gustav_errata
pfm Member
I'm in the market for some active studio monitors. These will be used for (mostly) listening to music while working from home, occasional writing/producing music, and some light mixing work (anything serious would be sent off to an engineer with a proper studio...). They will be placed on a desk (or possibly on stands just behind the desk) and they will necessarily be placed near the wall. I will rearrange things to be away from the corners though. The room they would be in is about (very quick measurements) 4.1m x 2.7m x 2.3m and, due to WAF reasons and other concerns, they would likely be placed along the long wall. The room is not yet treated, but it's something I would like to consider in the future. There is a possibility that I may get demoted to a much smaller room in the future, something like 1/3 of the size, very narrow.
Given the desktop usage, listening distance will be very much nearfield: if placed on the desk, I reckon it's a bit more than 80cm from my ears to the hypothetical location of the respective monitor.
I'm looking at a budget of hopefully around £300 per monitor (they're sold individually). I want to go above entry level, but there's no point in going way above without properly treating the room. EQ/DSP options are a plus, but I can do further room correction in software on my computer.
*bloop bleep click-click-click bzrrrzzrt kerching*
OK so after crunching all of the above numbers and doing a lot of reading online, I've largely narrowed the choice down to either the Focal Shape 40 or the Genelec 8020D. The next size up in each range (Shape 50, 8030C) are out-of-budget if purchased new, but are affordable used, however I think they might be a bit large for the space / listening distance. I'll also mention the Dynaudio LYD-5 as a wild-card (but stretching the budget).
The Shape 40 is happy to be placed close to a wall, but it may actually be a bit small for the current room (but perfect for the smaller room). The Genelecs are rear-ported but they have DSP that compensate for being close to room boundaries so it should be ok. They're about the same price (the Genelecs are usually 10-20 quid more, depending on the shop).
Does anyone have experience with either of these and can share their experiences, be they for hi-fi or for studio use? I know of no place around here where I could compare them, nevermind lockdown. I have yet to inquire about home trials, but obviously it's something I would like to do.
Or, does anyone have any other recommendations?
Before someone mentions it, yes, I have obviously considered Neumann KH 80 DSP, but they would stretch the budget and I don't have an iOS phone to fully take advantage of its DSP prowess. Also, yes, I have seen the relevant measurements (for Genelecs, Neumann, Dynaudio) and discussions on ASR.
Given the desktop usage, listening distance will be very much nearfield: if placed on the desk, I reckon it's a bit more than 80cm from my ears to the hypothetical location of the respective monitor.
I'm looking at a budget of hopefully around £300 per monitor (they're sold individually). I want to go above entry level, but there's no point in going way above without properly treating the room. EQ/DSP options are a plus, but I can do further room correction in software on my computer.
*bloop bleep click-click-click bzrrrzzrt kerching*
OK so after crunching all of the above numbers and doing a lot of reading online, I've largely narrowed the choice down to either the Focal Shape 40 or the Genelec 8020D. The next size up in each range (Shape 50, 8030C) are out-of-budget if purchased new, but are affordable used, however I think they might be a bit large for the space / listening distance. I'll also mention the Dynaudio LYD-5 as a wild-card (but stretching the budget).
The Shape 40 is happy to be placed close to a wall, but it may actually be a bit small for the current room (but perfect for the smaller room). The Genelecs are rear-ported but they have DSP that compensate for being close to room boundaries so it should be ok. They're about the same price (the Genelecs are usually 10-20 quid more, depending on the shop).
Does anyone have experience with either of these and can share their experiences, be they for hi-fi or for studio use? I know of no place around here where I could compare them, nevermind lockdown. I have yet to inquire about home trials, but obviously it's something I would like to do.
Or, does anyone have any other recommendations?
Before someone mentions it, yes, I have obviously considered Neumann KH 80 DSP, but they would stretch the budget and I don't have an iOS phone to fully take advantage of its DSP prowess. Also, yes, I have seen the relevant measurements (for Genelecs, Neumann, Dynaudio) and discussions on ASR.