Sound for Video Session: Thoughts on Near-field Monitors - Focal CMS 65, Shape 65, Solo6 Be
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
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In this week's Sound for Video Session I talk more about my search for the right near-field monitors for my post and mixing work. In that quest, I had a chance to listen to several more including those listed below. Still no final decision, but I’ve very tempted by the Focal Solo6 Be. My pocketbook is not quite so sure. :)
Links to gear we discussed or used to record this session:
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KRK Rokit 8 G3 Near-field Active Monitors
B&H: bhpho.to/2uM0e5j
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Focal CMS 65 - Same as the 40s but with 6.5 inch woofers and bass response that reaches a little lower on the spectrum. These are on closeout so a good time to buy if you’re in the market.
B&H: bhpho.to/2rmSbaj
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Focal Shape 65 - These are the newer versions of the CMS. Will be included in our upcoming comparison
B&H: bhpho.to/2sFYppo
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Focal Solo6 Be - Top-end professional near-fields from Focal. Beryllium tweeter
B&H: bhpho.to/2unNxLp
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Presonus R65 AMT Near-field Monitors - pretty impressive “budget” option with ribbon tweeters
B&H: bhpho.to/2uLe4oI
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Adam A7x Near-field Monitors - Adam made the ribbon tweeter a bit more mainstream. Great sounding mid-range monitors
B&H: bhpho.to/2uo2Vra
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Antelope Audio Orion Studio Audio Interface (This is what I used to drive all of the monitors we tested)
B&H: bhpho.to/2lRXBtG
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Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links.
To answer your question from an engineering standpoint on the radiators. Bass becomes a problem when the wave is released into a large area. When the Bass waves are kept in a smaller area, they are easier to attenuate. So the radiators act as a buffer to minimize the amplitude of longer harmonics that come with time.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
I own both the Focal Shapes and Solo6Be, while my roommate has the Focal Alphas. Anyway, I would say this: Shapes are about 15-20% better than the Alpha, and the Solo6be's are 35-40% better than the Shapes. I know this will be really helpful to people since they want to compare the different models. Once you hear the Be tweeters, you can't go back. The new M shape Al-Mg tweeters on the Shapes are not that much better than the regular inverted tweeters on the Alphas. As for the Solo6Be's, the Be tweeters mop the floor completely when it comes to highs. The Shapes don't even come close.
Interestingly, after I shot this video, I ended up buying a set of Solo 6Be's and I wholeheartedly agree. The tweeters on the Be's are noticeably cleaner and able to resolve the higher frequencies without smearing them as most lesser speakers do.
Absolutely. That's what they were designed for: mixing and mastering professionally. Ideally, get any line at or above the SM6 line (the SM6 line includes the Solo6Be's we're talking about). The lower ones will be good too (Alpha, Shape), but the SM6 line will take your stuff to the next level. If you're just starting out, there's no shame in getting the Alpha or the Shapes. They're an outstanding deal. (I think the Alphas are a better performance:price ratio than the Shapes, though! They sound too good for how disgustingly little they cost.)
You absolutely cannot go wrong with Focal. For example, you'll see the Focal Twin6Be's in professional studios everywhere, including those of very acclaimed engineers, artists, etc. They've become an industry standard. I haven't heard your two monitors, but I have heard things like the JBL LSR2325, and the Focals are just way, way, way better, especially at their price points. You can get monitors that are better than or equivalent to the SM6 line (which includes the Twins), but for some reason, they always cost significantly more from other brands. I haven't heard the Twins yet, but if the Solos + all the reviews are any indication about the Twins, they too are probably relatively "underpriced" for how magnificent they are. The same holds for the Alphas and (to a lesser extent) the Shapes. I really like the Shapes (they're sitting on the floor a few feet from me right now), but depending on your budget, you either should just go with the Alphas or upgrade all the way to the Solo6be's. (Shapes with their passive radiator have fantastic bass though; super punchy -- arguably better than the Solo6be's even.)
FWIW, my roommate who's a trained audio engineer swears by Focal and was the one who introduced me. As for the HD600s, they're awesome. They're better than the HD650s, in my opinion. I was just at a professional audio engineer's house (works for a major video game company doing sound for them), and he also uses the HD600. I would keep the HD600s as headphones but would consider switching out the monitors for Focals. (I've also owned the HD600s, HD650s, HD800s.)
