#829177 - 02/20/09 07:19 PM
EVENT OPAL studio monitors
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Brad Lyons
Planeteer
Registered: 01/31/02
Posts: 8776
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Well, I had a chance to evaluate and play with the final shipping version of the new OPAL from Event Electronics. Going back to the days of the 2020bas, Event really has been a leader in affordable studio monitors that were of good quality. They really jumped forward with their ASP8's in both quality, accuracy, and again a decently affordable price. Well with these new OPAL's, all bets are off. Guys, these monitors are good---VERY VERY GOOD!! They aren't cheap at $3k for a pair, but they really are competing in that higher-level of active monitors.
One thing that I noticed immediately that was a big improvement over the ASP8's was the airflow in the ports. If you were really pushing the monitors in the low frequency, the ASP8's had a tendency to "throw air" at you. While this may not have been a big deal in terms of hitting your face, that does affect phase and ratio of air moving across the frequency spectrum entirely. The dual-sided ports on the OPAL's help to route that air flow around the speaker and at a much wider pattern that this doesn't become an issue. In other words, no phase. In fact there is ZERO phase between the tweeter and the woofer whether the monitors are vertical or horizontal. This is not done in DSP, but rather in the analog componentry and speaker cabinet design itself.
Like the ASP8's, the bass is very good. But the difference in the Opal's is that the bass is actually warm and punchy, much like what you'd expect in speakers of this price range and higher. Of course being in a good room helps, but a good room also shows off the flaws of bad monitors and these monitors---they aren't bad at all! You certainly don't need a sub with these, unless the acoustics of your room call for it or you just want an even bigger bottom-end in the mix for playback. The highs are VERY SMOOTH, something I liked in the ASP8's---but these are certainly more rounded. And the stereo imaging, excellent!!
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#842222 - 03/22/09 09:00 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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shanabit
Planeteer
Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 2270
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Compare the OPALS against your JBL 6328's to give a good comparison since the those are the TWO Im looking at
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#842945 - 03/24/09 05:30 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: shanabit]
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Brad Lyons
Planeteer
Registered: 01/31/02
Posts: 8776
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Randy,
The only monitor I can really compare these to would be original Genelec 1031's, but even then---not close. I honestly thought all of the talk and build-up to these would be just that, hype....but it's not, and I'm buying a set.
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#843514 - 03/25/09 09:36 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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Brad Lyons
Planeteer
Registered: 01/31/02
Posts: 8776
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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I never said I don't have those monitors setup here..... I said the only monitor I really can compare them to are the original 1031's, because that's what the imaging sounds like. However, the Opals are still quite unique. You just have to mix on them, 30-seconds and you'll understand what I mean. As to the BM15's, they do have wonderful bass---but I'll leave it at that.
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#981538 - 05/27/10 05:26 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: shanabit]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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No offence but after listening to just about every monitor for sale in Paris, France, anyone who praises the BM-15A's would lose any credibility IMO.
The electronics in there are car stereo garbage and the amplification is a disgrace.
The passive version by far surpasses the active version, as is often the case with speakers anyway.
The "Studio" label on monitors/speakers is a cheap trick to sell audio-orientated freaks such as us pure over-rated garbage.
See my review here of the JBL LSR 2325P tiny 5" monitors for more. These were beaten only by a pair of much bigger & much pricier passive PMC monitors (used at Abbey Road) and none of the other ACTIVE monitors tested came even close (200 euros to 2000 euros a pair -- the JBL cost 400 euros), each & every pair being either very flawed or ultra bland.
Haven't heard the pricy Opal speakers mentioned here but am very curious.
To give a comparison, the JBL LSR2325P's sound better IMO than the 11" JBL 4311 Studio Monitors from the 70's or 80's. The bass is just as good if not better, amazingly, and the treble & mids are less aggressive & finer.
Cheers
P.S. I do not work for JBL or sell anything! ;-)
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981566 - 05/27/10 07:38 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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I dunno the AIR-15's, or if i have heard them i can't remember.
The 2325P's go down to 43Hz (10 Hz higher than the AIR-15's...a fair difference, but with woofer twice the size that's hardly surprising), i'm not sure at how many -dB's that is but you can hear them go very low, as i said they sound as low or lower than the 11" boomers on the JBL 4311 Studio Monitors. I know it sounds amazing, but that's exactly what they are for their size.
They only go up to 20Khz as opposed to 22Khz too.
As for loudness, well, the 2325P's belt out 101-107 dB SPL continuous according to JBL as opposed to 103 dB SPL continuous for the AIR-15's...
