KRK V6 S4 or Adam AX7?

[craigtumps]

Im in the market for some new monitors. Has anyone had first hand experience with both of these? KRK V6 S4 and Adam AX7.

Im leaning towards the KRK as I have Rokits at the moment so seems like the logical upgrade. But the Adam's get rave review everywhere.

Of course I will try and listen to them myself before buying but would be nice to get some opinions here. Not always easy to judge speakers when they are playing on a shelf in a huge shop.

Anything else you recommend for around £1,000 budget?

Thanks!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Neumann KH120. Punch way above their price bracket. Excellent monitor speaker.

Best price I've seen lately is at Scan. £462 each

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/neumann-kh120-a-near-field-active-studio-monitor-(single)?utm_source=google%20shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KEQjw76jGBRDm1K-X_LnrmuEBEiQA8RXYZwnYWs6A7nbg1z1eNNv2PjdreKJwD9EZ4yqFsB_zUBgaAhgD8P8HAQ

H

[craigtumps]

Just giving them a look now. On paper Im thinking they are a little too small.. 5" cone and 50W LF.. I was looking for more the 6" - 7" range.
Can you compare them to the A7X for example?

I will add them to the list to try and listen too.. I was also looking at Dynaudio LYD7 but they also have 50w LF and I read in reviews they are a little weak on the low end. That's my worry.

[craigtumps]

Ok Im reading a lot about these KH120 and I like the sound of it. Will defo give them a look.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Good plan.

A lot depends on the kind of music you make, your room size and acoustics, and your expectations... but given the choice, personally, I'd go for KH120s out of the others you've listed without a moment's hesitation. A small, genuine reference-quality monitor will give better, more usable results with less influence from room modes than a larger less accurate speaker.

H

[craigtumps]

Ok thanks for your advice!

Im making electronic music, mostly House and Dubstep. My room is not treated. I now put these high on my list and I will seek to demo them for sure. Thanks

[Hugh Robjohns]

Well, they won't flap your trousers or rearrange your internal organs... but you will be able to hear precisely what's going on in the critical midrange, and tell the difference between the kick drum and bass synth!

The real low end is obviously important in your genre, but rather than go down the big woofer or sub-woofer route, I'd argue in favour of using decent quality headphones to check the balance in that part of the spectrum instead. Headphones aren't affected by room standing waves whereas larger speakers always are and you then never know whether the lumps and bumps you hear are due to the room or the mix.

When you audition your shortlisted speakers, remember that you're looking for a monitor that reveals the faults in a mix, not the one that sounds 'the nicest' or has the most bass...

H

[Pete Kaine]

Ok, on a personal level....

I heard the V6's a few months back and really enjoyed them, certainly a big spacious sound in the studio I was in and seemed pretty well balanced against the other speakers we had to hand and the was some well regarded competitors in there at the time. However I haven't had a chance to do a whole load of listening other than that, so I couldn't tell you how they travel or offer you a more in depth comparison than that.

Has there been an SOS review yet, Hugh? As I feel they are a step up from the last generation, and I reckon people will be interested if it hasn't happened already.

The Adams are more forward and brighter with the 7's having the best tonal balance of that part of the Adam range. Once again I'll stress that we're starting to hit personal preference with these to some extent as these remind me of the Genelecs in being forward and bright and I prefer those in general, although I'm first to admit they are certainly not everyones cup of cha.

And then in the middle you have the nicely flat K&H. Little bit uninspiring, but that's because they really are monitor speakers, they are supposed to show you the truth and make you work that bit harder. I know loads of working artists who have taken them and use them daily to get the job done, and swore by them at the £1000+ price points before the prices came down.

The only thing lacking is a bit in the sub-range, but it certainly hasn't been a show-stopper for the bass music guys I know who have taken them. The 310's offer you a 3-way version that gives you the serious low-end extension, but the price doubles and then some if you go for that.

However your making Dubstep in an untreated room.... pumping out that low-end on any speaker you've mentioned is going to sound a whole lot better with some decent treatment going in.

*edit* and Hugh beat me to it.

Without treatment you might find it easier to work with a bit less sub and decent headphones.

[twotoedsloth]

Hello,
I primarily record classical music and on occasion Jazz. I have KRK V6-2 and V8-2 monitors. I use the V6-2s for live recordings, and I use the V8-2s in the recording studio control room.

I have not heard the 4th series of these speakers, but I have been very happy with the 2nd series. I have never had any unfortunate surprises when listening on a different set of speakers, and no one has complained that I didn't capture the sound of their instruments.

Classical musicians can be rather fussy at times, and when they have a "named" instrument, for example I have recorded the "Windsor-Weinstein" Stradivarius violin a few times and the violinist is quite pleased with our results. Another useful aspect of the V2 series is that it seems that clarinetists find it easier to choose their best reed on a given day.

I know this information may not be all that helpful as you work in a much different field. Hopefully some of that helps your decision making process.

[craigtumps]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Im getting the feeling they are all great speakers and it will be a lot down to personal preference of what kind of sound I'm after. I will have to give them all a try and keep in mind that less bass might actually be a good thing.

There is a review of the V6 on here but I didn't really get a feeling from it if the speakers were really any good. The reviewer mentioned a bit of playing around was needed and reading between the lines it didn't seem like the reviewer was very excited about them.

[craigtumps]

On a complete curve ball here I have been looking at 3-Way speakers after hearing a set. Its hard to find them at my price range but I found the Avantone Mix Tower and Avantone Abbey for reasonable money. I like the idea that they also have built in A/B facility. Anyone have any experience with those? I cant find any reviews except for users on Gearsluts saying they love them.

[Pete Kaine]

I cant find any reviews except for users on Gearsluts saying they love them.

Yeah, I had to borrow a pair myself in order to get any insight into them as they potentially on paper looked very interesting.

You'll notice nobody is really carrying them, even though it's a known brand and there have been zero reviews. I'm not going to be unkind about them, but that should pretty much tell you everything you need to know.

[craigtumps]

Ah well, I thought that might be the case as they are also heavily discounted. I read there were issues with the first generation and they called them back and made changes. But I don't see anything since then. That's a shame, the concept seems perfect.

[James Perrett]

While the idea of having a separate speaker handling the critical midrange frequencies might appear attractive, it doesn't seem so easy to execute in practice as good 3 way speakers tend to be expensive unless you buy used.

[Drew Stephenson]

Which makes sense when you think about the engineering. Larger cabinet will require more bracing and/or thicker walls. Two crossover points need to be factored in. Your waveguides have a much more complicated job. You have another amplifier in there.
All for an increase in performance that a lot of people won't hear, let alone be able to justify the expense for. Smaller production runs as well.
I'd be very surprised if, at that price point, you could build a three way that sounded as good as the decent two ways.