[starfly]

Anybody here have the Tannoy Reveal 402? What are your thoughts on those? I'll soon be in the market for a very compact set of active monitors. Ideally I want a front firing bass port, as they'll be very close to a wall.

 

[taiz]

If the M-Audio M3-6's are anything like their bigger 8" siblings, they are worth serious consideration. Loud enough for pretty much any home application, self powered, and quite nice looking as well.
 
I got the 8s for my bedroom setup without actually realizing how big they are. They are really quite large and much louder than I need. I think I have the volume turned to 2 in the back of the speakers and use a DAC/amp to control volume, and it never goes more than 6/10 of the way. The 6s would probably have been the better choice.

 

[starfly]

  If the M-Audio M3-6's are anything like their bigger 8" siblings, they are worth serious consideration. Loud enough for pretty much any home application, self powered, and quite nice looking as well.
 
I got the 8s for my bedroom setup without actually realizing how big they are. They are really quite large and much louder than I need. I think I have the volume turned to 2 in the back of the speakers and use a DAC/amp to control volume, and it never goes more than 6/10 of the way. The 6s would probably have been the better choice.

 
thanks for the suggestion, but I fear they'll be way to big for the desktop setup I'm envisioning. And also these have rear-firing bass ports, which will sound horrible given that they'll be right up against a wall (only way my setup works).

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

Prices for the Tannoy Reveal 400 series are currently tempting. They were not expensive on release and have since fallen. There may be a good reason for that. So be sure to do though research and have a listen before purchase.
 
If small size really is vital you can find very high quality 4" speakers that go low(ish) and loud. Adam A3X, Eve SC204, Focal CMS40, Genelec 8020 etc but they tend to be more expensive than standard 5" designs.  So if you can stretch to an inch or so all round you need to be looking at JBL 305, Adam F5, Yamaha HS5, Mackie MR5, if you like house and techno KRK RP5 might be also be a good choice.
 
I think only the Adams are front ported but I wouldn't get over obsessed about that.. Using XLR or even 1/4" jacks will mean they will be 3" or so out from the back wall. Which is generally enough.

 

[starfly]

  Prices for the Tannoy Reveal 400 series are currently tempting. They were not expensive on release and have since fallen. There may be a good reason for that. So be sure to do though research and have a listen before purchase.
 
If small size really is vital you can find very high quality 4" speakers that go low(ish) and loud. Adam A3X, Eve SC204, Focal CMS40, Genelec 8020 etc but they tend to be more expensive than standard 5" designs.  So if you can stretch to an inch or so all round you need to be looking at JBL 305, Adam F5, Yamaha HS5, Mackie MR5, if you like house and techno KRK RP5 might be also be a good choice.
 
I think only the Adams are front ported but I wouldn't get over obsessed about that.. Using XLR or even 1/4" jacks will mean they will be 3" or so out from the back wall. Which is generally enough.

 
Thanks, appreciate your thoughts. I definitely plan on visiting a GuitarCenter soon and will give a few of these things a good listen.
 
The only criticism I've read on the Reveal 402 is that sometimes they suffer from noise even when there is no
input signal. So I'll definitely test for that.
 
Anyone have any experience with the Alesis Elevate 5?
 
Today my Schiit Magni 2 Uber will arrive which I'll use for driving whatever monitor I end up getting. Eventually I'll get a Modi 2 Uber as well, which should make for a nice desktop setup. I don't do any actual producing/mixing so the speakers are purely for enjoying music when I don't want to use a headphone.

 

[raghunath]

I know KRK 5" and 6" are covered, but I didn't see anything on 8". Whats your opinion on those? I have their 1st gen, and I like it so far. I got them used but in very good condition for $250. My reference point is not very good though - I generally listen to Indian Classical Music (Hindustani) and most of it is converted from vinyls and such, some of it is CD quality but no higher. I like that they are forgiving on that kind of music. You think they are overly warm?
 
Edit: I have a Ross Martin between my laptop and these.

 

[starfly]

   
Thanks, appreciate your thoughts. I definitely plan on visiting a GuitarCenter soon and will give a few of these things a good listen.
 
The only criticism I've read on the Reveal 402 is that sometimes they suffer from noise even when there is no
input signal. So I'll definitely test for that.
 
Anyone have any experience with the Alesis Elevate 5?
 
Today my Schiit Magni 2 Uber will arrive which I'll use for driving whatever monitor I end up getting. Eventually I'll get a Modi 2 Uber as well, which should make for a nice desktop setup. I don't do any actual producing/mixing so the speakers are purely for enjoying music when I don't want to use a headphone.

 
Just went to the local Guitarcenter to give a few speakers a test drive. They didn't have the Reveal 402, but they did have the 502.
 
Anyway, I've decided to go for the JBL LSR305. The Mackie MR5 sounded pretty good to, but a bit lacking in the bass department. And the JBL's just had a serious amount of bass for such small speakers. I was really surprised. The 502 just didn't really do it for me and I didn't like the Yamaha HS5 at all. I can see how they might be good for mastering a recording, but for just pure music enjoyment they sound kinda off.
 
Another bonus of the JBL is that you can trim the bass by 2dB (not a lot, but still something) using a switch on the back, so since they'll be fairly close to a wall it might help with reducing any boominess.

 

[cel4145]

Congrats on the speakers! A lot of people seem to find the LSR 305 a great buy at ~ $300.

 

[starfly]

Congrats on the speakers! A lot of people seem to find the LSR 305 a great buy at ~ $300.

 
Thanks. I haven't actually bought them yet, will probably do so next week. And they're a bit cheaper on Amazon at ~$130 a piece, so might just get them there instead.
 
Will also get a couple of Mopads for them and then I should be set to go!

 

[cel4145]

OK. Also check Sweetwater right before you buy. They have put them on special a few times in the last year: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305

 

[starfly]

OK. Also check Sweetwater right before you buy. They have put them on special a few times in the last year: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305

I will. Thanks!

 

[starfly]

  I will. Thanks!

 
Well, due to some goof I was able to get the JBL 305 brand new for $113 a piece! Good deal!! Should have them next week. Also went ahead and ordered the Schiit Modi 2 Uber. Already have the Magni 2 Uber. That should make for a very nice budget friendly setup!

 

[cel4145]

That's awesome! I bet it will all sound great.

 

[cel4145]

Oh, did you get the cables you need for connecting an unbalanced source to a balanced speaker input? Pretty sure you'll need those for the 305s.

 

[starfly]

Oh, did you get the cables you need for connecting an unbalanced source to a balanced speaker input? Pretty sure you'll need those for the 305s.

Yep got a set of RCA > 1/4" TS cables. Ordered them along with the speakers.