[Arksun]

I'll just copy n paste what I wrote on Gearslutz:

Soo the funky shaped sE Munro Eggs, tested in my own studio up against my PSI A21-M.

What did I think of them?. I think they're pretty damn good for their price point!. The sound did remind me a fair bit of Dynaudio, the older Dynaudio that is, which isn't suprising given Andy Munro designed the BM6A MK1 which I used for 5 years (but not the MK2, which doesn't sound as good).

In fact in some ways I'd describe the sE Munro Eggs as what the next-gen Dynaudios should have sounded like, but alas didn't.

First thing that struck me was the soundstage, which when the speakers are perfectly aligned is huge. It's just a large oval projection of sound in width and depth that spreads out beyond the speakers, which disappear as point sources. Some might find it maybe too exaggerated, but it certainly reveals a lot of detail through seperation of sound. I think they went for a gradual but smooth phase shift across the woofer to the tweeter rather than compensating via the electronics to create a very flat phase and thus a more linear response ala K&H/PSI etc.

Good bass detail too with no obvious signs of port chuffing. Also the power handling is excellent!. You can drive these things soft or hard and the sound doesn't seem to compress all that much, I guess partly thanks to the enclosures but also using an amp on a fixed high voltage power rail. My ears gave up before the limiter lights came on, I didn't want to push the volume any further in my small room.

When I first listened I actually felt they sounded too boomy and fizzy with not so big sweet spot, until I realised the LF and HF knobs on the back of the amp were turned up to the max!. Apparently they ship this way which seems a bit odd as some might not look to check when first auditioning. Once set to flat they sounded much better and more in-phase too with larger sweet spot, larger than my old BM6A's. Having the LF and HF knobs set flat also made the mid-eq setting a lot more apparent. It does change the sound from slightly brighter (ala NS10 I guess, but definitely NOT that extreme!), to a much softer more casual hi-fi style sound. Again I preferred it set flat.

The background noise from the tweeters was pretty good, quieter than my monitors, more of a buzz than a hiss and oddly much louder in the left channel (caused from the amp, not the speaker, i checked by switching em). Moving the built in volume knob on the seperate amp section barely changed this. Speaking of which, the potentiometer has a smooth action, but there is some channel drift at the low end, coming out left speaker first then drifting across to balance with the right. What the longevity of this volume knob is who knows, but it did have a nice smooth weight feel. It's unlikely most people would use the volume knob right near the bottom anyways so that drift shouldn't really be a problem.

Do I want to keep them?, no. Overall I much prefer the sound on my PSI A21-M's. To be fair its not really that fair a comparison given the A21's cost a lot more, but after all the marketting hype and unusual design surrounding the Eggs I was eager to try them out in my studio to see what the fuss was about.

Where the Eggs fell short relative to the A21's was that despite revealing good detail, the overal tone sounded more coloured and bit more dull, like there was a bit of a veil over everything. Listening to various different tracks this became obvious. I think thats the thing when you upgrade to better speakers, the colourations that exist in other speakers imparted over the music then become more apparent across different sounding tracks. The transients really punch through better on my A21's and that silky rich detailed yet non-fatuiging top end on their tweeters is really something very special for me. I also missed some of the bass extension on the Eggs, but you can't work miracles out of a 6.5" woofer and the amount they do extend is pretty good really. I think they're going to be making a slightly larger version at some point anyways?, not sure.

My biggest problem with the Eggs was actually powering down the unit. Normally we're told to power on monitors last and power off first, to avoid any loud thumps being sent to them or any over voltages causing damage. For some reason when switching the amp off it sends a loud thump to them which really surprised me. I hope that doesn't cause any long term damage. Maybe there is an issue with the amp in my demo unit I don't know but this really surprised me. Unless their reasoning is that any form of soft-off protection system would compromise audio quality when they're on?

Are the Eggs some huge step forward in 2-way speaker systems?, honestly no. But they are definitely worth their price and anyone investing in that price range should take them very seriously indeed!.

[tehlord]

Nice review there.

I can't help feeling SE are shooting themselves in the foot a little with the styling as they're entering at the high end of the prosumer market, very close to stuff like Twin 6BEs and Event Opals too. I can't see many professional studios having something like that sitting there as I know so many of them worry about how it all looks to clients.

My own perception (right or wrong) is that SE are a bit of a budget brand so maybe it would have been better to take some sales off the Rokit series first to establish a reputation.

Still, the proof's in the pudding as they say.

[Marcioz Pollack]

definitely at least interesting design

[Arksun]

I think they look really cool in person and having Andy Munro's reputation behind them puts them in good sted. Can't really see looks being that much of a problem. As mixing speakers go they are very very good indeed. Would much prefer them to the Focal Solos, or even the Twins.