Overall, Focal just blows me away. (I also bought the Focal Elear's because I just trust the Focal brand so much!) When people come over and listen to my Focals, they're usually blown away. I had someone come over who has these expensive bookshelf speakers + a super expensive audiophile setup, literally say after 10 seconds of listening: "What the hell have I been doing? Your monitors sound so much better than my entire setup. I am going to have to sell everything."
P.S., No, I don't work for Focal :P. I've just owned a lot of audio gear in my life and live with musicians.
:) Go on Sweetwater and look at the reviews for the Focal Twin and the Solo (and all the other Focal stuff)... They speak for themselves, really.
Although I agree with your analysis of the Solo6be, i prefer my Alpha 80 to the Shapes... i get a much punchier bass (not louder) and better stereo image in my room, which is fairly large , with the Alpha 80's. That being said, the next pair of monitors to enter my studio at the end of this year are the Focal Twin6be. They are THE best bang for the buck out there right now. The beryllium tweeter is certainly one of the most interesting high frequencies driver technology out there at the moment.
I paid full price for the next smaller set of Focal CMS50 and it was one of the best purchases. They sound great. I like that they're an aluminum housing versus mdf which I think it more cheap.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the CMS50. Good to get real-world feedback like that!
Thanks a lot for this. My Focal CMS 40's broke after 11 years of daily use. I tried the shapes today, and they blew my socks off. It ribbon tweeter on the adams are not for me. Your video gives me a lot of food for thought. Will seriously explore the Solo6 Be's. Cheers
I ended up with the Focal 6Bes and been very happy with them.
@@LearnLightAndSoundSessions wow...they must be a significant upgrade from the shapes. Will definitely try them out before I make a decision. I appreciate the response.
I used CMS50 for few years, and Im buying another CMS65 !! Really loving CMS series.
Wow, I didn't know they were still available.
Was looking at your video and had a smile on my face, because I understood when you said "Solo 6 take it to another level" :)
I had the Shape 65s they were really good but were lacking that extra depth, soundstage and especially the beryllium tweeter which gives this high end character.. Solo 6 might be an undoubtely better monitor and speaker in general to enjoy music and not only for pro use but Shape 65 is no slouch! They are great vfm!
You said it perfectly, Dimitris!
Finally a review on the focal shape!!! Thank you.
You are welcome!
I bought the focal shape 65 and their bass is really controlled also the low mids which can make the difference between a muddy or a nice warm mix are very articulated. Their transient response is also amazing. I upgraded from the dynaudio bm5a's (v1).
👍 Focal make some great overall monitors. Their tweeters are particularly impressive.
Focal Shape 65: the auto switch can be disabled if you open the box. which you in some cases should as it is a problem in some and you have to turn it on your self..
Place the speakers further from the listening position then they are set up in this video, it helps the sound immensely.
Thanks jan.
One thing to control the bass is to fix acoustic panels to the appropriate places on the walls if you don't have a dedicated 'sound' room.
In order to find the correct places, a big upright mirror is handy so that you can sit where you will be working and move the mirror around the wall in order to identify where reflections will bounce from. Wherever you 'see' the speaker in the mirror from the seated position is a reflection point where acoustic panels might well be beneficial. (Also panel up the corners)
Sounds very 'nit picky' but for really good speakers, the payoff is a better controlled bass which can totally change your views of speakers. (Even on the ceiling)
I did this trick in my front room a few years back and it really did pay off big time. Just had to make sure that the panels didn't look too ugly, so I got grey flat ones and painted a border around them in order to make them look like a decorative feature.
The room that you're in there, Curtis looks like an aural problem which could very much affect the mix for the end listener quite significantly.
Hi Ian, thanks and I agree, treatment with bass traps makes a huge difference, assuming your monitors can reproduce sound well. This room was quite problematic until we designed the treatment plan for the room (exactly as you say with bass traps on the first points of reflection on the walls and ceiling as well as corners and rear walls.)
I’m currently on the market for studio monitors and I’m doing research etc! All the data I’m gathering is leaning towards focal! Thanks for response ! Can’t wait for the next videos!
