Nearfield vs. Ambient sound


After moving from a 10 x 15 room into a 21 x 17 one I realized my criteria for coherent sound had dramatically been altered. My Quad 12Ls which performed so flawlessly in a near-field set-up were being challenged by sheer square footage. In a "reference" application with a listening distance of 5ft they provided a hyper-detailed, imaging galore soundscape....however...in my new enviroment...their forward presentation at a distance of 10ft cames across as very flat and uninvolving. I longed for a more spatial, ambient sound that projected more into the room in a 3D manner. The test: Green Mountain Europas. After reading Roy Johnson's many posts on this site regarding time/phase issues and his phase coherent designs, I had to find out if he was A)full of himself or B)really knew what "time it is" regarding speaker design. Happily, the latter is true. The Europas presented a much more full-bodied, sonic experience...with a soundstage that literally wraps around you...and eery 3-d imaging that is almost "reach out and touch" like in appearance...remembering that phase correct designs are at their best at a 8-10ft listening distance (due to first order crossover/driver overlap)...(and thus a poor choice for nearfield applications)...I was pleasantly surprised to find the answer to my dilemna...an image that is extremely coherent, large, and very "live" sounding...not to mention non-fatiguing....the Europas are a pleasant surprise in the otherwise homogenous monitor world...they are a must audition...
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Showing 1 response by ewha

Phasecorrect... I completely agree with your impressions of the GMA Europa! I have them set up in a fairly large room where the listening position is about 9.5 feet, and the speakers sound fantastic. Everything from the imaging to the reproduction of instruments/vocals is dead-on precise. There might be some slightly more musical speakers out there, but when it comes to precision and detail, I've been really impressed with the Europa's.

As you mention, another bonus with Green Mountain is the fantastic customer support. Roy is a great guy to talk to, and is always ready with helpful suggestions on everything from cabling to hardware. Not to mention the most thorough and informative user manual I have ever seen for a set of speakers! Setting up the speakers and my room per Roy's recommendations really snapped everything into place perfectly.

Enjoy the speakers! I know I am!

-Eric