Anyone Using Focal Alpha Monitors?

    I'm close to buying a new set of monitors as I've just sold my KRK Rokit 5 G2s. Have heard good things about these but only on the Axe FX forum. Anyone here using them?


    Thanks.
    Dave

    I have the Alpha 65's and also stepped up from KRK Rokit's. It wa a big step! They take a little while to break in but once they do, the sound great. A wise purchase.

    Thanks for replying. I'm looking at the Alpha 50s but am strongly considering the Yamaha HS8, JBL LSR308 and even the Dynaudio BM5A MkII. I know there's a "big" difference between those but when I work myself up to buying the Dynaudios, I always ask, am I really getting that much more quality than with the other monitors that are significantly less expensive?


    So I'm totally torn right now. It seems on this forum, Kemper users are happy with the JBL 305s, 308 and the Yamaha HS line. So I don't think either of those is a mistake, I just start over-thinking the issue I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I even need an 8" driver. My room is about 13x12. My Rokit 5s never seemed under powered in this room. So I think a 5" driver will be fine.


    I know some guys talk about having an 8" driver because it will be more "amp in the room" like, but that really goes against the whole FRFR thing. My kemper with an power amp and real cab should sound like an amp in the room. But through studio monitors I expect it to sound like a mic'ed rig in a control room. So I don't buy the whole "bigger driver is best" in a studio monitor.


    We'll see what happens.

    Monitor choice is such a personal thing, much like profiles for the KPA. You really can't take anyone's advice on the Internet (aside from things like quality control, build quality etc.). It's just too subjective. The only advice you can offer or accept is to find a dealer with a few different makes and models, test them in their showroom, then get some sort of 14-day trial deal and try your favourites in your own room (can make a HUGE difference!). Sorry, there isn't really another way to do it properly.


    Having said that, I like Focal, Neumann/K&H, Dynaudio, am not too keen on Genelec even though I use them everyday at work, but have Acoustic Energy AE22s in my own studio, with a pair of Adam A5X to cross-reference and an Avantone Mixcube.


    Cheers,
    Sam

    Quote from sambrox

    Monitor choice is such a personal thing, much like profiles for the KPA. You really can't take anyone's advice on the Internet (aside from things like quality control, build quality etc.). It's just too subjective. The only advice you can offer or accept is to find a dealer with a few different makes and models, test them in their showroom, then get some sort of 14-day trial deal and try your favourites in your own room (can make a HUGE difference!). Sorry, there isn't really another way to do it properly.


    Having said that, I like Focal, Neumann/K&H, Dynaudio, am not too keen on Genelec even though I use them everyday at work, but have Acoustic Energy AE22s in my own studio, with a pair of Adam A5X to cross-reference and an Avantone Mixcube.


    Cheers,
    Sam


    Sam, I've been interested in getting a Genelec 8040B as a second monitoring system in my setup. Which Genelecs do you use? What don't you like about them? Anything to like vis-a-vis you're preferences, like the Dynaudios?

    It's an old pair of 1030As. I just feel that they flatter the sound a bit, Genelecs generally. What I like about the AE22s is that you really have to work to make a mix sound good (well that and the fact that they are a sealed cabinet design, meaning tighter bass and a deeper, gentler roll off in the low end), much like the old Yamaha NS10s. Dynaudio generally are very well respected, although my own personal experience is limited to the Air range of monitors, a step up from the BM range. I mixed a demo on a pair of Focal CMS65s once without having used them previously and was surprised with how well the mixes translated to other systems. They also showed some problems that the Blue Sky system I was using at the time hadn't revealed. Again though, it's difficult to recommend monitors, as it is such a subjective and personal thing. Everyone's ears are different, just as everyone's musical tastes are different. What I like about a set of monitors might be something you hate about them! Head down to a dealer and hear a few for yourself, that'd be the best thing to do.


    Cheers,
    Sam

    Quote from cudbucket

    I'm close to buying a new set of monitors as I've just sold my KRK Rokit 5 G2s. Have heard good things about these but only on the Axe FX forum. Anyone here using them?


    Thanks.
    Dave


    Brother, I am EXACTLY in the same spot as you, I've sold my KRK's rp5 g2 (VERY bassy and muddy) yesterday and have my eyes set on the FOCAL Alpha 50's, due to a recomendation from a sound-guy I trust. Problem is there is SO LITTLE info on the web, but what little there is, seems to cast them in a positive light.


    I will need them , not so much for JUST playing the kemper, but to create (at least) pre-production mixes for my band. I'm thinking about the 50s cause I will be working stricktly nearfiled with the monitors being withing arm's length. The guy who recommended them to me said that ,as a rule of thumb, the Alphas sound MORE massive than their diameter implies, so the 50's sound like 6 or 7 inches and so on. Could be nonsense though.


