Klein & Hummel O300 vs Event Opals?

[nicolasmasset]

Hi all,

After reading numerous magazine reviews (SOS, FM) about the new Event Opals being the new standard in near field monitoring etc (in that price range anyway), how do you guys suppose they stack up against my O300's?

Is there a fight to be had there or are my O300's still the sweeter 3-way deal? I know I should listen myself and everything, but before I do, I'd like some general thoughts if anybody has experience with these two monitors.

Any help would be really appreciated!

Thanks,

Nicolas

[GYang]

I use older Event's monitors and they are real bang for buck.
I can imagine that 3000 $ Events will shine.
Still, K+H are 3-way and one of the best monitors on the market, so I don;t expect Events will 'kill' them easily.
Event's power is huge and that might be worth to some.

[davlippo7]

read this

http://www.pashop.com/site/pdf/featu...ent%20Opal.pdf

[hank alrich]

Can you or can you not get good mixes with the monitors you already have? If the answer is "not", why do you think a different pair of good speakers will change that?

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by hank alrich

Can you or can you not get good mixes with the monitors you already have? If the answer is "not", why do you think a different pair of good speakers will change that?

That's an arrogant, off-topic statement isn't it?
He didn't say anything about his work quality being the reason to be interested in the Events now did he?

The best engineers can get incredible results with the most basic of gears. But they'd prefer to get better results with better gear. And we're on gearslutz after all.

To the OP, you should probably just keep the 0300's if you like their sound/translation and just get a K&H sub woofer if the extended bass on the Events is what you're looking for.

[la grange]

Originally Posted by hank alrich

Can you or can you not get good mixes with the monitors you already have? If the answer is "not", why do you think a different pair of good speakers will change that?

different people have different gear and will have there work flow responding differently depending on the gear, the room they use it in.
I work with adam and have no problem getting good mixes out, Some friends work with Dynaudio and they achieve the same success rate, another one with NS10s.

I have visited them while at work and I was sure there mixes were wrong during mixing sessions. It turned out to be god as gold. So....

Our ears get tuned and shaped by the music we listen the feel we like and there are monitors out there for each one of us that might not suit the neighbor.
As for top engineers, they often travel with there nearfields if they don't know or like what they are going to find in the studio. And at home there have there comfort boxes, the one they like and feel confortable working with.

Looking fr a new pair of monitors has nothing to do with one's ability to produce a good mix but rather doing it with comfort and speed.


My 2 cents

Oli

[hank alrich]

Didn't mean to come on arrogant (not that I'm not arrogant), but meant to cut to the chase. Plenty of people, especially on G$, are looking to fix what isn't broken and ignore what isn't working.

The K&H's are quite fine monitors. If one's hobby is chasing new gear, fine, but if one is out to improve one's work, examining the roots of one's desire for more or different stuff can often deliver far better bang for buck than just replacing this or that.

Only been at this shit for 41+ years now. I appreciate good gear. But gear in and of itself is rarely the problem, regardless of the name of the forum.

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by hank alrich

Didn't mean to come on arrogant (not that I'm not arrogant), but meant to cut to the chase. Plenty of people, especially on G$, are looking to fix what isn't broken and ignore what isn't working.

The K&H's are quite fine monitors. If one's hobby is chasing new gear, fine, but if one is out to improve one's work, examining the roots of one's desire for more or different stuff can often deliver far better bang for buck than just replacing this or that.

Only been at this shit for 41+ years now. I appreciate good gear. But gear in and of itself is rarely the problem, regardless of the name of the forum.

One might also ponder whether the OP might have 'been at this shit' for 42+ years.
Assuming that one might have more experience and superiority over another after a simple inquiry about a product is a little over the top.
'Tis all.

Agree with you regarding the 0300s. They're fine monitors.

[ISedlacek]

A friend of mine has ordered KH 0300 recently. After we heard ME Geithain RL 940 (which are in a similar size and similar price category), he changed his order in the last minute. They sound truly spectacular ... (I have not heard Opals)

[nicolasmasset]

Originally Posted by hank alrich

Can you or can you not get good mixes with the monitors you already have? If the answer is "not", why do you think a different pair of good speakers will change that?

I don't see my mixing skills being relevant either. I know they aren't the greatest yet but that isn't the point. My reasoning is: since the O300's are more expensive, I could probably sell them very close to the amount needed for the opals. So if the opals would be better, why not do the trade in?

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

A friend of mine has ordered KH 0300 recently. After we heard ME Geithain RL 940 (which are in a similar size and similar price category), he changed his order in the last minute. They sound truly spectacular ... (I have not heard Opals)

The RL 904... Hopefully my next monitors will be the RL 904 or something better by Geithain.

Did you hear them compared to the K H 0300?

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

The RL 904... Hopefully my next monitors will be the RL 904 or something better by Geithain.

Did you hear them compared to the K H 0300?