Quite frankly, if you need proximity monitors to be louder than the 2325P's you need a hearing aid. At 25% of their volume they will already get you into trouble with the neighbours and that sound level is already uncomfortably loud, frankly.
At 100% your mp3 player can go up to 50% of its volume & that's it, above that it gets very very loud if you're in the same room. Of course, if you're looking to hear it from the other end of your house you can put them on max & it'll be fine.
They are rated at 55W LF + 35W HF, considerably less than the AIR-15's, which are twice the size, but i am surprised to hear how loud they are.
They also seem to sound the same at any level, and the bass drivers don't overload when loud, all stays under control.
For 400 dollars i'm pretty sure there is nothing to come close. For 5" woofers, 43Hz you can hear is amazing.
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981573 - 05/27/10 08:35 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
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Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#981586 - 05/27/10 09:36 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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The figures i gave are correct, i did specify continuous & not peak. Dynaudio site.
Dynaudio = Max SPL 1m, (IEC Long Term) 103 dB RMS
JBL = Max SPL Continous : Each / Pair: > 101 dB / > 107 dB
---
Dynaudio = Peak SPL 1m, pair (IEC Short Term) > 128 dB peak
JBL = Each / Pair: > 112 dB / > 118 dB
Bear in mind we're talking
- 55+35 watts / 5" / 7.7kg / 400$
vs.
- 200+200 watts / 10" / 15.5kg / 4000$.
The only "fault" i can find to these tiny JBL speakers is that they don't let you forget they are there, unlike big floorstanders which tend to fill the room & make you forget the sound is actually coming from two boxes.
The positioning in the room & the room itself will of course play a part in all of this, especially the bass response. Mine are on the 2 Samson stands that came with them, set about 1.3m high, roughly 30cm from the corners of the room (it's a small room). I get good bass response wherever i am in the room but it's even bigger when i'm sitting in one corner just opposite one of the speakers.
The EQ on my player & on the speakers is off except on old material where the bass is generally lacking.
My 120w B&W speakers were 50% bigger & didn't sound this good yet with the Onkyo amp they were 3 times the price.
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981593 - 05/27/10 10:26 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
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Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#981598 - 05/27/10 10:58 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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Yeah, that was my biggest disappointment when testing all these famous speakers...
The ADAM's were possibly the worst of the bunch, with no bass whatsoever, extremely harsh mids & treble...nothing like what i was expecting from a ribbon tweeter. Overpriced useless boxes with an over-rated name on 'em is my word on those.
The Genelec's had no mids and not much real bass either. Again, uselss for mixing because so very unlinear and incomplete when it comes to the integrity of the signal. Again, overpriced nonsense with a famous name on em.
All the models you hear about so much in the mags, we tried. At best they failed to impress & disappointed for the money compared to what passive hi-fi speakers have to offer when amplified properly. At worst they were flawed like the ADAM's.
I can't think of any brand we didn't get to hear apart from maybe Opal but i'm not sure now, this was last september & i can't remember very well.
If i had been alone then i would have thought i was being delusional, but the fact the only other ears i trust were with me & formulated precisely the same criticism towards all models reassured me somewhat...& also meant i was in for a hard time to find some great speakers. Until i came across the PMC's & the JBL's i was convinced i'd have to look into high-end hi-fi for my satisfaction but that would make portability a no-no. :-/
The Onkyo amp, btw, was an Integra 9711, with extremely low noise, a very large bandwidth and a response time as good as some of the most expensive amps out there. I chose it when it was reviewed in a reputed French audiophile magazine.
One thing i've found with audiophile mags is that they are a lot more demanding than home-studio/recording mags. They pay a lot more attention IMO, and recognize the importance of cables. Ever seen 50.000 dollar cables reviewed in Sound on Sound? :-D
Ok, maybe that's pushing it a little...but they pay attention to a system in its entirety, amp+source+cables+speakers, whereas recording freaks never look at it like that...you choose one piece of gear at a time generally, and the cables? well, whatever is lying around & still works, brother...
The home-studio & pro markets are overpriced for what they are, quite frankly. The plain 2 channel amps sold for home-studio passive speakers, for example, don't compare one bit with the Onkyo i had. You get hiss, tons more distortion, less bandwidth and no tone knobs, no phones out, a single input and single output...and you don't even pay less.
Other example of 'pro' gear: someone playing in a bar will buy a Mackie amplified PA speaker for say 400$. For that price you get one speaker with class D amplification, it's bulky & heavy, and it sounds crap.
