[Vasiliosn]

hello, i resently upgreaded from krk rokits 5 3rd gen to the focal alpha 50. i find the sound ok but also verry clinical. i understand that i like a warm and sound with emotions not clinical and analitical. i need your help for advice speakers which are warm any advice ?

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Vasilion,

First of all, nice upgrade to Focal Alpha 50 but not surprised you looking to upgrade already.

1st question, what kind of music you into and how good is the quality from your source ? Is it CD quality or higher?

2nd question, what is your budget for your next speaker pair? Still powered I presume, right?
By the way, this is highly subjective but it is possible to have clinical &/or analytical with warm emotional sound but then always depends on your source.

Good place to start is Genelec 8010, few others come to mind but depends on your budget.

Last thing, always try to demo speakers, especially always try to demo with your own music.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mr Rick]

Powered monitors are designed to be just that. Analytical. IMO you will have difficulty finding a warm set of powered speakers.

You might consider passive speakers and a small amp like the Emotiva A-100.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Mr Rick,

Not sure I agree with you on powered monitors designed to be just analytical but then it's subjective and price tag dependant.

This is just my humble opinion but I like to hear how much 'warm music' is produced on passive speakers & I mean pro grade variety, not consumer.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mr Rick]

Hi Mr Rick,

Not sure I agree with you on powered monitors designed to be just analytical but then it's subjective and price tag dependant.

This is just my humble opinion but I like to hear how much 'warm music' is produced on passive speakers & I mean pro grade variety, not consumer.

Hope this helps.

Professional powered monitors are designed to provide as little coloration to the signal as possible. I read "warm music" as a coloration that active monitors are
trying to avoid.

There are lots of passive speakers that provide a warmer presentation of music.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

hello, i resently upgreaded from krk rokits 5 3rd gen to the focal alpha 50. i find the sound ok but also verry clinical. i understand that i like a warm and sound with emotions not clinical and analitical. i need your help for advice speakers which are warm any advice ?

Studio monitors by nature aren't designed to be warm. They're as flat as possible and engineers tend to compromise on slightly stronger treble than weaker, that way engineers don't overcompensate for their mix and end up with a recording that will just be unbearably shrill on anything - headphones or speakers as measured in a good room - that doesn't measure any worse on the treble vs the low end than, say, the old LCD-2. If you wanted a warmer studio monitor that will be used more for playback at home than mixing, there was no better choice than what you had - that's why for anybody not using them for actual mixing I always recommend the KRK Rokit series.

That said, studio monitors have relative gain controls so you can weaken the gain on the tweeters' amp vs the midwoofes'. Did you try tweaking that yet? The Alpha 50 has two - one for the high pass and another for the low pass. Decease the gain on the high pass and increase the gain on the low pass. My Focal 165VR midwoofers and Vifa BC25TG tweeters are configured similarly on my car's processor and amplifier - preamp from the processor has -4dB on the tweeter and their amp is set to the lowest gain setting, while the midwoofers have 0dB on the preamp and their amp's gain setting is roughly at 11:00 on the dial. (Note that doing the opposite on the KRK tends to reveal their tweeters having a treble peak)

Also, how are they mounted? Are the tweeters below your ears and not angled? If they are you're not hearing the tweeters' output in sync with the midwoofers'. Set them on angled pads to tilt them backwards to equalize the path length from your ears to the midwoofers and to the tweeters.

Ideal position. Note how equal the red and maroon lines are.

Most desks. Note how much longer the maroon line is to the midwoofer.

Compromise if you can't install them on the wall or shelf higher than the desk. Note how they're roughly equal now, though the red line to the tweeters might end up slightly longer but that also depends on the angle of the platform and the height of your desk.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi,

Thanks ProtegeManiac,

Always value your input in the forums here, I hadn't even gone into speaker placement nor controls on powered speakers either so glad you brought it up first which often saves a lot of explaining.
So Vasiliosn, apologies, didn't realise spelt your username wrong before, as ProtegeManiac suggests, play with placement & controls on both monitors, especially the focal alpha 50, see if that changes anything enough for you to what you feel is right then go from there...

What I was going to say to Mr Rick just as a side note some descriptive terms used in audio are just as highly subjective as describing the sound to people who can't or won't demo for themselves whatever the gear or equipment they're interested in.