This is not RL 904 but RL 940 ... RL 940 is new improved version of 904 with bigger woofer and better overall sound (they do not have it on their website yet). I heard both 0300 and RL 940 but not at the same place and time ... I prefered Geithains. Even the small RL 906 sounded quite stunning ....

[Dave Rose]

I demo'd the Opal's verses the 0300's verses the Adam S3a's quite recently. I find the 0300's very flat and smooth, but possible somewhat forgiving, the S3a's very revealing but also quite harsh and possibly fatiguing, and the Opal's a bit boxy...they were my least favourite. The 0300's won it for me on the day, but it all comes down to personal choice I suppose.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

This is not RL 904 but RL 940 ... RL 940 is new improved version of 904 with bigger woofer and better overall sound (they do not have it on their website yet). I heard both 0300 and RL 940 but not at the same place and time ... I prefered Geithains. Even the small RL 906 sounded quite stunning ....

I see... Sorry my mistake I didn´t know they had a 940, will check it out! I have a pair of RL 906 that I really like. What did you think of the 906 compared to the 940?

Sorry for being off topic!

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

I see... Sorry my mistake I didn´t know they had a 940, will check it out! I have a pair of RL 906 that I really like. What did you think of the 906 compared to the 940?

Sorry for being off topic!

I sent you a PM (Recently I spent the whole day at Geithains, listening to all their speakers, quite amazing, but it 's already off topic)

[carlheinz]

NS-10's and auratones became a "standard"...not because a magazine did a shootout or made a claim"this is the new standard"in monitoring.A standard means(to me)...is that an industry has adopted and incorporated an approach applied within a practice that is consistant under any conditions.If event opals were the new "standard",every home studio and pro studio would be using them.I'm not bashing Event here....The 20/20s translate well.I would be suspicious of any magazine doing a shoot out.

The question I have...as I go through monitor hell is...what do you trust?

Is the theory- that if your mixes sound great on great sounding speakers then those mixes will translate to the rest of the "Bose" world?

I owned genelec 1031A's when they first arrived and left NS-10's.Had the 1031's for years.They were great... for a while.I later had a realization.I sold them because I did not work as hard on them.My mixes overall were a bit better from the ns-10s in the way things sat together.NS-10's sound terrible!!!I cannot stand them!!!....BUT ...I value the perspective they bring.A speaker gives you a perspective or a veiw point.I'm still searching for 1 pair of monitors I can use start to finish/track/ovdubb/mix... and sound good but in a revealing way or from a perspective that influences my in-studio decision making in such a way that when the music leaves my studio,it will translate as well as possible to the majority of playback systems in the world.I hope they are not too expensive,commonly available,will not be discontinued,powered,portable...(excluding the big bearfoot mm's here)

I'm looking at but have not fully arrived at any conclusion

PROAC 100's...heard em..heard good things about em as well.Friends love em.AMP?$
Bearfoot MM's seem surgical yet not too flattering(good)but$$$..I get it though.
Adam a7's.Soft on the ears...not sure.. heard people say good things
K & H 300...heard them...Nice detailed bass.Seemed clean..almost too flattering?

[Fletcher]

I haven't had a chance to work on the Event Opals, but I heard them with some product I had mixed running through them and they told me [in no uncertain terms] what was wrong with the mix [I already knew from other references, but that was confirmed in no uncertain terms by the Opals].

This is something I would welcome in an actual mix / work environment as I have a VERY strong feeling that they would push me to do better work.

On the other hand, I have had the K&H 0300's in my work environment. They were very good at patting me on the back and telling me I was a genius... only problem was that "my genius" was not supported in any manner, shape or form when the product was removed from the room.

FWIW I found that the 0200's were a much better tool for the way I work than the 0300's any day of the week. I would have the 0300's in my home because they are so flattering sounding, but NEVER AGAIN in my work environment.

As always... YMMV.

Peace.

[cynics1207]

hi Fletcher, will you think the event opal might be a better monitor in studio compare to focal twins? thanks

[msm07]

Ive just demoed both in my studio. As you can see in my Avatar I had the Twins before, now I use the Opals. They just translated a lot better, and a lot more power. Just an opinion though. The only way you'll know is if you mix on both...The Twins are AMAZING speakers no matter what anyone says, but the Opals just suited me more and seem to be AMAZING +1 lol

[Faderix]

I have K&H O300 but since I work mostly with drums I don't think they deliver transients very well. Sure, they sound very nice but I would like to find monitors that really deliver transients in a more true way. Any ide'as?

[Russell Dawkins]

That's funny - just the other day I was noticing how well my 0300s delivered snare hits and rim shots and was putting it down to the 75mm mid dome.

If you are talking about bass transients, as in kick, then the 0800 sub should be considered mandatory as it is as much about substantially raising dynamic capability in the region below 90Hz as it is about the slight extension of bandwidth from -3dB at 35Hz to -3dB at 27Hz.

