What speakers sounded the best to you? Check the speaker specs out here:- producelikeapro.com/blog/7-speaker-mega-shootout/ If any speakers take your fancy you can get them here:- » PreSonus Eris 5BT 5.25-inch Powered Bluetooth Studio Monitors - 2nd Generation sweetwater.sjv.io/PyPqzN » Neumann KH 80 DSP 4 inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/oq7aNE » Kali Audio LP-6 V2 6.5-inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/3eGM7k » KRK ROKIT 5 G5 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor Pair sweetwater.sjv.io/LXQYDo » JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mPR3 » ADAM Audio T7V 7 inch Powered Studio sweetwater.sjv.io/PyPqaX » AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor Pair sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9JkVB
I liked the Neumann's. Low end isn't as bloated sounding, and they don't sound as harsh as the KRK's (or the AIAIAI's intense brightness). Currently Listening through some older Adam a7x's. Curious what they would sound like in real life vs. the coloration of the recording/playback
This is quite funny, I did an "at home formation" past weekend where my client used the amazing Focal Twin 6, but in an untreated environment. IT sounded good though but I'm used to the Eris Studio 5. Video got me smiling :D my head turn to see which speaker was on every time the Eris Studio and the LP6 came in. Love those
I prefer the sound of the JBLs or the Kali's, the Adam Audio too actually. That said, I'd also need to balance the great sound with the Presonus, which sounded surprisingly low end heavy. Also the AIAIAI which I liked for exposing resonances in the mids. This is why I mix mostly on headphones I know well (without room emulators). I then check on some Harmon Kardon speakers that are harsh in the mids (and really expose build up between 600hz to 2khz) and some low-mid-heavy studio monitors. This approach has seemed to work well for my mixes lately and pretty much made the old "car test" redundant. Damn, I'm almost sounding like I know what I'm talking about! Haha. Thanks to 18 months of PLAP membership 🤘
I felt the AIAIAI reset my ears to whatever speaker followed, making it darker. Best midrange seemed to be the Adams. Thanks for running these tests in this manner.
Listening through a pair of Genelec 8050A calibrated with Sonarworks SoundID Reference, here's what I found from the KU100 dummy head recording: - I know for a fact that Neumann KH80 measures the best out of all the studio monitors in this comparison. In fact it's objectively one of the flattest-sounding compact studio monitors so it immediately becomes my reference, and it's pretty much reflected in this comparison: it sounds the most balanced, all the sound information is there and well-presented, including the flaws, while nothing is exaggerated. Definitely my personal pick if I have a subwoofer (and a budget to match 😂). - ADAM T7V sounds the most pleasant, with a broad little scoop spanning from lower-mid frequencies to about 1 kHz, taking a bit of mud and boxiness out of the mix, meaning we hear as if the bass, high-mids, and treble are slightly elevated but still smooth thanks to the AMT tweeter. Probably not the best for critical listening / mixing, but I imagine it sounds great for everything else. - Kali LP6 lacks air and treble, as if there's a high-shelf attenuation at frequencies above 8 kHz. It might help reduce fatigue during long sessions, but I imagine the mixes coming out of those would be a tad bright and airy. - JBL 3 Series MkII sounds very similar to the LP6, but with a bit more air and treble that the LP6 lacks. Overall pretty well-balanced sound, considering the price. I've heard loads of good things about them as well. - KRK Rokit 5 sounds surprisingly pleasant while maintaning a good balance, with a noticeable treble boost. Might be better than the T7Vs for work due to the more neutral lower-mids. - PreSonus Eris Studio 5 tries to sound pleasant, but it's sadly not. Listening to them is like seeing something with a hole in the middle. Too much missing information from the lower-mids all the way up to upper-mids & low-highs, way too coloured. It sounds like a literal 'smile' EQ curve, which can be pleasant if subtle, but it's not. I have the 1st-gen Eris 4.5 as well with similar issues, looks like PreSonus hasn't fixed it, unfortunately. I really wanted them to make great-sounding monitors because my favourite DAW is Studio One. - As for AIAIAI Unit 4, yeah, no 😅. Can't say anything positive about the sound for obvious reasons. It does look the cleanest without the grill, in my opinion, but you don't really buy studio monitors for the looks. Avoid unless you really have to get them for some reason. In conclusion, if I'm using them for work, I'd pick these in order from best to worst: Neumann KH80, JBL 3 Series MkII, KRK Rokit 5, ADAM T7V, Kali LP6, PreSonus Eris Studio 5, AIAIAI Unit 4. If I'm using them for leisure, from best to worst in order: ADAM T7V, KRK Rokit 5, JBL 3 Series MkII, Neumann KH80, Kali LP6, PreSonus Eris Studio 5, AIAIAI Unit 4. These are of course my opinion using my system, so feel free to express otherwise. In fact, let's discuss!
Great response. I listened first, then saw this. I pretty much agreed on your response on first listen. It was close between the Neumann and the Adams. I thought Adams at first, but became convinced by the end the Neumann's just sounded a bit more natural. Thought the KRK sounded good but I'd find them too bright and make bassy mixes probably. Happy with how JBL stood up - they are what I have here. Surprised by the PreSonus, thought they'd be better tbh. But those AIAIAI, what the hell? Not at all what you'd want to work with for music production in any way whatsoever. Don't think I'd choose them for leisure listening either tbh
I´m totally agree. Neumann was indeed most balanced. Adam close by. But the top is too smooth for critical work. So people with bright speaker will hate the mix. I was listing on my audio setup with Dantax Utopia 7 (seas excel in closed cabinet and 6db filter) run by Gold Note with newest Class D GaN tech and AKM dac. Around 20.000 euro setup.
First off I would have loved this test more, if all speakers/Drivers (at least the woofers - to be more fair) were of the same size. That being said, if this was an apples to apples comparison based on price then I will forgo the size requirement. Thank you for even doing a test like this. Always a pleasure. Now onto my opinion (No one cares, but I'll give it just as well) #1 - KRK ROKIT 5 G5 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Best overall, Most open sounding, best midrange definition, heard details that ALL the other speakers missed. #2 - ADAM Audio T7V 7 inch Powered Studio - Best Low end 7" driver will do that. I was surprised that the high end wasn't louder overall. Smooth. #3 - Neumann KH 80 DSP 4 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Nice details, missing the low end of the other speakers but still held its own. #4 - JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Mediocre Nothing special, nothing offensive. #5 - PreSonus Eris 5BT 5.25-inch Powered Bluetooth Studio Monitors - 2nd Generation - Lacking definition, Muddy. kind of rubbish. #6 - Kali Audio LP-6 V2 6.5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Were these covered by a BLANKET? seriously? These sounded terrible. Muted and dull. ICK. #7 - AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor - OMG my ears NOTHING could sound worse than these...see below! #8 - AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor "WITH GRILL" - OMG its true these sound even worse! My ears will never recover SAVE ME! Never again...Painful make it stop! Please!
Adams were the standout for me here, based on my old ears and current listening environment. While this is very subjective, very much appreciate you taking the time to do this!
Best comment about the AIAIAI. I saw them reviewed on In The Mix and he didn't dare listen to them!! I suppose that's the difference between Engineers and influencers, the influencers will read the specs, the engineers will listen
I've been on the same pair of KRK V8 for almost 20 years and the KRK in the video sounds like home to me. They're clear with a focused mid-range really helps to get the vocal right. And the top end is pleasant but really lets you know if you went too far.
If this helps anyone here, I have to say I'm SO happy with my Neumann KH120As + KH750 DSP subwoofer. With the MA1 alignment it's absolutely pristine! (both frequency and phase correction it sounds like). Works so well with my ears. I understand that it may not work well with other people's ears, though. However, it's massively improved my skill in mixing and mastering over the past few years. Thanks so much for doing the comparison Warren. Perfect video for this kind of thing; something that's well needed. :) Hearing monitors vs other monitors in the same room without any correction is so useful to judge the difference in characteristics that may work with one's own ears. Often, people buy monitors without knowing what they sound like (something I did haha! - lucky, though!). This demo really does help. Reading written reviews of monitors can only go so far. Thanks again! Jim.
I have the 1st gen Neumann KH120s, and though I don't have them aligned with MA-1, I did use SMAART and the onboard switches (and a homemade sub) to dial them in to my room. The detail and honesty of these speakers is ridiculous!
@@-bloodhound it was there because it was requested because a lot of TH-cam influencers have been demoing them and recommending them, so I was asked to add them for comparison.
