paradies « Amazing little beasts ... »
Published on 12/08/14 at 16:26
Best value:
Excellent
Audience:
Anyone
One of my Genelecs 8020a broke down and I needed something not expensive as a temporary solution. I also have the yamaha msp5, which I basically use to clean up the vocals. (They are fatiguing and unpleasant: A tool to control the mids!).
I have used the Genelec 1030s for 1 year in a post-production studio and have the Celestion Ditton 33 and Teac lx for hi-fi listening.
My goal was to find a pair of speakers that allowed me to work while my 8020s were repaired, and that, once the latter were repaired, they wouldn't be redundant. Everything for the price of one single 8020...
My yamaha msp5s being currently on the other end of the country were not an option.
Here are my first impressions: I must add that I have a "project" studio, so I was also looking for speakers to write music, not only to mix.
Within this context, I was pleasantly surprised: Even if the Fostex seem less defined, less precise and brilliant than the Genelecs, the stereo image seems larger. I can hear movements in the stereo field much more clearly than with the 8020s.
I can also here better the lows. In general, they are far from being ridiculous compared to my other, most expensive, model...
I don't know if they are broken in or not, since they were the model on display, so I'll have to wait and see in a couple of days...For the time being, I'm very happy with them. We'll see how they perform with analog synths: I love to improvise a lot, which sometimes demands a huge dynamic response. That was always a problem with the small Genelecs...I was sometimes forced to use small PA speakers for songwriting and then use the 8020s for premixing.
What I like least is their finish, which isn't bad, but it definitely can't be compared to the Genelecs or the Focal CMS. They don't look cheap, but they are far from the quality of the Finnish!
They don't have a protection grille for the woofers and tweeters, so be careful...
What I like the most: Comprehensive connections: Jack, XLR + RCA, built-in power supply for each speaker (models that amplify both speakers from one single speaker should be avoided, in my opinion).
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To finish this initial review, I'd say that at this price point there are lots of models to choose from (yamaha hs5, krk, maybe the mackie mr5, and fostex). The pm04 seem a bit light to me. I don't include here the m-audio and similar "disguised multimedia accessories" that don't allow for even the most basic work.
I think this Fostex are a good option for people looking for their first pair of speakers and a decent second reference pair. In any case, they are the bare minimum needed. You need to get used to their frequency response, but you shouldn't have a problem with that.
If you plan to mix a project with them only, you'd better use a pair of reliable headphones as well, to be on the safe side.
These monitors could easily find their place in video and audio post-production facilities without a problem.
For less than 400€, I would buy this pair again. With a slightly higher budget I'd take a look at the new Focal ALPHA 50 (since I can't afford the cms...)
I have used the Genelec 1030s for 1 year in a post-production studio and have the Celestion Ditton 33 and Teac lx for hi-fi listening.
My goal was to find a pair of speakers that allowed me to work while my 8020s were repaired, and that, once the latter were repaired, they wouldn't be redundant. Everything for the price of one single 8020...
My yamaha msp5s being currently on the other end of the country were not an option.
Here are my first impressions: I must add that I have a "project" studio, so I was also looking for speakers to write music, not only to mix.
Within this context, I was pleasantly surprised: Even if the Fostex seem less defined, less precise and brilliant than the Genelecs, the stereo image seems larger. I can hear movements in the stereo field much more clearly than with the 8020s.
I can also here better the lows. In general, they are far from being ridiculous compared to my other, most expensive, model...
I don't know if they are broken in or not, since they were the model on display, so I'll have to wait and see in a couple of days...For the time being, I'm very happy with them. We'll see how they perform with analog synths: I love to improvise a lot, which sometimes demands a huge dynamic response. That was always a problem with the small Genelecs...I was sometimes forced to use small PA speakers for songwriting and then use the 8020s for premixing.
What I like least is their finish, which isn't bad, but it definitely can't be compared to the Genelecs or the Focal CMS. They don't look cheap, but they are far from the quality of the Finnish!
They don't have a protection grille for the woofers and tweeters, so be careful...
What I like the most: Comprehensive connections: Jack, XLR + RCA, built-in power supply for each speaker (models that amplify both speakers from one single speaker should be avoided, in my opinion).
-
To finish this initial review, I'd say that at this price point there are lots of models to choose from (yamaha hs5, krk, maybe the mackie mr5, and fostex). The pm04 seem a bit light to me. I don't include here the m-audio and similar "disguised multimedia accessories" that don't allow for even the most basic work.
I think this Fostex are a good option for people looking for their first pair of speakers and a decent second reference pair. In any case, they are the bare minimum needed. You need to get used to their frequency response, but you shouldn't have a problem with that.
If you plan to mix a project with them only, you'd better use a pair of reliable headphones as well, to be on the safe side.
These monitors could easily find their place in video and audio post-production facilities without a problem.
For less than 400€, I would buy this pair again. With a slightly higher budget I'd take a look at the new Focal ALPHA 50 (since I can't afford the cms...)