsorts from Techno through to Jazz and Brazilian and they all sounded great :rofl:.

Those Focals sure look pretty though :star_struck:.

I’ve been having the (almost) same quandary so eager to see what others think.

I decided on the Kef’s now they seem to have dropped to a grand.
The Amp though… keep going around in circles, from something basic, to something with all the bells and whistles, streaming from hard drive etc. Still no idea… might just keep what I have :wink:
Need to get up to civilisation to actually hear these things tho.

So far Amp wise:
Cambridge Audio CXA81
Audiolab 6000A
NAD C368

(Currently running: 2 x 1200 with Ortofon Pro’s, Vestax PMC270A, ancient NAD 304 and Yamaha NS10M’s) so hopefully would see some difference, still going to keep speakers for ref.

1 Like

a couple of reviews suggest pairing a cambridge CXA81 with the KEF’s. how much have you got to spend ? I know the original ls50’s needed an amp with a bit of welly to make them sing so I assume the meta’s are no different.

1 Like

I’ve got a pair of vintage Yamaha NS series speakers, just to caveat. Currently using them with a cheap and classic NAD 3020 and couldn’t be happier considering the price of both. In total the set up cost under €400.

In terms of vintage amps worth looking into I’d stick with NAD or Sansui. The Sansui AU series is meant to be the one but can’t speak from experience. Within the same-ish category and price range the Akai AM series (at least the 35 and 47) are meant to be good. This of course is all based on subjective ”research”.

In terms of more modern alternatives with bells and whistles, I’ve heard good things about the Yamaha R-N602 and similar models with MusicCast integration.

1 Like

It was at my friends place. I’ll ask him. I was pretty impressed. The focals are great. And yeah they do look super nice. Not bad bang for buck.

1 Like

My KRK monitors died in December so I was in the market for some new ones. Yet another time I used this forum to guide me - I was on a pretty strict budget so I went for the Adam Audio T5V paired with the T10S active sub. I read loads of reviews and the suggestion was that the 5’s perform better than the 7’s. Surprising, like.

They’re a bit of a game-changer. They couldn’t be more removed from the listening experience of the KRKs. I love them. I’m hearing so much detail I’ve not heard before and they’re so much easier on my ears when DJiing. Size of room may be a factor for you - my record room is pretty small. £689 For the package seems amazing value.

3 Likes

Did you bite the bullet on anything yet?

1 Like

No lol. My head’s still spinning with it all tbh.

The Focal’s and the Adam’s sound great and I wouldn’t need to worry about an amp.

The Kef’s sound bloody amazing too, and I kinda like the idea of an amp, but do I need it for my set up? I’ve got an old NAD amp left to me by my dad, and it’s in dire need of attention. Do I get that seen to, or go for something new? Been looking at the Cambridge.

How are you faring? Have you decided on an amp?

1 Like

Same same… keep thinking KEF’s and CA, but then think hmmm I better get new cables and stands and before I know it spending nearly 2k and think fuck that’s madness. :man_shrugging:

So bought an Elektron:Cycles and nearly blew up my NS10’s!

Really need to make an effort to hear them, going up to London mid September so will try and have a proper look then!

1 Like

Yeah I’m leaving it for a while, til I know what I want to go with… most probably the nearfields.

That new Ecler Warm 4 is calling me too!

How did you get on with the cycles (other than nearly blowing your bins)?

Loving it, lots of fun and inspiring after staring at Logic. Nice to get hands on with some knobs. :slight_smile:

Only had it for 4 days so still learning, like the fact it’s not got too many options, but what options there are pretty tweakable. Can get some nice results very quickly.

Just have to be careful auditioning new patches if your pattern levels aren’t very high! :firecracker:

If you’ve never had a Synth or drum machine before might be a steep learning curve as manual is pretty ‘un-friendly’ but guess that’s the same with any pro gear.

8/10 TP’s I’d say.

1 Like

So, thanks to Christopher Nolan for saving me £1600.

Got so pissed off with the audio/mumbling on Tenet the other night decided needed to do something with the AV system which is pretty old and we never really bother with anyway.

Decided to get a Sonos Beam which arrived yesterday and is pretty good so far.

The real treat however is I’m now using the Yamaha AV Amp and B&W speakers for my ‘studio’.
Replacing the NAD 304 is a revelation. I guess it’s 35 years old but made such a difference.
Really has made stuff sound amazing, great separation and depth to the sound.
Also Amp has A+B speaker switches so I can swap between the NS10’s and the DM601’s.

Not sure I need new speakers now, but thanks anyhow :wink:

2 Likes