New flagship KRK E8B monitors

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by RobAcid

btw i bought the e8b expose... stike



i love them !!!!!!! search is over..........

have you any comments on qualitative differences between the sound of e8B and the k&h o300? i am interested in both of these but haven't yet had a chance to audition them side by side, nor have i heard the expose's yet. regards,
vic

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by thebeatless

I'm not much of a poster on GS, but I just picked up a pair KRK E8b's today. You guys can hate them, without hearing them, all you want. All I can say so far is, WOW! I haven't mixed on them yet though. I only had time to listen to a few cd's, and some itunes library, but they really really impressed me. Crazy detail! Very balanced tone! I don't want to get too far ahead of myself though. I need a day of actually doing some work on them. Right now, I'm just excited because they're new!

Here's a little of my recent monitor history. I used E8t's most of 2006, and early 2007. I loved them! But.... I found myself working way too loud on them. For some reason, I always just wanted to crank them while mixing, and on top of that, they were pretty harsh and fatiguing even at moderate levels. I decided to sell them to force myself to stop working so loud. I didn't want to shorten my career by going deaf. I picked up a pair of Genelec 8050's, after trying a few others. I've been pretty happy with them for the last 9 months or so, and I thought I was done with searching for monitors until I recently went back to listen to some of my older mixes. I compared mixes done on the KRK's to the more recent mixes done on the 8050's. My mixes done on the KRK's definitely had something special that I just don't get with the Genelecs. I never felt that I had severe translation problems with the 8050's, I just discovered that I don't create the same vibe on them. For some reason the Genelecs make me make the mixes slightly softer and not as punchy or energetic, and the vocals don't get quite the attention they deserve. This got me thinking about monitors YET AGAIN.

I took a listen to the focal twin 6's that everyone has been raving about, and I just didn't get them at all. I knew in just a few seconds of playback that they weren't for me. Way too hifi stereo sounding to me, and sort of grainy on the highs. Reminded me a lot of dynaudio's I've owned in the past. I also took a listen the Barefoot's in two different rooms. I was sure I'd love them after reading about them, and all the hype they've gotten here on GS, but they weren't right for me either. The detail and imaging was great, but the low end seemed separated from everything else, and they definitely didn't have the low end I expected from 4 10" drivers. I did however like ADAM S3A's in a couple of rooms I've heard them in, so I was almost ready to buy a pair. Until last week, I heard that the E8b's started shipping, so I ordered a pair to try out. I can't wait to mix on them to see how things turn out! I'm hoping they'll help me get the vibe and balance I got with the older model, without having to blast them all day.

Thanks for reading, I'll post again in a week or two to let you guys know if I'm still excited about these monitors.

Adam

word. can't wait to hear your update.

[thebeatless]

Bad news..... I spent all week working with them, and they just don't work for me. It seems like they give me too much information, and I could hear things I've gotten used to not really hearing on the Genelecs. Most people would probably love hearing more of what is going on in the mix, but it just confused me. I'm a weirdo! Like I said before, I'm not into the Focal's or Barefoot's that everyone is raving about either. So take my opinion on monitors very lightly.

I think I just have to stick to what I've gotten used to, in the room I'm used to. Reading all of these monitor posts on here just makes me feel like I've been missing out. I thought these were going to be the answer since I did well with the older E8's. If I were still using them daily, maybe this would have been an easier transition. I forced myself into learning the Genelecs, and I got very used to them very quickly. They're not perfect, but I may be stuck with them. They have a sound that's hard to unlearn. It would take time that I don't have right now. With that said, I might still try out the S3A's as a final attempt to free my myself from thinking about monitors all the time. I've got to stop beating myself up over this!

As far as craftsmanship, these things are built like tanks! It's unfortunate that the current state of our economy forces so many products to be manufactured overseas, but the quality of these monitors did not seem to suffer, and KRK definitely didn't skimp on research and development! They achieved exactly what they were going for, and that is a huge factor in cost. I can't image what they'd cost if they were manufactured here in southern California! Apple computer does it too, but you don't hear many complaints about that here on gearslutz.


Adam

[thebeatless]

One other thing worth mentioning. The subwoofer on the other side of my living room just started going crazy because of my iPhone receiving a text message, and it reminded me. The KRK's do not pick up the interference from GSM phones! Most other powered monitors do, and it drives me nuts!

[thebeatless]

I've made up my mind. I don't like them at all! And.... I take back my comments saying it's ok that they're made in China. I had a problem with one of the drivers, so I drove out to KRK in Chatsworth, to swap the bad one for a new one. When I got to the studio with the "new" one, things instantly sounded a bit funny. I turned on the console's 50hz oscillator, and the woofer was crackling! New out of the box! I returned the pair a few hours later. There is a serious quality control issue with the current KRK line. It's too bad, they sound pretty good, but as a professional, I can't afford to deal with shoddy products.

Good news though! On my way home from the KRK office, I picked up a used pair of E8t's that a friend was selling. I just tried them out at home, and they're so much better than the newer version!!! If anyone is interested in high end KRK, don't even think about the new model! They just don't make them like they used to.

Like I said before, about a year ago I tried to ween myself from using the E8t, because they make me work a bit louder than I'd like. I sold them to keep myself from going back. But... My mixes translated perfectly with them, and that's what matters. This is how I make my living, and I've got to use the tools that make my mixes sound like finished mixes. I'm just going to have to keep an eye on the volume while working. It seems that these are THE monitors for me. Too bad they don't make replacement parts anymore, but I luckily got two replacement Focal woofers, and a Focal tweeter with this pair. Hopefully I'll get a few years of mixing out of these. Then I guess I'll have to see what Focal has got going, since they're the nearest relative to the E8t's. I'm just not into the current line from them.

