Nearfields for audiophile listening?

Thanks for the advice, I'll try that. And no, it's an original version that I got on a scale. Perhaps I should hold onto them until I upgrade my Modi 3 to a Gungnir Multibit. I just really wasn't liking the way that they sounded on Classic Rock and Acoustic.

 

Get something to change the signal to +4 balanced. I used a Rolls Promatch until I sprung for the Bifrost 2. It's a whole new world then, to the point I would say they do not work with -10dBv.

EDIT: I misspoke/should clarify I meant coming from crossover in the sub.

 

ANyone heard Voxativ in nearfield here?

 

Nothing. Best speakers for me considering everything. It actually can play pretty good at low volume. Good enough for vocals and bass.

There's this youtuber actually recently compared atc scm 11 with buchardt s400 and said he preferred buchardt for its warmer sound.

You didn't consider getting 11 or 19? Considering you like the 7s.

 

I prefer the S400 over the SCM19, and preferred the 19 over the 11s by quite a bit so this makes sense. The S400 are way more full range than the 11s (as far as bass extension) and are warmer, fuller and more tonally dense sounding (without sounding “thick”) with a really smooth tweeter. Far less fatiguing than the ATC tweeter. Not sure they’ll work well nearfield however due to the tweeter waveguide - when you get really close to them, the driver integration starts to fall apart. Further away though they integrate awesome and sound like a single driver (at least as close to single driver as I’ve heard).

 

Buchardt is also releasing an A500 active version. Pricey but perhaps of interest.

 

I've been hearing about it not working nearfield. Would you think 1 meter is enough between listening position and the speakers?

And how about buchardt vs the Graham ls6?

 

@Psalmanazar what is your top pick for a passive near-field monitor right now? I've got amplification handled, but need something good from about 5-7ft.

I want deep and realistic bass without cabinet resonance, and I'm also not a fan of shouty treble like so many monitors seem to have.

 

New guy here (been lurking for some time), so just sharing my setup to help you widen your search.

I have Audience ClairAudient Ones (V2+ version). 3in full range speakers with passive woofer at the back. Extremely good at imaging and excellent transparency. Smooth midrange and very musical. Not exactly budget stuff, and prices has gone up since V3.

The manufacturer claims that due to the very low distortion of the speakers, it's very easy to keep turning up the volume and might destroy the drivers & damage hearing. I'm unable to measure the distortion, but the "turning up volume" thing is pretty accurate in my case.

Somewhat light in the bass (it's OK without a sub if placed close to wall), which I complement with an Adam Sub7. A 7 inch sub, but it's decent for near field, and has an line level crossover.

Another alternative is the Gallo A'diva speakers. Basically similar to ClairAudient Ones, but with even lesser bass, just a little less capable in imaging and transparency.

Source: PC, COS H1 DAC, NuForce STA-200 amp.

Spoiler: My personal listening preferences:

Music I prefer: mostly female vocals; some jazz, rock, metal.

I listen at near field (1.5-1.8m), and have a preference for single driver to avoid driver integration & time/phase alignment issues at near field.

I've only own this and Gallo A'Diva Ti (also another 3in single driver speaker with even lesser bass), and have not heard many other speakers. So I probably have very strong biases and listening preferences.

BBC LS3/5a, Kef LS50 sounds too shouty and rough to my ears. Rega TT & amp driving Magnepan Minis are also somewhat shouty.
ATC, higher end B&W's & Sonus Faber are more to my liking. My ultimate reference is Vivid Kaya which is a friend's system. For headphones, I prefer the sound signature of Kennerton Thor.

 

That was the first feedback I've seen on SBAF about the Buchardt S400. I've been auditioning some speakers at home and will be trying the S400 Signature Edition in the next few weeks. My setup is primarily for nearfield (4 feet away), but occasionally turning up the volume to play into a 10' x 15' room.

