Audiophile Speakers for Rock, HipHop and Techno

A number of decent reviewers also have ATC active in their homes. Neil Gader of The Absolute Sound comes to mind; ATC SCM50ASLT in his home music room.

@mrteeves 

Hip hop and techno are usually compressed and not super dynamic

I could not disagree more

@gavman, loudness is endemic in this type of music. I listen to both regularly. Are you perhaps mistaking the meaning of dynamics? A lot of this stuff is mastered for cars and ear buds. Look at the waveforms and you will see there is compression with not much difference in the max/min values. I actually like techno and EDM, dynamic it is not, in the sense that there are great differences between the quietest and loudest passages in the music. I’m sure there are exceptions but in general my statement stands.

A speaker that succeeds with bass-driven electronica requires greater dynamic range, sub bass extension and mid bass slam than a design intended for music made exclusively by acoustic instruments. Many speakers that are perfectly adequate for other genres are incapable of playing hip hop or electronica in a way that is as satisfying as a well implemented car audio installation. Klipsch la Scala are a prime example of a fundamentally flawed design that censors any sub bass. Such a speaker may meet the audiophile definition of dynamic, but this fails to capture the need for fast, weighty and extended bass capable speakers that can do justice to bass-driven electronica and hip hop. For me dynamic is also a descriptor of whether a speaker can energise a room into the sub 20hz zone without ’one note’ colourations.

My personal system goal is to recreate the effect of a powerful dance pa of the Richard Long variety, playing in a large warehouse to a thousand plus people.

That’s why i use Focal speakers and Boulder power amps. Ime no valve power amp can achieve the necessary ’fear factor’ you get from plumbing the depths with a big rig in a big room.

If you strictly adhere to a definition of dynamics that excludes this, i submit that most punters would disagree.

I just purchased a pair of Dynaudio Emit 50 speakers that fit what you are looking for without breaking the bank account. I also use Transparent speaker cables.

Another speaker that looks like it was built for rock: Bryston "A" and "T" series.

I’ve had great success with hip hop and electronica with verity speakers. Those sun bass cabinets are really well made and tuned. Verity midrange is second to none very punchy especially in the newer models. 

Check out Fritz speakers - those little suckers ROCK!!! 

Verity speakers are an example of a speaker  line that will perform extremely well on all genres of music. 

Actually Fritz told me that I wouldnt want his BE speakers for Rock. He recommended the CARBON Series

JBL 4305P $22xx? With the extra money get a REaL subwoofer with decent DSP to drive your current subbass speakers.

Don't forget....Bookshelf speakers sound like bookshelf speakers. You need Big Floorstanders. Tekton Pendragon will get you right where you want to be.

Not sure about optimizing speaker for music genres. My focus has been about how it performs in imaging, detail and dynamics based on music I personally enjoy. 
 

Every speaker has a compromise or character- the trick is finding a pleasant one. I love my Sonus fabers and I’ve auditioned Maggie’s, Wilson’s and Devore with the same music list.  I’ve been shocked by Maggie’s and enjoyed DeVore but Sonus faber is my favorite. I appreciate Wilson but the lack of air movement/ pressurization isn’t my cup of tea. 
 

My suggestion is create an audition list and sample everything you can. There’s lots of great speakers!

I will put in a vote for the JBL 4349 speakers mentioned earlier in this thread. I have a pair with JBL subs and the impact those have with rock and electronic music is very enjoyable.

The powered JBL 4305P monitors mentioned by @m-db are a little brother to the 4349 and 4309 cabinets.

I really agree with @gavman ’s summary about reproducing electronic / EDM music and the "fear factor" / "big rig in a big room" that is needed to immerse yourself in what the artist intended for some of these tracks. While few and far between, some EDM/Electronic mixes are massive / "big console" type mixes that are very fun to experience with extended bass and a not overly compressed mix. Your senses are sometimes overwhelmed (in a good way) by these huge mixes played back at decent levels on a big system in a big, well treated room.

I’m a fan of using a very good pro audio sub bass driver in a properly designed cabinet. Having the attack of an 18, 15 or 12 inch pro driver (again, a GOOD JBL / Beyma / etc. driver, not cheap junk) backed up by a solid class A/B amplifier really adds to the experience without the slop or one note sub stigma one may associate with pro sound speakers. But, that’s expensive and can involve custom built cabinets.  There are no shortcuts to getting to that live or good car audio experience in your listening room.

@tmac1700 

Having a hard time finding a speaker that sounds great with hip hop, techno and rock

There isn't a way to design a speaker, amp, preamp or source to favor a certain genre of music. What makes a speaker good (or bad) for a certain genre does exactly the same for any other genre.

If someone could figure out how to favor a certain genre of music with audio equipment they could be rich overnight!

JBL, L-100’s can crank out Rock n Roll, I see no reason they can’t play Hip Hop and your Coda will do them proud!

That monitor in the video is pro version of the SCM40V2 for home.  The key in pro is it must be small and portable.   The 40 is in many ways BETTER than the pro version, the 40 has the new ATC tweeter and has a sealed low end cabinets so they go lower.  

Brad

I’ll add another +1 for ATC. 

@jheppe815

some EDM/Electronic mixes are massive / "big console" type mixes that are very fun to experience with extended bass and a not overly compressed mix. Your senses are sometimes overwhelmed (in a good way) by these huge mixes played back at decent levels on a big system in a big, well treated room.