I listened through a set of Beyerdynamic DT-900 ProX. My favourite pair of speakers was the ADAM T7V. Very balanced across the spectrum, exciting, comfortable and defined. I was a bit disappointed with the Kali, which sounded a bit muffled. Although they are also well balanced and defined, I was expecting them to be more engaging. The AIAIAI were painful to listen to. Thanks for the great comparison. There's very good value across the selection, with the exception mentioned. I feel more inclined towards the Adams after listening to this... my favourites until today were the Kali.
The clarity of the Neumann beats every speaker here. The reverb tails are and clear. The claps and snares are more present, while everything else(AIAIAI excluded) sounded like they had a low pass filter engaged. The bass is what you'd expect from a woofer that size. Top choice for me.
This is a good way to highlight the ‘differences’ between the monitors... though, of course, a re-mic’d recording, played though your own speakers, won’t define which is the most ‘flat’. They do vary widely, so perhaps the best thing is to settle for the ones with which you feel you could work long-term... and get to know how they translate across other systems... rather than hope for some ultimate ‘flatness’ they’ll never achieve. The AIAIAIs did sound surprisingly terrible, though... are we all certain there wasn’t a problem while recording them..?
Of course, it's all about comparative and the points you've made I've made in many videos, however it's very important to me give everyone as much perspective as is possible on TH-cam!
You really said a mouthful there dude! Knowing how "the speakers" translate across multiple systems and really 'Learning" that is the key to whatever speaker you choose! I also like to use a bit of sonarworks reference 4.0 PFM for my setup as well! Gives me at least a great start! Blessings!
There is always something to glean from your videos, but man, this one... if I were starting right now and needed to look at affordable monitors, this would be a huge help. I will never buy those (happy with my Yamahas), I am just thanking you for the person who uses this and acts on it. Hats off Warren and crew
Thanks Warren, it is a fantastic idea. I learnt a lot about the different monitors and was surprised by some, positively and negatively. My ranking differed between the 2 songs, but was the same with the the 2 mic setups.
Or the very highly paid on TH-cam? LOL Saw a lot of videos on them when they came out saying how amazing they sounded, heard them once and was very confused
For my rather uneducated ears, they actually made the comparison of the other speakers much harder: there was a jarring change when moving from the AIAIAI speakers to ANY of the others that, for a few seconds, made the other speakers sound horribly muddy before you realised just how awful the AIAIAI speakers were. IMO, obviously...
Appreciate this test Warren. I've got kali LP8, IN5 & presonus eris studio 8 in my studio and I'm glad that I'm hearing the difference in my studio between kali and presonus that I do when I listen to the dummy head recordings on my headphones. I hate to admit it but the Neumanns are the best in my book. However the LP6 runs the neumann close neutrality wise. It's just that kali's lack of transient response and low end control can't compete with more expensive speakers. Without detailed transient response everything starts to kind of mesh together and you struggle to decipher placement and panning as well. But I will say out them all, the kali's were the closest to the neumann. Adam T7V has that horrible unnatural hyped sound in the top end that makes them sound a little scooped. I've heard this on other tests as well. You won't make good mixing decisions on them. They are almost too hifi to mix on in my opinion. Low end doesn't really fill out and there's a lot of placebo going on at first due to the top end lift, the cymbals are almost fighting with the vocals a bit on the fray record and many may think at first they prefer the hyped sound but mixing on them they'll definitely becoming fatiguing. Presonus has the most low end but the least controlled. Not as hyped in the top as Adam but still doesn't have the neutrality of neumann. Good midrange detail and seperation but you would be fighting against that low end a lot where Neumann is super tight. AIAIAI.. Don't bother asking me for details, we all know why we wouldn't touch these with a bargepole for mixing haha JBL I was surprised with. I would chose Kali over JBL as the low end just has near to no definition. Just swamps out. Decent monitors though but I felt kali were more neutral and controlled overall Krk rokits, grew up on them, had 5, 6 then 8. Sound pretty damn tight in your room which is what I used to like about them but I'm reminded of that "tuned sound" they have. Nowhere as hyped as Adam but they would get fatiguing after a couple hours. I never found they translated that well to other systems cause they sounded punchy and a bit bright stock. Only go down to like 43-45hz so you may end up pushing the low end more than the others to accommodate. Out of them all both records sounded best out of the neumanns. They made both records sound as I would expect them to sound if that makes any sense. The records sounded accurate and I dont hear any issues, which should be the case especially considering these 2 specific tracks. That's my 2 cents 🤘
@@Producelikeapro yeah very true. Would have been interesting to throw in the IN5 so you could compare the difference with LP & IN. But then it wouldn't be necissarily apples for apples as its 3 way vs 2 way. Hopefully there are more like these coming because having your room with the dummy head is a very valuable resource. Would be great to start throwing up focals, atc, Mum's, genelec, tannoy, pmc, barefoot, ex machina, Kii, PSI.. The list is endless Warren!!
yes. perfect shootout. I am finished tracking my first album in 25 years and plan to upgrade monitors for the final mixdown. The preview single and video is already done but I feel like I leaned harder on headphones for mixing that. Thanks for this, great timing.
Neumann was the clear fave but I can adjust to most things if I know the room and material. I have some fancy in ears that the company has given me and nothing competes with them for dialing in high end detail. I get the cymbals etc. sorted out super fast with them and then I put them away till the mix is nearly done so most of these darker speakers would work fine still like the LP 6, Adam, Eris etc. The in ears are like an electron microscope for details... speakers are more realistic.
I absolutely love the range sharpness of the Kali's. Their sonic definition are excellent and probably more true to your current acoustics (without integrated Room EQ treatment I mean). Very nice surprise in this shootout. Cant wait to see the Kali's IN-8 v2's. Well done for the tests, this helps a lot the community to decide which are their favorite(s)🙏
I went with Neumanns kh120, because Zzounds let me make payments, and they’re the first pair (of 5 sets) that translated really well. I mix through a console, and their because of their DSP room correction in the speaker itself, it was the first time I’d been able to use such a thing.
Interesting, I realise that any speaker that comes after the AIAIAI sounds very dark! I would suggest downloading the multi tracks and comparing for yourself!
Amazing how different all of these sounded. This just reinforces how “knowing” your monitor’s is so important, more important than them “sounding” great. 🧐
I listened to the Kali LP6’s through headphones and I agree they were dark (too bassy). However, I listened to the same track from Amazon music through my set of Kali’s and that low end wasn’t as strong. I have the opposite problem - What sounds good through the Kali’s is often too bassy in my car compared to radio mixes.
Likely more of a room issue than the speaker itself. Good change your listening position is in a null. If that's the case, you're likely to compensate by boosting lows that don't need to be boosted.
Taught me more about my worn out ears than anything. Listened with a 13” IPad flat on a wood table.My choice of JBLs (monetary) showed me their strengths and limitations .
It's interesting how I like different speakers depending on what's going on musically in certain parts of the song and a few seemingly sound very similar to each other...at the end of the day...it's about the song but from an audio professional perspective listening through great sounding speakers makes all the difference in the world to the song...music is purely amazing😁
Damn son, those KRKs are spittin some purity through my cheap HD280s. Legend has it... if you say AI three times in a row, the worst speaker you've ever heard will show up and ruin your mix.. grill or no grill. Thanks again Warren.
Now I have listened on my VERY good Sony in-ears. The absolutely best sounding I think is KRK. Well rounded sound with good high`s. It also sounds wider. Second must be ADAM Audio. Now....the worst is the AIAIAI. There is absolutely no mids or lows in them! The rest sound like they`re muffled. I think the winner is KRK 😀
I think the key to takeaway from this, is the importance of knowing the monitors that you mix and maybe master on. Everything is relative. If I listen on my AirPods, everything else sounds bass heavy. If I listen on my Sonos One SL, everything else sounds bass light. It’s all relative. Whilst it’s important to listen on different systems, you need to have one you know and trust that translates to others. The AIAIAI sounded terrible on my phone, but I am sure there is someone out there creating killer mixes on these.
I sat down down to this video and prepared to go to war. My critical listening skills all tingly... What a diverse sounding group of monitors. Neumann, JBL, Kali, and KRK were close... not the same, but all with the usual 400Hz push, and I am a JBL fanboy for "home audio". KRK rocked the box for sound vs. dollar per my opinion, in that arena. The Presonus were a bit (I am trying to be generous) woofy. 200Hz anyone...? If you mix too bright, the AIAIAI's would TOTALLY help that. For anyone else, just ear fatigue waiting to happen... within 5 minutes. Then the Adam's showed up, and the clouds parted... the right punch of bass, highs were clean but not crispy, and the mids had all that weight, and not too much low mid woof. I really appreciate your efforts on this video. Such a great show of diverse moitors, mixes, mics, and placements. You guys ROCK!
