Nearfields for audiophile listening?

The ATCs will throw everything wrong about anything in your chain in your face. Don’t feed them etched small crap like Benchmark or anything muddy.

 

I think my conditions may be better than yours. Side walls are 1m away from the speakers, and behind them a wide bay window with curtain. The rear passive radiator will probably still get excess bass reinforcement. Nearfield involves playing at lower volume (a weakness of the S400), and could be related to what reviewers were experiencing. It might be helped with amp matching and certainly by the DSP in the upcoming Buchardt amp.

On a separate note, I use a REL T7i subwoofer with my P3ESR. It would be interesting to turn up the crossover point on the REL and run the P3ESR through a high pass filter.

 

what is more limiting? the dac in benchmark or the preamp?

 

Definitely better, but I'm more concern about what others have been saying that the s400 isn't for nearfield.

 

Was saving up for some Barefoots but came across these used Event Opals locally. Blew me away when I heard it in this guy's makeshift low-rent home studio. I think our Bulgarian room treatment master Renekton would have approved.

Haven't done any room treatments, measurments or whatever yet. First time I've hooked up the RedNet to the Convert-2 and speakers, but man wow what a huuuuuuuge upgrade from the JBL 305s. Ok @atomicbob you were right LOL.

These things are bass cannons. I don't know how much of an impact the RedNet/Convert-2 makes on the sound, but mids and highs are silky smooth, massive, clear and detail galore. Just incredible. Smdh why did I go with passive originally...

My only worry are these monitors are 10 years old. Hope they won't die on me soon. These monitors are known to have serious QC issues. From hissing, to gain issues, to chuffing, etc. Seems to have affected like half of them over its lifetime, kinda no surprise Event folded. A microphone manufacturer were way in over their heads with speakers. But no problems so far with mine. This pair has the original beryllium/copper tweeter, before Event was forced to redesign the tweeter after the Fukushima disaster.

Just killer speakers though, super happy. Nearfields FTW. Going to mess with some of the EQ settings to fine tune things, look at getting a measurement mic, etc.

Not the finest setup, might mess with it during the stuper bowel:

 

Now perform some modest room treatments to control flutter echos and first reflections and prepare to be amazed. It doesn't have to be exotic. Creative use of thick curtains, soft covered furniture, books shelves with actual books on them, organized in an abffusor pattern, maybe some corner traps.

 

I have two book shelves behind me is that OK? I can hang some thick curtains on my windows on the right wall, unless you were talking about behind the monitors hanging above them? Thanks for the advice!

 

Hard surfaces reflect sound. For an experiment, take all the books out of the bookshelf and listen. Now put them back. Listen to the difference. If possible put some heavy drapes with folds in front of the windows. Listen to before and after.

Have a look here for more useful information:
http://www.aes-media.org/sections/pnw/pnwrecaps/2017/johnston_smith_mix_jan2017/

 

You could also stagger the books so they don't present a flat surface. I haven't done it with books, but a friend of mine has a few massive shelves with thousands of CDs on them (and it was a side wall, not rear). I spent a couple minutes walking around pulling out sections of CD's to make little triangles like a poor man's diffuser. It made a small difference, not bad for a couple minutes of work. Granted, hanging some heavy blankets over the shelves made a bigger difference (especially the felt ones). Nothing says you can't do both.

 

My thought is that books a likely to be better than CD cases, because they would be more acoustically dead. I've never heard a book ring or rattle if I drop or knock it!

Are my assumptions correct?

 

Your assumptions are correct. However, any effort to break up the reflective paths is worthwhile, even it if is CD cases, some of which are quite dense, at least the old ones. Newer CD cases have been mfg cost reduced to the point of being nearly worthless in so many ways.

 

I always found them to be made of horrible brittle plastic, right from the start. But then, perhaps my start with CDs was a few years after CD's start with CDs. And this replaced record sleeves that lasted indefinitely (maybe with a little paste and tape). The entire handling experience of CDs ensured the immortality of vinyl nostalgia.

But, trying to avoid that rabbit hole... it occurs to me that a shelf full of vinyl records, given its thickness and density, might be best of all? As long as the the front surface was staggered.

Now I'm imagining...

A visitor to the listening room remarks, "Wow, so you are really into vinyl! There must be hundreds of records there!" The answer: "Nope: it's all on the computer. That's the room treatment!"

 

The original jewel cases were dense and precision molded. This was in the beginning. Within a few years the mfg cost reduction had been put into full effect. Handle the two in A/B comparison and the difference is very apparent. I have many of my original, first gen CDs with those cases.

 

Especially with those little tab hinge bits that always broke off.

 

Rob, which speakers have you used before in comparison?

 

I received my Buchardt S400 Signature Edition, after a short delay at customs.



Buchardt calls the finish Raw Nordic Oak (the label on the box says "Beam Oak").


My setup serves double duty of being used primarily nearfield (4 ft from speakers), but also occasionally with volume turned up to play into a 10x15 ft room. Speakers are 1 ft in front of a bay window, and 3 ft from side walls. I've been trying several speakers and have been using Harbeth P3ESRs for the past month.

Initial impressions so far (at 20 hours of burning in) are that the S400 is more open, dynamic and lively than the P3ESR, with wider soundstage and much stronger and deeper bass. The S400 doesn't have the mid-range magic of Harbeth (their reputation is well deserved). On the P3ESR, there are occasional moments when I'm suddenly struck by the beauty and realism of the sound, but listening to the S400 highlights what is missing in the P3ESR, namely dynamics and bass. Perhaps my ideal would be a larger Harbeth, but I have size limitations.

At my 4 ft nearfield position, the S400 sound blending isn't quite ideal (better at 6 ft). The nearfield sound isn't bad at all (actually still quite enjoyable), but there are better choices if listening exclusively in nearfield. For my near+mid dual purpose, I have to decide where to make tradeoffs. I'll continue burning in the S400 and experiment with positioning and toe-in before more comparison with the P3ESR. The two have different strengths and both appeal to me for different reasons.

 

First of all, God damn if that isn't stunning wood. Looks like Tineo at first!

Second, give the caps and woofers some time to loose up, that mid-range might become a bit more fleshed out. Those Janzen Supreme caps look fairly big so they likely just need hours. I liked that cap, especially for the price.

How's the rest of your chain looking?

 

The rest of my chain is:
Soekris dac1541
Meridian 500 CD Transport
Heed Audio Obelisk PS or Linn Klout power amplifier (a long story — more about this later)
REL T7i subwoofer (+ DSPeaker Anti-Mode 8033)
Qobuz/Tidal/Spotify via PC

 

Nice looking finish!

Maybe you can try pulling the desk out a bit and use stands for the speakers. Could be just what you need for a better nearfield experience.

 

Beautiful. I do think that speakers can and should be good to look at, and some lovely woodwork is a great way to