KVR Audio

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:39 pm

Does a statement like the following substitute for a frequency respoce chart IYO.

DALI loudspeakers fill a wider area of the room with smooth, integrated sound. We design our loudspeakers for optimal frequency response (consistent sound pressure regardless of frequency), even for listeners seated off-centre.

I saw some of these for a reasonable price and the store person knew what shape they were by looking at them, but not much more. And on the Dali website thise is the only info I can find on frequency response. In some Dali manuals it says plus/minus 3db between _Hz - _kHz. Is that enough for you?

amarule · Post by **amarule** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:01 pm

+/-3db would be a potential 6db variation, far too great for studio monitoring.

If there's no listed specs, there's a reason.

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:20 am

I thought the same but I have seen some pretty good reviews. It does not seem like a crap company but I don't feel comfortable buying any speaker without a frequency chart.

amarule · Post by **amarule** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:52 am

I've been a professional audio engineer/designer for several decades, and I have never heard of this company.

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:59 am

What about Wharfedale? I think Dali are Danish

http://www.dali.dk/us/

Shy · Post by **Shy** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:02 am

Wharfedale are pretty well known, but I didn't know they make studio monitors.

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:18 am

Shy wrote:Wharfedale are pretty well known, but I didn't know they make studio monitors.

They probably don't. I am looking for a possible "it will do" speaker.

magoostus · Post by **magoostus** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:20 am

What about Paradigm? Check them out as well. its what i use

http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/spe ... s.paradigm

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:31 am

They don't provide a frequency chart either.

amarule · Post by **amarule** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:22 am

I forget who, but there's a rather famous engineer who carries a pair of Wharfdales with him. While not specifically studio monitors, they have a good reputation. Paradigm are strictly marketing gimick home theatre stuff.

For a few hundred bucks you can get a nice set of self powered KRK's. The Rocket 5's are most impressive for the money.

morelia · Post by **morelia** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:12 am

Self powered. So they'd just hook into the audio out of my card. Sounds good. I have not found a dealer in Australia. And they still don't appear to have a freq chart.

C00kie · Post by **C00kie** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:36 am

Charts and numbers are nice to look at, some people drool while doing that. However they have very little to do with the reality. It's possible that a speaker that looks off on paper sounds better in practice than one that looks nearly perfect on paper. You'll HAVE to listen to them prior to the purchase!

And yes, Wharfedale makes professional studio monitors also.
This is the home hifi site: http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/home.php
and this is the "pro" site: http://www.wharfedalepro.com with a different product line and another approah at customers.

amarule · Post by **amarule** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:21 pm

IF by "frequency chart' you mean a graph of response, you won't. The response of the speaker is room dependent. All studio monitors are built to exacting standards and are extremely flat, however the response you achieve in your room depends on how well you have acoustically tuned your room.

What you will find is response to the 3db down points, and other info regarding sensitivity, materials, damping factors of the electronics involved, etc.

Yes the Rockits are self powered, you simply plug the monitor outputs of your DA into them. Self powered monitors are an excellent choice, as they are specifically designed to match amplifier and speaker. Many of the mid and high end models are actively biamped as well.

C00kie · Post by **C00kie** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:23 pm

amarule wrote:IF by "frequency chart' you mean a graph of response, you won't. The response of the speaker is room dependent.

That's why any supplied response graph is made in an anechoic (acousticly dead) room. But you knew that, didn't you

KRK seems to have included graphs like that in the past :

The supplied frequency response graph shows that the RoKits have a response from just below 70Hz to well in excess of 20kHz, +/-2dB, and there's a very gentle high-end rise centred around 10kHz or so, which probably accounts for the impression of brightness.

(that's a quote from http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar98/a ... rokit.html)
I've searched a bit (brochures, owner's manual, google images) but can't find any also.

amarule wrote:All studio monitors are built to exacting standards and are extremely flat, however the response you achieve in your room depends on how well you have acoustically tuned your room.

Many people want to verify with their own eyes how flat the behaviour of a speaker is, regardless of the room they'll put them in. It's not a silly request but listening by yourself is better. Have to do that me thinks... Mail-ordering is a no-no then.

amarule · Post by **amarule** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:34 pm

The only sure fire way to know if monitors are right for you is to use them in your control room. Unfortunately not everyone lives next door to (insert great audio retailer that is not guitar center here), and must resort to the guessing game.

OP, if you have a good pro audio retailer near you, go talk to them, develop a relationship, and try different monitors in your price range (preferably 2 prs at a time, eliminating one) until you can find what works best for you.

However before you begin your search for the Holy Grail of monitors, acoustically tune your control room. Otherwise, it's all moot.

Monitor specifications