Just a note. The links below the video describe a PreSonus Eris 5BT, i believe the speaker being used was an Eris studio 5. Nice video by the way, very informative (As always, great channel). Was very surprising, I did not expect so much difference between speakers coming over a TH-cam video, would have loved to see a HS5 thrown in the mix as well :). For me the KRK was the winner here. Cheers!
@Producelikeapro Please do one with the Focal Shape Twins vs similar. They are BY FAR my favorite monitors, but I'd love to see a shootout, and see if I still feel the same.
Had a set of KRK Rocket 7 for about 2 years now. Just started using Sornarworks SoundID Reference. Transforming them in to something I really enjoy. The feeling of, I can't waite to try this out feeling has not go away using this combo. SSL12 is good too.
All sounded great, but the Neumann to me sounded the flattest, I mean, the bass response was there, the mids were present, the high mids as well, and the top end was also there not being harsh. The others that did like me were the Adams and the Kalis. The Presonus also sounded great.
Thanks for the incredible shootout. I found the Earthworks setup to translate better than the dummy head. It's a great way to get an idea of what the sound profile is like. Especially if you've heard 1 or 2 irl. Waiting for the next one ;)
Have the Kali's I like them , the Adam's sounded nice ,nearly brought them over the Kali's ,but happy with kali's anyway for the price sounds great. Interesting hearing all the speaker like this.
I'd be happy with either the NEUMANN or ADAM speakers myself. I think they were both very tonally balanced and sounded more natural than the others, to these ears anyway.
The this most surprising thing to me the most is I how much difference there is between the speakers. What I also found interesting was that I expected the Nuemann to have more clarity in the upper mids. For my ears, I like the Adams. Kali was a close second for me, but there was just a bit of nasal-ness I couldn't get over.
Thank you! Love these type of videos❤ however I would also love to hear several various styles of music + see measurements (such as frequency response and decay time etc) + I’m waiting for anyone to do a shootout video of different speaker brands paired with the subwoofer + calibration mic from the same brand like Neumann, Genelec, MTM etc. all recorded with this expensive neumann head mic in a well treated room to compare sound and measurements between the brands :)
Well, obviously there's no such thing as "neutral" sounding monitors, despite every manufacturer's claims of theirs being "neutral" and the most accurate. I wonder if it's worth redoing this shootout using calibration software for each monitor to see if this will make each monitor more "neutral" in this particular environment, and then compare the differences. I'm taking it for granted that there was no calibration done. Great shootout though. 👍🏻 Thank you Warren
I'd be marvelously pleased if that comparison had included the Yamaha HS5's. I liked Adam's T7V, but thats a 7" speaker, so it's something that would be expected. Thanks!
The Yamaha's are great, good flat response. Had Eris before them and they were OK, bit bass heavy, but died after about one year. I may have just been unlucky though. Now use HS5s and love them
@@Producelikeapro Q. Is car audio a consideration in pro-music production? I do so much research and mix-listen-backs while commuting. I wondered if studios set-out popular car configs?
The Adam T7V's and Neumann KH80's were the best to my ears. The Presonus and JBL's would come in second. Kali's were a little too bassy, KRK's were a little too scooped, and the AIAIAI's sounded terrible. I work with a pair of Adam T7V's, and based on what I heard in this video, I remain very pleased with that choice!
Same here, I also work on Adams, T8V's though. My ranking would be the same as yours except I like the xtra bass from the Kali's, I'd swap the presonus and the Kali's. However I think there's a place for the AI's. I've been looking for bright and annoying monitors to mix more on the dark side of the frequency spectrum. But in general i'm amazed how far monitors have gone! The prices to performance ratio for a lot of models shown here is amazing!
Comparing sonics on a speaker while listening to another speaker/phones (or room) to me is like pouring red and white wine in a glass and asking how one or the other tastes. Cool idea though...best done in person in a tuned room. My 2 cents. Love your channel.
Thank you for the immense time and effort that must have gone into making this video. My conclusion, I wouldn't swap my monitors for any of those featured. I own and use the Kali 3 ways and it took me a while to acclimatise to how much less info they reveal compared to my main monitors. Once I dialed them in properly they really opened up however, expecting them to have that pristine precise upper mids and low treble that the more esoteric designs have is still in the "wishful" category. Although they do sound rather crude, the "Old Macdonald" speakers actually made the best stab at that tonal balance. I'm sure you could learn to work with all these though, just don't expect miracles.
That is quite a bit of effort, thank you! Listened to them with my Hifiman Sundara headphones individually calibrated by Sonarworks. Also checked out using my KRK V6S4 with S12.4 subs calibrated by Dirac Live in my treated studio. All that said the most natural sounding speakers to me were Adam. Also liked KRK and JBL. A pity you didn't use the Rokit 7 G4. That would be more comparable to the Adam T7. Aboslutely didn't like AIAIAI, Neumann, and Presonus. I wonder how big a difference running Sonarworks or Dirac would have. There was a brittleness to the Rokit 5 G4 that I never heard on the Rokit 7 G4, which I had before upgrading to V6S4. Is this room properly treated?
Yes, this room was designed by Jay Kaufmann and is one of two identical rooms side by side, one is rented out to Steven Slate because he needed the flattest room he could find in Los Angeles and this was it!
The KH80s, JBLs and LP6s all sounded similar. I'd say LP6 had a bit more bottom end. The JBLs and Neumann's were the most balanced. I would say the JBLs had just a bit more clarity. The AIAIAI were very harsh sounding - especially listening with headphones.
KRK or the Neumann's, IMHO. I happen to own the KH 80's with the KH 750 subwoofer, so I'm a little bit biased. I'd love to hear the Focal Solo6 Be and IK Multimedia Precision series in a shootout.
Yes, they are over 1k, probably a little unfair compared top the others! However, that's a reason to do this! I have my favourites however, that's for me to keep quite about! This video is all about finding your favourites!
The JBL’s sounded the most rounded and balanced to my ears. The Neumann’s and KRK’s were also good. Adam’s sounded a bit too bass heavy which they are. I own that exact same pair
Thank you.I l especially like the way you break up the order of every single recording,If I scroll down the page without watching the video,I can hardly get the right answer of which is which.
To be honest, they all sounded pretty decent... with one exception haha. I own the LP6's which I like a lot. Liked the clarity in the top end of the Adams. I'm listening through headphones btw (Beyer 990 pro). Thanks for this awesome video!!
Warren, thank you, cool idea and great execution. Though everyone should audition monitors live, this was very useful for hearing the differences. I vote KRK first followed by Neumann. I have Focal 55s in my studio and I like them, but I think I'll go check out the KRKs and Neumanns sometime soon. Thanks again
The AIAIAI was super tinny sounding at first but then you start to hear greater detail in that midrange like alot , that's a great video very useful thank you. It would gave been cool to throw ns10s in just for reference maybe less frequently but would have also been interesting to compare
Ahh the "Fritz" mic!.......that's the affectionate nickname it got from an LA rental Co. I rented it numerous times. Very cool mic! Interesting test......some of them sounded very similar, and some had that more "hyped" sound. Was very disorienting to have those AIAIAI's before anything. I know the Kali's very well and they are not particularly dark speakers. But after the AIAIAI's !!, whoa!!!. I needed to take a moment, pause the video, then come back and listen to the Kali's, just to make sure my ears weren't freaking out!. I've never spent any time with those JBLs. They sound pretty nice, and in the same ballpark as the Kali's. The Adam's are nice, and if you can get used to that ribbon tweeter they could be your one set of mons. I think the AIAIAI's could be very useful as a second or third pair for referencing. Crank those up to see if anything in the 1k-5k range is out of control.
Thank you, Warren, for this very helpfull video! Would've loved to have seen a pair of Genelecs, Yamahas and Beringer Truths (just for the heck of it) on the list! Judging by what I hear, the Adams (and maybe the Neumanns) are the only pair I would consider buying, the rest are pretty useless as main monitors in a half-decent studio setup. I've been using vintage JBLs and Isophons paired with vintage Luxman and Normande amps. I spent a lot of time and effort hunting for these exceptionaly musical sounding pieces. Nothing under $2000 comes even close to what I hear in my mixing position. Cheers
I've had a pair of the Gen 1 KRKs forever, and my ear is very used to them (I understand each subsequent generation has improved - the ones in the shootout are Gen 4s). I've been considering picking up a pair of the Adams, and this might help cement that thought.