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Nice review! Really helped making a decision. Many thanks Curtis.
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Very informative and very helpful discussion. Been looking into more into monitors as of late, and this was greatly appreciated.
And happy belated birthday!
Thanks!
I have the same issue with the sleep mode on my KRK monitors.
My workaround was to set the volume on the back of the monitors a bit lower, which forces me to always work with a louder output signal from my audio interface. The restarting process a bit faster that way, without me having to crank the volume up very high.
Good idea, thanks Daniel!
Passive Radiators are mechanically, and Acoustically coupled to the main woofer driver. There are no phase issue. Low Frequency extension comes from these Radiators. Better than ports in many ways. Ports can Chuff and that is make its own sonic signature that is not desired, though with new designs ports are quite good too.
Great info, thanks Vincent!
That is completely incorrect !!!!
There ARE phase and transient response issues in vented/PR loudspeaker designs.
That is WHY some hardcore freaks ONLY use sealed boxes.
Passive radiators are "very similar" in function to ports & they function by setting the box into resonance ( look-up Helmholtz resonator ) just below the driver's resonant frequency ( fs on a driver's data sheet - along with other Thiel Small parameters ) thus "extending" the overall system ( loudspeaker in this case ) low frequency response.
An entire book could be devoted just to this segment.
The transient response for passive radiator based systems is actually worse than for a vented system BUT you can tune the speaker lower.
Ports or Vents need to be appropriately sized in diameter to reduce port velocity & possible problems with noise, otherwise known as "chuffing"
Ports need to be radiussed on the outside AND on the inside to minimise "noise"
The size of your "box" with your chosen driver + which "alignment" you choose, determine your vent dimentions.
This is a very complex & often misunderstood subject - it took me some 10 years ( after studying electrical engineering ) before I knew WTF I was doing ( no I'm not stupid )
A well designed vented box ( in practice they are very hard to come by ) will have a superior transient response to a passive radiator design - the passive radiator can go mlower but it's transient response will be inferior.
A sealed box will be superior in transient performance to either @ the expense of inferior low end frequency response.
This is where the saying " There is no free lunch " comes from ;-)
for more information I can recommend Rod Elliot's theaudiopages.com as a great starting point & the free Boxsim simulation software
Loudspeaker design is great !!!
I'ed say anyone with average or well above average intelligence needs about 10-20 years to feel moderately competent ;-)
Why great when completely incorrect ?
Thank you Bogdan for the information. We're all learning here so the additional information is very much appreciated.
As I said, learning. Thanks for the information!
Hi Curtis! Great video! Did you get to play around with Adam A3X yet? I'm torn between that and Shape 40! Small room, not treated..
I very much enjoyed your presentation. Your manner is relaxed and approachable. You clearly have a good understanding of the technology that goes into the speakers.
And your presentation though several years old - is very timely for me since I just bought two Focal Shape 50 monitors.
There is one thing that I could perhaps suggest that I think would improve you’re already good presentation, would be that the things you didn’t know, which is always good to just flat out say I don’t know how this works, could have been included in your presentation if you had perhaps contacted B&H or Focal to find out how they did work ie the passive radiators and the medium density density fiber board material properties.
I assume you had a limited amount of time and perhaps that additional information was excluded as a result.
I personally would have found that information very interesting.
Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback.
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HI and great video. You know i was always fan of JBL and Yamaha but when I heard Focal CMS 65 i fell on the ground ! Great proffesional studio monitor .I didnt know Focal is so good, and i didnt even believe seller from store few years back because he is telling about them how good they are but i didnt listen to them until 3 weeks ago in friends studio .I will certainly buy pair of Focal CMS 65 for home .Such a great natural sound .Only thing i dont like is aluminium cabin and Focal Shape have wood hmm, idk. why they do like that ? But i dont even care because I care about sound they deliever, so yeah .
Now i read its actually Aluminium/Magnesium Cabin which is pretty sick combination .
If you're going to get the CMS, better do that soon as they've been replaced by the Shape. :)
The different cabinet materials are about more than just looks. They each have different acoustical properties which is why they use different materials for different designs. The Shape have a unique design with no bass reflex port and instead use passive radiators and medium density fiber board for the cabinet. The Focal engineers take all of these things (including cost) when designing a new speaker and make compromises to come up with the best possible product for the price and intended use, sacrificing what must be sacrificed for that particular price.
