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ManualsBrandsNEUMANN ManualsActive studio monitorsKH120 - 2-Way Active Monitors

Neumann

KH120A & KH810

Mic veterans Neumann turn their attention

to the other end of the signal chain, with a

miniature speaker that packs a big punch.

Active Monitors

technologies, although in many ways it is

the logical successor to the now obsolete

O100, which I reviewed in SOS July 2007

(along with the still available O800 sub), and

the current O110D. I suspect the O110D

will disappear from the catalogue once the

promised digital version of the KH120A

becomes available.

KH120A

The KH120A studio monitor is a small,

two-way, ported design intended for

nearfield applications, or as a rear-channel

speaker in a larger multi-channel system.

The cast-aluminium cabinet measures just

277 x 182 x 220mm (HWD) to enclose an

internal volume of 6.5 litres, and weighs

a little over 6kg, so these speakers are

very easily portable and would make

great reference monitors for engineers

who go where the work is. The drive units

comprise a long-throw, composite-sandwich,

130mm (5.25-inch) bass-mid unit, plus

a titanium-fabric 25mm (one-inch) tweeter,

HUGH ROBJOHNS

he Klein + Hummel brand — named

after its founders, Horst Klien and

Walter Hummel — has long been

associated with high-quality professional

monitoring, as well as PA loudspeakers.

However, the company were enrolled into

the Sennheiser group about 10 years ago,

and the studio monitor range has been

marketed under the Neumann name in

recent years, though thankfully retaining the

‘KH’ prefix.

I’ve reviewed several K+H monitors

over the years and have never been

disappointed. In fact, the little O300

three-way monitor (reviewed at

www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct04/

articles/kh300d.htm) remains a firm and

highly recommended favourite. The latest

offering from this historic brand is the even

more compact KH120A, which was sent for

review with its optional subwoofer partner,

the surprisingly large KH810. The KH120A

is apparently the first of a complete new

line of KH monitors embodying some

interesting new

Slide switches govern the KH120A’s bass, lower-mid and treble

response, while the input gain and output level can be set via

a rotary knob and another slide switch, respectively.

ON TEST

136

April 2012 / www.soundonsound.com

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
on test H u g h R o b j o hn s T he Klein + Hummel brand — named after its founders, Horst Klien and Walter Hummel — has long been associated with high-quality professional monitoring, as well as PA loudspeakers. However, the company were enrolled into the Sennheiser group about 10 years ago, and the studio monitor range has been marketed under the Neumann name in recent years, though thankfully retaining the ‘KH’ prefix. I’ve reviewed several K+H monitors over the years and have never been disappointed.
PAGE 2
with a fourth-order crossover at 2kHz feeding a pair of 80W Class-A/B amplifiers. A pair of triangular ports vent from the bottom of the front baffle to either side of the bass driver, which is a departure from the previous O100 and O110 models, in which the ports were at the top of the baffle.
PAGE 3
on test N e u m ann K H 1 2 0 A & K H 8 1 0 The last switch sets the output level achieved with an input of 0dBu. The options are 94, 100, 108 or 114 dB SPL (at one metre), and a rotary gain control allows the input to be attenuated by up to 15dB to fine-tune the actual volume. I used these monitors in a variety of different rooms and generally found the 100 or 108 dB SPL settings provided the perfect level for them as nearfields or mid-fields when working on speech and acoustic music.
PAGE 4
to the front left and right speakers instead of the sub. A Cat5 socket is provided for a bespoke RS232-based remote control facility, using a Neumann NRC1. This allows the volume of the entire 7.1 system to be controlled, if required, with facilities for channel muting, activation and deactivation of the bass management, and so on. In Use The KH120A is a very impressive speaker, which performs to far higher standards than its size and plain demeanour might suggest.
PAGE 5
The World’s Best Recording Technology Magazine This article was originally published in Sound On Sound magazine, April 2012 edition. Sound On Sound, Media House, Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge, CB23 8SQ, United Kingdom Email: subscribe@soundonsound.com Tel: +44 (0) 1954 789888 Fax: +44 (0) 1954 789895 Subscribe & Save Money! Visit our subscriptions page at www.soundonsound.com All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2012. All rights reserved.