I find the Neumann KH80 to be the most balanced, although the Kali and JBL monitors are also very enjoyable, especially for vocals. The two monitors, while less balanced than the Neumann, had a greater emphasis on mid/bass and mid frequencies, making the vocals slightly more prominent compared to the Neumann. The Adam monitors are also nice. However, the PreSonus monitors, although they have a good tone, sound a bit muddy, as if everything is pushed back. I would most likely go for the Neumann. Otherwise, I would consider the Kali and Adam monitors. Of course, they should be listened to in person, but this gives you a general idea of how the monitors perform. Thanks for the video!
These are all fairly budget monitors. I’d love to hear $2000.00-$4000.00 range compare. But the JBL’s were a stand out for me. The Neumann’s were the flattest and most focused. But that can get really boring. The Kali’s were very nice second for me. Presonus was a bit lifeless. Two were annoying as heck don’t remember the names but, you know the ones… haha. Thx for this!
@@richlodato106 The Neumann speakers are monitors to work on sound and therefore they are as neutral as possible. So if your mix sounds "boring" through them, your mix has a problem, not the speakers.
I have to be honest really shocked by the performance of the KRK, they actually hold their own and sound decent !. But the winner in my opinion is the JBL and the Neumann. A mix would translate well in those.
On a side note and cowardly avoiding choosing any of them, in reading through a bunch of posts here, there's a pattern;.. everyone likes something different. LOL. A couple two or three speakers popped up a bit more perhaps?,.... but basically, if you learn to mix on most of these - that's probably the good one. I have krk's but they don't make me jump for joy. They're a tool and the mixes do translate when I use them. That's their job! People still mix on ns10s after all. Most of the time these days, it's auratone in mono part time and my headphones along with a plug-in or two the rest. Probably why my hearing isn't so good anymore and why I wouldn't pick a speaker choice here. Another good one and thanks for the work on this. We know this took a fair amount of time. Cheers. 👍
I am astonished as how close this test reflects what I heard on an ab test at thomann. I didn't hear all of the monitors, but the kali, krk, Adam, kh80, presonus. And I hear the same differences. And I feel doubled to my decision. 3 of them I feel I could work with, one I bought.
Always great fun. For me listening on my Yamaha HS7s, the most balanced and clearest overall seemed to be the JBL's and Adams. With these ancient ear drums I couldn't tell much difference. The others felt duller relatively to different degrees. Other than the AIAIAIs, which hurt my brain - haha! So price wise, I would choose the JBLs. But for now I'm quite happy with what I have in this current environment.
Ok from what i can hear on my headphones is the AIAIAI UNI 4 without the grill have what i would think the ns10 hump is, quite obnoxious yet actually quite detailed and wide. Absolutely want to leave the grill off. Though i highly doubt you would want to do more than an hour of work on them cause they are quite brutal. The Neumannns KH80 are quite pleasing i feel you could listen to them all day without fatigue. Those 2 would be my setup side by side.
I was surprised but I think it’s the KRKs followed by the Adams. They both seem to have pleasant mids. I had those JBLs and I returned them. No mids and weak bass. Sad to see my Mackie MR652s were not in this shoot out. Lol.
I just ordered a pair of MR824s after my HR824s died after 20yrs of "dedicated service" lol. Quick question if you do mind. I ordered the MRs because I am more of a hobbyist now and can't justify to my wife spending $3500 for a set of monitors nowadays. My question is, how long have you had your MR652s and how are they holding up as I've heard they aren't built to last very long. Thanks.
@@kevinstarofficial You might have been correct about the room but still didn’t change the fact the mids were kind of missing too. The highs on JBLs sounded great though.
@@maysonstorm4956 I’ve had them for 4 years and so far they are doing just fine. They are $500/pr so not sure if I expect them to last 20 years but I do like their sound.
i wonder the criteria in the measurement scheme, in order to extract a improvement fron the example, in 1) price,2)connectivity options,3)design perspective and thanks for everything!
Warren! Please can you do this for high end monitors? No one is doing it like you are 👌🏼 love it ATC25a, ATC45, ATC50, quested V2108, PSI, Focal Trio11be, Amphion two15’s and two18’s Would be incredible 🙏🏼
The Adam's and the Neumann's sounded best to me. But I think I would buy the Adams. REAL easy on the ears.. I know accuracy is what counts when mixing, but I could do long sessions on those! !
What speakers sounded the best to you?
Check the speaker specs out here:- producelikeapro.com/blog/7-speaker-mega-shootout/
If any speakers take your fancy you can get them here:-
» PreSonus Eris 5BT 5.25-inch Powered Bluetooth Studio Monitors - 2nd Generation sweetwater.sjv.io/PyPqzN
» Neumann KH 80 DSP 4 inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/oq7aNE
» Kali Audio LP-6 V2 6.5-inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/3eGM7k
» KRK ROKIT 5 G5 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor Pair sweetwater.sjv.io/LXQYDo
» JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mPR3
» ADAM Audio T7V 7 inch Powered Studio sweetwater.sjv.io/PyPqaX
» AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor Pair sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9JkVB
@@Charles13X Thanks for sharing!
I liked the Neumann's. Low end isn't as bloated sounding, and they don't sound as harsh as the KRK's (or the AIAIAI's intense brightness). Currently Listening through some older Adam a7x's. Curious what they would sound like in real life vs. the coloration of the recording/playback
This is quite funny, I did an "at home formation" past weekend where my client used the amazing Focal Twin 6, but in an untreated environment. IT sounded good though but I'm used to the Eris Studio 5. Video got me smiling :D my head turn to see which speaker was on every time the Eris Studio and the LP6 came in.
Love those
The Vintage Altecs Lansing Carmel pair that wasn't featured. All this stuff has no ass.
I prefer the sound of the JBLs or the Kali's, the Adam Audio too actually. That said, I'd also need to balance the great sound with the Presonus, which sounded surprisingly low end heavy. Also the AIAIAI which I liked for exposing resonances in the mids.
This is why I mix mostly on headphones I know well (without room emulators). I then check on some Harmon Kardon speakers that are harsh in the mids (and really expose build up between 600hz to 2khz) and some low-mid-heavy studio monitors. This approach has seemed to work well for my mixes lately and pretty much made the old "car test" redundant.
Damn, I'm almost sounding like I know what I'm talking about! Haha. Thanks to 18 months of PLAP membership 🤘
1) JBL 2) Adam 3) Kali for my tastes! Thanks Warren!
Neumann 1, ADAM 2, KRK 3, Kali 4
I would've put jbl instead krk🙃
I felt the AIAIAI reset my ears to whatever speaker followed, making it darker. Best midrange seemed to be the Adams. Thanks for running these tests in this manner.
Yes, agreed! Thanks for sharing
So, I gotta go with the PreSonus Eris for two very good reasons: 1) that's what I've got. 2) My wife wont let me buy any more stuff. 😄
Haha thanks for sharing!
Listening through a pair of Genelec 8050A calibrated with Sonarworks SoundID Reference, here's what I found from the KU100 dummy head recording:
- I know for a fact that Neumann KH80 measures the best out of all the studio monitors in this comparison. In fact it's objectively one of the flattest-sounding compact studio monitors so it immediately becomes my reference, and it's pretty much reflected in this comparison: it sounds the most balanced, all the sound information is there and well-presented, including the flaws, while nothing is exaggerated. Definitely my personal pick if I have a subwoofer (and a budget to match 😂).
- ADAM T7V sounds the most pleasant, with a broad little scoop spanning from lower-mid frequencies to about 1 kHz, taking a bit of mud and boxiness out of the mix, meaning we hear as if the bass, high-mids, and treble are slightly elevated but still smooth thanks to the AMT tweeter. Probably not the best for critical listening / mixing, but I imagine it sounds great for everything else.
- Kali LP6 lacks air and treble, as if there's a high-shelf attenuation at frequencies above 8 kHz. It might help reduce fatigue during long sessions, but I imagine the mixes coming out of those would be a tad bright and airy.
- JBL 3 Series MkII sounds very similar to the LP6, but with a bit more air and treble that the LP6 lacks. Overall pretty well-balanced sound, considering the price. I've heard loads of good things about them as well.
- KRK Rokit 5 sounds surprisingly pleasant while maintaning a good balance, with a noticeable treble boost. Might be better than the T7Vs for work due to the more neutral lower-mids.
- PreSonus Eris Studio 5 tries to sound pleasant, but it's sadly not. Listening to them is like seeing something with a hole in the middle. Too much missing information from the lower-mids all the way up to upper-mids & low-highs, way too coloured. It sounds like a literal 'smile' EQ curve, which can be pleasant if subtle, but it's not. I have the 1st-gen Eris 4.5 as well with similar issues, looks like PreSonus hasn't fixed it, unfortunately. I really wanted them to make great-sounding monitors because my favourite DAW is Studio One.