I ended up with the Focal Solo6 Be monitors and am really happy with them.
Hi Curtis, I see you have an iMac. I just got one too for video editing. Do you have any equipment between the mini-jack audio output of the iMac and your reference monitors? What is ideal way to set up this kind of
system? Thanks! I love your channel (it's my "go to" when I want solid info)
Hi Kim. I use an audio interface to connect my monitors. I use a rather expensive Universal Audio Apollo X6 which is great. But you could also use a much more affordable interface like the Focusrite Scarlet: bhpho.to/2WOC5oN
That KRK is a big monitor for such a small room! I hope you have tons of trapping.
Agreed, big (8 inch), rookie mistake. I'm using monitors with smaller woofers these days.
You can turn off the auto shut-off on the shapes. There is a switch inside the cabinet.
Thanks for that.
all the monitor you show have port that is out of phase.the lower frekvens in bass is played the less directive are the sound.at very low frekvens the bass radiate all around the speaker
Thanks for the insights!
I'd like to know, did you ever get to listen to the Alphas a bit ? I'm very interested in Focal's NF monitors, to do some mixing but also to enjoy music, I like when it's neutral and analytical, but your video had me intrigued. Because I didn't know the Solo6 BE existed. For me, the Shape are too expensive, but I can find 50 and 65 alphas and CMS for under $400. What would you recommend me on that basis ?
No, I ended up with the Solo 6Bes. I just had the 8" Alphas for about a month here. They were good for their price, though I think the 8's were a bit more than I needed for my tiny room.
are the Solo 6Be's are great also for casual listening? or mainly for mixing?
thanks.
It just so happens that I bought a pair today. I will try and let you know. But my sense is that they will be excellent for just listening to music and anything else. That's the thing about high quality reference monitors like this.- they should play back the music so that you have a more precise picture of what the mixer/producer/mastering engineer intended. To be certain, you'll really need to go listen to them yourself.
are they extremely different from the cms? in what way?
The Solo6 Be uses a Beryllium tweeter which is a much more rigid material so there is more definition and separation of the high frequency sound reproduced. I can definitely hear a difference. But of course they cost a fair bit more. I really recommend you listen to several monitors you are considering in person to make a decision. Take some reference audio tracks with you. Most Pro Audio shops will help with this.
what about the presonus sceptres? have you tried those as well?
I have not tried the Sceptres. They look interesting.
Hi Curtis, I want to buy a pair of monitor for my home studio. I work in post production audio and in sound design for movies and tv. Looking prices I have concluded that I can pay a Focal alpha 65. Or a Adam A5x. Would you give me your opinion?
I would recommend taking some source sound you are intimately familiar with and listening to it on both the Vocals and Adams. It is a very personal decision.
My personal experience is that the Focal Alphas were a little bass heavy. The ribbon tweeters on the Adams are a source of debate - many people love them, others hate them. In my testing they were very detailed and clean but you had to be in the "sweet spot" or they didn't work well. So if you're generally working solo, that's probably fine. If you need to have other people in the edit suite, they may not be the best option.
Best wishes!
Thanks for answer!! Yes... It is complicated and there are a lot of factors. First, I am temporarily in a little room, second, the room hasn´t optimal acoustics. that could harm the bass heavy of focal?
I know they are not the best conditions But would be a start and all mixers would be made it in other place. My work will focus more on cleaning audios or dialogues and aditing. I want the most faithful audio...
If it were me, I'd probably go with the Adams in that case. The Alpha line seemed a little too bass heavy in my tests which is not a great idea for small rooms. Best wishes!
Curtis, for us relative newbies could you do a video on computer to audio interfaces to monitors? When I look at audio interfaces I am only seeing mic and instrument inputs with outputs going to a recorder. It doesn't sound like what you are demonstrating in this and the other monitor review of yours that I watched.
