Equator Audio Research D5

The D5s are powered monitors with a design that you don't find on many low cost speakers. The tweeter and woofer are combined in a single driver. They're quite compact, very sturdy and they fit nicely on my desk. Each speaker isn't heavy, weighing roughly 4KGs. The tweeter and the woofer each have a 50 watt amp. The rear has a power button, a 1/4 inch TRS input, an XLR input, a low end roll-off switch. The finish on the boxes is beautiful and they look and feel expensive. I bought them as an extra pair of reference speakers for mixing to complement my other speakers.

SOUNDS

I use 3 different sets of speakers for monitoring and quality control and D5s often help me to pick out things in my mix that I sometimes miss with my other speakers. The mid range is fantastic and the top highs are very well represented. The sweet spot is wide on these monitors meaning you don't have to to sit in such a calculated and specific spot to enjoy the best sound. You can move around a bit and still hear the best sound from the speakers.They also sound good at low volumes. When I don't want to make too much noise at night but still get a good sense of what's going on in my mixes the D5s are my goto speakers. The sound on these is clear though the low end is not represented well; the bass is thin which doesn't make them good for bass heavy music. For their size though they're loud and don't distort easily. You can mix almost anything that doesn't require a lot of bass with these speakers with confidence that it will translate well.

OVERALL OPINION

I would buy these speakers again ONLY to complement my other speakers; the mid range response is superior to my Rokit 8s and Behringer Truth. They really which helps me to pick out small things that I may not with my other sets of speakers. I wouldn't buy them as my main monitors because from a holistic point of view they are flawed. The low end is thin and the high end can be too bright when you hit certain frequencies. Despite the few flaws the D5s are very good monitors. At the end of the day it's just about learning the sound of your speakers. I was able to make decent mixes back in the day when I was using my hi-fi system, so we can never rule out the importance of skill and knowledge on how to use your gear.

Pros:
- Accurate sound output especially in the mid range
- Wide sweet spot

Cons:
- Bass response is rather weak

Super report sound / price.

SOUNDS

Basically, I refer you to the opinion of RenoMellow. The sound is very clear and precise when used at normal volume.
However, when you listen to music with lots of bass at high volume, it is common for the woofer produces a very unpleasant sound by vibrating against the plastic cylinder surrounding the tweeter.
(When I wrote to Equator to inform them of the problem, they first gave me several tracks as heard that the problem was specific to the pair that I received (Loose screws etc ...) . rewrite them when I tell them that my problem was similar to that described by several users on Gearslutz and was perhaps due to the design of the speakers, I have not had an answer ...)

OVERALL OPINION

I recommend to those who love big sound mixer full of bass at high volume. For others, I do not see what you can find better at this price point. I would do this choice without hesitation.

- Coaxial Monitor
- Monitoring.
- Launch price.
- No coax monitor at this price.

- Listening in stereo home studio,
- Listen single move.

SOUNDS

Neutral
Stereo image, but Ok clew to find
His one little clearer.
These enclosures allow an analytical listening entirely correct.
For example you can easily follow the various layers of sounds. In "Chemical Brother", there are many different instruments in the low midrange.
Otherwise overall, the mix means the breath of many different synth or guitar amp used, or artifacts (grain pitch shift, click) effects, awesome. (Not always pleasant to listen to massive attack 100th windows for example)

Mono In very good.
such as studio monitor single console.
OR have a good forum for his room on the road.
(Adds weight in the bag, but what fun to have good sound at the hotel, apartment ...)

Dynamic impressive for the size provided to return to balanced.

OVERALL OPINION

In Mono, since August, as one speaker came too.
That's how I re-discovered listening mono (with the manufacture of a hack minijack-> XLR to listen to my iphone, attention has good weld if cancellation bass).


Stereo from 3 months.
Bizarre phenomenon, the breath delivery this has disappeared, while it was stored in an electronics engineer who was to take a look at the problem.
However it has not had time to watch, and to my surprise, when I recovered, the breath was gone.
It will remain a mystery.

Otherwise, I agree strongly with ReNo Mellow (thank you for the comment on fatigue ).
I will add volume as default button not going to-inf.
This forces to have a volume control upstream.
For me there is no cable just to understand, what I would have done with a power cable States or British in France?

I would say that I tried to buy,
I won.

I'm going to the distributor Audioland, if are not enough slack,
it does not distribute in France.
In the news-letter, speaks out equator certainly a D8 version.
Otherwise, ca worth the shot to go home to listen Audioland large monitor equator Q10.

