From pro to hi-fi and a little confused...


I didn't want to bother you guys with another "which speaker" thread, but I've been on the fence for three weeks and could really use some advice.

Right now, I have an HSU VTF-2 ready to backup whatever loudspeakers I find and because I already have pre outs on my soundcard and mixer, I'm really looking hard at active speakers. My budget runs up to $2,000 and I'm setup in a mid-sized room that won't allow for floorstanders. Also, I listen to everything from classical to rock and need something that will not bust my eardrums, but allow me to be on-stage with the band to feel the music as well as hear it.

The Dynaudio Focus 110a's seem to have the sound quality I need, but I just don't know if they can represent rock music well?
mtnrnr3
creating thermo compression on top of designs dynamic compression.
Johnk (Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

They may not give the impact of bigger speakers, and my choice is larger also, but some small speakers still do come alive. They just don't do it as big. If you have good headphones, or speakers on your computer, check these little passive Dyna's out. Don't forget it's a compressed Youtube video, going through your computer. It doesn't sound to choked up to me. It looks like a budget Chinese tube amp, putting out about a whopping 12-18 watts per channel.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Xa2_8Qd5Y&feature=related]
I don't know if you are interested in pro in any way anymore, but a pro company, SLS did a powered monitor that can play in the audiophile arena. I believe it is a PSR-8.
I've heard them in a very busy show setting, never critical listening, but I recall them to be pretty good.
The Dyn's your looking at should be great.
Hi JohnK,
As a whole I agree with your statements about Large Hi sensitivity speakers, but your statements aren't entirely fair. I'll just take dyns... "You have to sit very close to smaller loudspeakers to reduce this if not music peaks will sound harsh" Yes, they are less sensitive and require some power, but dyn has a lower crossover point on most of its smaller speakers than most to make them completely listenable without it being a must for nearfield, I've listened to some great 6 1/2 inch from 12 feet away without issue, next "Thermal compression". These guys use 3" coils on their woofers and normally 1.25" coils on their tweeters and are quite capable of playing all frequencies with a fair amount of power without heating up and compressing frequencies. "Undersized Cabinets" & "Weak Magnets",
You know these drivers have Plenty of motor structure to do as designed and in proper cabinets to support their driver size and qts/vas capabilities....No, they won't compete with large high sensitve speakers in sheer dynamic range, but with the right amps are dynamic and smooth in their own right.
To the others, John makes some wonderful High Efficiency speakers, he knows his stuff, I just wanted a fair comparison.
Hi,
I have a pair of Focus 110A's and I really like them a lot. My audio system completely changed for the better with them.
I also have a pair of BM5A's and have compared the two briefly in the same system. The 110A's have better imaging, a tighter grip on the music, and are more holographic sounding. The BM5A's produce lower bass but also seem a bit boomy. Cello sounds better through the BM5A's. I preferred the 110A's for every other type of music.
The bass may seem lean at first but I believe it is the accuracy of the true active design of the 110A's that eliminates the muddy or boomy bass of many passive speakers.
The great part is that you can adjust the bass output depending on the placement of the speakers.
They are very revealing, to the point that I now prefer listening to my vinyl rather than CD's.
They tend to make aggressive rock music sound slightly polite which takes a bit of getting used to. As someone mentioned earlier, rock music comes from 15" woofers.
There are times when I cannot walk away from the music playing through these speakers because it is so lifelike. Good female voices give me goosebumps.
You will need a very good source to really enjoy them.
Good luck.
84db 1 watt 4 ohms you can bet that 3in coils near melting point at peaks. I do think its a fine sounding loudspeaker but its not without flaws or weakness like all things. To me I hear smaller designs compress dynamics and when played loud I here the effects of thermo compression. Maybe I'm just jaded but to me small is a compromise I do not want to make in my main system.