- As for AIAIAI Unit 4, yeah, no 😅. Can't say anything positive about the sound for obvious reasons. It does look the cleanest without the grill, in my opinion, but you don't really buy studio monitors for the looks. Avoid unless you really have to get them for some reason.
In conclusion, if I'm using them for work, I'd pick these in order from best to worst: Neumann KH80, JBL 3 Series MkII, KRK Rokit 5, ADAM T7V, Kali LP6, PreSonus Eris Studio 5, AIAIAI Unit 4.
If I'm using them for leisure, from best to worst in order: ADAM T7V, KRK Rokit 5, JBL 3 Series MkII, Neumann KH80, Kali LP6, PreSonus Eris Studio 5, AIAIAI Unit 4.
These are of course my opinion using my system, so feel free to express otherwise. In fact, let's discuss!
@@raykrislianggi Great review! Thanks for the detailed description!
Great response. I listened first, then saw this. I pretty much agreed on your response on first listen. It was close between the Neumann and the Adams. I thought Adams at first, but became convinced by the end the Neumann's just sounded a bit more natural. Thought the KRK sounded good but I'd find them too bright and make bassy mixes probably. Happy with how JBL stood up - they are what I have here. Surprised by the PreSonus, thought they'd be better tbh. But those AIAIAI, what the hell? Not at all what you'd want to work with for music production in any way whatsoever. Don't think I'd choose them for leisure listening either tbh
I´m totally agree. Neumann was indeed most balanced. Adam close by. But the top is too smooth for critical work. So people with bright speaker will hate the mix.
I was listing on my audio setup with Dantax Utopia 7 (seas excel in closed cabinet and 6db filter) run by Gold Note with newest Class D GaN tech and AKM dac. Around 20.000 euro setup.
Didn't like the Neumanns, they sounded nasal and muddy to me.
First off I would have loved this test more, if all speakers/Drivers (at least the woofers - to be more fair) were of the same size. That being said, if this was an apples to apples comparison based on price then I will forgo the size requirement. Thank you for even doing a test like this. Always a pleasure. Now onto my opinion (No one cares, but I'll give it just as well)
#1 - KRK ROKIT 5 G5 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Best overall, Most open sounding, best midrange definition, heard details that ALL the other speakers missed.
#2 - ADAM Audio T7V 7 inch Powered Studio - Best Low end 7" driver will do that. I was surprised that the high end wasn't louder overall. Smooth.
#3 - Neumann KH 80 DSP 4 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Nice details, missing the low end of the other speakers but still held its own.
#4 - JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Mediocre Nothing special, nothing offensive.
#5 - PreSonus Eris 5BT 5.25-inch Powered Bluetooth Studio Monitors - 2nd Generation - Lacking definition, Muddy. kind of rubbish.
#6 - Kali Audio LP-6 V2 6.5-inch Powered Studio Monitor - Were these covered by a BLANKET? seriously? These sounded terrible. Muted and dull. ICK.
#7 - AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor - OMG my ears NOTHING could sound worse than these...see below!
#8 - AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ Powered Studio Monitor "WITH GRILL" - OMG its true these sound even worse! My ears will never recover SAVE ME! Never again...Painful make it stop! Please!
Adams were the standout for me here, based on my old ears and current listening environment. While this is very subjective, very much appreciate you taking the time to do this!
Adams and krk for me , the the AIAIAI suffered from not having the grills on and not being set on fire in a skip . lovely recordings !
LOL 'The AIAIAI suffered from not having the grills on and not being set on fire in a skip'
Best comment about the AIAIAI. I saw them reviewed on In The Mix and he didn't dare listen to them!! I suppose that's the difference between Engineers and influencers, the influencers will read the specs, the engineers will listen
LOL, true. Though the AIAIA might be saved with a subwoofer.
Thanks for sharing your opinion
@@christofdonat2702 Maybe they are supposed or better off paired with a subwoofer?
The JBL’s sound well balanced. The AIAIAI sound tinny and irritating. Great comparison. I didn’t expect to hear such clear differences on TH-cam 🎶🎵
It was pretty stark the differences
Those Rockit Gen 5s deserve a review! Thank you for your work and insight!!!
Without sub Rokit 7 G4 is even better. Had them before upgrading to V6S4 with 12" sub.
I've been on the same pair of KRK V8 for almost 20 years and the KRK in the video sounds like home to me. They're clear with a focused mid-range really helps to get the vocal right. And the top end is pleasant but really lets you know if you went too far.
If this helps anyone here, I have to say I'm SO happy with my Neumann KH120As + KH750 DSP subwoofer. With the MA1 alignment it's absolutely pristine! (both frequency and phase correction it sounds like). Works so well with my ears. I understand that it may not work well with other people's ears, though. However, it's massively improved my skill in mixing and mastering over the past few years.
Thanks so much for doing the comparison Warren. Perfect video for this kind of thing; something that's well needed. :) Hearing monitors vs other monitors in the same room without any correction is so useful to judge the difference in characteristics that may work with one's own ears. Often, people buy monitors without knowing what they sound like (something I did haha! - lucky, though!). This demo really does help. Reading written reviews of monitors can only go so far.
Thanks again! Jim.
Can confirm.
@PrincipalAudio
Same setup. I'm not disappointed. ;)
I have the 1st gen Neumann KH120s, and though I don't have them aligned with MA-1, I did use SMAART and the onboard switches (and a homemade sub) to dial them in to my room. The detail and honesty of these speakers is ridiculous!
sold the kh120 after 5 years for nearly the same price i got them and went back to yamaha hs7....no difference in the mixing results
Thanks for sharing @PrincipalAudio
1-JBL 2-Adam TV7 3-Kali Audio
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
Every time the AIAIAI came on it took a minute to “reset” from the High Frequency Onslaught, jeez.
Please let me know your favourites! Will be great to assemble a little best of list! Thanks ever so much for sharing!
ADAM IS THE BEST, JBL FOR DE MONEY ITS GREAT, THE AIAIAIA SHOULD NOT BE IN THE LIST, ITS TO SHARP.
@@-bloodhound it was there because it was requested because a lot of TH-cam influencers have been demoing them and recommending them, so I was asked to add them for comparison.
Aiaiai is Too bright.
@@MichaelMitchell9969 best quote 'The AIAIAI suffered from not having the grills on and not being set on fire in a skip' LOL
There was a point in the 2nd song where I heard more detail and definition in the transients from the Presonus speakers. Really stood out to me.
This is excellent content, I'm very appreciative of your comparison method. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
I listened through a set of Beyerdynamic DT-900 ProX. My favourite pair of speakers was the ADAM T7V. Very balanced across the spectrum, exciting, comfortable and defined. I was a bit disappointed with the Kali, which sounded a bit muffled. Although they are also well balanced and defined, I was expecting them to be more engaging. The AIAIAI were painful to listen to. Thanks for the great comparison. There's very good value across the selection, with the exception mentioned. I feel more inclined towards the Adams after listening to this... my favourites until today were the Kali.
Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate it!
The clarity of the Neumann beats every speaker here. The reverb tails are and clear. The claps and snares are more present, while everything else(AIAIAI excluded) sounded like they had a low pass filter engaged. The bass is what you'd expect from a woofer that size. Top choice for me.
100% agree
I appreciate the amount of work and dedication you put on this and all the videos you do. Thank you!
My pleasure! Thank you very much
This is a good way to highlight the ‘differences’ between the monitors... though, of course, a re-mic’d recording, played though your own speakers, won’t define which is the most ‘flat’. They do vary widely, so perhaps the best thing is to settle for the ones with which you feel you could work long-term... and get to know how they translate across other systems... rather than hope for some ultimate ‘flatness’ they’ll never achieve.
The AIAIAIs did sound surprisingly terrible, though... are we all certain there wasn’t a problem while recording them..?
Of course, it's all about comparative and the points you've made I've made in many videos, however it's very important to me give everyone as much perspective as is possible on TH-cam!
You really said a mouthful there dude! Knowing how "the speakers" translate across multiple systems and really 'Learning" that is the key to whatever speaker you choose! I also like to use a bit of sonarworks reference 4.0 PFM for my setup as well! Gives me at least a great start! Blessings!
they did have a weird noice floor or.. seems odd like something else was causing noise in the room perhaps.
The Kali’s steal the show for me.
There is always something to glean from your videos, but man, this one... if I were starting right now and needed to look at affordable monitors, this would be a huge help. I will never buy those (happy with my Yamahas), I am just thanking you for the person who uses this and acts on it. Hats off Warren and crew
Aw shucks! Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it
Glad to be able to help!
