This is probably a PSU problem. They are new?

 

Thanks for helping man. Yeah, they're brand new. It's very weird, at first I thought maybe I didn't plug them in properly, but I triple checked that.. (they are kinda awkward little buggers to get the audio / power cables in and out)

Also, It seems it can happen to any one of the monitors, randomly. I'm not 100% sure, but it does often seem to occur during or after I have adjusted the volume on my sound card (Audient Evo 4)

What do you mean by PSU problem? It's hard to believe in such a failure on a brand new pair, especially since it happens to both? But who knows.. luckily they're under warranty so I can return if this persists.

PS I have my input gain set to -5db and the output at the lowest setting 94db spl.

 

Have mixed a couple of tracks on them. I admit i was impressed, it's flat as a pancake hehe. The clarity and distortion free signal at all volumes and down to 38hz was great. Great stereo image and still good while mixing off axis in an angle. The two mixes i did translated just fine, back in my studio on my Focal Twins. The only catch is at 2K per pair, there are many quality options and three way too.
Cheers

 

If it's happening to both of them randomly, I'd imagine it probs isn't the monitors - the chances of getting two with exactly the same fault is extremely low.

The very early production run of the 80's did have a little bit of an config issue, where one or both of the speakers would go into standby even when audio was being played, but that was fixed fairly quickly (the dealer I got mine from was nice enough to let me exchange my original set for an updated pair).

Try factory resetting them first - power them off, then working on one speaker at a time, while it's still off, start wiggling the Setting switch up and down constantly.
While you're doing this, turn the speaker on, and keep wiggling the switch until you see the logo flash white/pink (usually only takes a second or two) you can stop wiggling when you see the flash.

Try starting with the settings set to:

Settings switch: Set this to Local Control (Network control is only used when you're using them with an MA1 profile) and set auto standby however you want it.

Acoustical Control - hopefully you have em free-standing, or at least on stands raised up from your desk?

Output Level: 100db (this is what MA1 will set it to automatically anyways, so might as well get used to it!

Input Gain: I just leave mine set at 0db (I believe MA1 requires this, can't remember tbh!)

Run them for a couple days, see if the issue persists.

Oh, and are you sure you've got the power cables fully connected? Like, obvs don't force them, but they are super snug - it's usually easiest to hold the speaker horizontal, or set it on a desk, and connect the power first, because trying to do it in the vertical slot when they're on a stand is a pain.


And to answer your prev question, you don't need to power them off to adjust any of the settings on the back, just flip the switches however you like.

And by all means, go listen to the 120s, but I'd urge you to instead invest in the MA1 for the 80s (which isn't an option on the older 120s) - if you think the 80's sound good now, you won't believe how much better they can get!

And you're not really missing much with the Neumann Control app tbh. MA1 is what makes the real difference. And if you do invest in MA1, it overwrites any tweaks you may have previously made in Neumann Control anyways.

 

Last edited: Aug 28, 2024

Try switching the left and right speaker connections or just the speakers to see if the problem changes sides or stays the same.
That way you know if it's the speaker.
I've owned KH120II's for a year and love them, no problems at all.
Got them on IsoAcoustics desktop stands.

 

@Lube Bag

Thanks for the detailed reply man. I just wrote a long reply and something happened when I did an edit to add the video link. Anyway, will start off along your advice. You really got me hyped about that MA 1 mic.. really curious how they will sound with that in place. One question it leaves me is how much time and money I should focus on my room treatment. I already have 4 tall bass trap and some basic foam, a carpet. The monitors are on the desk, but on stands and decoupled. Lets say I had a few hundred bucks left atm for towards my studio, would you do further room treatment or get the mic. I somehow had, perhaps the false impression that the MA 1 mic can almost eliminate the need for any treatment at all. For instance I saw some of the Neumann videos, they went for instance to a hotel room and set the monitors up in the hotel room with the M1A. This blew my mind and made me think "ha, I don't need to worry about all this insane treatment plans for my room". They really make it seem that way from the video, but perhaps that is still less than ideal. I have the monitors on stands too, with additional decoupling from a pair of foam pads. These things sound promising so far, I really would like to hand onto them. I'll give em a clean reset to begin.

