Fostex PM841

I wanted a set of monitors that would be useful for acoustic music as well as rock.All the other monitors I tried seemed to be set up for Dance music.
They had too much Bass and tops and no mids.
i was about to give up and I heard these.
They sounded better than others 3 times the price in my opinion.

SOUNDS

I know it will take a little time for the speakers to wear in, but so far the Low frequencies seem quite tight.The high frequencies are fairly flat,without the heavy sibilance that you get with most powered monitors.All the others I tried had the same top end sound ,(I guess to accent the Hi hats and percussion sounds in Dance Music).
Stereo Image is very good across all frequencies. The midrange is quite natural and it's easy to find problems in the mix.I ran the woofer with the bass setting turned down -3db as my room is small.

OVERALL OPINION

I like the price,which was exactly half of the others I tried.(Event, Focal, Mackie)
I was lucky that some friendly dealers would let me take them home to try in my studio. The only issue I had was quality control .One of the speakers had an internal rattle ,but the dealer replaced it without an problem. so far so good!. wouldn't hesitate to recommend that you try these before making a decision. Great value for money.
the others i compared these too were the Focal cms65 Event 2030 Mackie hr624.
All good but more set up for Dance music in my opinion.

We were hunting for an affordable pair of monitors for a music production and DJ setup - auditioned extensively side by side models from KRK, Yamaha, Tannoy and JBL - and it was immediately apparent that the 8.4.1 was serving up a much more natural and full sound for around the same price. Side-by-side with the KRK Rockit 8 the 8.4.1 has a much deeper and rounder bottom end, with mid range detail that made that KRK sound very 2 dimensional and flat in comparison. It's clear that by using a 3 way monitor, you get a much more accurate representation of the full frequency spectrum, with each driver in the monitor more able to properly do its work. I hadn't used many 3 way monitors in this price range since the Alesis Monitor 2's, and can honestly say that now this kind of tech is available at this price point, it really makes some of the other similarly priced 2-way offerings around seem significantly inferior.

SOUNDS

The PM 8.4.1 translates mixes very accurately - deep basses with a full, round character and spectacularly detailed mids. The tops are smooth and precise - these speakers don't create any fatigue in the listener, and hours spent in front of them have passed with smooth mixes resulting and no excess wear and tear on the ears. Stereo is very evident with a stable center image. When switching between the KRK Rockit 8 and these in store the difference was profound - the Rockits sounded kind of choked and cardboardy while the 8.4.1s sounded open and spacious.

For their second purpose as monitors for the DJ setup these speakers have performed brilliantly - a huge fat sound is available with the twist of the volume knob - and the 3 way arrangement appears to serve up an enormous amount of bass and volume when you need it.

OVERALL OPINION

These speakers really do seem to be the superior choice when comparing what's available for the same money. It makes sense that a well built 3 way system will perform better than a similarly spec'd 2 way one - and the proof is really in the listening with these speakers. As always with monitors, only your own ears can tell you what sounds best to you - and side-by-side these monitors sounded like they were on the next level from my experience.

Mixes made on the 8.4.1s have translated really well, their precision is fantastic, they're great to listen to for hours on end, and when needed they can wind up and pump. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the market for a great quality speaker for under $1000.

These monitors arent too expensive , and they sound pretty good which surprised me because usually when it comes to monitors if you don’t invest a solid amount of money then the quality of sound you will get wont be very good. The Fostex PM841’s are all black, so don’t expect to get some crazy colored ones like you can get with some other models like the KRK special additions.


SOUNDS

The sound is pretty realistic, some of the hi’s seemed to be over the top for me. Just when mixing down some simple tracks it just seemed like the hi’s where too “hi” in the mix but just with these monitors . When I would play it back in a different set of monitors or headphones I wouldn’t get the same over done hi’s. So maybe the frequency range on this pushes the hi’s a little too much for me. But as for the low’s, they where great. I got a nice thick big sound when using this with the kick drum especially.


OVERALL OPINION

Overall, the thing that I like the best about them is the price. Not too many monitors in the market get you decent quality without spending a lot of money and these don’t cost that much as a pair. But keep in mind, like I said the hi’s seem to be a bit much so if you use a lot of higher pitches and tones in your music you will need to run the mix through a second set of monitors to make sure you don’t end up cutting out the hi’s based on how they sound in the Fostex PM 841’s. But if you can get around that problem you will get a good quality mix. I wouldn’t plan on doing a master in them though. I just don’t think they are built to master music in. If you want to master, invest in some higher end KRK’s .

I was looking for monitor speakers not getting tired ear to prolonged listening.
I'm not disappointed, you can mix quietly for hours.
Ideal for precision work. I think the accuracy of the incredible listening.
It goes next to nothing in the mixes.
The 8 "woofer makes good deep bass.
The whole frequency range is clear and can detect small defects in the mix.

SOUNDS

Nothing to say, this is a perfect product.
Very good 3-way speakers.

OVERALL OPINION

I work with these speakers for about a week.
I tried to view other speakers but they force me tired listening.
This is an excellent value for money. 255 euros each, it really is not theft.