    Anyway, I'm gonna check them out in person this week along with what other monitors the store has in its demo room. Hopefully, I'll come out owning them and will post my impressions here.

    Quote from theBox

    Brother, I am EXACTLY in the same spot as you, I've sold my KRK's rp5 g2 (VERY bassy and muddy) yesterday and have my eyes set on the FOCAL Alpha 50's, due to a recomendation from a sound-guy I trust. Problem is there is SO LITTLE info on the web, but what little there is, seems to cast them in a positive light.


    I will need them , not so much for JUST playing the kemper, but to create (at least) pre-production mixes for my band. I'm thinking about the 50s cause I will be working stricktly nearfiled with the monitors being withing arm's length. The guy who recommended them to me said that ,as a rule of thumb, the Alphas sound MORE massive than their diameter implies, so the 50's sound like 6 or 7 inches and so on. Could be nonsense though.


    Anyway, I'm gonna check them out in person this week along with what other monitors the store has in its demo room. Hopefully, I'll come out owning them and will post my impressions here.


    Great. Would love to hear what you think of them. I've been reading so much about studio monitors over the last week. I'm of the belief at this point that when it comes to near field monitors in the 5 to 8 inch driver range, it's hard to make a bad choice. I'm sure that if I demo'ed them all I'd have a preference but everything would change if I demo'ed them in my home. I'm sure if I bougth JBL LSR305s or Yamaha HS8s or the Focals, I'd be happy and they'd all sound great.


    My room is 13x12 so according to what I'm reading, I should be fine with a 5" driver. Yet, you'll get tons of recommendations to go with an 8" driver because it's "better". Well those larger drivers also come with higher powered amps and that probably won't work in my room. I'm not worried about bass when it comes to playing the Kemper because I'm a guitarist. I played my 7 string through the Rokit5's all the time and never felt I was missing chunk or bottom. Now for mixing, I know it's a different story but I could add a sub-woofer for that.


    There are tons of great deals on eBay and other online vendors. Have to admit the "buy one get the 2nd half off" deal on the Mackie MR models is really tempting. But the JBL LSR305s have SO MANY positive reviews. More so than the Yamaha HS line. Still the Yamahas are very popular here. I wonder if that's got anything to do with the fact that the DXR10s are also strongly in favor here?


    The only thing I'm sure of is that I'll probably be mounting my monitors on stands instead of my desk. I like the idea of less weight on the desk and I've already moved my desk a bit to clear room for the stands.


    Anyway, let me know what you think of the Focals. For a monitor with a 5" driver, it has a pretty big enclosure which I think helps extend the low end a bit and make the monitors sound "bigger".


    Take care.
    Dave

    i had the Alpha 80 in my studio for 1 week to test. They go extreme deep, but they have too much bass and too much lowmids...not enough highmids and highs.
    You can dial down the lows and bring up the highs..but i was not able to get a balanced sound. Even some of my absolute reference mixes (not my own :D ) didn sound really good...so i did bring them back.
    But the 50 ware good when you need small monitors that go deep enough.
    They are not bad but i simply could not mix with them..to cloudy, muffled, dark, deep...i would cut too much lows and boost too much highs/mids


    also with the Kemper...to bright/thin profiles sounded really fat...balanced profiles too fat/boomy/dark. Darker but usable profiles sounded like sh.... ;)

    Monitors are only as good as your room. If your room isn't treated, then anything larger than 5 inches is going to give you more problems than benefits. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the Focal CMS 40 would be more appropriate. Sub woofers, by the way, are pure sabotage for your mixes, unless you have extensive bass trapping and the sub is tailored to your other speakers.


    Cheers,
    Sam

    Yeah man! Not had chance to check them myself, but they'd be overkill in my room, hehe;-)


    Best monitors I ever heard belong to my studio neighbour; a mastering engineer who goes by the name of Holger Lagerfeldt. His room is insanely good (you wouldn't believe the amount of trapping that's built in to the walls - it looks so clean and neat!). Check these babies out : http://www.onlinemastering.dk/studie.html


    Cheers,
    Sam

    Really? Hadn't heard that! From what I've read, the EVEs are quite close to the Adams in general tonality, but are supposed to be a bit tighter in the mids, most likely down to the on-board DSP.
    They're on sale over here at the moment, SC 305 for the same price as Neumann KH120A. I love the Neumanns, but I'd rather save up for for the 310s or blow the cash on the EVEs, haha! I'm very curious as to the nature of three-ways. Of course, if I had the money to burn, I'd import a set of Barefoot Micromain 27s...


    Not cheap...
    Cheers,
    Sam