ADAM p11a vs Genelec 8040 vs Dynaudio BM6A

[Moonvic]

Hiya!

I need a pair of nearfields to complement my JBL 4311b's. I have worked with the Dynaudios and like them a lot, though they are a bit "boring" after several hours, found them too plain for me... I have not heard the 8000 series but find the 1030 a bit confusing in the bass section after working with them for some weeks. I have information on the ADAMs just for seconds so have no good opinion, though I liked them in the store

I would prefer the Gennies or ADAMs for the price, since they cost around 300€ cheaper than the Dynaudios in Europe, unless the latter make a big difference... What do you think???

Thanks in advance!

[dapinkobo]

I got a pair of Dynaudio Bm6a's. I have to say im really impressed and happy with them...

[DigiDutch]

I did the same comparison when buying my monitors and ended up with the p11a's. I really like how well they translate. Especially in this budget range..

[bigo]

I have heard the little focals sm6 at this price range, and I can tell they are much better than the old genelecs 1030.I havn't heard the 8000 series though...

[meteor]

Originally Posted by Moonvic

Hiya!

I need a pair of nearfields to complement my JBL 4311b's. I have worked with the Dynaudios and like them a lot, though they are a bit "boring" after several hours, found them too plain for me...

Probably why the Dyn's are a good choice.

BTW - I know what you mean about the G-Lecs - I have a hard time getting a sense of the Low-Mid/Low-End relationships.

cheers,
brandon

[BigAl]

Originally Posted by dapinkobo

I got a pair of Dynaudio Bm6a's. I have to say im really impressed and happy with them...

[Moonvic]

Thank you all for your replies. I think the Gennies stay out of this decision... unless the 8000 are way better than the 1030s...

More on the BM6s - P11 comparison?

Thx again!

[tamasdragon]

I would go with the 8040a genelec. I'm a big dynaudio fan, but the 8040 smokes the bm6a imho. From the genelec you'll have accurate midrange, exceptional low end, and superb imaging.
Regards Tamas Dragon

[aapee]

Adam P11A's also here. No 1 choise for me anyway. They really translate well.

AaPee

[Sui_City]

We've got a pair of BM6As.

When i tested the P11A i found them to be scooped beyond use. Didn't like them at all.

[ravage]

Hi,

As always, the following should be taken with an appropriate amount of salt.. These are my findings in my (admittedly crappy) room.

I've been looking for a proper monitor for a while and tried a number of them.. A couple of years listening to Alesis Monitor Ones will do that to a man Not much detail in the highs and floppy lows.

First I got the Dynaudio BM5As.

Great bass, nice to listen to. Highs were nice and clear. But I had problems. First of all the great bass covered part of the mids. Vocals (and voices) were covered with bass content to the extent that it was difficult to understand spoken word or discern the placement of vocals. The controls on the monitors did not offer a solution, just plugging the bass ports.. But this destroyed the whole bass response. Also there was a hint of boxyness in the kick region, probably because of the size. The biggest problem for me, tough, was I could _not_ get any stereo image from them :/ I kept hearing the speakers and no sound stage. Tried them for nearly two months and in god knows how many positions, but went back with them in the end.

Then I tried the Genelecs 8040As.

Now there's imaging. As I've described elsewhere, I swear these things would have given me image placed backwards. I was very pleased with the imaging, altough the sound character was a bit harsh and forward. Very very different than the Dyns. Something you like or not, IMO. The problem was in the bass though. No way could I get punchy kicks, pronounced basslines or clean low-mids from these. In fact the latter could even be called dirty :/

Back they went.

Anyway.. The options at that particular retailer were running out. So I decided to take two cheap pairs of monitors with me. For science and I figured, if I can get problematic monitors for 1/3 the cost, I'd be robbing my self.

Anyway..

KRK Rokit 8.

Not good at all. In fact they are about as pleasing as my old M1s. Maybe somewhat better in the high end, but I packaged them forthwith.

Now for the other pair I'm testing.

Samson Rubicon R5a.

First of I thought, how can this work

Let me tell you they are the least problematic of the bunch.. Not exactly as precise as I had hoped, but much better than the M1s. More image than I've gotten from the Dyns. Less than the Gens. The bass/kicks are quite punchy and clear, more so than I would have figured for the size of the woovers. There's not much of it, mind. You'd probably starve from bass depravation if you have a big room. But they paint a very balanced picture for the price.

Anyway.. That is not to say I'll keep these, because I had my sights set higher. It is an interesting experiment, though.

Then the question remained what to do. The price should not go up much higher than the Gens. My budget is more limited than my imagination

I've requested the shop to get me some Adam P11As, as they seem to be praised for the detail, imaging and good balanced sound.

If I only could find a pair of monitors, which have _all_ of the good qualities of the above types and not only one or two.

I'll keep you posted..

Regards

[HIGHENDONLY]

Save up $500 more and get adam p22a. Like the p11a but with better and deeper low end. When i first listened to them i could"nt beleve they were $2500 pair I have adam s3a but was freakin impressed with p22a.

[ravage]

Ah yes

I have considered this seriously, but I'm afraid the added bottom end will couse me similar problems as the Dyns did. It was in no way easy to dedide.

