Neumann KH 120 II

I ordered these alongside the Genelec 8030s to compare. I have a small studio space, about 6x2m2. I sit about 90cm from the monitors, the studio is professionally treated and I used SoundID Reference software to calibrate both pairs of speakers in the space.

Initially, I was drawn to the Genelec's, because everything sounded so good through them. They have a lot of warmth and a great quality of cohesion to mixes. Elements just seemed to sit well together. The Neumann's I found a bit annoying and tiring in the beginning, especially something about the mids. However, after continued listening through multiple genres, I realized that I could hear SO much more detail with the Neumann's. They are transparent, they do not do you or your mixes any favors. When I didn't like listening to them, it's because a mix needed work. The Genelecs had more cushion for subpar mixes, which make them more pleasant to listen to, but not what I need in a reference monitor.

My reference software also shows that the Neumann's are much, much flatter in my space and need very little correction, whereas the Genelecs (though I have read they have a fairly flat frequency curve) needed a lot more adjustment from about 200-600hz and 2-3khz. This could be the way these speakers are responding to my specific room and their position, but the Neumann's did not have issues to be corrected here.

Both the Neumann's and Genelec's are robust and well-made. Both are outstanding options. For my needs, I decided to go with the Neumann's, as they are the most honest to my ears and that is what I am looking for. I expect that if you can make a mix sound full and vibrant on them, the mix will translate anywhere. They have a tight bass, never muddy in the mids, and the high mids and up are clear and transparent.

In the end, your decision should come down to your personal preference and what monitor works for your space and needs. Definitely audition both, if you have the chance!

It's good I waited so long before posting a review. I have had these for over a year now and both of them have failed within 3 months of each other. I have never experienced anything like it and don't believe in coincidences. I use top-of-the-line surge and overcurrent protection, in addition to voltage regulation and the wiring in my place is professionally done. The first one failed after spontaneously emitting a brief harsh transient. Next day it was just harsh noise after turning on and a red light indicating the on-board limiter was engaged. I RMA'd it under warranty and received a replacement, so thanks to Thomann for a good post purchase service. However, I had to go for a month without nearfield monitoring.

I noticed the second one failing after it began to smell like burning and then it turned the red light on and refused to play until power-cycled. Afterwards, I noticed the same smell again within 30 minutes and called it quits - I didn't want to risk a catastrophic failure nor my other gear being taken out as well. Now, again, I'm left with no monitoring.

I don't think it'd be helpful on my part to praise the sonic qualities, of which there are enough reviews out there - I don't care how good it sounds if it does not last. I expected years if not decades of life from such an established brand as Neumann, especially given the price tag.

And yeah, the back plate is consistently placed in a way that prevents you from easily selecting the bottom values of selector switches, so there's that. All 3 units have had this.

I have been thinking of getting these monitors for a few years but have delayed it until now because of the budget.

Up until now I have been relying on my M-Audio BX5 Carbons for all of my creative, mixing and mastering tasks in combination with various headphones, car tests and more.

What I can say is that I should have made the purchase earlier.

The sound difference is astonishing. Yes the 120s cost 7 times more but the sound difference is greater than the price difference.

The 120s sound very open, clean, detailed, smooth and accurate. They have a good, broad frequency range with a quite flat frequency response yet they seem to produce a very deep and detailed sound stage and dynamic range with no audible distortion that I can hear.

In contrast, my BX5Cs feel like they have a smile shape in their frequency response with exagerated lows and highs while the mids seem to be slightly scooped. The speakers feel much more exciting because they sound like they have some distortion happening, and I dont mean distortion due to overdriving them, I mean that they can produce the exact sounds 100% so they distort regardless of the volume levels and this makes them sound more aggresive, in your face and exciting, while dulling delicate details, limiting the dynamic range and sound stage. `
After listening to the 120s for a while I can also say that the BX5C also have a boombox style, low boost somewhere around 100hz or so that I particularly do not enjoy.

All in all, if you are currently with budget studio monitors and are wondering if these monitors are worth the price and will make a big difference.

My answer is YES! Do it! Dont wait! Dont think of any other gear you could get while saving for these! Just get them, trust me the difference is from the ground to the sky, its night and day!


And I will keep on using my budget BX5Cs for reference but, the KH120s are on a totaly different level. When I turned them on for the first time it reminded me of the feeling I felt when I was in a big commercial studio for the first time and heard the very expensive focals and genelecs, and was amazed by how different and detailed they sound compared to all of the speakers I had heard in the past. They are amazing.

PS: I have connected them over spdif to avoid an extra cycle of conversion.