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Active speakers - Kii Audio, Dutch & Dutch...

So just to clarify for others, if I may, experts from the likes of Sound on Sound. Mix and some of the best engineers at our major studios are saying the same as me. Then there are two retailers on here, selling the product in question, who believe that their/our/my rationale is flawed.

Right. :) Diversity is good. So is keeping a sense of reality in my experience.
 
Roger Adams said:
So just to clarify for others, if I may, experts from the likes of Sound on Sound. Mix and some of the best engineers at our major studios are saying the same as me. Then there are two retailers on here, selling the product in question, who believe that their/our/my rationale is flawed.

Right. :) Diversity is good. So is keeping a sense of reality in my experience.
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What is your rationale?
Engineers just strive for a room/speakers which reproduce the file as accurately as possible, a properly treated studio will have passive absorption under the floor above the ceiling behind each wall , if you have enough treatment the speakers FR will be pretty flat even in the problematic lower bass.
If their room is neither adding nor subtracting then they can be sure that the mix will translate accurately when it is reproduced.
Keith[/QUOTE]
 
Strictly Stereo said:
This rationale is flawed. It does not matter that the speakers used in the production process are the same as those you are using at home. Most likely lots of speakers were used in the production process. What really matters is that those speakers allow the operators to make the best choices they can at each step in the recording and production process. That allows them to produce better results in less time, which makes them more productive. This is what is fuelling the adoption of designs like the Kii Three and Dutch & Dutch 8c in the professional audio space. If you still doubt this then go talk to some of the folks on Gearslutz or Sound on Sound about their production workflows and what matters to them at each stage.

For listening at home, you should choose whatever speakers make you most happy when used in your space, with all of the compromises that implies. If your particular happy calls for a genuinely full range, very resolving but still relatively compact speaker which can be used close to a wall or in a corner without sounding boomy and which can also compensate for some of the worst acoustic effects of an untreated or lightly treated listening room, then the Dutch & Dutch 8c has you covered.
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Yes. If you read the pro sites where guys who mix and master for a living post, they regularly confirm that speakers like the Kii or the 8c improve the results of their mixes across all speakers. As they say, such monitors allow them to better hear what's going on: that results in a better result that translates (their term) to better, more consistent sound for the listener.
 
Roger Adams said:
So just to clarify for others, if I may, experts from the likes of Sound on Sound. Mix and some of the best engineers at our major studios are saying the same as me. Then there are two retailers on here, selling the product in question, who believe that their/our/my rationale is flawed.
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Not really. I think you are cherry picking comments to back up your incorrect point. The truth is that at Sound on Sound and other similar sites the speakers have gotten rave reviews as pro mix/mastering tools. And are being bought by many pros as a result. Again, look how often they describe how well a mix done on them "translates" well when played elsewhere. That's them saying the opposite of what you claim.
 
AndyU said:
It’s strange, when you go to a classical recital you don’t come out saying that you wished you’d heard it in a field or an anechoic chamber; the acoustic is part of the instrument, a part of the music. Maybe that’s the way to look at speakers - that they are an acoustic, so a big pair of Tannoys or JBLs are an acoustic just like the Village Vanguard or La Scala Milan. And consequently they are the acoustic into which the producer expected his music to be played. Btw, if you love that period in Jazz there is an absolutely superb documentary about Miles just released on Netflix. It’s called Miles Davis Birth of the Cool. Two hours. Worth a months sub on its own. Netflix also have some other good music documentaries on the likes of John Coltrane. When you are locked down at home in two weeks as I am right now you might find them all worth watching.
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When I listen to a recording of classical music with lots of ambience cues (i.e. Morales: Missa Mille Regretz by the Hilliard Ensemble) I am transported to the venue where the musical event was recorded. Wide-dispersion (as well as far-field listening) adds more of my room's acoustic footprint and that to my ears interferes with the illusion of "being there", but I see why perhaps most people prefer this because it does have the advantage of making the presentation more enveloping and the perceived soundstage wider, and it helps the speakers "disapear" as sources (particularly important with lesser speakers and electronics).

Ultimately it's a matter of personal preference.
 
Interesting reading I thought Focal SM9's were industry standard. As well as Dynaudio's BM & AIR series, Genelec's and Adam's offerings. With PMC monster actives doing very large operations, etc. As for the purveyors of expensive home audio active speaker brands - seems a self defeating exercise if anyone mentions the word studio. Maybe things have changed. What would I know only been into hifi for near 30 years and compared to many of the oldtimers still dipping my toes in the water.

That said my favorite actives are the KEF LS50W - for the money they are brilliant. Love the passive LS50's too. They were the standout speaker for me at Munich Hi-end a few years ago. I could live with either passive or active KEF's no issues.
 
I’m bringing this discussion up after months because I have just purchased a pair of Buchardt A500.
Unfortunately the currently active COVID restrictions have made it impossible to travel within my country and plan a proper demo with the local distributors of Dutch & Dutch or Kii Audio.
So today I decided to buy and try the Buchardts, given the 45-days return policy.
The downside is that they are in back order and delivery is expected by February.
 
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