K+H O300, Focal Twin 6 BE, PMC TB2A or ADAM S3A?

[AlexRoudos]

K+H 0300 here. Just finished a hip hop album on them. Personally, I can't think of a better monitor at their size and price. Couldn't be happier and more secure when mixing on them.

[Throttler]

I think any of them is just fantastic. It's just a matter of taste.

Dead neutral, Beryllium tweeter-musical speakers-upfront mids, haven't heard-but PMC, ART sharp tweeter.

Up to you

[Getafix]

+1 for K+H O300, fantastic monitors! Though you might want to add a sub if you really want to push them as the limiter kicks in when monitoring on high levels.

[T. Gundersen]

I guess the ideal choice would be K+H's own O800 I guess, but then it's going to run way over my budget. However I could just purchase the actual monitors and go with the sub when my economy recovers.. But just to ask, anyone have experience with other subs that are just as good or maybe even better than K+H's own?

Also I'm having my doubts if my room is fit for a sub - it's around 9 ft x 15 ft with a tilted ceiling in the back - not overly treated yet but has some traps in the ceiling/panels on sidewalls.

[T. Gundersen]

Just added in another option.. the barefoot mm27's. Hope anyone has experience with these monitors, though I can't seem to find a dealer in my country today.

[Getafix]

FYI, you don't really need the sub if you monitor at normal levels. They already go down pretty low & unless you monitor above 90db (wild guess) i guess you should be alright.

They go plenty loud for me & i've never had the limiter flash while mixing. I will add a sub at some point though just to make an already great setup even better.

I haven't heard Barefoots but judging from the praise they get here i guess they'll be even better than the K+H & you won't need a sub with them either.

Either way, you can't go wrong with any of these! Good luck.

[amd]

I have the Focal Twins and am very happy with them. They are very clear with a wide image. At this level it's probably a matter of personal taste, as all of these monitors are excellent.

[rapfreak]

Selling off some gear here to pick up the Focal Twins.

[Solar]

As someone mentioned above, they are all great, its a matter of taste and for my taste after listening to them, i will give my +1 for K+H O300 or O300D and if you can add a sub (even though myself don't see the use right now) because the low end in those box is simply wonderful (3 way system man). I simply love them and since i got mine, my ears are listening and not fighting to hear things and the story goes on and on.

And the best way besides the feedback we can give you from what pair we prefer then others, be your own judge and don't rush, listen carefully and come back 3 days after and listen back with a Reference CD of songs you love and pick the one that will please your ears.

Cheers!!

[mig27]

+2 on the O300's.
It's still fresh love in my case, since I received them just the day before yesterday.

But man, do they sound great.
These speakers don't emit sound, they set up a stage right in front of you - subjectively 180° wide.
Vocals sit right in front of your face while the O300's remain completely invisible.

Couldn't be happier.
thumbsup


Michael

[elmolemon]

k&H o300 here, too! great monitors! i love them!

The Adam S3Ab are nice too (great midrange!), but they lack in the bass-range and as i didn't want to have a sub in this room, they were not the right choice for me. i can't tell about the other ones.

[matucha]

If this is a hip-hop forum and you want monitors for hiphop, O300(D) make more sense. Great bass response.

S3A are more detailed, but they can't play a big bass, it only goes up to "hey this bass doesn't sound so small" on the really bassy stuff.

O300D play more gentle, there is no magnifying glass on midrange and hf as with adams. And the mids are not as forward.


I think ADAMs are special and they don't suit to everyone. K+H seem to be more of everyones favourite because they excell in bass and don't suck at everything else.

ADAMs may have more agressive tone than KH (and dynaudio), but they are never harsh if the source isn't.

[Karloff70]

Hey s-cube...that's the best avatar I've seen in a long time ! Had me cracking up......

On the monitors, like everyone says already, listen and you'll know which YOU prefer. I like PMC's, you might prefer one of the others.

[T. Gundersen]

Since the thread got up again I might as well let you in on the ending to this story.

