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I'm looking for speakers for my Kawai MP10. Budget would be under £600 preferably and in terms of size/weight would like to keep them under 11KG (about 24 lbs). I'd want something with a wide sweet spot so not too directional. It would be in a medium sized living room. Would also prefer not to get a subwoofer.

I've already tried out a bunch but haven't quite found an ideal pair. The 2 I thought sounded the best were the Fostex PM841 and Presonus Eris E8 which both also sounded good with software instruments through the laptop. The Fostex were too big and heavy and both were too directional. I noticed with these two that they were both front ported unlike the others I tried (which didn't sound so good). Since the monitors would be placed near a wall I'm wondering if that makes a difference? They were also the biggest and put some vibration through the keys particularly the Fostex.

I'm hoping to settle on the next one and not change them anymore. I was thinking of picking from JBL LSR 305/308 (although there rear ported) Tannoy Reveal 502/802
Or maybe KRK Rokit or VXT. These are all supposed to have a wide sweet spot.

_One_ ElectroVoice ZXA1 is within your budget, and it meets your other specs. It will fill much more than a medium-size living room.

But you'd be giving up stereo sound.

. Charles

FWIW, I use and like the Tannoy Reveal 502's. Don't know what else to say - so just use this as a data point, I guess!

I did think about the EV ZXA1 before but there expensive and very big and heavy as PA speakers tend to be. It seems these type of speakers are better when played at high volume so may not be the best thing for me.

The Tannoy 502 are small and relatively cheap with an advertised wide sweet spot. It's also been described as bright and clear sounding which appeals to me. There have been reports of rather bad hissing though and there's also a lack of controls for tweaking on the back.

I could just compromise on certain things and go back to the Fostex PM841. They probably sounded the best and the sweet spot was not that bad in retrospect. I did like the feeling of key vibration I got with them too.

The slightly smaller PM641 is another one. I read somewhere that in smaller untreated rooms it's better to get something with a smaller woofer so as not to overwhelm with bass. Both these Fostex are 3 way speakers but I'm not sure what advantage that has.

Based on specs, those PM841 speakers are more than adequate for what you want to do.

The "three-way" speaker lets each driver work in the frequency region for which it's best suited. So the woofer (and its amp) can be optimized around woofing, without worrying about how it will handle mid-frequency sounds. Similarly for the tweeter -- it doesn't have to worry about mid-range frequencies.

It's a classic "hi-fi" technique, not so much used in the "live sound" market.

. Charles

PS -- "based on specs" means I haven't heard them. But you have, and think they're OK.

Thanks for the explanation. The PM641 is a bit smaller and lighter (which would be welcome) than the PM841 I tried. It's got a 6.5" woofer with 50W, 18W and 18W output each compared with the 841's 8" woofer and 60W, 18W and 18W.
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/PM641.shtml
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/PM841.shtml

I remember someone on here saying that a slightly smaller woofer helps the mid range and some other discussion that ideal monitor size could depend on the room size and treatment.

If possible, I would suggest purchasing from a local dealer. One who will allow you to take them home, try them, and return them if you are not happy.

It has been my experience that no matter what you purchase, without trying them in your home, they will not meet your expectations. It just seems to be the nature of the beast.

After you have been through 3 or 4 of them, then you will get a better feel for what you can realistically expect. Without actually hearing them in your home, we all tend to live a little bit in a fantasy world of what they are going to sound like. Then, we get them and they rarely meet that fantasy expectation.

So, try as many as you can and pull the trigger on your best choice and see where it goes from there.

Good Luck

Yes that's what I've been doing and your right about the perception of how you think there going to sound. That is funnily enough why I'm looking at just going back to the first pair I tried which was the Fostex. I even tried out expensive Genelec and Neumann monitors after but they were disappointing. Looking back, what I first started with seem to give the best results.

There you go.

Until you have something "real" to compare against, you are comparing against your fantasy sound and nothing can compare to that.

My other bit of advice is to spend most of your time learning to play instead of critiquing your "sound". After you can play, everything will sound much better.

Nubert A-100's would also meet your criteria. Order, test them and if you don't like them just send them back for free.

Yes, this point has come up before and I agree. As soon as I've got my setup complete I can stop thinking about gear and fiddling around with things and just concentrate on improving my playing. That's why I'm hoping to settle on whatever speakers I get next.

Cmin I don't think those Nubert speakers are sold here in the UK and there not listed at the store I've been using.