I’m ok with my Yamahas but want to try to make this roy4 diy 3 ways. I’d really like a pair of those done right in a comparison video like this.
What size Yamaha's are you using!
@@sp3145 not sure if that was for me or the guy that just commented on his Yamahas... Mine are the 5-in drivers. Very flat and clear
Thanks Warren, it is a fantastic idea. I learnt a lot about the different monitors and was surprised by some, positively and negatively. My ranking differed between the 2 songs, but was the same with the the 2 mic setups.
Thanks for sharing David!
The aiaiai might be for the hearing impaired. 😂
Or the very highly paid on TH-cam? LOL Saw a lot of videos on them when they came out saying how amazing they sounded, heard them once and was very confused
@@timbrown7652 LOL
😂😂😂
For my rather uneducated ears, they actually made the comparison of the other speakers much harder: there was a jarring change when moving from the AIAIAI speakers to ANY of the others that, for a few seconds, made the other speakers sound horribly muddy before you realised just how awful the AIAIAI speakers were. IMO, obviously...
@@philrichards7240 ..the AIAIAI speakers still suck...
Wow! What a great video. A lot of work went into that. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
This is likely the best representation of a “Real World”experience. Based on this test I liked the Kali’s. Thank you PLAP!
Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate it
Appreciate this test Warren. I've got kali LP8, IN5 & presonus eris studio 8 in my studio and I'm glad that I'm hearing the difference in my studio between kali and presonus that I do when I listen to the dummy head recordings on my headphones.
I hate to admit it but the Neumanns are the best in my book.
However the LP6 runs the neumann close neutrality wise. It's just that kali's lack of transient response and low end control can't compete with more expensive speakers. Without detailed transient response everything starts to kind of mesh together and you struggle to decipher placement and panning as well. But I will say out them all, the kali's were the closest to the neumann.
Adam T7V has that horrible unnatural hyped sound in the top end that makes them sound a little scooped. I've heard this on other tests as well. You won't make good mixing decisions on them. They are almost too hifi to mix on in my opinion. Low end doesn't really fill out and there's a lot of placebo going on at first due to the top end lift, the cymbals are almost fighting with the vocals a bit on the fray record and many may think at first they prefer the hyped sound but mixing on them they'll definitely becoming fatiguing.
Presonus has the most low end but the least controlled. Not as hyped in the top as Adam but still doesn't have the neutrality of neumann. Good midrange detail and seperation but you would be fighting against that low end a lot where Neumann is super tight.
AIAIAI.. Don't bother asking me for details, we all know why we wouldn't touch these with a bargepole for mixing haha
JBL I was surprised with. I would chose Kali over JBL as the low end just has near to no definition. Just swamps out. Decent monitors though but I felt kali were more neutral and controlled overall
Krk rokits, grew up on them, had 5, 6 then 8. Sound pretty damn tight in your room which is what I used to like about them but I'm reminded of that "tuned sound" they have. Nowhere as hyped as Adam but they would get fatiguing after a couple hours. I never found they translated that well to other systems cause they sounded punchy and a bit bright stock. Only go down to like 43-45hz so you may end up pushing the low end more than the others to accommodate.
Out of them all both records sounded best out of the neumanns. They made both records sound as I would expect them to sound if that makes any sense. The records sounded accurate and I dont hear any issues, which should be the case especially considering these 2 specific tracks.
That's my 2 cents 🤘
The Neumann's do sound great! However, they are three times the price of others here
@@Producelikeapro yeah very true. Would have been interesting to throw in the IN5 so you could compare the difference with LP & IN. But then it wouldn't be necissarily apples for apples as its 3 way vs 2 way. Hopefully there are more like these coming because having your room with the dummy head is a very valuable resource. Would be great to start throwing up focals, atc, Mum's, genelec, tannoy, pmc, barefoot, ex machina, Kii, PSI.. The list is endless Warren!!
Thanks for the extremely detailed response! We love that about you Paul!
Thank you so much for this. For me is Adam, Kali, Neumann and Presonus.
Same for me. Neumann sounded great but are the most expensive by far. Thought Kali, Adam, Presonus and JBL all performed really well
You're very welcome!
You're very welcome!
Neumann's and Kali's sound the best to be :3 ❤
yes. perfect shootout. I am finished tracking my first album in 25 years and plan to upgrade monitors for the final mixdown. The preview single and video is already done but I feel like I leaned harder on headphones for mixing that. Thanks for this, great timing.
Neumann was the clear fave but I can adjust to most things if I know the room and material. I have some fancy in ears that the company has given me and nothing competes with them for dialing in high end detail. I get the cymbals etc. sorted out super fast with them and then I put them away till the mix is nearly done so most of these darker speakers would work fine still like the LP 6, Adam, Eris etc. The in ears are like an electron microscope for details... speakers are more realistic.
Good luck. Sounds really exciting!
Warren: Great service to your viewer community. Thank You! I liked the Adams best, but pay no attention to me as I'm an old geezer.
Thanks for sharing! Of course your opinion matters! No matter how old you are! Frankly there’s no substitute for acquired knowledge
I absolutely love the range sharpness of the Kali's. Their sonic definition are excellent and probably more true to your current acoustics (without integrated Room EQ treatment I mean). Very nice surprise in this shootout. Cant wait to see the Kali's IN-8 v2's. Well done for the tests, this helps a lot the community to decide which are their favorite(s)🙏
Thanks Carlos!
The ADAM or NEUMANN hands down, AIAIAI last
Thanks for sharing!
The Neumann's are the most expensive by far, however it was great to try them out alongside the others!
I went with Neumanns kh120, because Zzounds let me make payments, and they’re the first pair (of 5 sets) that translated really well. I mix through a console, and their because of their DSP room correction in the speaker itself, it was the first time I’d been able to use such a thing.
Me tpp
Two things that really surprised me. 1: The Kali's were a lot darker than I was expecting and 2: The KRK's sounded a lot better than I was expecting.
Interesting, I realise that any speaker that comes after the AIAIAI sounds very dark! I would suggest downloading the multi tracks and comparing for yourself!
@@Producelikeapro I will. Thank you.
Exactly!
@@maysonstorm4956 perfect
I agree.
KALI
Neumannm
Adam
in that order.
Thanks for sharing!
Amazing how different all of these sounded. This just reinforces how “knowing” your monitor’s is so important, more important than them “sounding” great. 🧐
Please do this again with next tier monitors!!! Great video!
Thanks ever so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
I listened to the Kali LP6’s through headphones and I agree they were dark (too bassy). However, I listened to the same track from Amazon music through my set of Kali’s and that low end wasn’t as strong. I have the opposite problem - What sounds good through the Kali’s is often too bassy in my car compared to radio mixes.
Likely more of a room issue than the speaker itself. Good change your listening position is in a null. If that's the case, you're likely to compensate by boosting lows that don't need to be boosted.
Taught me more about my worn out ears than anything. Listened with a 13” IPad flat on a wood table.My choice of JBLs (monetary) showed me their strengths and limitations .
It's interesting how I like different speakers depending on what's going on musically in certain parts of the song and a few seemingly sound very similar to each other...at the end of the day...it's about the song but from an audio professional perspective listening through great sounding speakers makes all the difference in the world to the song...music is purely amazing😁
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
Damn son, those KRKs are spittin some purity through my cheap HD280s. Legend has it... if you say AI three times in a row, the worst speaker you've ever heard will show up and ruin your mix.. grill or no grill. Thanks again Warren.
I listened with my modded Drop 58X phones, and the KRKs really struck me as being very balanced.
Thank you for the demo.
You're very welcome!
Great comparison video. It really highlights the difference between each speakerbrand. Thanks Warren
Glad you think so!
I’ve had stock speakers that came with a Dell tower in the late 90’s that sound better than those AIAI things
LOL yeah a lot of youtube influencers have been pushing them
Now I have listened on my VERY good Sony in-ears. The absolutely best sounding I think is KRK. Well rounded sound with good high`s. It also sounds wider. Second must be ADAM Audio. Now....the worst is the AIAIAI. There is absolutely no mids or lows in them! The rest sound like they`re muffled. I think the winner is KRK 😀
amazing. i never would have guessed that! that all sound very similar other than ayeayeaye
Oopppsss...misspelled..
My Thoughts too
Awesome comparison! Thanks for putting the work.
You’re very welcome
Excellent idea!. Very useful.
Thanks ever so much!
I think the key to takeaway from this, is the importance of knowing the monitors that you mix and maybe master on.