Thanks again for reading my monitor nonsense,

Adam

[dezonio2]

ok this was a fairly long discussion that completely missed the topic... so far i've seen only 3 actual ratings, one yay and two nay... anyone else heard them?

one of the fellow professionals and my friends whose opinion i respect but not always agree with said the blow coparable adams' genelecs etc. out of the water and that they're the most transparent monitors he's heard, claiming they're of grade good enough for mastering...

Customer service, quality control and chinese environment aside... anybody else has any thoughts? does anyone have a recomendation in a similar price range?

don't crucify me right away for posting a (friend's) positive opinion, i'm new here...

[elan]

Originally Posted by studiovv

Common guys at the end of the day I cannot imagine that the Chinese people will not learn to make better speakers after the number of units they assembled,....It is a slow process but it is improving,..
jf

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

China represents everything wrong with the world today. Greed, human rights abuse, and worst off they are raping the Earth at record pace.

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

And the reason things can be made so cheaply in China is for these very reasons, very cheap or no pay to the workers (slave labor is quite common) and none of the environmental controls common to the west.

Originally Posted by bmanic

While I do agree that China has some ethical problems to take care of you have to remember where they are coming from and their recent history of exploitation by Europe, USA and well, EVERYBODY!! Well guess what? They will soon be over and above all that so do you really think they give a damn right now when they are at the brink of being "free", that is, in a capitalist meaning, free to make money, free to live like most people in USA think freedom is (which I presonally think is an illusion)). Seeing yourself from 3rd person perspective is a bitch, aint it? Enjoy while it lasts.

- bManic

PS. I'm not Chinese. :P

I'm not Chinese and not against Chinese people, but the problem is that if you say "i love democracy" in China, you go in jail without trial, for three years, working for free in jail, building the products we buy.

and they have a lot of workaround to keep you in jail after the first 3 years.

Originally Posted by Autowow

Wow. I have read all of these posts and have to say it is really not right the way you folks have been treated. I’ve been with KRK for 9 months now and have seen the customer service department slowly change for the better. KRK has ended relationships with inefficient and careless service centers and has formed a team of folks who care about the customer. Old employees have also moved on and new attitudes of service and problem solving have taken their place. I’ve been a member of the this forum for a couple years now and just wanted to chime in and let those existing KRK users know that they can contact me directly with their issues and I’ll do my best to resolve them.
My name is Tony. My email is tcora@krksys.com 954-316-1500 ext2237
I work tech support here.

the problem with KRK is they have this policy, when this kind of threads appear, they send someone like "Autowow" to talk positively about the company announcing a change in krk policy, every thread i saw about krk problems, every time someone from krk cames out writing something like this, even Larry has done this, but then they disappear and nothing changes, people continue to report they problems and they continue telling always the same story, but a forum has a chronology and you see the years pass and the situation remains the same and they continue telling us the same story.

so at the end i bought a pair of krk vxt6, which i really like, i like the transient response, the detail, the mids response and i hope to not have problems, but this is the second pair, because the first had the screw without painting in the hole and that means they have been opened, so i returned them immediately.

now these seems ok, they sound good, i hope to not have trouble or i will pay the ticket from italy to where they are and i will eat them.

[GPl]

You see, in this ever shrinking market, customer service becomes your marketing tool. If you can't deliver on ANY promise, you are doomed. Read the beginning of this thread and remember KRK. You can't take that shit back. No one is going to take you serious anymore. I mean with all the great options out there, why would anyone in their right mind even consider KRK.

[elan]

Originally Posted by GPl

I mean with all the great options out there, why would anyone in their right mind even consider KRK.

because i like krk, i like it's sound, and it's hard to find a speaker with that transient response and with that kind of sound, which, for me, works great and i would like to see more respect to their consumer, more quality control, no support to china jail-like-industry, from a company i like, because i like krk and i would like they will make other great products like before 2003, i also would like they could provide support to the older models because it's absurd that Focal doesn't know the codes of the parts krk used in their old speakers, to me it's just an excuse

but i bought the vxt6 now and i'm liking them, but buying them is like a lottery, reading what happen to a lot of people, they could work only for some months

it's impossible to spend around 1k $ conscious that you are probably throwing away your money, i've done this because i like them, but they are exploiting me

[Autowow]

Elan- I replied to your other post as well... Like I mentioned in the other post, I don't work for KRK anymore but I am still a member of this forum. Btw- Larry doesn't work for the company either and he was one of the 2 founders! All I can say is major lay-offs... Larry and I were probably the last folks over there who really knew (and cared about) the entire KRK product line- not just the new stuff.

[speerchucker]

Wow, you guys have me freaking out.

My E8t's started going bad recently. I just determined that it's the amps, not the drivers. I've been trying for a week to reach a human at KRK, with no luck.

I finally called Larry, as I had his cell #. He was very helpful & we talked for a while about various things, but in the end I'm still not sure what to do.
Reading this thread, I'm thinking it may not be worth having them repaired.

FWIW, the original E8's, with the yellow tweeters, were simply amazing. I foolishly "upgraded" to the grey tweeters & new amps, and they were never the same, though I still like them. I've heard the E8B's in a store, and thought they were exceptional, having a HF closer to the original E8's, and having even less compression at high volume. - but of course that is somewhat meaningless since I haven't mixed on them.

[speerchucker]

FWIW,

While searching for spare Focal parts, I found a repair center that calims to be able to work on KRK's, including the E8t:

The Speaker Exchange
1250 E. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33604

Site Down

813-237-4800

Speak to "Glen."

---------------------------------

He think it might even be possible to retrofit the new tweeters from the E8b's, ($300 each for the parts) and then mod the crossovers. Intersting option for someone with blown Expose E8's.