Finally all the friends who have listened to (pro or simple music lover) were amazed.

Active outreach to monitor mixing and recording

Specifications:
# Internal DSP for Matched Output Transducer and Meticulous Pre-Set Voicing
# 100 Watts of Power (2 x 50W RMS)
# Pin-Point Accurate Pre-Set Voicing Aided by Award-Winning Recording Engineers
# Boundary Condition Selection
# 1.75 "Port Tuned Front-End For Accurate Low Extension.
# Steep 4th Order Crossover with L & R DSP Compensation for Reduced Mid-Range Distoriion
Designed Coaxial # 5.25 "Diameter Polypropylene Woofer
Designed Coaxial # 1 "Silk Tweeter Diameter
# Corrected Time Electronically
# 10-biquad for Applied DSP Factory Driver Correction
# 10-biquad for Factory Applied Voicing Considerations
# Frequency Response: 53Hz - 20kHz
# All Front Ported MDF Wood Cabinet w / Small Radius Edges
Limit # & Driver Protection
Driver # Magnitude Correction
# Power LED
# Volume Control
# Short Circuit Protection
# Thermal Protection
# IEC Power Inlet
# Power on / off Switch
# 1.8 meter EMI Power Cord
# Balanced XLR Input (female)
# Input TRS ¼ Inch (female)
103dB SPL #
# Boundry selection

I have purchased directly from the manufacturer's website for $ 299 (introductory price) + customs clearance (Belgium € -110), which makes me a total of about 400 € a pair. The low price is justified by the manufacturer's selling philosophy that distributes itself and avoids going through the middle that drive up the price.

Delivered to my request for 220-240v. no cables supplied with, but my faith is understandable! They have been nice to have a model 220-240v

I think I am one of the first in Europe to have this pair of speakers that my faith is clearly oriented mid-range in direct competition with all the speakers we know the price range under € 1,000 ...

The speakers are very small with the event of decompression on the front. A feature of these speakers is that it's the coaxial ... namely the tweeter is in the cabinet so that all frequencies out in the same axis to avoid distorition live in the midrange.

speakers also feature DSP that handles corrections (a microphone is available behind each speaker) but it is reserved for the factory where reglagles

2 XLR or TRS inputs can
2 knobs:
1 volume (notched)
A boudary which is used to select the response curve as a function of investm thereof

1 - if placed near a wall
2 - if they are back to a wall
3 - if they are in a corner

three different positions interfere only on the low-frequency

I put 9 / 10 because no power supply cord ..

SOUNDS

Good move into the thick of it!

Question context, I tested these speakers in a control room 3m30 x 4m to acoustic treatment (bass trap 6, 8 absorbers on the walls, convoluted foam ceiling, carpeting).

I had the opportunity to hear this SAMSON RUBICON R6A governance, and the YAMAHA HS50M HS80M

At first listen, it's just maddening! These little animals you mail in your face mix of all errors found in the midrange and treble. So you say ... yuck!

They are anything but flattering, however.

A second listen, you begin to understand the interest of these speakers! They tell you the naked truth.

In the medium, the upper midrange and treble, the accuracy is incredible!
I hear details in reverbs that I had never even noticed the headphone. It's been a week since I own them and have done the sorting in the convolutions of my half of Reverb! When a reverb sounds good or not metallic, with the little creatures ca you jump to the ears! In the 400 - 4000 Hz, it is very simple, these microscopes are pregnant!

The highs are very nice, but very detailed ... without being too aggressive.

I can not say anything about listening fatigue which I think is not an argument ... it depends on what you send in!

Low level, there as you would expect on small speakers is nothing below 50Hz ... on the other hand I find that from 60Hz, they are doing more than well! the bass are not swollen but they are fair.

I think the real strength of these speakers is to be secondary to consult the speaker in the mixes of the main speakers ... just as some use Auratone or NS10 ...

the stereo is it the coup, of course excellent

dynamic level, same, they are incredibly flattering without being just.

I would put both sides

8 / 10 if they are considered as the main speakers, because the lack of down makes it impossible to handle below 50hz

10/10 for pregnant side opposite their prices extremely attractive!



OVERALL OPINION

In conclusion, I use these speakers for a week and I'm delighted! The value for money is amazing and I would do this choice with eyes closed!

Compared to rubicon or yahama is not even a comparison, it is day and night)

That said even when I keep my Rubicon to toggle between these two plays that are completely different! So I have 2 times more information on my mix, which allows me to point much more quickly on this is wrong!