Everything is relative. If I listen on my AirPods, everything else sounds bass heavy. If I listen on my Sonos One SL, everything else sounds bass light. It’s all relative. Whilst it’s important to listen on different systems, you need to have one you know and trust that translates to others. The AIAIAI sounded terrible on my phone, but I am sure there is someone out there creating killer mixes on these.
Eris 5 is a fantastic Cost-Benefit! Adam is the best, Ai Ai Ai is to open for my taste, KRK is the best Client Sound for a 5 inches cabinet!
I sat down down to this video and prepared to go to war. My critical listening skills all tingly... What a diverse sounding group of monitors. Neumann, JBL, Kali, and KRK were close... not the same, but all with the usual 400Hz push, and I am a JBL fanboy for "home audio". KRK rocked the box for sound vs. dollar per my opinion, in that arena. The Presonus were a bit (I am trying to be generous) woofy. 200Hz anyone...? If you mix too bright, the AIAIAI's would TOTALLY help that. For anyone else, just ear fatigue waiting to happen... within 5 minutes. Then the Adam's showed up, and the clouds parted... the right punch of bass, highs were clean but not crispy, and the mids had all that weight, and not too much low mid woof.
I really appreciate your efforts on this video. Such a great show of diverse moitors, mixes, mics, and placements. You guys ROCK!
Thanks Erik for your great comment!
Just a note. The links below the video describe a PreSonus Eris 5BT, i believe the speaker being used was an Eris studio 5.
Nice video by the way, very informative (As always, great channel). Was very surprising, I did not expect so much difference between speakers coming over a TH-cam video, would have loved to see a HS5 thrown in the mix as well :). For me the KRK was the winner here. Cheers!
Kali + Neumann, Adam Audio, Presonus
Thanks for sharing
Please make this with more expensive speakers as well.
Definitely! This was fun to do!
@Producelikeapro Please do one with the Focal Shape Twins vs similar.
They are BY FAR my favorite monitors, but I'd love to see a shootout, and see if I still feel the same.
@@Producelikeapro Genelec vs Focal?
@@Producelikeapro ATC scm12pro, scm25mk2, PMC 6/6-2/8-2, Kii 7/3, PDP mum8, Neumann kh310/kh420, PSI A21-M/A23-M
@@Producelikeapro Genelec Focal + Dynaudio please ))
Adam Audio the no. 1 for me...
That's crazy, they sound awful, very muddy and the vocals sound like they are covered by a blanket, I'm listening on very high end 3-way monitors
@@MisticDW Just my taste...
@@volkiruski1221you’re not alone.
I like the Adams best as well, great sound!
Adams are phenomenal. I try different near fields and end up putting the Adams back in play. It’s a warm comfortable place to be.
Had a set of KRK Rocket 7 for about 2 years now. Just started using Sornarworks SoundID Reference. Transforming them in to something I really enjoy. The feeling of, I can't waite to try this out feeling has not go away using this combo. SSL12 is good too.
All sounded great, but the Neumann to me sounded the flattest, I mean, the bass response was there, the mids were present, the high mids as well, and the top end was also there not being harsh. The others that did like me were the Adams and the Kalis. The Presonus also sounded great.
The Germans 😂😂😂
Thanks for the incredible shootout. I found the Earthworks setup to translate better than the dummy head. It's a great way to get an idea of what the sound profile is like. Especially if you've heard 1 or 2 irl. Waiting for the next one ;)
Great idea! I hope you will also compare high budget speakers like Focal, ATC or Barefoot.
Neumann KH80 sound best to me.
Yes, they are great! Three times the price of sone of these, however I wanted to be fairly broad with the comparison
Have the Kali's I like them , the Adam's sounded nice ,nearly brought them over the Kali's ,but happy with kali's anyway for the price sounds great. Interesting hearing all the speaker like this.
Thanks ev er so much for sharing!
Great video! Love it!
Thanks ever so much!
I'd be happy with either the NEUMANN or ADAM speakers myself. I think they were both very tonally balanced and sounded more natural than the others, to these ears anyway.
The this most surprising thing to me the most is I how much difference there is between the speakers. What I also found interesting was that I expected the Nuemann to have more clarity in the upper mids. For my ears, I like the Adams. Kali was a close second for me, but there was just a bit of nasal-ness I couldn't get over.
Thanks ever so much for sharing Ed! You Rock!
Thank you! Love these type of videos❤ however I would also love to hear several various styles of music + see measurements (such as frequency response and decay time etc) + I’m waiting for anyone to do a shootout video of different speaker brands paired with the subwoofer + calibration mic from the same brand like Neumann, Genelec, MTM etc. all recorded with this expensive neumann head mic in a well treated room to compare sound and measurements between the brands :)
Well, obviously there's no such thing as "neutral" sounding monitors, despite every manufacturer's claims of theirs being "neutral" and the most accurate.
I wonder if it's worth redoing this shootout using calibration software for each monitor to see if this will make each monitor more "neutral" in this particular environment, and then compare the differences. I'm taking it for granted that there was no calibration done.
Great shootout though. 👍🏻
Thank you Warren
I'd be marvelously pleased if that comparison had included the Yamaha HS5's. I liked Adam's T7V, but thats a 7" speaker, so it's something that would be expected. Thanks!
This was just our first time! We will do more for sure!
The Yamaha's are great, good flat response. Had Eris before them and they were OK, bit bass heavy, but died after about one year. I may have just been unlucky though. Now use HS5s and love them
Yes, very surprised not to see Yamaha HS5.
@@Producelikeapro Q. Is car audio a consideration in pro-music production? I do so much research and mix-listen-backs while commuting. I wondered if studios set-out popular car configs?
The HS5's sounds more like the AIAIAI's then any other speakers here. Very revealing to the point of annoying.
The Adam T7V's and Neumann KH80's were the best to my ears. The Presonus and JBL's would come in second. Kali's were a little too bassy, KRK's were a little too scooped, and the AIAIAI's sounded terrible. I work with a pair of Adam T7V's, and based on what I heard in this video, I remain very pleased with that choice!
Maybe one of the AiAiAis is phase flipped ???
Same here, I also work on Adams, T8V's though. My ranking would be the same as yours except I like the xtra bass from the Kali's, I'd swap the presonus and the Kali's.
However I think there's a place for the AI's. I've been looking for bright and annoying monitors to mix more on the dark side of the frequency spectrum.
But in general i'm amazed how far monitors have gone! The prices to performance ratio for a lot of models shown here is amazing!
@@andreirlmeier Cant you hear a negative phase? ... No, they are not.
Comparing sonics on a speaker while listening to another speaker/phones (or room) to me is like pouring red and white wine in a glass and asking how one or the other tastes. Cool idea though...best done in person in a tuned room. My 2 cents. Love your channel.
Agree, and you also need to work with them to see how the respond to level adjustments, compression, eq, etc.
Thank you for the immense time and effort that must have gone into making this video. My conclusion, I wouldn't swap my monitors for any of those featured. I own and use the Kali 3 ways and it took me a while to acclimatise to how much less info they reveal compared to my main monitors. Once I dialed them in properly they really opened up however, expecting them to have that pristine precise upper mids and low treble that the more esoteric designs have is still in the "wishful" category. Although they do sound rather crude, the "Old Macdonald" speakers actually made the best stab at that tonal balance. I'm sure you could learn to work with all these though, just don't expect miracles.
Green Mountain State is a phenomenal mix
Thanks ever so much Keith!
That is quite a bit of effort, thank you!
Listened to them with my Hifiman Sundara headphones individually calibrated by Sonarworks. Also checked out using my KRK V6S4 with S12.4 subs calibrated by Dirac Live in my treated studio.
All that said the most natural sounding speakers to me were Adam. Also liked KRK and JBL. A pity you didn't use the Rokit 7 G4. That would be more comparable to the Adam T7. Aboslutely didn't like AIAIAI, Neumann, and Presonus.
I wonder how big a difference running Sonarworks or Dirac would have. There was a brittleness to the Rokit 5 G4 that I never heard on the Rokit 7 G4, which I had before upgrading to V6S4.
Is this room properly treated?
Yes, this room was designed by Jay Kaufmann and is one of two identical rooms side by side, one is rented out to Steven Slate because he needed the flattest room he could find in Los Angeles and this was it!
The KH80s, JBLs and LP6s all sounded similar. I'd say LP6 had a bit more bottom end. The JBLs and Neumann's were the most balanced. I would say the JBLs had just a bit more clarity.
The AIAIAI were very harsh sounding - especially listening with headphones.
KRK or the Neumann's, IMHO. I happen to own the KH 80's with the KH 750 subwoofer, so I'm a little bit biased.