[huarez]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

A friend of mine has ordered KH 0300 recently. After we heard ME Geithain RL 940 (which are in a similar size and similar price category), he changed his order in the last minute. They sound truly spectacular ... (I have not heard Opals)

Maybe a fault. You can´t judge a monitor without working with it for some time.
The from the scratch better sounding Monitor is not necessarly the better one.
Those O300 have a little secret inside I needed months to explore.
When you get used to them, they´re like a precision instrument.
Saying this I think I will give the Geithain a try

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by huarez

Maybe a fault. You can´t judge a monitor without working with it for some time.

I have been already working with Geithain 901k for almost one month Still in monitoring nirvana ... and what is even more important - what I hear on them, translates so greatly on other systems ... which I could not say about my previous B&W Matrix ... The greatest upgrade in my studio history ... And all their speakers follow the same sounds characteristics ... I will have RL 906 and 940 here for few days next week in my studio, so definitely will give them a thorough try. That said, KH 0300 are very nice monitors ... Geithains have just more space and vibe and also a bit more realistic transients and stereo image.

[Russell Dawkins]

Originally Posted by huarez

Maybe a fault. You can´t judge a monitor without working with it for some time.
The from the scratch better sounding Monitor is not necessarly the better one.
Those O300 have a little secret inside I needed months to explore.
When you get used to them, they´re like a precision instrument.
Saying this I think I will give the Geithain a try

OK, that's not fair! Could you please reveal this "little secret inside"??

I'd also be curious to hear your response to an audition of the Event Opals, given your familiarity with the 0300s.

[matucha]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

That said, KH 0300 are very nice monitors ... Geithains have just more space and vibe and also a bit more realistic transients and stereo image.

Did you have them both side by side?

[Marineville]

Originally Posted by Russell Dawkins

If you are talking about bass transients, as in kick, then the 0800 sub should be considered mandatory ...

Agreed, the 0800 sub isn't just a sub. It opens the sound of the 0300 up even more somehow and the feeling of air around the sound is amazing. Very easy to integrate too.

[chris_m]

I just got my Event opals in I currently have the O300, love them but i'm a bit tired of adjusting my brain to their soundsignature. I do like a little more bass and tiny bit of treble than they deliver. I take that into account when mixing and my stuff translates great none-the-less, but always having to take care of that bothers me a bit.

These 2 are quite different speakers, the Opals have a really dry and punchy bass. I already thought the O300 was good in that area, but the Opals walk over them with ease. When you turn the Opals up, drums sound real in a way the O300 can only dream off. I think both go down equally far, but the Opal delivers the lowest end with more control and thus might appear to have a little more of it, but measuring showed it's about the same. The O300 has the lead in the mids with more transparency, but the Opal is absloutely workable with. Actually these sound so different i find it a bit hard to compare the mids only. The Opal represents music in such a different way, it would make sense to own both monitors The Opal is more about the vibe and the overall (big) picture of the mix, however it's still clear and uncolored enough that you can easily work on the details too.

Another thing about the O300 that has bugged me... it's sensitive to placement, VERY sensitive. Placing a desk, a TFT between, a console, a TFT behind the speakers one or all of these things introduce colorations with the O300. I could never live with any of these and the O300 had to be free standing. The Opal are alot more friendly to placement. I tried everything i could hit on to ruin their sound but these take it extremly well.
Big shiny reflective desk, 2 TFTs, sitting too close in the triangle... Still workable on these

[nicolasmasset]

Good post Chris! Do tell me what your final decision will be!

[chris_m]

I want to keep both, they complement each other very well but i dont like switching between monitors. I'll take a few weeks for this decission

Few other random things about my pair: The hiss mentioned earlier is there too, and if you got a quiet room, you can hear it from 2m distance as well. When music is playing, it doesnt bother me. I noticed that the heatsink on one speaker gets a bit warmer than the other speakers sink. One speaker also has a slight funky discoloration(??) on the cabinet, maybe from transportation and sudden climate change? Or its just the way they are manufactured.
The center image is a bit more precise and sweet spot wider as the K+H.

[deve]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

I haven't had a chance to work on the Event Opals, but I heard them with some product I had mixed running through them and they told me [in no uncertain terms] what was wrong with the mix [I already knew from other references, but that was confirmed in no uncertain terms by the Opals].

This is something I would welcome in an actual mix / work environment as I have a VERY strong feeling that they would push me to do better work.

On the other hand, I have had the K&H 0300's in my work environment. They were very good at patting me on the back and telling me I was a genius... only problem was that "my genius" was not supported in any manner, shape or form when the product was removed from the room.

FWIW I found that the 0200's were a much better tool for the way I work than the 0300's any day of the week. I would have the 0300's in my home because they are so flattering sounding, but NEVER AGAIN in my work environment.

As always... YMMV.

Peace.

O300's Tell me plenty, especially in the low mid area where mud lurks. They show me exacly where. I hear depth and compression clearly and that makes it much easier to work. Rarely, I turn to my NS10's to check up on hi-mids, where O300 might be a tiny bit forgiving. And my mixes translate better than ever. They are fine monitors. Actually they are the most revealing monitors I have heard, and I heard plenty.