nearfield monitoring: when size DOES matter

kelldammit · 16th January 2008

hopefully this is a little more specific than most "what monitors do i need?" type threads.
i have a pretty specific issue, that being the hunt for nearfields, but with a pretty severe limitation on space.
i've noticed with mackie and dynaudio, and most other 6" woofer type units, that they require space to "bloom". unfortunately, i do not have the type of space we're talking here (about 1.5-2m in my room). so, i'm looking for a set of NEARfields (listening distance of 1m or less). the real gotcha is that i will also require expansion to surround in the fairly near term.
so that leaves me with two choices...nht m-00/s-00 combo, or the genelec 8020a/sub combo. i looked at the krk (didn't like the sound particularly) and blue sky stuff (okay, but the sub is pretty large for my space). the gennies and nht's seem to be about right, size-wise.
so what i'm looking for is detail, depth of soundfield, imaging, and translation, translation, translation! does anyone have real hands-on experience with either (or both) monitors in question? pros/cons to each? there is about a $1k disparity in price between the two, but i'll bite the bullet if i have to...
i have listened to neither pair, and cannot seem to find anyplace that has either in stock...i could get the gens and return them if i don't like them, the nht's i'm not so sure about.

any comments, advice or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
i mostly edit, but fairly often have to create/mix content (aside from my own personal stuff), primarily for video.

kell

warhead · 16th January 2008

Translation has more to do with understanding your environment than any speaker choice. Having said that, the Genelec 8020 is a fine choice. If you're not doing anything with sub-bass stuff I would step up to the 8030 and be done without a sub, but that's just me.

As far as "bloom" goes, any monitor dubbed a nearfield design is to be used from 1m to 1.5m or so away from the listener.

War

kelldammit · 17th January 2008

war, thanks so much for your input. i've had similar sized speakers in this space for a while, and to give points of comparison...the "bloom" issue wasn't as big a deal with my mackie hr624's as it turned out to be with the dyn's (perhaps due to the porting?). i also found the mackies to be "truer" overall, though lacking in top end detail. the dyns shone in this regard, but i had to use a known bad mix to tweak them, because the known issues with said mix weren't really noticable, and they should've been GLARING.
given that i know my space, and i know the mix in question (how it sounds on a variety of other systems)...the speakers themselves did make a difference. it's amazing how this stuff is. all we want is to hear exactly what's really coming out of the $&@^ computer!

as per your advice, i'll check out the 8030's, though pricewise, it's a pretty moderate step up (especially for the 5.1 system). the 8040's also seem to come highly recommended, but at that pricepoint, i'd probably start looking into quested or the like, and at that size, i'd lose portability for the occasional on-the-fly in-the-field production for work. the nht's are awfully tempting, though at that price, they seem too good to be true. i'm hopeful, but skeptical, hence my asking for opinions...
thanks again for for your time...especially on a done-to-death topic!

kell

16th January 2008	#1
kelldammit Gear maniac Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 164 Thread Starter	nearfield monitoring: when size DOES matter hopefully this is a little more specific than most "what monitors do i need?" type threads. i have a pretty specific issue, that being the hunt for nearfields, but with a pretty severe limitation on space. i've noticed with mackie and dynaudio, and most other 6" woofer type units, that they require space to "bloom". unfortunately, i do not have the type of space we're talking here (about 1.5-2m in my room). so, i'm looking for a set of NEARfields (listening distance of 1m or less). the real gotcha is that i will also require expansion to surround in the fairly near term. so that leaves me with two choices...nht m-00/s-00 combo, or the genelec 8020a/sub combo. i looked at the krk (didn't like the sound particularly) and blue sky stuff (okay, but the sub is pretty large for my space). the gennies and nht's seem to be about right, size-wise. so what i'm looking for is detail, depth of soundfield, imaging, and translation, translation, translation! does anyone have real hands-on experience with either (or both) monitors in question? pros/cons to each? there is about a $1k disparity in price between the two, but i'll bite the bullet if i have to... i have listened to neither pair, and cannot seem to find anyplace that has either in stock...i could get the gens and return them if i don't like them, the nht's i'm not so sure about. any comments, advice or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! i mostly edit, but fairly often have to create/mix content (aside from my own personal stuff), primarily for video. kell

16th January 2008	#2
warhead Jai guru deva om Joined: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 12,255	Translation has more to do with understanding your environment than any speaker choice. Having said that, the Genelec 8020 is a fine choice. If you're not doing anything with sub-bass stuff I would step up to the 8030 and be done without a sub, but that's just me. As far as "bloom" goes, any monitor dubbed a nearfield design is to be used from 1m to 1.5m or so away from the listener. War __________________ Warren Dent, Owner - ZenPro Audio: Gear Now & Zen

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17th January 2008	#3
kelldammit Gear maniac Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 164 Thread Starter	war, thanks so much for your input. i've had similar sized speakers in this space for a while, and to give points of comparison...the "bloom" issue wasn't as big a deal with my mackie hr624's as it turned out to be with the dyn's (perhaps due to the porting?). i also found the mackies to be "truer" overall, though lacking in top end detail. the dyns shone in this regard, but i had to use a known bad mix to tweak them, because the known issues with said mix weren't really noticable, and they should've been GLARING. given that i know my space, and i know the mix in question (how it sounds on a variety of other systems)...the speakers themselves did make a difference. it's amazing how this stuff is. all we want is to hear exactly what's really coming out of the $&@^ computer! as per your advice, i'll check out the 8030's, though pricewise, it's a pretty moderate step up (especially for the 5.1 system). the 8040's also seem to come highly recommended, but at that pricepoint, i'd probably start looking into quested or the like, and at that size, i'd lose portability for the occasional on-the-fly in-the-field production for work. the nht's are awfully tempting, though at that price, they seem too good to be true. i'm hopeful, but skeptical, hence my asking for opinions... thanks again for for your time...especially on a done-to-death topic! kell