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Mini-Monitor Appreciation Thread

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deltaunit

pfm Member
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This is just to show a little love for the flawed, restricted, unrealistic, affordable little boxes that are capable of providing huge amounts of fun.

It's amazing how different a near identical little boxes with almost the same components can sound so different from an another. The Kans and the Conistans here are almost identical, both being high quality pieces of kit yet the design goals and sound signature are very different. One makes a virtue of it's inherent limitations and the other somewhat successfully overcomes them.

I'd imagine most people will have had some experience of a mini monitor in their system at some point, either starting out with a main system or hidden away a second system somewhere - so how about a little round up of the good and not so good? What's out there unappreciated and deserving of little praise?
 
One of my fave the two pair at left

Kan's very much demanding not for everyone but can be thrilling and better more recent Linn IMO (on vinyl at best)

Coniston much easier to get on IMO, lovely product makes a laugh of many large boxes, best in smaller room (like Kan)
oh and they had the Sorcerers top sound, shame the are no more
 
I like mini-monitors, in fact when it comes to speakers I tend to like really little ones and really big 'uns. It's the ones in the middle I struggle with! I've owned JR149s, Kef 101s, Kans (I & II), Quad 11Ls and ProAc Tablettes (50 Sigs and Ref 8 Sigs). All very good in their own way. I rather fancy landing another pair of 149s at some point if I can find a near mint pair.

Tony.
 
Tony L said:
I like mini-monitors, in fact when it comes to speakers I tend to like really little ones and really big 'uns. It's the ones in the middle I struggle with!
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I can understand that, or at least imagine why that is. It's when you have neighbours on all sides, above and below that the middle sized ones become a sensible choice. That or the fact that huugge ones just seem too pricey :eek:
 
Is this a thread for people who sat too near to the bass cabs at a Motorhead concert and lost their hearing below 100Hz ?

I think the only minimonitors I could really live with are headphones.
 
Not everyone finds bass below 60HZ is a must for musical satisfaction. One of the best systems I ever heard used a pair of Kans on the end of a fairly modest Linn system in a 25' X25' room.
 
I also have a soft spot for small monitor speakers on stands.

It all happend about 14 years ago, when I moved into my previous appartment, which had a rather small livingroom with horrible acoustics, which gave most speakers a naste, uncontrolled bass-boost.

So, therefor I was kinda forced to use small speakers.
During that period I learned to appreciate or even prefer small(er) speaker.

I have good memories of the Linn Kan's (used them with a Nait-2 and CDX) and Royd speakers.
Heard the lovely Coniston several times at a former Royd dealer and had some A7's myself. (my favorite were the Eden's)

I'm also very curious towards the new Harbeth HL-P3esr.
Unfortunately there's no dealer in my area. :(

One of my recent monitor speakers was the Rogers Studio 3.
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(too bad about the cheap looking veneer)


The Italian Diapason Micra's. (my current speakers)
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diapason_micra_zonder_front.JPG

Very open/transparent midrange (direct-drive woofer without cross-over), sparkling and detailed treble and easy to drive.
 
No one mentioned the nSat? Alco didn't you live Napoli with these for a while? I used to have an old pair of Kan and the nSat does the Kan-style but in an altogether higher league, less aggressive ie more refined, better bass response. A nice wee box. I've still to get my hands on a pair of james's ergo...
 
Can't agree with you on the (terrible) Nsats, but I love my Kans in their dedicated litte music room! Late night listening at close distance is much more enjoyable here than on a larger system.
 
No one mentioned the nSat? Alco didn't you live Napoli with these for a while?
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Yes, I lived with the nSat's for about 2 years. I liked them (although they were kind of a forced choice, due to my room acoustics)
They were the only sealed cabinet speakers I could find at that moment, that had good synergy with my Naim system)

To me the n-Sats are ok speakers, but then again...nothing that special either.
They were no comparison to the early Linn Kan speakers I once had.
(the Kan's had more body to voices and better bass performance)

Btw Tobi... funny, I just clicked on your 'My Setup' link, and noticed that I still had your old site bookmarked in my favorites.
I see you have changed your room lay-out. (for the better) I still have the pic's where you have one Corras underneath a window, with a Rega P25 on its dedicated wall-shelf, and a large Ikea Expedit as LP-storage unit to the right.
 
I have enjoyed some conistons for many years. excellent little things. Shame the foam disintegrated. Anyone have a solution?
 
Yes there is something rather good about small stand mounts.

I have had Kan MKI, Proac Response 1SC and currently have in place some Revel Performa M22s which are quite stunning.

Not so well known over here but a high end bit of Americana.
 
A mini monitor that works on a shelf yes but once you start needing stands they aren't very mini anymore.
They can be enjoyable despite their LF/scale limitations, I've heard some absolute crackers that I wouldn't hesitate to use if I lived in a shoe.
 
Alco said:
Btw Tobi... funny, I just clicked on your 'My Setup' link, and noticed that I still had your old site bookmarked in my favorites.
I see you have changed your room lay-out. (for the better) I still have the pic's where you have one Corras underneath a window, with a Rega P25 on its dedicated wall-shelf, and a large Ikea Expedit as LP-storage unit to the right.
Click to expand...

Cheers Alco!
switching to streaming devices enabled me to get rid of my two large CD racks which used to stand where the hifi is now. LP rack still in same position on opposite wall. P25 is gone, vintage PL-71 came. (much better). Kans stayed and are still going strong!
Presently working on the new lounge system, Exposure & Epos. Need a new sideboard to make it all fit. Will update pics when finished....
 
As a newbie to this forum (the DAC bake off brought me here), who has also only just started back in the world of HiFi.

From my starting point some 30 odd years ago of Quad 33/303 with DIY (Wilmslow Audio) BBC Transmission Line speakers replaced after 6 or 7 years by a Meridian 101b with M3 actives and later a S/H MCD, which I still have, I settled back and listened to music, abnd lost touch with developments in HiFi.

The discovery a few years ago, at how astonishingly good small speakers, in the shape of Linn Kans, had become was a revelation that knocked me for six.

I think it is time to look at coming into the modern world of computer audio, though I would like to keep the M3's for now!

Although, I see the slippery slope of upgrading opening up beneath my feet, gulp!!

Matthew
 
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