| User Review | | Sound Quality | | 5 | | Ease of use | | 4 | | Features | | 5 | | Bang for buck | | 5 |
Overall:  4.75 |  Neumann KH120A | | Neumann KH120A
Over the past year and a half, I've had the opportunity to audition and use an extensive array of monitors in different studios and on different projects in the sub 2k category. There were not limited to, but including some of the most popular models such as the Yamaha ns10s/hs50/hs80s, the KRK rp5/rp6-g2s, dynaudio bm5a/bm6a mk ii, adam a7x, and the focal cms 65.
More recently, I took to auditioning several pairs of speakers I had short listed in the $1300-1700 range including the focal cms65, the adam a7x, the dynaudio bm6a mk ii, and the Neumann KH120a.
The Neumanns are a new model based upon the classic K+H 0110 monitor which, although extremely well received, I have not had the opportunity to hear. The monitors have a clean look, feel well put together and extremely solid with the exception of possibly the input gain knob (a little flimsy, I'll have to be careful).
Previously to the Neumann's I had been using a combo of the dynaudio bm5a mkii and the krk rp5-g2, neither of which was very accurate in the low end, but together I made do when I was at my project studio. Since monitors are a personal decision, I wanted to be as sure as possible with my decision. I trek'd to a few studios to hear the monitors I had short listed, and had actually ended up purchasing a pair of Focal cms-65 after another day of listening at a few dealers. At this point, there was no where to demo the KH120a's as they were a relatively new monitor. Both pairs of focal cms 65's I received ended up having issues, and while waiting for another(!) replacement, I was back on my research tip.
As soon as I heard the Neumann's at the dealer I knew I had to take them home and try them out in my room. I kept them over a week and after much hemming and hawing decided to go with the KH120A's over the CMS-65. The Neumann's are crisp, and well defined across the entire stereo spectrum. They never sound dull, but also never overly hyped. I am shocked how accurately they reproduce the low end in ways the bm5a mkii and rp5-g2 cannot. My mixes translate extremely well, without the need for as much switching between different reference sources.  
Feature wise, the Neumann's offerings are pretty standard in most areas. 4-position bass, low-mid and treble acoustical controls, ground lift, and universal switched mode power. The option to dim or turn off the LED light is welcomed and appreciated, as well as a nice touch. As is the red light if you're overloading them. I feel compelled to mention once again here just how detailed the KH120s are across the entire audible spectrum. They have a very nice stereo image as well.
I'm extremely pleased with the KH120A. These monitors, along with the cms-65, are the best in their price range, and even hold their own against certain more expensive offerings (looking at you genelec). They are easily obtainable for 1500, so make sure to not pay more than that as some places have them listed a lot higher. Work with a reputable dealer you trust to try a pair out!
Pros:
Well priced
Amazing detail and low end reproduction for their size
Very flat response
Cons:
Finish isn't as nice extremely close up (painted aluminium+anthracite) | | | | | | | Sound Quality | | 5 | | Ease of use | | 5 | | Features | | 5 | | Bang for buck | | 4 | |
Overall: 4.75 | | Neumann KH120s after 2 months
I added these recently to complement my Mainfield Tannoys (which I use for tracking) and KRKs. The KRKs are disconnected now.
The KRKs flatter a mix but the KH120s are ugly like Yammies but without the ear fatigue.
My mixes have NEVER sounded better. Are they worth $1500? Not to listen to, but your mixes will be worth it. I compared a lot of monitors before I made this decision. These are going to stick with me for a long time. They are a great investment. Solidly built and with great features such as clip indicators built into the neumann badges.
Self powered with very little inter-modular distortion. I highly recommend them. | | | | | | Sound Quality | | 4 | | Ease of use | | 5 | | Features | | 4 | | Bang for buck | | 5 |
Overall:  4.5 | | Best Monitors for my room yet
I record and mix records every day. Recent monitors I've owned for extended spells include Genelec 1031, Focal Twins, Barefoot MM27 and PMC AML1 monitors. I have a medium sized control room that has a 100hz null and that in general is very tricky. These Neumann KH far outperform the other speakers mentioned and at a fraction of the price. I do have a Klein & Hummel subwoofer but the mixes translate with or without the sub engaged. Genelecs sounded pinched, Focal Twins had a dark colored bronze sheen/overtone and tricky tweeter positioning, Barefoot were stunning but mixes didn't translate, felt like looking at my face too close to a super mirror, couldn't get volume or perspective right. Amazing beasts though. PMC AML1 were best of the bunch but a little hyped in the high frequency and my pair was old so they would overheat every 5 hours! The Neumann KH120a are just perfect for my tricky room, sound natural and what the clients hear in my studio for the first time is basically what they get at home or in the car. For me I don't get ear fatigue, I don't think about the monitors ever, I just hear the music and can do my job better. | | | | | | Sound Quality | | 5 | | Ease of use | | 5 | | Features | | 4 | | Bang for buck | | 4 | |
Overall: 4.5 | | Just bought these speakers after I had a chance to A/B them against A7x, A3x, Genelec 8030a, 8040a and 8240a. I also got to borrow them to test them in my home studio. Of all the speakers mentioned above KH 120 translates the best.
