Monitors for a small semi-treated room (Dynaudio BM5 mkIII or Dynaudio LYD7? EDIT: bought Dynaudio Bm5 MkIII)

[recursive one]

I need a pair of speakers for a small rectangular room (10 11 square meters). I've got basic room treatment - rockwool bass traps in all 4 corners, rockwool sidewall panels in the first reflection points and some acoustic foam on the ceiling (and also a big soft bed). I'm also planning to get Sonarworks Reference 4.

The budget is about EUR 1000 per a pair. So far I'm deciding between Adam A7x and Focal Shape 65.
EDIT: based on the replies here and another forum, more likely between Dynaudio LYD7 and Dynaudio BM5 mkIII) I think it won't make much sence to go bigger than 7 inch consdiering the room dimenstions - I'm even somewhat afraid 7 might be too much actually, so I'm leaning towards the Focals.

What would your advice be about these two, or is there anything else I should consider?

I make psytrance and progressive trance, so I need good bass response.

Currently I have KRK Rockit 5G (5 inch).

Not sure if this should be here or in getting started? I think KVR needs a section dedicated to monitors, room acoustics and all such things related to monitoring.

EDIT2: actually the room is 2.7x4 meters, that is almost 11 square meters, not sure if that changes much

EDIT3: Bought Dynaudio Bm5 MkIII, love them

[kelvyn]

Totally biased opinion here... I really love Focal speakers.
I’ve found - although my experience is limited - that Adam and those speakers like them tend to be ever so slightly - for want of a better terminology - hard/spiky in the upper frequencies.
But that's just me though.

[recursive one]

Thanks!

Adam and those speakers like them tend to be ever so slightly - for want of a better terminology - hard/spiky in the upper frequencies.

I've read that in some other forum too but the guy said it was easily corrected in the speakers themselves.

I also wonder if much the speaker choice will depend on the listening position. In my room the only possible placement is my head forming an equilateral tirangle with the speakers, approx 1 meter (or even less) between my ears and the speakers, and approx 1 meter between the speaker rear and the corners (the corners are covered by the bass traps)

[Passing Bye]

Fluid Audio FPX7

[recursive one]

Fluid Audio FPX7

Great, these are even cheaper
What's so good about them?

[Passing Bye]

Fluid Audio FPX7

Great, these are even cheaper
What's so good about them?

Overall everything, but what's special about them is ribbon tweeter in coaxial design, detail and imaging is second to none in that price range, it's crime how they are so underrated.

[recursive one]

Thanks! Will consider them too.

[justin3am]

I love Focal. I have a pair of Solo6 Be as my main monitors.
That said, I didn't really get on with the Shape 65s. You might look at a second hand pair of CMS 65s, at that price range.

I also found ADAMs to sound a bit harsh in the high end, without some adjustment. Still, very nice and detailed monitors.

[recursive one]

I also found ADAMs to sound a bit harsh in the high end, without some adjustment.

Thanks! If i'm getting the Reference, i think it might be also corrected?

On the other hand, probably it might even be a good thing? Like, if the mix sounds smooth in them it must sound smooth everywhere

[justin3am]

Yes, that's right, you can roll off the highs a bit, from the speaker itself. I just preferred how my Solo6 BEs sounded out of the box, so the ADAMs went back to the store. I don't really want to mess with the built-in processing, if it is avoidable.
That said, I don't want to deter you from the ADAMs just because I had a different preference. I didn't get to do a side by side with the ADAMs and the Shape 65s, I may have preferred the ADAMs in that match-up. I ended up getting a pair of Eve SC204s as a reference pair, and they also have an accentuated high-end by default. They sound very different from the Focals, so they help me get a more balanced impression of how my mixes will translate to other systems.

[Passing Bye]

On the other hand, probably it might even be a good thing? Like, if the mix sounds smooth in them it must sound smooth everywhere

Depends, if it sounds smooth on them, it probably sounds way smother on others and sometimes you don't want that, I had AX Adams in the past and plenty of people around me, there wasn't nothing better for the buck and we put up with low end rattle and etc, those boxes still live their old glory and truth to be told, that doesn't stand anymore, now there is lot of competition, it's mind boggling.

If you like Adam signature sound, check out also EVE SC207 and Presonus R65 too, just don't fall for brand hype, try everything, I'm always looking for new interesting stuff and must say, we live in amazing times as far as getting great boxes for little money goes.

Forgot to add, definitely in your price range, Presonus Sceptre S6, my sincere advice, go hear them all, amazing boxes for the buck.

[Unfocused]

Coincidentally, I just did a side by side comparison of Adam A7Xs and Focal Shape 65s this weekend. I ended up getting the Focals. I have the same size room as you with less acoustic treatment, and the Shapes sound great in there. The recommended settings for “close to wall” and “sitting on desk“ are spot on too. Flat, they were a bit too forward in the low mids and a bit boomy, but with a quick adjustment, they are perfectly balanced.

In all honesty, both monitors sounded great. You can’t go wrong here. It really comes down to preference. Frankly, I listened to some Focal Alpha 50s at the same session and they were surprisingly great. If they hadn’t had a very slight hiss to them when idle I might have saved some money and taken them home instead (yes, I preferred them to the Adams too).

I’ve only had them for a few days, but if you have any specific questions about how I made my decision or how they’re set up now, just ask.

-u

[chk071]

It really comes down to preference.

I think that's the most important thing. Of course, nothing wrong in asking for recommendations. But, if you have the chance to demo the monitors before buying, I would really do that.

[Unaspected]

I really like my Focal CMS 50s and have also worked with Trio6 BEs - and whilst I really like what I've heard there, I would have to demo the Shape 65s to form an opinion.

Adam was also an option for me when I went to buy new monitors. I checked out most of the major brands but hadn't really considered Focal. Whilst the Focals were slightly over the budget I had planned, I had to have them.

It depends on so many factors though: Room, taste, ears, genre, etc. I was working with a lot of guitar based music at the time and the Focals are great for guitar sound. Well, they're great for everything but they especially impressed me in that area.

I did think the Adam sound would work well for producing electronic genres but the most important thing is that they sound good to you and only you know that. Demoing is essential.

[recursive one]

Thanks a lot, guys!

I'll check if our shops allow testing speakers at home before buying. The only thing I'm not sure about is what "sounds good to you" means in case of monitors, I thought monitors were supposed to sound honest and accurate rather than "good". To this end, that high end harshness in the Adams is probably a step backwards from accuracy, isn't it?

I don't have much experince with different monitors, I only ever had these KRKs.

I also wanted to know if there were any known technical issues with either of these models, or other things I should be aware of, or if any of these was better suited for small rooms like mine, e.g. because of the woofer design and such.

Yes, Presonus Sceptre might be an option too.