Sure, in fact, I've got an audio interface review coming up in the next two weeks or so over on my main channel: Curtis Judd
in the focal price range is the adam a better choise.They dont use a ribbon but a amt type tweeter.They have much higher sensitivity than ribbon in same size. Both are thinfilm drivers.The sweetspot is bigger on amt.both ribbon and amt dont radiate to the floor or roof.so floor and roof reflectioin is zero from them.the bigger sweetspot the more room refections have to be managed
Thanks. Would love to see a video from you on the subject of near field monitors! :)
Actually Ribbon or Emit tweeters are vastly superior to dome tweeters in their dynamic headroom, and are not going to compress dynamics unlike Dome Tweeters. Or distort nearly as quickly. Placement is important with any speaker, and I have had groups of people listen around me on the Emit or Ribbon Tweeters with no issues. I suppose your mileage may vary.
Also more good info, thanks!
Can i get advice about used CMS 65 for about 650$ pair. They are in very good condition, but how speakers detoriate over time, should i be concerned cause they are old models..I'm just few minutes away from buying them :) thanks ( these ones are used, from pro studio )
Sorry, I didn't get to this sooner. If you bought them, I hope they work well for you! Speaker cones, and particularly the rubberized materials at their edges deteriorate over years. I'm not sure how old the set is that you're considering, but I'd suspect they're probably fine if they haven't been abused.
Do you think it would be worth upgrading my Adam a7x's to a pair of shape 65's? Thanks.
Hmm, no, I wouldn't unless you're having issues with the Adams?
I feel I don't really get enough bass extension from them. Also I kind of hear this slight honking sound, particularly when I'm working with kick drums and bass sounds. Not sure whether that may be something to do with the ports? I'm in a fully treated room so I'm guessing it wouldn't be the room I'm hearing.
It's a tradeoff. The passive radiator design is a different approach and I'm not sure whether it necessarily solves the problem. If there's any way you can listen to a set at a pro audio shop in your area, that'd be my recommendation. I was surprised to find that my local shop (not Guitar Center) had a set in their listening room. Good luck!
Hi Curtis, thanks for this video.
Reading the specs of CMS 65 and Shape 65 I have seen that:
- Shape 65 have a ± 3dB frequency response in the 40Hz - 35kHz range
- CMS 65 have ± 3dB frequency response 45 Hz - 28 kHz range
From your test have you noticed a clear difference in the high frequency response of these two monitor?
And comparing Adam Ax7 and Focal Shape 65 or Focal CMS 65, which do you prefer?
Thanks!
Hi Tiziano, in my tests, I was not able to hear a clear difference between the two in terms of high-frequency sound. Overall, the Shapes seemed to control the low-end more cleanly so if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for the Shapes. That being said, the CMS 65s sounded really nice as well.
I have heard the Adam A7x but have not used them extensively for mixing. They sounded much cleaner and more articulate than my KRK Rokits, but I have heard some people suggest that ribbon tweeters can be fatiguing to listen to for long periods. I don't have any experience with them for long mixing sessions so I cannot say.
Thanks! I'm thinking to buy CMS 65. Since they are going out of production I can find them at an interesting price.
That would be a great choice. They're nearly 1/2 their normal price here. Best wishes!
Curtis.. great video... i originally was looking at the ROKIT 8".... i plan to use them for music/audio mixing of EDM, Hip-Hop, Country, Rock etc... HUGE DIVERSE GENRE RANGE... i am a DJ and build playlists for my gigs on my computer.... so was looking for a solid monitor that willl handle the diversity of sound. with this video i am now leaning toward the new Shape 65.... since you have heard the Shape 65 and Solo Be.... what do you recommend for my situation if i do mainly music?
Hi Joe, Any of the three from Focal would be great. If you're on a tight budget, the CMS are very, very capable and are on close-out pricing at B&H (links in the description). The Shape and Solo6 Be are both very good as well. I ended up choosing the Solo6 Be. It's high end is a bit more articulate with the Beryllium tweeters so it is easier to hear the nuances and potential problems in the higher registers. But again, all three are quite capable.
Thanks for the review/tutorial! OT: I'd love to see you and @DaveDugdale tackle AV topics together.
Dave and I have spoken several times and he was kind enough to buy me lunch at NAB - great guy! I'd be honored to collaborate with him. Will need to find a way to close the 400 mile gap between us. :)
Curtis,.. thanks for the video. I just purchased the Shape 5's from Sweetwater. However after your video I am considering sending them back for the solo6 be. My question is, is there really that much more definition from the solo's to justify the extra cost??
