Monitor Shootout - Pelonis 4288, Quested V2108, Focal Twins, K&H 0300

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by GaryDworetsky

Are you sure you won't be able to demo? I believe Vintage King, Sweetwater, and Mercenary all carry these. Try calling them up and seeing if one of them can work out something with you.
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aarvin2 is on Mauritius Island, if his avatar location is correct.

Shipping costs back/forth would probably run close to a $1,000 round trip (my VERY rough estimate, but it would be at least $500 for 1 round trip).

[aarvin2]

Hello again Gary!!! :D Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me out

Actually i'm in Mauritius Island :D that's far from everything , and I won't be in Europe till July :S so it's quite annoying and I definitely will not be able to check them in my room, unless I stay in Europe ... which is not sure at all.

After listening to what you said then I'll have a go at it That's exactly what i'm looking for I'm a bit tired of going back and from on different systems just to make sure something is right ... I want a speaker to show me things as they are.

Merci beaucoup!!!

Arvin

[aarvin2]

@Fleaman , HI mate!! :D ... for the back and forth trip to California , last year it costed about $3000 ...so it's not really an option :D ... now for the shipping you are right , around $500

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by aarvin2

Actually i'm in Mauritius Island :D that's far from everything , and I won't be in Europe till July :S so it's quite annoying and I definitely will not be able to check them in my room, unless I stay in Europe ... which is not sure at all.

I STRONGLY suggest you wait until you visit Europe! Yes you won't be able to try 'em out in your room, but you'll be able to compare/shoot out against other monitors in the same room, and that can tell you a LOT about the differences/voicings of monitors. A/B them against other monitors in real time! You will be thankful, and surprised at the differences. It will be VERY worth it to wait and do that. Also check out the Opals

[GaryDworetsky]

Arvin,

I'm glad I could help you out. I'd recommend that you stay skeptical of my opinion and wait for a bit more feedback, especially from someone who works in rock/pop more frequently (in the past 6 weeks I haven't mixed any vocals and I've EQed 1 snare). I've gotten feedback in PMs and emails from people who do rock, if nothing pops up here PM me your email address and I'll try to setup an intro.

Also, do you prefer ported or sealed cabinet designs? If you prefer sealed cabinets, you really should compare this monitor to the KH 0300. If you prefer porteds I feel more comfortable recommending Pelonis.

[DAH]

IMO sealed are the way to go.

[Fleaman]

IMO there is no 'way to go' regarding sealed or ported.

I've heard ported monitors that sounded like 'sealed' and sealed monitors that sound like 'ported'.

Remember, NS10m's are sealed.

[DAH]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

IMO there is no 'way to go' regarding sealed or ported.

I've heard ported monitors that sounded like 'sealed' and sealed monitors that sound like 'ported'.

Remember, NS10m's are sealed.

And they sound nothing like ported.

[DuX]

What's this world coming to... Fostex Intros PM0.4n Near-field Studio Monitors In Rainbow-Brite Colors

They remind me of Nokia casings. :(

[GilWave]

Originally Posted by DuX

What's this world coming to... Fostex Intros PM0.4n Near-field Studio Monitors In Rainbow-Brite Colors

They remind me of Nokia casings. :(

They were released 14 months ago - haven't seen them around. You?

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by GaryDworetsky

A

My room is 14'6"x10'2"x8' and well treated, including lots of corner mounted (ceiling to wall) bass traps and a rear diffuser.

KH 0300
These are great and highly detailed monitors. Good mixes sound absolutely fantastic!

.

I would agree that the K&H 0300D is very accurate and have really good translation. That is why I bought them.

Your room size may in fact be the reason you prefer the 2 ways over the 3 ways here.

I consider the 3 way K&H 0300 and the Focals to be more like mid range monitors that perform best in rooms larger than yours.

Or you may prefer 2 ways as some engineers do. The frequency range of the K&H is greater than the Pelonis and could be an issue without mains to compare bass detail.

just my 2 cents

[GaryDworetsky]

Originally Posted by Peacock

I would agree that the K&H 0300D is very accurate and have really good translation. That is why I bought them.

Your room size may in fact be the reason you prefer the 2 ways over the 3 ways here.

I consider the 3 way K&H 0300 and the Focals to be more like mid range monitors that perform best in rooms larger than yours.

Or you may prefer 2 ways as some engineers do. The frequency range of the K&H is greater than the Pelonis and could be an issue without mains to compare bass detail.

just my 2 cents

The Pelonis 4288s are 3 way, and they go lower (-3db at 27Hz) than the KH 0300s (-3db at 35Hz). I didn't say the KH 0300s have great translation, I basically said they're extremely detailed but I can't understand them. I'm sure my room affected the impressions.

I'm having no problems with bass translation, although I'd still love to have some ridiculously sized, brownout causing mains to compare with.

[AllBread]

My love affair with the 4288s continues - don't even reference my other monitors anymore as there is no need too. They are a tad bass lite without a sub but they still give your ears all the information that they need, you just don't feel the bass like you would with a sub. Actually, the low end of my mixes is translating better than ever before.

Id be thrilled with them if I had spent 4k on them but for 2.5k they are a steal.

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by GaryDworetsky

The Pelonis 4288s are 3 way, and they go lower (-3db at 27Hz) than the KH 0300s (-3db at 35Hz). I didn't say the KH 0300s have great translation, I basically said they're extremely detailed but I can't understand them. I'm sure my room affected the impressions.

I'm having no problems with bass translation, although I'd still love to have some ridiculously sized, brownout causing mains to compare with.

I stand corrected-I thought the Pelonis was a 2 way monitor.

I would also like to have some nice mains and thats on my to do list.