[tehlord]

Arksun, on 16 January 2012 - 07:20 PM, said:

I think they look really cool in person and having Andy Munro's reputation behind them puts them in good sted. Can't really see looks being that much of a problem. As mixing speakers go they are very very good indeed. Would much prefer them to the Focal Solos, or even the Twins.

I honestly couldn't care less what they look like (apart from any acoustic issue the shape may or may not bring to the table) but i'm constantly amazed at threads about studio gear based on how professional it looks in front of clients. The reason I mention it is that they're not being aimed so much at the home market in price at least.

Not knocking them, it's just an observation. I kinda like the way they look too.

[cryophonik]

tehlord, on 16 January 2012 - 05:41 PM, said:

I can't help feeling SE are shooting themselves in the foot a little with the styling as they're entering at the high end of the prosumer market, very close to stuff like Twin 6BEs and Event Opals too. I can't see many professional studios having something like that sitting there as I know so many of them worry about how it all looks to clients.

Personally, I think they look pretty freakin cool. But, I was thinking the same until I started watching a few threads on GS etc., and it seems like most of the studio guys are really liking the way they look. Seems to be an all-or-none proposition, though - people who don't like REALLY don't like them.

Now, sE just needs to make a matching subwoofer shaped like a bird's nest.


edit: oh, and nice review Arksun!

This post has been edited by cryophonik: 16 January 2012 - 09:43 PM

[Bluffmunkey]

The street price seems to be about £1600/pair so these will be on my list.

Anybody got any experience with Dynaudio BM12As? In fact there's plenty to choose from in that price range including the Adam A77X, which I always thought were a lot more expensive. Might be overkill though

Edit - the law of diminishing returns has pointed me towards the Adam A7x's as well. They used to be more than £800/pair did they not?

This post has been edited by Bluffmunkey: 01 February 2012 - 08:58 AM

[Arksun]

Bluffmunkey, on 01 February 2012 - 08:52 AM, said:

The street price seems to be about £1600/pair so these will be on my list.

Anybody got any experience with Dynaudio BM12As? In fact there's plenty to choose from in that price range including the Adam A77X, which I always thought were a lot more expensive. Might be overkill though

Edit - the law of diminishing returns has pointed me towards the Adam A7x's as well. They used to be more than £800/pair did they not?

Seems to be a lot of love out there for the A7X. Never heard them myself. Again its a tweeter taste thing, either Ribbon or X-Tweeters will be your thing or they won't be.

I auditioned the BM12A's, wasn't too impressed. My old BM6A MK1 sounded better. The newer Dynaudios just lack something the older ones had. Like the BM6A MK2 sounds underpowered compared to the MK1, more boxy and smaller sweet spot.

I think when it comes to the mid-range freq area thats where the Eggs really shine,so the decision will be based more on how you find the bass and particularly the high frequencies. This is where the Eggs fell short compared to the PSI.

[Bluffmunkey]

I do like the idea of the PSI's but i'm a little put off by the cost and size. I'm less focussed on dance stuff than I used to be but I will be doing it from time to time so I do worry about a potential lack of bottom end. Ultimately I want detail, mostly as i'll be moving much more into score work.

No substitute for demo'ing I know, but sadly there isn't one place where I can hear them all.

I'll know more about the financial side of things when I sell my place in the spring. If the market's strong the PSI's will be up against some tough choices!

[wayfu]

The Adam A7X sound amazing, but I'm sticking with my Genelecs

[Aerotek]

Great review, Arksun. Yet, after owning a pair of Adam A7's, I think my upgrade will be upwards to the A77's (or perhaps a pair of PSIs?)

You should try the Adams. The tweeter is quite something to experience, I find them to be incredibly clean and silky (and they go all the way up to 33kHz!), but for some they're a bit too loud on the high end.

About the looks: I have heard the same comments about how clients will feel when looking at the monitors. I do believe that looks matter, rounded speakers will feel like a toy for some, despite its performance. But if the prize is worth it, the way it sounds should go right over the way it looks.

Remember... Genelecs are waaay ugly...



...yet they sit on the studios of the best engineers.

*Edit: I wonder what's the opinion of A&B on their own speaker preference?

This post has been edited by Aerotek: 01 February 2012 - 04:26 PM

[wayfu]

Aerotek, on 01 February 2012 - 04:24 PM, said:

Remember... Genelecs are waaay ugly...

I've got the 1030As, which looks nice and neutral

[Aerotek]

I was talking about the rounded ones, the 8 series, hehehehe

This post has been edited by Aerotek: 01 February 2012 - 11:08 PM