active loudspeakers

[jackelsson]

Hello Jackelsson,
Reading your reply again, you mention that you listened to the mighty ML 811K1 in Munich. Assuming the listener has sufficient listening distance (3 m), did you find it to be in another league in terms of musicality compared to the 901 (or the ATC 150)? Thks.

Well, I think it’s important to understand that in regard to their radiation pattern and directivity Geithain builds each speaker model for a specific scenario. If one decides to go Geithain it’s really a good idea to have a look at the specified listening distances for their speakers first.

The RL901K works very well at a distance of 2-4 metres. But I also tried both shorter and longer listening distances, and while this was still fine, the 901s didn’t reach full perfomance.

Now, the ML 811K1 is specifically designed as a main monitor for larger listening distances and higher volumes. In Munich they played in a very large room with the audience at least 4m or further away. This was a situation they are designed for. With a home audio scenario with a listening distance of only 3 metres, I’m not so sure.

 

[Bertrand D]

Hi Bertrand, to be honest, this is a bit of a „which-child-do-you-love-the-most?“ question. In the new house, the ATC ended up in the listening room, and the Geithain in the living room, purely due to the Geithain’s perceived higher WAF. Perceived by my wife that is. It could well have been the other way around and I would still be happy.

Incidentally, I think that the Geithain’s WAF really comes down to the stands, which I really like. I bought the Geithain pre-owned when they were three months old when the first owner decided to venture into the loudspeaker business himself and sold them. He was the one who had the stands custom made by a local carpenter in Grasse, France.

And with regard to the comparison of the two speakers: well, back in the old flat I would have claimed that the ATC is slightly more focused on transients while the Geithain is a bit smoother, with comparable detail and soundstaging. But seeing now how the ATC performs in the new home with a much more difficult room, it might well be that the Geithain with their cardioid bass would be much easier to run regarding the room modes, which are currently still somewhat overpowering the upper end for the ATC. Still work in progress. And very instructive in terms of how much the room actually dominates the overall sound of a system.

Hi Jackelsson, many thanks for your message. This is very helpful. All the best