[Jomox]

Originally Posted by GaryDworetsky

The Pelonis 4288s are 3 way, and they go lower (-3db at 27Hz) than the KH 0300s (-3db at 35Hz). I didn't say the KH 0300s have great translation, I basically said they're extremely detailed but I can't understand them. I'm sure my room affected the impressions.

I'm having no problems with bass translation, although I'd still love to have some ridiculously sized, brownout causing mains to compare with.

The 0300's are pretty useless without a sub though unless you like low volume, you can't push them very much due to the stupid limiting, and the low end is not that great.

4288s look much more appealing.

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by Jomox

The 0300's are pretty useless without a sub though unless you like low volume, you can't push them very much due to the stupid limiting, and the low end is not that great.

4288s look much more appealing.

I actually have never had a problem with the limiter at all. The strength of the K&H is its accuracy and translation.

It lets you know if your mix is bad really quickly. We mostly mix acoustic style music and do not engage a sub. If you do some styles a sub may be mandatory.

We generally HPF everything tracking below 68hz on the way in anyway.

I have not heard the Pelonis but I can not imagine it being better for mixing than the K&H 0300 but I could be wrong. Especially if you like the soft dome midrange sound of the K&H and ATC.

The K&H also has an amp for each driver bass, mid and tweeter.

[Jomox]

Originally Posted by Peacock

I actually have never had a problem with the limiter at all. The strength of the K&H is its accuracy and translation.

It lets you know if your mix is bad really quickly. We mostly mix acoustic style music and do not engage a sub. If you do some styles a sub may be mandatory.

I have not heard the Pelonis but I can not imagine it being better for mixing than the K&H 0300 but I could be wrong. r.

There's allot of people who have the same problem with the 0300, with sub(s) they are ok, but they are not for everyone even then.

Remember monitors are very personal, there's a good number of very good monitors in the same price region of the 0300's, which you would like is personal, some people can mix / master better on other monitors and vise versa which is why for some people they would much prefer the Pelonis to work with (Again it works both ways)

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by Jomox

Remember monitors are very personal, there's a good number of very good monitors in the same price region of the 0300's, which you would like is personal, some people can mix / master better on other monitors and vise versa which is why for some people they would much prefer the Pelonis to work with (Again it works both ways)

Thats true but you stated that the 0300 was useless without a sub and that the limiter designed to protect the speakers kicks in except at low volumes and that's just not true at all.

The 0300 can get very loud and at mix level would be no problem.

The German engineered and made K&H is a very capable monitor without a doubt. Its bass capability is nice and focused and does this without the smear heard in some ported mid fields that are designed to compensate for the bass response by adding the port.

[Anghello]

Thank you!

Agree about KH O300. They are sweet and natural sounding. I heard them in two studios and in both cases they couldnt find a problems in my masters made on A7s. But funny thing is as soon as I get back home after I immediately knew some mellow tone on my monitors is missin.. so I added a bit eq in a mix to fix it

Agree about Focals.. I can get a pair for fraction of its price but they are too colored. I know some world producers use them but mid-range is f..d up. Good for home users and some pre mixing studios.

Dont know the rest. Thank you.

[Tone Laborer]

Mauntitius Island.....What? No free shipping? Bogus.

I'm no authority on high end monitors. I'll say this after using the Focal Twins.

The Twins don't sound sweet, amazing, incredible, or any other euphonic description. I could understand how they could come off as clinical even, ab-ing different monitors.

Ported? As long as it works. I like what they tell me about the low end. Translation has taken a giant step forward, post upgrade. Measures taken to work the low end are easily heard and discerned. If I can get the bass clean, it stays clean on other systems. No sub, no huge control room, they're still working very well for me.

I don't agree the mids are f'ed. I think they are flat. Takes some getting used to, but again I'm liking the results. Vocal levels, solo's, reverbs all stay right where I left them on translation. EQ moves are made without (as much) guess work and come across better as well.

The highs don't “sparkle” at all. I have to admit I miss this sometimes but I can always turn on my older Events to hear a sparkly, hyped sound. When I first got them I though the highs were a bit brittle, but as I've learned the speakers, I've come to appreciate what they're telling me, namely don't add as much highs, not needed.

I'm sure these other speakers are quality tools as well and find the users thoughts interesting. As always, imho, and happy mixing.

[aszacca]

So..after all that...what would you by? Pelonis or K&H,regardless of the price?..
What i need to know is...what is more linear..i only care of the linearity..whats the flattest?
Cheers lads

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by aszacca

What i need to know is...what is more linear..i only care of the linearity..whats the flattest?
Cheers lads

There is no such thing.

[Sqye]

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Wow, thanks for doing all the work here!

I love the 0300s, not a fan of the Focals, but it looks like I may have to check out the 4288s.

Although, I'm thrilled to death with my Linkwitz Orions and Tyler Acoustics Linbrooks (both have the wonderful SEAS drivers).

Cheers, and good for you for making it all happen and sharing!


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[GaryDworetsky]

Originally Posted by aszacca

So..after all that...what would you by? Pelonis or K&H,regardless of the price?..
What i need to know is...what is more linear..i only care of the linearity..whats the flattest?
Cheers lads

Sorry for delay, didn't get email for some reason...

I would buy Pelonis over the others I tested regardless of price. As far as flatness I wouldn't say KH or Pelonis is flatter, they both sound pretty flat to me. I'd say the Pelonis has wider range and drivers with a timbre that meshes more naturally, and the KH had greater detail and accuracy with a timbre that changes slightly in different ranges in a way that may be a plus depending on your genre but wasn't a plus in mine. For example the KH mid driver sounds great on vocals, but I rarely mix vocals.

Anyone who mixes on the loud side, has a large room, or needs to impress clients will want to test the power of both the Pelonis and KH before buying. I had no power issues, but some might.