Kluster good plan, if it happens again I'll switch the cables to make 100% sure.

taskforce - yeah I like em, just not sure you thinking about the same model? They cost 880eu / 978 usd for the pair. Maybe you are thinking about the KH120 ii's? A new pair is indeed a tad expensive for me as well, but I do see some 2nd hand pairs of the KH 120 A's going for around 700 eu / 800 usd give or take

Here's that video btw;

 

Last edited: Aug 28, 2024

While I'd say that the marketing materials are obvs gonna paint everything in the most positive light possible, I've used mine in quite a few rooms, ranging from very treated commercial spaces, to more or less untreated apart from soft furnishings, and have been consistently impressed with how much the MA1 can actually do.

Since you already have decent stands (I would've defo advised you to get IsoAcoustic stands if you hadn't!) and some trapping, I'd honestly say just go for the MA1.

Especially since you're not running the 750 sub, you'll likely see more benefiit with the MA1. While it'll help flatten the frequency response, what you'll probably notice even more is how precise the stereo imaging becomes.

Also the way you can hear all the way into reverb and delay tails is something special, and I've not heard any other monitors near this price range keep up with the 80's in this respect.

Obviously, it depends on you making sure your measurements are accurate when you do them, but take the time to do them right and you'll be grand.

I have every confidence that unless you're working literally inside a tiny broom cupboard, the MA1 will be able to get you to a place where if you can't produce a great mix that translates well, the problem isn't the speakers :D

Also, congrats on the purchase btw! Forgot to say that earlier - it's not an insignificant investment, but it sounds like you're already discovering what a worthwhile one it is

(Ps: if you do decide to get the MA1, just remember you need an ethernet switch to connect your pc to both speakers, so if you don't have one, you'll wanna grab one so you don't get disappointed when the mic shows up but you can't use it haha!)

 

Hey guys, little update after having the KH 80's for a few months now.

Amazing, detailed monitors. No regret AT ALL, looking forward to using these for many years to come! I have not used the MA-1 alignment system yet, but I'm planning to do that in the near future as I've heard such good things.

Currently I am moving and will be going to a permanent location where I can build a studio. It's kinda of small, I guess 3m x 5m or something like that. I am wondering about the KH 750 though. I would love to have that extra bass extension but GOD DAYUM is it expensive! Around 1500eu in most places I looked. Another option is course getting a cheaper sub but then of course no DSP possibilities. Decisions decisions...

I'm not really sure I "need" the sub, although I am working on electronic music and do think it could be handy since the kh80's starting rolling off around 60hz. I do plan to treat the new space too with some bass traps and acoustic panels.

I have a old pair of Yamaha hs7's and was thinking of getting the HS8s (Yamhaha sub) to compliment them and fill my "bass needs" but perhaps I would be compromising. Generally, I also think it might just be nice to have some bass while I'm writing music as the feeling helps. Any thoughts appreciated

 

Last edited: May 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM

Didnt read the answers might be already told:
You seem to have a misconception what the dsp does.
There needs to be a frequency crossover in there. That can be done with passive components (bad, there is a huge price tag on that, lots of phase issues, only minor corrections possible. It can be done with active components when the speaker has an amp built in. Then these filters are build of analog chips/filters instead of huge copper solenoids like in the passive variant. Can be way more complex than passive circuits. Today we are in the digital domain. That means "you want change signal? - you need digital signal processor (DSP that is)". Now you can go wild. You i.e. can correct the f response of every individual chassis by giving every speaker sold its own correction curve. and you can do stuff in the time domain. That's the best part of them all. You see any filter introduces phase changes. These are very bad in that crossover reagion. Speakers of yesteryear had rather blind spots between the crossover range of the chassis. Blind spot not meaning "no audio" but more like "phasey random shit you cant trust". In the digital domain you can correct these group delays. With a little price tag. there is a price tag to anything you know... My KH80 have a delay of 1,8ms.
Thats great! No really! 1,8ms is what sound takes to travel about 60cm (thats about 2 feet or one dishwasher if you're from America).
Keep in mind. The old technologa had that 1,8ms too. Just not for all frequencies, but for those in the filter range. That's way worse.
So DSP good? Yes! DSP great!