Some reviewers have said that the S400 needs moderate volume level before it opens up, but a couple of reviewers have a different experience and said the S400 performs well at low volume and nearfield. I want good low volume performance for late night listening, and I emailed Buchardt about it. The CEO Mads Buchardt replied and we exchanged a few emails. He said some warmer sounding amps such as Hegel and Atoll are not the best match for S400 at low volume, even if they work great at higher volume. At low volume on the S400, he said amps with more forward signature tend to work better. Lower volume is also related to using in nearfield. I will see if it works out for me. Buchardt has a 30 day trial period.

In addition to their upcoming active speakers, Buchardt will also release an integrated amp with DSP tailored for the S400. However, as an all-in-one (DAC, DSP, Hypex NCore amp), it might not appeal to audiophile hobbyists.

 

The active version is intruiging but Class D amps doesn't exactly seem appealing to me. The tweeter also changed position between the active and passive strangely...

 

On their Facebook page, they said the active speaker has the tweeter on top for visual reasons (i.e. market appeal), and they are able to do it because time alignment can be done in DSP.

 

go soft dome and don’t get anything voiced like an NS10. So no Yamaha.

That doesn’t exist. Go 8” two way or get two pairs of speakers. Many midfields are unusable nearfield. The near/mid field hybrid 3 ways (KH310, Barefoot footprint, the SCM 25) run out of juice or get boxy further back at higher volumes in bigger rooms. At my desk, even the 8” monitors run out of gas 3-4m back. Some small three way would too. The ATC SCM 50 can be used nearfield and has volume but no deep bass. The bigger ones cannot.

many 8” woofer two ways can be used a bit further back. The active crossover helps a lot. KRK V8S4 is very good and cheap. No shout. Slightly crossover and presence dip. The Dyn BM15a is huge and also has a big upper mid hole but it sounds huge. The Quested V2108 is a dark, rich, and sexy beast. The passive versions of the BM15a and V2108, BM15 and VH2108, are discontinued. You can hunt for used deals, recap the crossover, and replace the tweeters. The passive H108 has a bit of the NS10 mid forward ness and lacks the extension and cab volume. It’s tighter but lacks that tonal balance.

I would get the 8” active or a powerful three way (think Barefoots, Hedd 20, SCM50) or for one speaker but a pair of nearfields and a pair of midfields. The Quested V3110 are sick but are super midforward nearfield. You shouldn’t be concerned with active vs passive. Just buy the better speaker. For most of these, it’s active due to the better crossover and lack of power loss. With Quested and ATC, you can’t even really better the MC2 and ATC amps they use. To get equivalent quality amplification will require thousands or dozens of man hours modding some hifi or pro power amp to not suck.

 

One guy told me that from switching from atc 25 to atc 50, he is disappointed with the bass, but then realise its not a lack of bass, but rather the 50 produce undistorted, clean bass that makes it seem like a lack of bass

 

I can't say for sure about SCM50ASL, but in treated room with studio-like RT clean bass without "home elevation +3-6 db " sounds thin and dry. Maybe OK for work, but barely suitable for entertainment...

 

Yep. That’s the one drawback of ATCs. The bass. The 50 is the biggest speaker I’ve tried that can be used nearfield. There the bass doesn’t matter that much..

 

Psalm, I tried the HS8 and V8S4, I gotta say those KRKs are kick ass. Much more bass detail from the KRKs than the Yamahas. It's kind of wimpy and inarticulate as well. Yamahas are definitely more in the true studio monitor category. I prefer the KRKs. I am going to use these while I save up the dough for some Barefoots.

 

Killer woofer and bass on those. The Kevlar tweeter is a bit blurred and there’s a crossover dip killing the presence a bit. Not the end of the world. The V6 has more accurate presence but bleaches the low mids a bit like Dangerous gear. The HS8 is more tonally true but the KRKs have much better and more accurate dynamics but the tweeters just can’t hang with soft domes.

The Barefoots sound awesome.

 

Damn, I thought that it was recorded badly for a reason. I stand corrected then

 

Anyone heard the Dynaudio LYD 48?