Adam A8x vs Mackie HR824mkII vs KRK VXT8 vs Focal Solo 6be?

Which monitor under £1000?

  • Adam A8x

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Mackie HR824mkII

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • KRK VXT8

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Focal Solo 6be

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • other - please specify!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1

dickiefunk

New member
Hi,

I'm looking for some new monitors for a different studio setup .
The monitors I have in my other studio setup are a pair of Acoustic Energy AE22's + Sub. These are great but in the new setup a sub won't really work in the room and there are times when I need to monitor really deep bass frequencies which the AE22's can struggle with. Also my budget can't stretch to the AE22's + sub which cost's around £1600.
I would like a pair of monitors that can cope with deep low bass without port chuffing under £1000!
These are the monitors on my shortlist :-

Adam A8X
Focal Solo6be
KRK VXT8
Mackie HR824 mkII

I realise the Focal's aren't under £1000 but they do come up in b-stock fairly regularly!
I will need them for a large variety of music and some of that will have deep bass. One feature I definately don't want is port chuffing!!

I've had quite a bit of experince with the Focal CMS65's and Mackie HR824mkI's and heard the KRK VXT8's.

I really loved the Focal CMS65's apart from the QC issues. I had 3 faulty pairs with 2 having lots of port chuffing and another with odd rattles inside! This put me off Focal but I haven't heard any issues with the Focal Solo 6be's?

The mkI version of the Mackies sounded great but I found the mixes didn't translate as well as the Focal CMS65's or Acoustic Energy AE22's.
How does the mkII version compare? Is it more accurate for mixing?

I've only heard the KRK VXT8's in a shop with a semi treated room and these sounded great! I preferred these to Dynaudio BM6a's and Adam A7's.
I have no idea how accurate they translate mixes!??

I've read pages of issues with the Adam A8X's concerning port chuffing etc. Apparently Adam are going to ( or have already ) sort this problem with flanges!? Can anyone confirm that this issue has been resolved?

Which of these monitors would you recommend for accurate mixing that can cope with really deep bass without port chuffing? Is there anything else under £1000 that you would recommend?
 
what exactly do you mean by "a large variety of music"? thrash metal all the way through pop and hip-hop to classical?

The trouble with speakers of the size you're looking at, is that they inherently don't have a very extensive low end. You essentially need a bigger cabinet and meatier drive unit.
Having said that, I've got a pair of Adam A7's and am very happy with them, they're really easy to mix on. To me, it's better to have bass light monitors than bass heavy ones, as from my experience you end up with better low-end definition.
Once you've got accustomed to how your speakers sound, I'd say bass light is easier to work with.

I think going to listen to the speakers is a really good idea. Bookshelf sized speakers are hugely varied in quality and until you have actually heard the kind of material you want to play through them, it's very difficult to make an informed and objective decision.
I actually didn't like the KRK's at all when I heard them, they struck me as really not working for classical mixing. I felt the dynaudio's actually were pretty decent but weren't outstanding for pop, and that the Adam's were the best of the bunch, and really very good value as the top end really does sound excellent. In my own personal opinion, there's not really much that beats them as all rounders, short of PMC's which will be way out of budget.

You might want to look at Genelec, they do some fairly decent speakers in that price range. I'd have chosen them second, after the Adam's and might well be just what you're looking for. I think I heard the 8040A's, but they all look the same and am having trouble pinning down the exact ones I heard.

I wouldn't read too many product reviews, listen to useful source material through as many pairs as are in your price range, and trust your ears.
 
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