They are also the most detailed when it comes to mixing and especially when EQ'ing. I can hear issues and detailes in my mixes that I can't with my Genelec 8040a.
The Genelecs are brighter, has more depth (to much to accuratly mix imo) and sounds a bit hifi. Thats fine for listening
but not for hours of mixing and for translation. KH 120 is superior in this reguard.
Reccomended! | | |
By
Fugi
on
27th April 2013
| | Sound Quality | | 5 | | Ease of use | | 5 | | Features | | 4 | | Bang for buck | | 5 | |
Overall: 4.75 | | Another happy Neuman KH120 user
Hey Gearheads,
I've been using this website as a source for research and alot of information in my field, I finally decided that it was a little weird to not to have a profile on a forum that I have spent so much time browsing through. And would you know it, my first post is a review!
Around 4 weeks ago (as a semi-professional audio album project was heading my way for mixing and mastering) I realised that my KRK 6's were simply not making my life easy, I loved those damn things, I loved the flattering tone and I loved them as a starting monitor set for when I first stepped into the world of audio engineering. Fast forward 2 years, and I was seriously questioning why my mixes weren't translating well? That big bass I heard on my KRK's? what happened to them? The middle? an absolute mess, how did this happen? the high's, unbearable. All of this struck me whenever I would bounce a track that I had mixed, and listened back to it on headphones, hi-fi system or even just a laptop speaker.
After seeing the rave reviews on this site, I decided to pull the trigger on a pair of KH120's, (I was very close to getting a set of Acoustic Energy AE22s, but due to me travelling around from different setups, I realised that they would be too heavy for the job).
The first thing that struck me when I took the monitors out of the box was the build of them, typically German (in a very good way), built solidly, fine engineering, with a paint finish that I didn't love but was willing to look past. I was also very happy with the manual that came with the monitors, Neumann have very much aimed these monitors at engineers, giving you settings to use on the room correction EQ found at the back of each monitor depending on your placement of them. For instance
Against a wall- Solid- Bass=-5db
Soft- Bass=-2.5db
Near a desktop- Small (desktop)- Low-mid=-1.5db
Large- Low-Mid=-3db
My studio is quite small, but well treated with lots of acoustic tiles and bass traps, so I happily left the EQ flat on them, though I could see how this would be great use for someone with a very untreated room (particularly the untreatment of corners)
After setting them up on monitor stands (30 degrees towards me, with the tweeter's slightly above my ears), I finally turned these bad boys on. The lit up Neumann symbol is very nice, and very useful, turning red when you overdrive them (which can be changed by changing the lighting settings, or simply putting up the output level of the monitors). I decided the first track I would try out would be Zero 7's ''Red Dust'', an ambient track that I've been listening to for years now.
Flabbergasted would be a word if there ever was one for what I felt, listening to the same track hundreds of times before, I've never heard it with so much detail, clarity, wideness and punch, a pure pleasure to listen to. As you've probably read on KH120 reviews before, the low end is extremely surprising for monitor of they're stature, very, very, very clear and full of depth, changing the track to Pink Floyds ''Speak to me/Breathe'', It was synonymous to having the the band play infront of me, each instrument in their own selected pocket of the stereo field, as revealing as ever. I went through many tracks through a variety of genres, each one as shockingly detailed as the next, and in each song I found myself discovering new sounds, of ambience and timbre that I had never noticed before (Muse's Exogenesis Symphony was particularly incredibly; pure silk to my ears). Not all songs however were quite as incredible as I expected, I noticed with a lot of 90's Hip Hop tracks a large level of muddiness and dirtiness (that doesn't really hinder the tracks, but showed me that the KH120's really do have a no B.S way about them, they give you the absolute picture, and nothing else).
For the past 2 weeks I've been mixing on these and it's been a pure joy, again as I previously said the depth in the stereo field enables me to easily place instruments in their respective pockets. The mid-range is particularly useful at getting the relationship between guitars and vocals perfect). On a final note the translation of these monitors are probably the best thing about them, heard my mixes on several different headphones, car radio, ipod, ipod dock, hi-fi, phonograpth, you name it: your mix will be universal after putting them through the Neumanns. You would have to pry these from my cold inebriated fingers.
Hope you enjoyed my review, as the title says another happy KH120 user   | | | |
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