can all book shelf speakers be used as nearfields?

[timbo2]

sorry to start a new tread, after searching for hours i still dont understand.

Im studying audio production and i spend a lot of time mixing on protools at home. im looking to buy some good monitors in the $300-400 price range. the speakers will be on my desk and only 60 or 70cm's away from my head. how does this effect a speakers performance?

I have a set of SEAS ER18nrx midbass drivers siting around and i hope to use them in some way, would the ZA-SR71 be any good for my application?

or should i buy basic active monitors like "krk" for around the same price. i dont like the sound of krk's (or most active speakers iv heard) they seems fake and glossy with exaggerated bass response. i want smooth and as flat as my money can get me.

any one have any thoughts on this?

[5th element]

The only real difference between a near and far field environment is how the crossover has been designed. One typically designs for the best driver summation at a particular listening axis from a particular distance.

Any decent two way would sound great near field providing it had been designed accordingly.

In the absence of a specific design, your best bet is to pick a loudspeaker with low driver to driver spacing, a relatively low crossover point and with a high order acoustic filter. This will reduce the effects of altering the inter-driver phase relationship as the vertical listening axis and listening distance changes.

Depending on how far the loudspeakers will be placed from the rear wall will affect the tonal balance too, in that respect, if you're going to place them close to a wall you'd want a design with minimal baffle step compensation.

Zaphs ZA-SR71 would be a very good choice IMO as he also provides various crossover tweaks for adjusting the tonal balance to match your listening environment. Zaph's ZA5.2 would also work quite well, the design offering flexibility, a smaller overall cabinet and close driver spacing.

In my listening room I use the loudspeakers in two different positions, far field, about 2 meters away and near field @ about 80cm. I've never had any of my designs sound bad nearfield, but with lower order designs there is always a greater shift in tonal balance in moving from one position to another.

[timbo2]

thank you so much for the reply.

that helps me allot, as much as the Zaph's ZA5.2 are good its easyer for me to go with the ZA-SR71 as i own the mids already and i have a local suppler for the tweeter and xover parts here in new zealand.

cheers.

i mite do a build log. but i think mine wont come out as well as some peoples! as i dont have the tools.

[looneybomber]

Yeah, you can use most any bookshelf as monitors. I've used Infinity Entra One and Beta-20's (pictured) and Monitor Audio RS-1's with good results. They were typically 3-4ft from my ears.

[5th element]

thank you so much for the reply.

that helps me allot, as much as the Zaph's ZA5.2 are good its easyer for me to go with the ZA-SR71 as i own the mids already and i have a local suppler for the tweeter and xover parts here in new zealand.

cheers.

i mite do a build log. but i think mine wont come out as well as some peoples! as i dont have the tools.

I do wish Zaph's drivers were available from elsewhere besides just Madisound. The DQ25 is also getting hard to get it is seemingly discontinued yet Madisound continue to stock it, I wonder what the score is with it.