I'd love to hear the Focal Solo6 Be and IK Multimedia Precision series in a shootout.
Over all, I think, monitor wise, via the sound demo, the Kali's and JBL's take it by a narrow margin.. had to edit this as I changed my mind lol
Between these two I couldn't decide
Yes, they are over 1k, probably a little unfair compared top the others! However, that's a reason to do this! I have my favourites however, that's for me to keep quite about! This video is all about finding your favourites!
Wow!! I didn't expect the KRK sounds so close to the Neumann.
I couldn't believe my eyes so I close them and use my ears
The Neumann and KRK (listening on Focal Alpha Twin Evo ) were the only ones worth spending your money on .
The JBL’s sounded the most rounded and balanced to my ears.
The Neumann’s and KRK’s were also good.
Adam’s sounded a bit too bass heavy which they are. I own that exact same pair
Thank you for this this is fantastic.
Thanks ever so much
Thank you.I l especially like the way you break up the order of every single recording,If I scroll down the page without watching the video,I can hardly get the right answer of which is which.
Thanks ever so much!
To be honest, they all sounded pretty decent... with one exception haha. I own the LP6's which I like a lot. Liked the clarity in the top end of the Adams. I'm listening through headphones btw (Beyer 990 pro). Thanks for this awesome video!!
Warren, thank you, cool idea and great execution. Though everyone should audition monitors live, this was very useful for hearing the differences. I vote KRK first followed by Neumann. I have Focal 55s in my studio and I like them, but I think I'll go check out the KRKs and Neumanns sometime soon. Thanks again
The AIAIAI was super tinny sounding at first but then you start to hear greater detail in that midrange like alot , that's a great video very useful thank you. It would gave been cool to throw ns10s in just for reference maybe less frequently but would have also been interesting to compare
Ahh the "Fritz" mic!.......that's the affectionate nickname it got from an LA rental Co. I rented it numerous times. Very cool mic!
Interesting test......some of them sounded very similar, and some had that more "hyped" sound. Was very disorienting to have those AIAIAI's before anything. I know the Kali's very well and they are not particularly dark speakers. But after the AIAIAI's !!, whoa!!!. I needed to take a moment, pause the video, then come back and listen to the Kali's, just to make sure my ears weren't freaking out!. I've never spent any time with those JBLs. They sound pretty nice, and in the same ballpark as the Kali's.
The Adam's are nice, and if you can get used to that ribbon tweeter they could be your one set of mons. I think the AIAIAI's could be very useful as a second or third pair for referencing. Crank those up to see if anything in the 1k-5k range is out of control.
Thank you, Warren, for this very helpfull video! Would've loved to have seen a pair of Genelecs, Yamahas and Beringer Truths (just for the heck of it) on the list! Judging by what I hear, the Adams (and maybe the Neumanns) are the only pair I would consider buying, the rest are pretty useless as main monitors in a half-decent studio setup. I've been using vintage JBLs and Isophons paired with vintage Luxman and Normande amps. I spent a lot of time and effort hunting for these exceptionaly musical sounding pieces. Nothing under $2000 comes even close to what I hear in my mixing position. Cheers
I've had a pair of the Gen 1 KRKs forever, and my ear is very used to them (I understand each subsequent generation has improved - the ones in the shootout are Gen 4s). I've been considering picking up a pair of the Adams, and this might help cement that thought.
I think presonus is the best sound for the $ here. Aiaiai is hands down aweful
Thanks for sharing!
@Producelikeapro
It's all thanks to you for the video Warren
I find the Neumann KH80 to be the most balanced, although the Kali and JBL monitors are also very enjoyable, especially for vocals. The two monitors, while less balanced than the Neumann, had a greater emphasis on mid/bass and mid frequencies, making the vocals slightly more prominent compared to the Neumann. The Adam monitors are also nice. However, the PreSonus monitors, although they have a good tone, sound a bit muddy, as if everything is pushed back.
I would most likely go for the Neumann. Otherwise, I would consider the Kali and Adam monitors. Of course, they should be listened to in person, but this gives you a general idea of how the monitors perform. Thanks for the video!
These are all fairly budget monitors. I’d love to hear $2000.00-$4000.00 range compare. But the JBL’s were a stand out for me. The Neumann’s were the flattest and most focused. But that can get really boring. The Kali’s were very nice second for me. Presonus was a bit lifeless. Two were annoying as heck don’t remember the names but, you know the ones… haha. Thx for this!
When the Neumanns sound "boring", the music is boring and the speakers only do their job.
@@karlwanninger7675 I'm judging from what I'm hearing! So, you're telling me, this mix is boring? Typical of a person who wants only answers he likes.
@@richlodato106 The Neumann speakers are monitors to work on sound and therefore they are as neutral as possible. So if your mix sounds "boring" through them, your mix has a problem, not the speakers.
As I have stated. I’m listening to this video and making judgement. What don’t you get?
@@richlodato106 You should ask this question to yourself.
Great video. Please, next time, put some sections of the track running directly from the protools (without the room and speakers)
Sensacional, ótimo vídeo! Que venham mais comparações 🙏
I have to be honest really shocked by the performance of the KRK, they actually hold their own and sound decent !. But the winner in my opinion is the JBL and the Neumann. A mix would translate well in those.
Haha they sounded great! As did quite a few others! I’m not surprised by them or others at all!
On a side note and cowardly avoiding choosing any of them, in reading through a bunch of posts here, there's a pattern;.. everyone likes something different. LOL. A couple two or three speakers popped up a bit more perhaps?,.... but basically, if you learn to mix on most of these - that's probably the good one. I have krk's but they don't make me jump for joy. They're a tool and the mixes do translate when I use them. That's their job! People still mix on ns10s after all. Most of the time these days, it's auratone in mono part time and my headphones along with a plug-in or two the rest. Probably why my hearing isn't so good anymore and why I wouldn't pick a speaker choice here. Another good one and thanks for the work on this. We know this took a fair amount of time. Cheers. 👍
I am astonished as how close this test reflects what I heard on an ab test at thomann. I didn't hear all of the monitors, but the kali, krk, Adam, kh80, presonus.
And I hear the same differences. And I feel doubled to my decision. 3 of them I feel I could work with, one I bought.
Always great fun. For me listening on my Yamaha HS7s, the most balanced and clearest overall seemed to be the JBL's and Adams. With these ancient ear drums I couldn't tell much difference. The others felt duller relatively to different degrees. Other than the AIAIAIs, which hurt my brain - haha! So price wise, I would choose the JBLs. But for now I'm quite happy with what I have in this current environment.
Ok from what i can hear on my headphones is the AIAIAI UNI 4 without the grill have what i would think the ns10 hump is, quite obnoxious yet actually quite detailed and wide. Absolutely want to leave the grill off. Though i highly doubt you would want to do more than an hour of work on them cause they are quite brutal. The Neumannns KH80 are quite pleasing i feel you could listen to them all day without fatigue. Those 2 would be my setup side by side.
I was surprised but I think it’s the KRKs followed by the Adams. They both seem to have pleasant mids. I had those JBLs and I returned them. No mids and weak bass. Sad to see my Mackie MR652s were not in this shoot out. Lol.
I just ordered a pair of MR824s after my HR824s died after 20yrs of "dedicated service" lol. Quick question if you do mind. I ordered the MRs because I am more of a hobbyist now and can't justify to my wife spending $3500 for a set of monitors nowadays. My question is, how long have you had your MR652s and how are they holding up as I've heard they aren't built to last very long. Thanks.
jbls have tons of bass extension. there was definitely something wrong with your room where you had lows cancelation
@@kevinstarofficial You might have been correct about the room but still didn’t change the fact the mids were kind of missing too. The highs on JBLs sounded great though.
@@maysonstorm4956 I’ve had them for 4 years and so far they are doing just fine. They are $500/pr so not sure if I expect them to last 20 years but I do like their sound.
@@marksaxon yes, mids might not be perfect
Great review. Thank you very much PLAP. Nr one for me was the JBL’s, second the Adams and last the AIAIAI.
Thanks for sharing
i wonder the criteria in the measurement scheme, in order to extract a improvement fron the example, in 1) price,2)connectivity options,3)design perspective and thanks for everything!
Warren! Please can you do this for high end monitors? No one is doing it like you are 👌🏼 love it
ATC25a, ATC45, ATC50, quested V2108, PSI, Focal Trio11be, Amphion two15’s and two18’s
Would be incredible 🙏🏼
The Adam's and the Neumann's sounded best to me. But I think I would buy the Adams. REAL easy on the ears.. I know accuracy is what counts when mixing, but I could do long sessions on those! !