Neumann KH 310 A right

For me, audio always has been top priority. Over time, I have build a couple of good loudspeaker concepts, and from time to time I bought some pairs of 2nd hand loudspeakers as well. But most of these -certainly after a while- were disappointing. The passive loudspeaker pair that I still have in use and still happy with is from O.L.S. in Breda. This company is manufacturing very exclusive loudspeakers at this day (Oosturum Kharma), but man, one needs budget !
So I took the gamble and -after reading lots of reviews and watching video's- I bought a pair of these KH 310 A's. I have them almost for a year now, therefore I decided to write this review

At the first listening session I already was stunned.

One of the very good properties of these speakers is very direct and clean bass: This always is most difficult to reproduce. The outstanding performance is due to the closed cabinet concept. It is unbelievable how Neumann managed to reproduce audio with these loudspeakers: Simply brilliant. Very clean, no additions, no lies, this is -to my opinion- the de-facto monitor pair that every professional and audio lover needs. They are never boring, nor do I experience fatigue. I had numerous of listening sessions for up to 8 hours (with small pauses in between) and man, I am so happy ;-)

Conclusion: The amount of money Neumann is asking for a pair of these, it is a no-brainer and it is worth each penny. For every person addicted to audio, please check these out.

(Hopefully while more people will do monitoring with these, the loudness-wars hopefully will come to an end. This is because these speakers are forcing one to finally use his/her ears)

The monitors are a superb tool... the sealed incasement are a real plus for definement of bass and if one doesn't have the most perfect acoustic environment to work in. For myself I change work spaces often, and these monitors are perfect for me due to this. The separation and aural landscape I hear with the KH310's is a very clear picture... for me this is essential for mixing. The monitors also translate at different volumes quite well. They have the beef to serve up clarity while loud, and sensitivity to provide a clear picture at low volume. Both of which allows me to work at various levels without my ears getting tired. Superb!

First off, I use these monitors in my studio, it has sufficient room treatment (Bass trapping, reflection points etc...) & they are placed around the 38% mark with the equal triangle method.

At first, I really enjoyed the clarity bu after a few days I became discouraged as they felt very underwhelming. However a month on & with a good 100+ hours listening to them I'm over the moon with them! They translate insanely well, with defined and dry bass response, incredible mid range & tight high end.

Pros:
Surgically accurate
Expansive mid range
Crisp high end
Dry Bass
Confidence boosters

Cons:
Not hyped (Not really a con but to a person who enjoys hyped monitoring then you should be test before committing to these monitors)
Wide (Again, not so much a con but a heads up! You want to get them fairly close for good stereo imaging as the mid range driver is on the outside).

Overall if you're after quality & reliable mixing monitors then these are easily the best in their price point. Comparable to the ATCSCM25A but at under half the cost Neumann have done a fantastic job here.

Recommended.

I've spent years looking for the right monitors, researching, trying, reading and watching reviews and whatnot. I've tried monitors ranging from Yamaha HS7 and NS10's, to Genelecs, to Adams.For the past two years, I have been using Adams, which I totally loved for producing music, but my mixes wouldn't immediately translate in the best way, which eventually gets a little tiring, having to listen to your mixing errors in different settings (car, phone, bluetooth speakers etc). After much time, thought, consulting and consideration, I decided to go steep on the price, and get the Neumann's, as they seemed to deliver exactly what I was looking for; good mix translation, due to their true flat nature.

Currently my space is not acoustically treated, as I am renovating my studio. Having tried them firstly listening to songs I've listened for decades now, I was overwhelmed with hearing music in such a way, that I can only describe as 3D and round. They're not "exciting" in any way, from a listener's perspective, but from a mixing engineers perspective, it's like discovering a gold pocket, and exactly what I was looking for.

Next step was to try mixing on them, which is where I was firstly underwhelmed. Music didn't sound good, or exciting, it just sounded bland, which I expected, but wasn't really prepared for.
These monitors tell it real and true, they reveal things as they are, and sometimes those things are not pretty, if done incorrectly. This is where I was a bit underwhelmed, and maybe got a bit nervous and frustrated while producing and mixing initially. The thing is that, it goes both ways here; if done correctly, your mixes will immediately translate exactly as you hear them through the Neumanns, as was my experience in the first two weeks using them. (Keep in mind, I do not have an acoustically treated space yet).

After listening my mixes on my car, bluetooth speaker, phone etc; is where I truly understood and appreciated the magic of these speakers. Without having a treated space, the highs, mids, low mids and lows translated nearly perfect in other platforms and settings. I could hear the pan/placement of sound and pinpoint them, and funnily, sometimes even the "space" or room they were recorded in! EQ-ing was a breeze, compression was very, very audible, reverbs and tails are there and very "alive", and the stereo image is well, very stereo, while the center point being dead in the middle.

Granted, I still have a long way to go on the learning curve and getting used to them in order to truly extract their utmost potential, but I am already seeing massive results.
It is a truly joyful feeling to have music hit your ears as you intend it to, immediately after exporting your first mix. That "chest" frequency I was yearning to achieve without the mix being muddy, is now there. Mixes sound thick and full, and not harsh or bright in any way.

For those who truly want to focus on mixing, mastering and music translating well, I could not recommend them more. For producing music they're great still, but you might wanna tweak the settings in the back, or if you already have a cheaper pair, keep them. The Neumann's might feel a little uninspiring, but will see how things go in the long run, as it's still a short time for me to comment on that efficiently.
I am planning to get the KH750 DSP Sub in the future, once I finish my studio. I don't feel it's too necessary to get it, but after having tried these. speakers, I can only imagine what can be achieved with the Sub and Calibration added to the set.

I know I've kept this review a bit long, but I think the monitors are deserving of it, and for anyone who is still on the verge of getting them.
The only "Con" that isn't even a con honestly, is that these do not have the integrated DSP already in them, as some of the newer models. Maybe Neumann will create a 2nd Gen with them, who knows? But it's a feature I would've very much enjoyed, it's also the reason why the features get's 4 stars, but other than that, it's far from a dealbreaker.

Verdict: Get them, you'll thank yourself later. Over and out!