Hi Shane, If you've got the money, I wouldn't hesitate but whether it is worth the extra cost is debatable and I think depends on whether they monitors will be money making tools for you. I ended up purchasing the Solo6 Be's and I'm very happy with them. I'm doing more and more commercial and narrative mixing jobs so it was not difficult to justify the purchase since I'll be spending a lot of time listening to them and they will pay for themselves quite quickly. However, I have no doubt that one can make good mixes on the Shapes as well. I'm not sure how to best describe the difference but reproducing sound seems a bit more effortless for the Solo6 relative to the Shapes. I can hear a little more separation and clarity in the higher frequencies. But overall, I really like the Shapes as well. Hopefully that helps a little! Good luck!
Thoughts on using a center monitor in addition to L and R for film work to focus on dialogue? Would a separate brand/model make sense or cause problems? Thanks
For any of the surround formats, yes, center monitor is critical. For stereo, I would stick with stereo monitors - I want the experience that the audience will have. I think it is generally best to stick with the same brand/model when possible so you're not having to learn/guess where differences are actually differences in the mix vs. differences in the monitors. Thanks!
Very informative! Thanks
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which would you say is optimally better for a room size 10x13ft (with no
treatment) the solo's or the twins might be also an option for this
room size? i really wish to know cuz i found used twins for 1700GBP, but
i dont want to make a mistake and place them in a room that won't give
optimal results.. glad to know your honest opinion..thanks.
I haven't heard the Twins, but my room is roughly the same size and the Solo6 sound great.
Not sure if it's my system, but your lavalier? mic seems to be saturating / distorting...
It's not you, it is a bad combination between my voice, this particular lavalier microphone, and the fact that I'm wearing outside of the clothing instead of under it.
OK, no problem, thanks for the detailed review.
Hey Curtis - I'd be keen to hear your thoughts on the Equator D5 some time. I wonder if they'd be prepared to send you a pair to review...?
I've looked at those and would like to hear them as well. The concept is interesting but I'm skeptical that a silk dome tweeter can achieve the same results as these more rigid and ribbon tweeter designs. Still, definitely worth a listen.
You would not hear the woofer cone material in the bass region but in the midrange since they play midrange.the frekvens easyest for the human ear to detect this is around 500hz-1000
Thanks
May I ask you a question? How are the Focal Shapes with sound staging? I mainly compose and mix orchestral mockups using sample libraries. Hearing deep into the z-axis to differentiate the staging and tone of the woodwinds from the brass and percussion, then accurately hearing the width and placement of the violins and cello sections is important. Also, a sound stage’s early reflections, then it’s late reverb is important to for me to hear (in a 2.1 system). How would you rate the Focal Shapes to other midrange monitors? The oldest gear in my studio are my old Event BAS 20/20s (with sub), and I’ve had to start mixing with Beyer DT 880 Pros (which work out well despite the distorted sound stage one gets with headphones). At some point I’ll need to add a sub for other types of music, but classical and film are my main priority. Oh, how would you compare them to the Adam A7x for this use? Thanks.
Hi Steve, the Shapes did well in my subjective opinion. A good bit of that will, of course, rely on proper placement and room setup/treatment, but overall it seemed like the Shapes had enough clarity and depth to recreate sound stages quite nicely.
have you try the yamaha hs?they are good too.
did you have the chance to compare focal cms 40 to shape 40? what do you think of them ? thanks
Hi David, no, unfortunately they discontinued the CMS 40 so I never got a chance to compare them. I ended up buying a set of the Solo 6Be.
Curtis, what stands are those that you use for your studio monitors?
Custom made by yours truly. :)
After 3 years I found out that YOUCAN turn off sleep mode with the Shape 65. What monitors do you use today in 2021?
That's good news! I use a set of Focal Solo 6Be and the Sub6.
@@curtisjudd Would you recommend the SUB6 for the 65s for dialogue works? They're great to watch Netflix too and that's when I miss the low rumble.. :) but not so much for my mixes...
@@rastAsia Yes, to make sure I'm not leaving any low mud.
those passive woofers on the sides come in to play when the frekvens is so low that it radiating around the speakerbox like other speakers also do
Thanks
So what’s your opinion of 2 way vs. 3 way monitors?!
