[Huck]

Hi: Just wondering if anyone here is using the 'pro' powered speakers, the likes of JBL Eon's or maybe Mackie 450,or QSC K-12 etc. I heard an Italian speaker called RCF Art 315A which has a 15" woofer,1"tweet with 300 watts to the bottom and 50 to the top. I only heard the one and the dealer had the clip light flashing pretty  and it sounded pretty good for being so loud. I am thinking of getting two to be used for my new two-channel. Will the line-out on my Copland c.d. player be enough to get these speaks movin,or will I have to buy a mixer or pre-amp. Any other makes,or models I should look at,no more than 2k$ tops? Thanks,Keith

[Huck]

Guess not! Thanks,Huck

[mix4fix]

I believe some people might use pro studio monitors for smaller setups; but, I don't believe they would use the big boys.

I would stick to a decent integrated amp/2-channel amp w/some decent speakers; for $2K, you can find something something (especially in the used market).

[Huck]

Thanks! I did all that with the integrated,floor speaks...i want to try something different.I have a tube headphone amp also. Thanks

[konut]

The Yorkville U15P Unity Loud Speaker gets some good buzz. A visit to a Musicians Friend or Guitar Center would give you a good overview of what is available in the live sound/ studio powered monitor category.

[Huck]

Yeah! Gonna check that one out!

[django11]

I don't know a thing about these.  They are soon to be released. http://www.tweakcityaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2854

[dubkarma]

Not much action on this topic, but I thought I'd throw in a comment since pretty much all I've used for years for domestic listening is professional monitors. I won't comment on the passive monitors I use, since that's not the topic.

For about five years I've used a fairly rare Tannoy powered speaker, the AMS-12A. It uses a version of Tannoy's 12-inch dual concentric driver with 2 x 180 Wrms (@8 ohms) power amps plus an electronic crossover in each 70 litre cabinet. These speakers were only produced for a few years (circa 1998-2001) and retailed for around US$7500/pr.

They don't have the ultimate "slam" and SPL capability as my dual-15-inch passive Tannoy System 215 MK II, but they're probably the best overall speaker I've heard.

I've also ordered a pair of the Barefoot Sound MicroMain 27s, which for the past few years have been attracting a lot of attention in pro audio circles. There's a minimum four month wait time, though, so I may not get them until the spring.

[Huck]

I ended up going with a pair of Yamaha DXR10 powered speaker tops and a RCF powered sub.....sounds pretty good to me. Thanks,Huck

[konut]

That should sound killer. Which model RCF sub did you get?

[Huck]

That should sound killer. Which model RCF sub did you get?

I have the RCF 902 AS ... 12" driver and crossing over at 80hz.Thanks,Huck

[EddyAtToronto]

The PA speaker you mention are not refined for audiophile purpose. However, I do have experience using Studio Monitor (the one used by recording engineer to produce records) with great result. The only difference is they are Near Field, meaning you are suppose to sit close to it instead of putting them on the other end of the room.

[Steven Stone]

Look at Spatial Audio. Spatial uses pro drivers made specially for them, but their designs are all based on compression drivers and horns coupled with pro 12" and 15" woofers.

[guest61169]

I've used Yamaha HS8 powered monitors in my listening room but I'm not convinced that an accurate frequency response is what everyone wants especially with the poor quality of much source material.  I moved them up to the "movies" system and they are happy there.

In their place in the listening room I now have 12" JBL Pro passive PA speakers and a powered Yorkville pro sub.  No they are not as refined as some of the audiophile speakers I've had down there including Magnepans, Vandersteens, etc., but never had so much fun.  I can listen all day and still be engaged even listening to stuff like Led Zeppelin which can sound too raw on "refined" speakers.   

I think the word "refined" can mean different things to different people.  There are lots of speakers that many audiophiles might consider refined but when asked to play some music at high levels can sound harsh and compressed.  To me that sounds "unrefined".   Or they only sound good with Chesky, Reference Recordings, Sheffield, etc.  Some of my favorite music does not meet the Reference Recordings standard and I still need to be able to listen to it without cringing.  So dialed the resolution down a bit.   They still sound great with the best recordings though.  But not as bad when listening to recordings less than the best.  A fair trade for me.   They cruise along without breaking a sweat at levels that would bend or break most audiophile speakers. 

[ZAKski288]

Take a look
http://jtrspeakers.com/home-audio/noesis-215rt

[djEmpire]

This is great topic. RCF drivers are one of the best I've used for passive DJ cabinet speakers and their powered ones are second to none. I personally use the KRK Rokit 10-3 for my studio set up. The sound stage sound like they are 3 times their price range. For powered speakers/price, can't go wrong with Mackie and KRK studios.

[JLM]

For desktop/small room use studio monitors are appropriate (add a sub as desired).  I'd like to point out that powered (like Audioengine) and active (like nearly all studio monitors) are different beasts.  Powered simply have amplifiers selected and built-in by the speaker manufacturer.  Active use a low powered crossover and one channel of amplification per driver (a far superior solution).

Large professional monitors are designed primarily to handle gobs of power and produce huge amount of sound pressure without thermal compression.  Sound quality is secondary.  Studio monitors are designed for working environments where accuracy is supreme versus home speakers that are meant primarily to entertain.

[Johnny2Bad]

I use a pair of M-Audio AV-40 powered monitors; a bit on the large side for desktop monitors but tolerable. Of course these aren't my main HiFi speakers, but they do OK.

4” polypropylene-coated driver and 3/4” ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeter; class AB amplifier 20 wpc @ 4 ohm impedance; "85~20 KHz" **, 2.7 KHz Xor (no slope information), 90 dB SNR A-weighted, 100 mV @ 10 Kohm unbalanced, 20 Kohm balanced input sensitivity (1x 2.5mm TRS unbalanced stereo phone input & 1x RCA pair unbalanced stereo input, 1x stereo pair balanced TRS 6.3mm phone jack input).

Headphone amplifier of unknown specification.

** No dB reference, so a useless specification. Maybe they meant to say 1 Hz to 1 MegaHertz +0, -130 dB.