2 Product reviewes : Presonus mobile &Events Opal

[timothyallan]

Lets have a dance off!

[danger]

3phase, are you really serious to compare a 3000 euros monitorpair with a 10,000 one? You must be jokin'!

[3phase]

3phase, are you really serious to compare a 3000 euros monitorpair with a 10,000 one? You must be jokin'!

the picture shows an old model of the gheithans build over 15 years ago one can get for less than 3000.. if you find them....
And ths was the answer to the question what i would buy...

besides.. even when they are 10000 new now in the actual version... you are better of in spending 10k for good monitors than 3k for overhyped crap.


besides.. my NS 10 have a more accurate stereo imaging than the event opals we got from the biggest berlin shop...

[danger]

Barefoot MM35 is also better than Opal, but they cost twice as much and we know Opal is not the best, but for this price it seems it's very popular and i think not just because the hype, NS10 has bigger hype...still

[3phase]

Barefoot MM35 is also better than Opals, but they cost twice as much and we know Opal is not the best, but for this price it seems it's very popular and i think not just because the hype, NS10 has bigger hype...

why els should a monitor that is expensiv and not able to do propper stereo be popular when not because of the hype?

besides.. good monitors have a name in the studio scene and are around for decades.. spending 3k on a total outsider product clearly shows that you have too much money

[Tarekith]

Well......

Here's my take on the Opals, as was mentioned earlier I got mine about 5-6 weeks ago. As music is now my main means of income for my family, I obviously spent a lot of time researching and auditioning something as important as new monitors (upgraded from HR824's, I think those are SubFunk's real favorites...). After a lot of research, I had narrowed it down to the Opals, Barefoot 35mm's (front runners early on), K&H 0300D's, Focal Twins, and PMC TB2S-A's. Briefly entertained the idea of Adam SHX's, but they just didn't sound right to me, ditto the Genelecs which I've never been a big fan of. Good monitors, just not for me.

Anyway, spent about 2 months going to various stores and studios listening to all of the above, managed to hit up the Opals 3 times in that period. The Barefoot's were lovely, but the low end just wasn't doing it for me, shame as they were a bitch to track down a listening session on. Ditto on the Focals and PMC, they sounded super accurate but just didn't go as deep as the Opals. I felt I'd need a sub to work properly on those, which not only raised the budget a lot, but I honestly am not a fan of working on subs for most things.

In the end it was between the K&H and the Opals, and each time the Opals nailed it for me. The transients were just so sharp on those music became physical. And the low end was super revealing, not boomy, but present and detailed. As I specialized in mastering electronic music, I obviously want a monitor that handles the low end well, and the Opals do that admirably. They also had excellent imaging, though most of the other options I was looking at did too.

Anyway, fast forward a few weeks and the Opals are ordered and arrive in my studio. Of course they sounded better in every way compared to the Mackies, I was impressed to say the least. BUT.... something was up with the imaging. It was no longer razor sharp and precise like before, good soundstage, but the left right balance seemed to always be shifting. Not at all what I had experienced demoing them. I attributed it to set up issues or placement, and spent the next few days fine-tuning how they were placed in my room. Got a little better, but still seemed off, to the point that I was checking my cables for issues. Honestly I was a little worried I might have to return them. Would be bummed, but no biggy as I want a monitor thaty works flawlessly.

Then one day I turned them on in the morning and everything was fine. It was weird, but it was almost like they stabilized after being broken in some. I've experienced monitors doing this in terms of frequency response (and the Opals definitely settled in this way too), but never in terms of imaging. Never had a single issue with them since, and it's pure audio bliss now. Super accurate imaging, passes all my mono tests, amazing sounded speaker. I can only assume it was something to do with the amps needing some time and heat to really settle in, though I admit it's just a guess.

Perhaps 3Phases's Opals just weren't broken in long enough, no idea why his results were so negative, as it's one of the very few negative reviews of the Opal's I've read. And I don't think it's a lot of suckers just buying into the hype (what hype?), many serious audio professionals are singing their praises which I can totally understand.

The only slight complaints I have with the Opals:

- There is a tiny bit of hiss when no music is playing through them. I have a really quiet studio so I notice it more, but it's less than my HR824's or Monitor 1's ever did, so I don't mind.

- All of the controls are on the front of the monitor EXCEPT the power switch, and they don't have an auto off mode. Kind of a bummer, but not a huge deal.

Really looking forward to the new Event room calibration mic and software coming next week, will be interesting to see how it affect the Opals, and if I actually end up using it.

[3phase]

the imaging settled in???? i never heard about such a thing..that they change theiere sound..ok... but they should equally change the sound..

what you described as your first impression that the stereo field varies with eq settings on is just what i am talking about....
it is just that there is really nothing that can fix speakers automatically when they are different from the start...

except they are still different but have lost some resonances by riding in and therefore the difference is not as big anymore...

in every case thats nothing what pro monitors do.. good companys give theire monitors a burn in test and match a pair and deliver with a measurement diagram.

[3phase]

but just to evaluate that further... you state theier inferior stereo imaging = mono precission gets better after riding in...

how much better? do you have some other reffernce monitors? is you room acoustical treated? how precise is mono now?

ca you eq over the whole range on a mono signal without shifting the middle? and because thats probably not the case..how many degrees is the middle shifting.. wider than your head? what would be above 10 degree from the center axxis?

under 2 degree is good... and 5 degree is the max one can still work i would say...

in any case this big mouth anouncement is dammaged
http://www.event1.com/index.php


like allways..as more loudmouth they advertize... as less i would buy a car from them

[Tarekith]

I agree completely, I would never buy a car from them.

[twisted-space]

Anyway, fast forward a few weeks and the Opals are ordered and arrive in my studio. Of course they sounded better in every way compared to the Mackies, I was impressed to say the least. BUT.... something was up with the imaging. It was no longer razor sharp and precise like before, good soundstage, but the left right balance seemed to always be shifting. Not at all what I had experienced demoing them. I attributed it to set up issues or placement, and spent the next few days fine-tuning how they were placed in my room. Got a little better, but still seemed off, to the point that I was checking my cables for issues. Honestly I was a little worried I might have to return them. Would be bummed, but no biggy as I want a monitor thaty works flawlessly.

I used to have a pair of Musical Fidelity Monoblocks that did this every time I switched them on. They would settle down over 15-20 minutes. I ended up leaving them permanently switched on.

[Tarekith]

It's weird, I know. Now they are dead stable the second I switch them on, don't know what actually happened.

[twisted-space]

I can only imagine that the components/drivers take a little time before they settle in. As long as your happy with them now it's all good

[timothyallan]

Almost the exact same thing with me and my Opals.

As soon as I tried them out, I found the high end to be piercing compared to my Focals and they just didn't sit right with me. After a few good burn in sessions, everything settled down and they're farking gorgeous now... except for the hiss.

[SubFunk]

(upgraded from HR824's, I think those are SubFunk's real favorites...).

no comments on the 'hiss' issue.

[Rave]

(upgraded from HR824's, I think those are SubFunk's real favorites...).

no comments on the 'hiss' issue.

Aw go on. Is it interference?