I'm looking for my first nearfield monitors and I'm looking at the usual suspects: Adam T5V, JBL 305p Mk2, Kali Audio LP-6 and Focal Alpha 50.

I think the way my desk is oriented is, let's say, unique. The room itself is 5x3 meters, and I'm sitting with my back against one of the 5m walls. The speakers will be about 1,5m in front of me. Probably the most logical thing to do would be to reverse position and have me facing the wall instead of having it to my back, but I simply cannot do this.

I see that the Adam and JBL have their bass ports to the back while the Kali and Focal have theirs in the front. What would be the better choice for me?

When choosing between the Focal and Kali, my preference goes to the Kali (someone I know had problems with Focal and received no support, and the Kali's are cheaper). However, on their website they mention the minimum distance is 2,2m. Reading this forum, I see others having success with the Focals being close.

I'm a guitar player and it will mostly be used to record my part and pass it on. I use a Helix if that's of any importance.

I'm stumped at this point, just hoping I gave enough information and asked the right questions. Any help would be appreciated.

If you had no choice but to park your monitors, say, 35cm or less from a wall, forward-firing ports would probably be the best option. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't make any difference.

It seems the minimum distance of the Kali LP-6 dictates it will be the Focal Alpha 50 then. Thank you.

"However, on their website they mention the minimum distance is 2,2m"
No, the manual says they measure at that distance for 85db

Matti

Oh, I misread, and I'm really happy about that. They're quite big, do you think it will work at a listening distance of 1,5m? I know of at least one person here on Gearslutz that uses the Focal's that close.

It's not that I prefer one over the other (I have no way to compare), but the Kali's will save me a bit of dough.

Without hearing the Kali´s I would say you´d do alright.
When downsizing I chose the Adam T5`s but with a EVE subwoofer and I use Sonarworks

Matti

You should listen to them before buying if you have that opportunity. I know someone who was disappointed with the noise that the kali were making at rest.

I wish I could.

Definitely consider Yamaha hs-8 in your search. I sold a pair of focal CMS 65 because I greatly prefer the Yamaha hs-8. I used the Yamaha hs-8 sub with them as well, but they are fantastic without the sub. They tell me everything I want to know about a mix, they translate very well to other systems, and they are simply a joy to listen to. Have fun in your search, and remember it's all just opinions. Your opinion is the one that matters the most. Make your ears happy.

Wait ... after re-reading your post. I think you're saying that in my situation, the position of the bass port doesn't matter. Is that correct?

That would bring the shopping cart above my budget. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

I saw that the focal Alpha 50 that you are considering are $300 each at Sweetwater and Sam Ash. I paid less than $600 for my pair of hs-8 brand new so I figured they would be within your budget. You can get a good price if you shop around. Check reverb.com for good prices on new Yamaha hs-8, and try proaudiostar in New York City for excellent prices and free shipping.

This is exactly why I always fill in the Location field in my profile. As it says on the left: The Netherlands.

Kali audio are coming out with a new 8" 3-way model, maybe wait for that one. Never heard the Kali stuff myself.

Oh, my mistake, sorry! I should pay more attention to the geographic implications of all this gear love.

If you are set on the LP6, why not wait for the IN8? They should be out soon.

The only reason I'm leaning towards that one, is price. Why would I wait for a more expensive one? If it doesn't matter if the port is on the front or back (still not sure about that, that's why I asked for confirmation), I would just go for the JBL's.

Life on a budget, sigh ...

I think the IN8 should cost less than the alphas. The port does make a big difference, especially the front port seems to work a lot better in my room. I have the Eve Audio sc205 which is rear ported. Due to that there were some placement problems in my room. The LP6 seems to work much better for me. Their port is also well designed. But I've heard of some QC issues with these monitors. I got a pair without hiss issues but I can't say the same for others.
Hence I think your safer bet would be with the IN8.
If you are dead tight on money, buy from somewhere that has a good return policy. Kali Audio has been known for good after sales support.
The JBLs I personally didn't like. Their crossover sounds weird and choked. Kali is flat in that area and uses better woofers.

... interesting.

The new KRK Rokit 5 G4 are great for this price bracket. The hiss is inaudible too. They're way better than the JBLs and the mids are more present than the HS8.

Just FYI I emailed Kali last week about the three ways in8 and was told that it’s going to be a while before there available.

I work the same way. Sitting in front of a wall looking into the room while working. I have a pair of Barefoot MicroMain 27 (1st Gen). Ceiling and back wall (the wall I'm facing) is treated. Works great for me. I had Genelecs, Jungsons and Tannoys before. No problem with the position. Only the Genelecs1031A hat some bass boost in one corner of the room.

Man, those MicroMains. A tad out of my league.
Thanks for mentioning your position. I can probably get away with treatment later on.

Thanks. I'm hoping to order end of this week. Don't want to keep pushing it off until the next latest and greatest is here.

I strongly recommend buying something decent, even if it means waiting another week or whatever.

So, Adam or Yamaha is a good bet around that budget, or a little over.

Sorry havent read the thread yet so answering only based on the above.
Will the room be openned behind the speakers ? The way you describe it there will be more than 1m behind the speakers. If yes I dont think the bass port matters. I would have more concerns with the lack of space and the possibility of reflections behind you. Save some money for maybe putting something on the wall at your back to control reflections.
I guess it depends what your aim is. Do you want the setup that sound best for you, or do you want a setup that will reveal the problems that your result will have elsewhere ? I did a mix for fun for a friend that sounded pretty gound on my system, but when we listened to it on his PA there was not enough bass, and there were a bit too much in his car
It’s always a compromise ...

The wall is about 3m in front of me. I got some of that pyramid foam to cover the wall behind me. As said, this is the space I'm working with for the moment.

Thanks for your explanation about the bass port.

Took a day off and, after a two hour drive (!), had the chance to compare the Adam T5V and T7V, Focal Alpha 50, Kali LP-6 and the JBL 305 (the older ones). Long story short, I didn't like the JBLs, and I don't really know why. They just sounded off to me. The Kali didn't work for me up close, but they sounded amazing when further away. I liked the T5V better than the T7V, their midrange was so sweet. It felt like the was a hole in the T7V's midrange, I don't know how to describe it. The Focals I also really, really liked. After comparing the Alpha 50 with the T5V I couldn't decide, so after coming home I chose the cheapest, which was the Adam T5V. Here's hoping they perform just as well at their new home.

I listened at 1m, and brought mostly Jazz, Jazz Rock, and derivatives and one Ravel CD. Not sure if that's the correct way to test them, but I thought, better to bring something I'm used to listening.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Dont worry about the size of the room, I have a pair of big full range speakers and a 250wpc amp in a room similar to yours, and it sounds great
But if possible, since you cannot change the place you listen from, try a couple of speaker positions before you fix them, trying to be not too close to the walls for a good sound and good imaging. Sometimes just 15cm in any direction or a bit of experimentation on the toe-in can change a lot. Good luck !

Doesn't matter, all speakers are omni up to 150-200 Hz.