C88-Reference L Black : Absolute clarity

Decided to drop a review on these as well, as info on the internet remains hard to find and I figured this might be handy for people looking for something similar.

So many people are still unaware of this brand, for a company that has been around for quite some time, some decent marketing wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, after long consideration which new monitor set to get, I decided to test these out. I was after a new midfield set to accompany my current set up (Neumann KH80DSP + KH750). I make (bass heavy) electronic music.

First of all,

The wide frequency range and coaxial design attracted me most of all.

I was hesitant about reading about to high self noise they produce, but it is absolutely not a deal breaker and barely auditable.

I compared these with the Neumann KH310 & the new Adam A8H

In the past, I always found the tweeter of the Adam too high and cause ear fatigue, with the new range I did not experience that, however I did not test them longer then a few hours per day. Neumann was a tough competitor as well, owning the small version and being familiar with their high end quality.

Trying to decide between these with A & B tests was challenging, mainly because the KS digital sound completely different than the other 2.

Neumann and Adam sounded quite close, Apart from the Neumann being a tiny bit more detailed and open, while the Adam's seemed more bass heavy (which I actually liked)

The KSD's however sounded very bright, at first it seemed like there was less bass than the others, but it is definitely there. I guess you could compare them with the old Yamaha NS or Genelec ones in some degree.

As it all all about personal taste at this point, I decided to give them a go in the studio whilst saving some money compared to the others ones i tested and have not disappointed thus far.

I did not use the calibration set, as I fear you can do more wrong than good, but i did however measured my room with Sonar Worx, and have set a profile setting with a little bass boost to go back and forth on , as this is what I often 'thought' I missed compared to the Adams.

With a little boost these things sound insanely good, clear, open, detailed, and all very easy on the ears.

I gave one start less in the features because of the difficultness to access the brands calibration set (not to mention pricey) you can however rent it at a low price, but it seems quite the hassle to set things if you want to do it correct.