But thanks for the tip. (Please correct me if I'm wrong

I figure I should be able to work with these until such time that the room and my budget are fixed. Then I'll investigate something more appropriate, like the s-series.

[Moonvic]

Originally Posted by ravage

I've requested the shop to get me some Adam P11As, as they seem to be praised for the detail, imaging and good balanced sound.

----

I'll keep you posted..

Regards

Wow, thank you for the precious information!!! I wasn't sure if the problem with bass in the Gennies was only for the pair I have worked with, so I was kind of decided to buy the 8040s. Now that I see it's more of an extended issue I will wait for some more comparison with the P11as. The P22 are too expensive, taking into account that we have to buy more stuff in the same purchase.

Thank all for your contributions, and sorry for my English...

[Moonvic]

Originally Posted by ravage

I've requested the shop to get me some Adam P11As, as they seem to be praised for the detail, imaging and good balanced sound.

----

I'll keep you posted..

Regards

Wow, thank you for the precious information!!! I wasn't sure if the problem with bass in the Gennies was only for the pair I have worked with, so I was kind of decided to buy the 8040s. Now that I see it's more of an extended issue I will wait for some more comparison with the P11as. The P22 are too expensive, taking into account that we have to buy more stuff in the same purchase.

Thank all for your contributions, and sorry for my English...

[James Lehmann]

Originally Posted by ravage

If I only could find a pair of monitors, which have _all_ of the good qualities of the above types and not only one or two.

Assuming you want to limit your search to active monitors, I've got two suggestions for you to audition at the $1,200 and $2,500 marks respectively; in one or two respects the lower priced model performs better than the other!

$1,200 gets you a pair of Blue Sky ProDesks MkII. I reviewed the MkI's here, and as far as I know this is the most detailed user review of the ProDesks anywhere on the web. Summary - true bass response no 2-way nearfield can match, excellent imaging, work very well in awkward spaces, non-fatiguing, slightly grainy HF (fixed on the MKII's I think), amazing value for money. Folks who dismiss these because of some prejudice against working with a sub need to reappraise their stance after hearing how well the Blue Skys work - so seamlessly and well-balanced.

If your budget is a little more expansive, ie $2500, then the Flying Mole powered PMC TB2+'s (my review here) are a shoe-in. Summary - astoundingly natural response, non-fatiguing, a little fussy with positioning, need proper room treatment to dig out the bass end (and even then can't match the Blue Skys if you absolutely need to hear down to 30Hz), sub-woofer available but expensive and passive, incredible sounding monitors though not at all hyped or 'produced'.

You'll really need to read my reviews in detail to hear my opinion, but essentially if cash wasn't an issue I'd probably take the PMC's over the Blue Skys providing I had a treated room and can be flexible with my listening position. Right now I'm mixing on the Blue Skys and mastering on the PMC's - best of both worlds!

[Moonvic]

James,

Thank you for sharing your informative reviews. Unfortunately, money is an issue so the PMCs are far from my budget. I know people who use them and are very happy with them.

I have taken a look to your review on the Ble Skies. I will read the full text later. I wanted to ask you, though, if you have compared them to the Dynaudios, Genelecs or Adams.

I have found that the Mackie 824 are about 500€ per piece in Europe. I think this might be the best option. What do you think, slutz?

Thanks all!!

[James Lehmann]

Originally Posted by Moonvic

James, I have taken a look to your review on the Blue Skies. I will read the full text later. I wanted to ask you, though, if you have compared them to the Dynaudios, Genelecs or Adams.

No I haven't at least not directly, although I am familiar with the older Genelecs 10XX series and the BM6As. I must say once I got the ProDesks into the studio it was no going back - I realised very quickly that no other 2-way nearfield was going to give me the full-range bass response I was looking for, so I knew after a few days I was keeping them. Absolutely no regrets - I'd consider anything else with limited bass a big step down, however good the high and mid-range.

Originally Posted by Moonvic

I have found that the Mackie 824 are about 500€ per piece in Europe. I think this might be the best option. What do you think, slutz?

The best option is the one you try out in your own studio and are most happy with.

I'd do a search on those Mackies - they don't seem to have a lot of fans on this board.

[Lefrançais]

Adam A7 VS P11-A VS S-1A would be nice to do. These monitors are in the same category.
I 'm still wondering about buying 8040 instead of A7

[Martijn W]

Originally Posted by tamasdragon

I would go with the 8040a genelec. I'm a big dynaudio fan, but the 8040 smokes the bm6a imho. From the genelec you'll have accurate midrange, exceptional low end, and superb imaging.
Regards Tamas Dragon

Ik really disagree. I have put the Dynaudio BM6a MK2 up to the 8040 and chose to purchase the best of two.

These gusy don't look like genlecs :p

The 8040 have a dip in the mids where the crossover seems to be hidden.
The Dyns are flat in mid frequencies and they don't have that bump on top that the gelenecs have. The bm6a sounds more neutral in the high frequencies.

Later I have purhased a pair of genelec 8020's for other purposes. Genelecs are fine speakers but the 80*0 series tweeter sounds fatique and eventually even annoying when you compare it to the bm6a.

I have to say the bass of the 8040 is really good. But than again, not better then the bm6a mk2.

edit: or do you already have desided what speakers to buy after 5 years :p