Hey Adam, I've only ever used 2 way due to budget. Would love to try some 3 way monitors.
Awesome review - well done. And thanks for throwing in the Persons R65s as well. I have the R65s and like you said, they're great monitors for the money - hard to beat. That said, I'm really thinking of upgrading to the Shapes and this review helped me. I'm gonna get a set to try them out. Thanks.
Hey, thanks Roy.Good luck on the Shape tests.
Actually, what is the ultimate material for tweeters is a bit of a discussion . I guess some would say graphene but it's so expensive it's not even funny. I've also heard physicists claim controlled discharges of electricity right into the air(aka continuous, small lightning bolts) can sound quite pleasing but then you would having the smelly nitrogen oxides and the dangers of high voltage to to deal with. So beryllium may not be so bad after all?
Haha! Yes, the charge directly into the air sounds dangerous! I'll stick with Be.
Heil plasma tweeter. Been out since the early 1980s. Sounds incredibly transparent, there is no smell at all and it is very safe - as long as you don't tinker with the electronics inside. But it has a continuous hiss (audible from distances of ~1 m or less), or at least the early ones I listened to did...
a woofer that play tigth starts and stops faster.Better coil and better/bigger magnet
Thanks.
Hi, im considering getting the solo6 be's, have you heard the twins by the way? are they much better? or the solo's are perfect?
anyway, wanted to ask you, what xlr cables you recommend hooking them with? Mogami xlr cables?.. what type exactly do you have? the gold? where did you get yours? thanks.
I haven't heard the twins, unfortunately.
I use Mogami Gold cables. I bought mine here: bhpho.to/2w3XU7S
where is the solo5 Be?
I found the Solo6 Be after I shot this video and have been using them happily since then.
My qeustion, if you have the experience, is would you upgrade from the focal alpha line to the shape?
I think it is a worthy upgrade. The Alpha 80s were fun to listen to but there was a lot of bass coming out of those and I think that ended up creating some potential issues. If you go for the Shape 65s and you were using the Alpha 80s you may at first feel like you're getting less bass, but my sense is that the low end is better controlled on the Shapes (based on room measurements and Room EQ Wizard as well as my subjective listening).
Thanks for the Reply Curtis, I currently own the Alpha 65 as the size is perfect for my space. I think i will pony up and swap them out soon as I notice distortion in my units around 2k with loud transiants. Thanks for your review, looking forward to see what you end up going with.
I ended up going for a pair of the Focal Solo6 Be. Good luck!
Would LOVE a review on those, if you have the time :P Was thinking of that as well...
Short version: The high frequency detail, articulation, and phase coherency seems about 15% better. The bass also seems slightly cleaner and less "forced".
Do you want to sale your focal cms by any chance ?
Hi Ozzar, they were on loan from B&H photo for this episode so unfortunately I don't have them to sell. They do appear to have some stock of the CMS 50 still if you are interested: bhpho.to/2zh8f1F
You should mention a bit on amplification on powered monitors.Many have Class b or A/b amp for tweeter/high mid and pwm on woofer low mid that is a ok compromise.Almost all monitors today have a powersupply that is switch mode supply and that is not good! a pair of monitor with big amt type tweeters that have high sensitivity and big membran area that play down to 1800 or lower is a good way to go.if they have a linear powersupply even better.they do get hevy do to the transformator in pcu.That is a small price to pay for long lived elektroniks.typical switch mode supply on cost effective products use no name brand electrolytic capasitrors and they dry out and the monitor stops working.lasting just around 5 years is not good.Good electronics can last 20 years with no problem.Have electronics that is from 1935.never fixed.I have to overhal it do to electrolytic capasitors are dry but it works still.Not my daily gear in use that.
Good info, thanks!
Wouldn't a port have the same risks of phase issues then? In fact even more so when they are located at the front.
Because air would move out of the port when the woofer goes in right?
I think it depends on the design. To be honest, I don't know enough about speaker design to say definitively.
Hi..How much would you pay for a used pair of Focal CMS50 ?
If in good condition, maybe $400?
@@curtisjudd thank you
Solo 6BE worth the extra imo.
Agreed. I ended up going with the Solo 6Be and have no regrets.