Question about Near-Field Monitors

[davidespinosa]

MT = Midrange Tweeter
MTM = Midrange Tweeter Midrange

I suppose it's usually from bottom to top in physical placement. So a WWMT design actually looks like:

T
M
W
W

[Kyle_PL]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

bwoofer.

quote:
The larger the woofer, the larger the listening space required. 8's usually need a minimum distance to the listener of 6-10 ft, whereas 6/7's about 4-6 ft, and 5's as close as 3 ft.

That's just silly. Get the larger speakers.

--Ethan

Silly? Oh really? Look at minimum recommended distance for Genelec 8030 vs. 8050 vs. 1037C .
http://www.genelec.com/documents/cat...Guide_2011.pdf

In my opinion - bigger woofer = bigger distance from LF to HF = You should sit further from speakers.

... and ...

If You sit further from speakers, speakers should be more powerfull (to deliver enough SPL from bigger distance).

[Kyle_PL]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Loudspeakers are mostly linear, and so are rooms, so the idea that a speaker has an "optimum" volume level doesn't make sense.

--Ethan

Poweramps had lower distortions at higher powers ... before clipping of course. Look at poweramps measures.

Originally Posted by barefoot

In fact, there is some truth to this. Larger drivers are more directional in their upper frequency range. Also, a larger woofer diameter will typically necessitate a wider spacing between the woofer and tweeter centers. Both these factors make a larger 2-way speaker more directional than a smaller speaker, especially in the octave or so just below the crossover frequency. More directivity means a smaller "sweet spot" at closer listening distances. So indeed, you might want to be slightly further away with a larger 2-way in order to avoid greater sound variations at different working positions (i.e. rolling your chair from left to right). Of course, these recommended distances that he listed are totally exaggerated. But it's not a completely silly idea.

Btw, this extra directivity in the upper range of the woofer is also one of the reasons why large 2-ways tend to have a somewhat recessed or "sucked out" midrange quality. They have a natural dip in their power response since they radiate less energy off-axis in that frequency range. Hence, the recessed midrange.

Thomas

I agree in 100% with You

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Okay, thanks for clarifying Thomas. Though I'd still go for speakers large enough to get down at least to 40 Hz.

--Ethan

With 6-inch woofer this is possible ... Geithain RL 904

http://www.me-geithain.de/studio/ind...mid=75&lang=en

[DAH]

Originally Posted by Kyle_PL

Poweramps had lower distortions at higher powers ... before clipping of course. Look at poweramps measures.

But your ear start compressing earlier than the least amount of distortion in poweramps is achieved anyway, and generally a larger speaker (in an identical cabinet) puts out less compressed and suffocated bass than a smaller one.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Kyle_PL

Silly? Oh really? Look at minimum recommended distance for Genelec 8030 vs. 8050 vs. 1037C.

I disagree. And that's fine. With acoustics, some things are not black and white and thus subject to opinion.

If You sit further from speakers, speakers should be more powerfull (to deliver enough SPL from bigger distance).

I agree with that. The farther away you are, the more power is needed to get the same SPL.

Poweramps had lower distortions at higher powers ... before clipping of course. Look at poweramps measures.

When I said speakers are mostly linear, I didn't mean distortion versus level as much as general behavior. A lot of people think that acoustics changes with volume level, but mostly that's not true.

By the way, there's a pretty egregious error in that Genelec PDF you linked to. Page 18 suggests walling off the front corners of a room. That's one of the worst mistakes you can make, because it removes the single best place to put bass traps.

--Ethan