monitors

2009 Summer NAMM Show: Akai Professional has introduced the  RPM8 reference production studio monitors, specifically intended for use with the company’s MPC music production workstations and production controllers.

“There is so much low-end content in music being made today,” said Adam Cohen, Director of Business Development, Akai Professional, “we felt that a studio monitor specifically designed for extended low frequency playback would appeal to the people who already use our MPCs and production controllers.”

RPM8 studio monitors are sold individually and will be available from professional audio and musical instrument retailers Q4, 2009. Pricing is TBA. Read more…

At the 2009 Winter NAMM Show, Alesis introduced the M1Active 520 USB – a set of studio monitors with USB audio connectivity.

M1Active 520 USB is a pair of active, bi-amplified, two-way reference monitors that are designed to reproduce frequencies from 20,000 Hz all the way down to 56 Hz, covering nearly all frequencies audible to human ears. You can send audio directly from your DAW via USB to the speakers, for low noise, low-distortion signal flow.

The M1Active 520 USB monitors are designed around a five-inch polypropylene low-frequency driver and a one-inch silk dome high-frequency driver. The low-resonance bass-reflex cabinet features beveled edges to reduce edge diffraction and a tuned port for bass extension

M1Active 520 USB’s bi-amplified design delivers 50W to the woofer and 25W to the tweeter. The monitors are magnetically shielded so you can place them near computer screens and hard drives without concern.

The M1Active 520 USB’s large, front-panel, bi-color display indicates presence of signal in blue and clipping in red for instant feedback on system status.

In addition to USB playback capability, M1Active 520 USBs boast a pair of TRS-balanced 1/4″ inputs, so they can be used as a high-quality computer audio interface. Users can connect a stereo source or two mono sources including a mixer, keyboard, sampler or tape deck and record directly to their computer through the speakers.

“The new M1Active 520 USB studio monitors make getting low-distortion signal from your DAW to your monitors simple,” said Adam Cohen, Director of Business Development, Alesis.

M1Active 520 USB studio monitors will be available in Q3 2009, at an MSRP of $299.99 and an estimated street price of $199.99.

2008 Summer NAMM Show: Mackie’s SRM 450’s have become a modern standard for live music amplification.

I’ve got a set myself, and can vouch that they sound great and are built like tanks.

Now Mackie has announced the next generation of its SRM Series, with the SRM450v2 and SRM350v2.

The new models feature efficient switching power supplies, a lightweight neodymium woofer and a titanium dome compression driver. The SRM450v2 is 11 pounds lighter than its predecessor and now cast in a distinctive midnight blue enclosure.

“The change in sound from the originals is noticeable across the entire frequency range- the low end is punchier, the highs are more brilliant and the clarity of the mids are greatly improved,” said John Boudreau, Mackie Brand Group VP. “The original SRM’s have been the industry standard for sound quality for a decade; we needed to step it up and create a new standard- that’s what we’ve done with the SRMv2.”

The sound improvement may be great – but, in my book, cutting 11 pounds off the weight may be the best new feature. Read more…

NAMM Update: Alesis intro’d the M1 Active 320 USB speaker system.

Features include:

• USB 1.1 audio interface
• 16-Bit / 44.1-48 kHz recording and playback
• Pro-grade 1/4″ plugs and standard RCA jacks
• TRS headphone output
• Two 1/4″ phone jack inputs
• Stereo 1/8″ TRS mini-jack input
• Stereo RCA inputs
• 1/8″ TS output to passive speaker
• Switchable power supply
• Magnetically shielded for safe placement near TV and computer monitors

M1 Active 320 USB speakers will be available Q2 – 2008 for an MSRP of $199.

KRK Systems has released the VXT Series of studio monitors. The series was created using stringent design philosophies similar to KRK’s flagship close-field monitor, the Exposé E8B. The VXT Series has been designed to reproduce the true nature of the audio material and raises the bar for recording monitors used by professional engineers, musicians and DJs world wide. .

The VXT Series includes new proprietary woofers and tweeters, a newly designed curved face plate for excellent imaging, a new cabinet design that provides low resonance, improved structural integrity and extended low-end and slotted ports that greatly reduce port turbulence.

KRK engineers started with the functional cabinet design of the flagship monitor, the Expose? E8B to create a high performance yet attractive line of monitors. The curved cabinet and faceplate provide excellent imaging characteristics and a wider “sweet spot”. The use of ABS structural foam as the cabinet material provides excellent damping characteristics and extended low end due to more internal volume. The ABS foam also absorbs shocks really well so the cabinet is extremely impact resistant.

With the VXT Series, KRK engineers set out to improve transient response in the system. The tweeter’s dome is comprised of true silk, as opposed to cloth, which translates to fast transient response, excellent imaging and extended frequency response.

The new woofer inside the VXT Series has improved transient response by using a stiffer, lighter cone that provides very low distortion and extended low-end. Read more…