Personally and this is why it's subjective but when warm is used to describe sound means to me is more the feeling rather than what I can actually hear, as it makes me feel good with that 'warm, fuzzy' feeling more in with temperature than hear but I digress.

Hope this helps

 

[Vasiliosn]

Hi Vasilion,

First of all, nice upgrade to Focal Alpha 50 but not surprised you looking to upgrade already.

1st question, what kind of music you into and how good is the quality from your source ? Is it CD quality or higher?

2nd question, what is your budget for your next speaker pair? Still powered I presume, right?
By the way, this is highly subjective but it is possible to have clinical &/or analytical with warm emotional sound but then always depends on your source.

Good place to start is Genelec 8010, few others come to mind but depends on your budget.

Last thing, always try to demo speakers, especially always try to demo with your own music.

Hope this helps.

1 i like electornic music
2 400-500euro

i am looking the adam f 5 the new Mackie Mr624 with the 6 inch woofer which seams like a good deal and the denon sm50 because of the subsonic filter i like bass a lot. i ve read that the adam f5 has a warm sound from the woofer dont know if would be an upgrade from the focal alpha 50 that i have now but seams a lot promising the adams with the ribon tweeter. i listen only to you tube videos and some mp3 from time to time. i would prefer analitical sound but with some warmness

 

[Vasiliosn]

Studio monitors by nature aren't designed to be warm. They're as flat as possible and engineers tend to compromise on slightly stronger treble than weaker, that way engineers don't overcompensate for their mix and end up with a recording that will just be unbearably shrill on anything - headphones or speakers as measured in a good room - that doesn't measure any worse on the treble vs the low end than, say, the old LCD-2. If you wanted a warmer studio monitor that will be used more for playback at home than mixing, there was no better choice than what you had - that's why for anybody not using them for actual mixing I always recommend the KRK Rokit series.

That said, studio monitors have relative gain controls so you can weaken the gain on the tweeters' amp vs the midwoofes'. Did you try tweaking that yet? The Alpha 50 has two - one for the high pass and another for the low pass. Decease the gain on the high pass and increase the gain on the low pass. My Focal 165VR midwoofers and Vifa BC25TG tweeters are configured similarly on my car's processor and amplifier - preamp from the processor has -4dB on the tweeter and their amp is set to the lowest gain setting, while the midwoofers have 0dB on the preamp and their amp's gain setting is roughly at 11:00 on the dial. (Note that doing the opposite on the KRK tends to reveal their tweeters having a treble peak)

Also, how are they mounted? Are the tweeters below your ears and not angled? If they are you're not hearing the tweeters' output in sync with the midwoofers'. Set them on angled pads to tilt them backwards to equalize the path length from your ears to the midwoofers and to the tweeters.

Ideal position. Note how equal the red and maroon lines are.


Most desks. Note how much longer the maroon line is to the midwoofer.


Compromise if you can't install them on the wall or shelf higher than the desk. Note how they're roughly equal now, though the red line to the tweeters might end up slightly longer but that also depends on the angle of the platform and the height of your desk.

the speakers are at ear tweeter level just like the first picture and i have the gain switch of the tweeters all the way down to -3

 

[ProtegeManiac]

the speakers are at ear tweeter level just like the first picture and i have the gain switch of the tweeters all the way down to -3

If they're already that way I'd much rather just go back to the Rokit. Or try a consumer grade active speaker like the Swans M200 series.

 

[nvfan]

Hi Vasilion,
By the way, this is highly subjective but it is possible to have clinical &/or analytical with warm emotional sound but then always depends on your source.

Good place to start is Genelec 8010, few others come to mind but depends on your budget.

Genelec 8010/6010 like most Genelecs have slightly rising response from 1k onward rises, so it will actually tend to sound brighter than warmer.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I would just equalize the Focal speakers and call it a day. It's not difficult to raise the bass and trim the treble.

 

[Vasiliosn]

isnt the genelec too small speakers i am looking at least 5 inch.

 

[Vasiliosn]

I would just equalize the Focal speakers and call it a day. It's not difficult to raise the bass and trim the treble.

i cannot equalize the speakers because of the soundcard been for studio speakers and does not have eq options i have the tascam us2x2

 

[Music Alchemist]

i cannot equalize the speakers because of the soundcard been for studio speakers and does not have eq options i have the tascam us2x2

I'm not sure what you mean. All you need to do is use free parametric equalizer software on a computer.