I ended up with a pair of Focal Twin 6Be. I had them in the studio for 14 days of testing and didn't really want to get rid of them after that, and the price was great as well. K+H's are indeed great, but I figured that if I'd get good results with the Focals, I might as well invest the rest of the money in something else for the studio (a Gyratec X Vari-Mu compressor).

[peeder]

Sorry to hear that dude.

[steveschizoid]

Peeder, you really seem to have an attitude about the Focals. I am in the same boat as the OP, and, since they get so much love in this forum, I am very curious to hear some details about your perspective.

My HS80's are a huge step up from the Tannoy's I used to use, but I'm still concerned about what I may not be hearing in the lows and low mids, and I am starting to think the high end might be a tad hyped.

I was pretty close to biting on some Twins; the S3A's would entail some debt.

Please share!

[peeder]

Originally Posted by steveschizoid

Peeder, you really seem to have an attitude about the Focals. I am in the same boat as the OP, and, since they get so much love in this forum, I am very curious to hear some details about your perspective.

My HS80's are a huge step up from the Tannoy's I used to use, but I'm still concerned about what I may not be hearing in the lows and low mids, and I am starting to think the high end might be a tad hyped.

I was pretty close to biting on some Twins; the S3A's would entail some debt.

Please share!

Well I just calls em as I sees em. The S3As are not perfect but from all the near/mid fields I've tried (have not tried the Barefoots) they do the most for me. Detail, balance, a focus on the mids, smooth but satisfying highs, and while not much sub bass, they marry well with subs.

The Focals were, to my ears, crummy hifi speakers. I would rather have some of the lowend Bowers & Wilkins with a decent amp and sub for that kind of scooped sound at an affordable price. The 0300's are a very nice option as well if you like big lows without the brights in that pricerange, especially if you don't want to use a sub.

Monitors are something you have to check for your own ears and biases, ideally in your own room, and being very careful about proper staggered placement and reference material so as to give each contestant a fair shake. I am satisfied with my protocol and my conclusions in this case.

[steveschizoid]

Originally Posted by peeder

Monitors are something you have to check for your own ears and biases, ideally in your own room, and being very careful about proper staggered placement and reference material so as to give each contestant a fair shake. I am satisfied with my protocol and my conclusions in this case.

Thanks Peeder! That's a bit of a tall order, and, to afford the S3A's I might have to find a used pair - especially since I've only recently been grudgingly dragged to the conclusion that I need to spend $3000 on the Twins!

I know it's not entirely empirical, but I can't help but think that 2 7" speakers has to be better than 2 6" speakers.

[T. Gundersen]

Monitors are something you have to check for your own ears and biases, ideally in your own room, and being very careful about proper staggered placement and reference material so as to give each contestant a fair shake. I am satisfied with my protocol and my conclusions in this case.

Indeed. But calling the Twins hifi speakers shows you haven't given them a chance IMO. They do have a very forward top and a forward low-mid, low-end area, but it's tight and easy to navigate. Not like a hifi speaker that just hypes in a pleasing but untrue way. Not that you need to give them a chance with so many other great monitors around (I were really close getting the PMC TB2A's instead for one). In my room, I atten the top by 2 dB and they're perfect for my taste. I still pair them with a set of NS10's though, which complements their weird mid-range well. Again, at the price they're at, the Twins are awesome for hiphop home studios IMO. The PMC's and K+H's are very nice as well, but in another pricerange.

[jimmydeluxe]

I've heard the adams, and I bought the Twins. They've worked great for me for everything from Hip Hop, to Rock, to Folk, etc. I thought that they were bass light at first, but I added +2.5 or so to the bass adjust, and they're banging now, and fun to track with. My room is fairly large, so that may have something to do with it, and well-treated. The mixes translate quite well, on all systems. Great value for the money!

I took a chance without hearing them (gasp--the ultimate sin!) and never regretted it, though for awhile I thought I'd eventually need the sub. Not now--I just had to learn the speakers and glance at a meter to check lows.