 

Last edited: May 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM

100%, and I do get the difference between analog and DSP monitors. I'm not sure why you think I have any misconceptions, perhaps you should read more carefully.

My questions is more related to how much the KH 750 sub will enhance the KH 80. Btw, they are both DSP monitors capable of correction via MA-1. Cheers

 

Oh sorry, I totally got that wrong, my bad

 

No problem Nice to see a fellow KH 80 user. I'm really only on the edge of buying a sub for these bad boys as they are surprisingly beefy for their size. But as I'm making electronic (trance) I think a full spectrum might help. Actually, I have never had a studio sub, but when I go to a friends studio who has one sometimes that's extra low end is nice. In general, I would avoid a sub given the size of my room, but the KH 750 / KH 80 combo with the MA-1 looks like it might do a decent job, of course with some room correction too.

 

Yeah, I'd say when it comes to electronic music, a little LF extension might help a lot. I have not bought yet subs from neumann as they get quite pricey. And I'm not soooo sure the alignment system would do a better job than you using a calibrated level meter and a sinus generator plugin.
What I usually do to safe a little monney: I use as sub whatever I find or have and then I don't do fancy bass management but do it the old way: So lets say the kh80 go down to about 65 hz with a roll off after that I send about from 45hz below to the sub and call it a day (as the 45hz have some roll off themselfes). And I don't cut the main system, it just cuts itself. So the only thing the sub has to have is a low-pass and preferably a phase switch.
And then I use a signal generator plugin, have a sine put on and step it through from 20hz to 80 and try to find the setting with the least compromise. When dolby sets the level of the woofer in theaters they do the same (well not quite, they use pink noise) just with different offsets (sub is 10db 'louder' than mains). One always has to keep in mind that in a room we can afford, even the MA-1 has to make huge compromises. And that we are talking about that one octave below the mains. So going fully blown neumann might be overkill for that narrow spectrum and our rooms. (But I would really like to have a perfectly treated room with the biggest subwoofer neumann offers, thats for sure!)
//Edit// finding best settings means placement too, that makes a huge difference

 

2x 729 € - Consistent development of well-trained specialists!

The New Neumann KH 120 II Studio Monitor

Neumann KH 120 A vs. KH 120 II

 

Yeah, the Neumann KH 750 is very expensive. Is it worth it? I can't say since I've never heard one. Like mentioned in the earlier post, I was looking at getting cheaper sub just to give some extension. I believe 90% or more can be done alone on the KH 80 / headphones.

For what's it's worth, I have been reading every review on the internet I can find of people using the KH 750 / KH 80 / MA-1 combo, and it does seem that most people are very impressed with the result.

 

Yes, the Neumann KH 750 is very expensive. Is it worth it? Yes, they are worth it. If you have more money at your disposal, it's certainly a good purchase. Of course, you can also make very good music with more affordable monitors. Just for comparison: Yamaha HS 5 - 2x €164 or Yamaha HS 7 - 2x €225

 

Based on my experience with Neumann so far, yes I am sure I won't be disappointed. I am using the KH 80's already. Also as mentioned I do have a pair of the HS 7's, so I was contemplating adding the Yamaha HS8S [sub[ to the yammies since its a fraction of the cost... but I feel I might regret not forking out now and going right for the Neumann. In that I might even sell the HS 7's because I feel the Neumann will be my final setup for a while.

 

A difficult decision that only you can make.
The new Neumanns are also an investment, and you can certainly resell them used.

I also have two pairs of Yamaha HS50Ms and HS5s at home; I can't imagine anything else, but I probably would have bought the Neumanns back then if they hadn't been so expensive, so it's just a question of money.

 

I'm using the KH80s for several years now. No sub needed.

 

You can't say that just like that. I do a lot of stuff on my KH80, but they're a 4" monitor.
I love them. But there are certain physical limitations that come with that size.
And that limitation is low frequency response and level.
So I perfectly get why someone would love to extend them one octave lower.