The JBL's will need a case of some sort for transport but for the same price you get a world of difference. I have a friend going down the Mackie route as we speak...i'll put my speakers next to her speaker & show her why she should have believed me, hehe. ;-)
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981637 - 05/28/10 03:48 AM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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I just realized that the JBL's hiss a bit. In the very weird way that active speakers seem to: even with no input cable connected, and the hiss as much with the volume on zero as on max. You have to be in a very quiet environment to notice it, or you need to stick your ear near the tweeter, but i find that unacceptable.
My consumer Onkyo 80w amp didn't hiss one bit, even on maximum and with the treble on ten. In fact it hissed only a tiny bit at 3/4 of its power and then the hiss went away when you turned it up on max, but you really had to get close to hear it.
Do the AIR-15's have this flaw?
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981645 - 05/28/10 05:43 AM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
Planeteer
Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#981646 - 05/28/10 06:08 AM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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For sure...
One day i'll maybe lash out on a "proper" high-end amp...i'm sure that makes a world of difference!
Regarding the use of the 2325P's as secondary speakers to check a mix, i'd say ok as long as you have something worse too. Like the NS10's...i mean i know everyone got them because they looked good & because they thought 'if they have them in studios they must be good' but they were rubbish and that was the point. These JBL babies are way above the NS10's...
If i was looking for rubbish speakers i'd go for ADAM or small Genelec's maybe. If it sounds good on the ADAM's it might not sound good anywhere else, it's hard to tell, but it'll mean you've got either very nice mids or no mids at all. ;-) Double check on the Genelec's and if you can't hear the vocals then, indeed, you had no mids. ;-p
Btw, not all Genelec's are crap, i liked the big ones i heard at SAE, just the small ones that are pointless. ADAM also maybe have some great speakers, i dunno, but the ones i heard were i think the A2 & A5...? Do they have A2's? I seem to remember 2 models...both were stunning...ly disappointing.
Having said all that maybe the amps in the stores were rubbish and those speakers could sound better in a different set-up. I bet the stores rely on the rave reviews in the mags to sell the speakers...i once bumped into a sales guy who said to me "i know the NS10's are crap, and i try to convince our clients not to buy them, but people want crap so i sell them crap...". He used to work in the biggest studio gear store in France. I'm pretty sure most retailers agree that many of the speakers they sell are rubbish, but the press convinces you before you even listen...how many people buy based on reviews, and then it's just too late...you HAVE to like em!
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981687 - 05/28/10 04:30 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
Planeteer
Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#981689 - 05/28/10 04:53 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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If i can make it to El Paso i'll try to see if they have the AIR-15's there, i'm curious to hear em. A bit pricey, though. Instinctively i'd prefer to get a very nice amp (say 1500$) and spend 2500$ on some high-end B&W's or something like that.
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981691 - 05/28/10 07:10 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
Planeteer
Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#981695 - 05/28/10 07:44 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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RickD
Planeteer
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 290
Loc: Prague, Czech Republic & Guana...
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Interesting.
But tell me, cos i haven't actually needed this feature before: what is the point of having digital inputs on speakers? Is it because the sound from their analog inputs gets converted into digital inside and then back into analog for actual reproduction?
_________________________
All the best, RickDangerous - VS-2480CD v2.505 with 2x 'two' cards + 2x 'three' cards + all plug-ins + Meter bridge - Converted to DVD with a UJ-860 + SSD with a Samsung EVO 860 250GB - JBL LSR308 monitors The rest of my gear : http://fr.audiofanzine.com/membres/29885/products/
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#981698 - 05/28/10 07:59 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: RickD]
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Randyman...
Planeteer
Registered: 03/30/02
Posts: 8673
Loc: Houston, TX
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#1029505 - 02/25/11 02:25 AM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Randyman...]
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Brian Glock
Planeteer / Artist # 451
Planeteer
Registered: 04/29/01
Posts: 2733
Loc: Baltimore
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I've wanted the Opal's since they were announced. I picked up the 20/20bas when they came out and thought they were the best sounding in their price range. I later upgraded to the ASP 8's and have been very happy with them. Several months ago I had the chance to have an extended listening session with the Opal's and knew for sure I wanted, maybe even needed to add them to the studio. Not only for mixing and listening but for also playing the synths through. Happy to say I just ordered a pair and hopefully they will be here in the next few weeks.
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#1097748 - 01/17/12 09:19 PM
Re: EVENT OPAL studio monitors
[Re: Brian Glock]
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Brian Glock
Planeteer / Artist # 451
Planeteer
Registered: 04/29/01
Posts: 2733
Loc: Baltimore
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After a long wait for the Opals to ship again ( almost 11 months) my pair finally came in yesterday. Worth the wait ? you bet 
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). They are also killer for $400/pr - but need a descent power amp.
)...