Can i recommend ’Oto’ by Fluke...in case you aren’t already familiar with it?

It’s truly astonishing, one magnificent soundscape after another. And the mastering is sublime, you can really crank the volume because it sounds so restrained and natural. The bass is extended and perfectly controlled, the sub bass is percussive at times, or swelling naturally at others. My favourite track gives one the impression of floating downstream, being carried by the current towards two rock giants hurling thunderbolts at each other....another ends with you floating in space, as warp beasts of mind boggling size gently drift by, and below you.

You’re just not going to get that with bookshelf speakers or, perhaps controversially, valve power amps. While i adore a valve pre, It takes solid state power to bring the fear factor to the pit of your stomach and quicken your pulse.

Oh god……..I’m sorry everyone BUT I’m going to say it, I don’t usually recommend these because of the crazy owners who do more harm than anything else but……

Tekton

I really don’t know of a better manufacturer for speakers for this type of music. DIs and Moab’s are perfect for your needs. Don’t even need sub. 

I'm assuming you're interested in bookshelves ... in this case, please check out Fritz Carrera BE speakers. They are phenomenal for all genres but especially excel at rock and techno. You'd be surprised the amount of taut bass these speakers can produce. The build quality and the fit and finish are excellent. They are easy to drive and play well with even low powered amps. To make it even better, Fritz offers a 30-day return policy, so basically you've got nothing to lose. The only downside I can think of is that they take quite a bit to fully open up -- for me it was around 200 hours. 

Did you guys read what Ralph said earlier? Simple logic dictates that there exist no speakers better suited to particular genres of music. Bad and good tendencies apply across the spectrum.

Simple logic dictates that there exist no speakers better suited to particular genres of music. Bad and good tendencies apply across the spectrum.

yes and no, in my opinion

some speakers do better with some musical genres than others because their strengths and weaknesses are more befitting and tolerated with certain kinds of music

example:

klipsches tektons zus - these are ’lively’ brash sounding speakers, excel with drum snaps, forward presentation, not the most refined, not the best at imaging - so they work well with electronic music, rock, ’party tunes’ - they are good with the beat, impact, energizing, in-your-face sound which is the essence and goodness of that kind of music

conversely, speakers of that ilk can be found to be too unrefined, sloppy, inexact for properly re-creating small ensemble jazz, acoustic music/piano/guitar/woodwinds, sparely accompanied vocals, classical/orchestral music ... they don’t image well enough, everything is up front in an even plane no depth, distortion can be heard around leading edges (a plus in rock music) and thus, listeners like me find them rather intolerable and unable to deliver the purity of sound i seek in serious and long listening sessions

audition__audio

1,155 posts

05-28-2022 at 08:32am 

Did you guys read what Ralph said earlier? Simple logic dictates that there exist no speakers better suited to particular genres of music. Bad and good tendencies apply across the spectrum.

Sorry but don't care what "ralph" says, not even sure what he said but what you just said is a false statement.  Even now that I notice he said he can only do bookshelf speakers, there is still a difference in how a speaker is "voiced" that lends itself to sounding better with certain types of music.

klipsches tektons zus - these are ’lively’ brash sounding speakers, excel with drum snaps, forward presentation, not the most refined, not the best at imaging - so they work well with electronic music, rock, ’party tunes’ - they are good with the beat, impact, energizing, in-your-face sound which is the essence and goodness of that kind of music

100% wrong

In-yer-face sounding speakers are dreadful for electronica. A presentation that fatigues is the opposite of what's required.

You need musicality, scale and control.

I have enormous respect for Atmasphere, but he's also wrong on this.

I've lost count of the number of speakers ($ power amps) I've heard that might excel with jazz or classical- and utterly fail to capture the scale, bass slam and extension, and overall dynamism required for electronica. Bookshelf speakers are equally irrelevant to the successful presentation of the genre.

You need big floorstanders and big, solid state power amps. 

Don't take the word of otherwise knowledgeable people who don't know the genre. 

Two examples of what you are missing ☺

Apologies for my earlier bombasticity

To be sure we're even talking about the same thing, and more importantly 

If you'd care to enjoy a quasi religious experience this weekend, and perhaps be reminded why you love this hobby?

Find some time when everyone's out.

Pour yourself a stiff one, wrap yourself a fat one. Whatevs floats your boat.  Once you've consumed and warmed your system up, play the second track above, 'Freak' at the maximum volume you consider enjoyable.

( Its incredibly well produced so you can safely crank it. Transients are well controlled)

I promise you a thrilling ride

Then come back and say whether electronica requires a system to throw a soundstage?😁

If you're driven to buy the album, would recommend cd over vinyl, in this instance. 

@tmac1700, are you just looking for new speakers or do you want your rock, hiphop and techno tracks to sound better?

You mention boomy bass, that is normally a room acoustics issue, usually handled quite well with multiple subs, room treatments and possibly some parametric e.q. Most times when using subs it is works best to plug any ports in your main speakers.

Are there other issues that are bothering you, or is it just the boominess?

some speakers do better with some musical genres than others because their strengths and weaknesses are more befitting and tolerated with certain kinds of music

example:

klipsches tektons zus - these are ’lively’ brash sounding speakers, excel with drum snaps, forward presentation, not the most refined, not the best at imaging - so they work well with electronic music, rock, ’party tunes’ - they are good with the beat, impact, energizing, in-your-face sound which is the essence and goodness of that kind of music

@jjss49 

If a speaker is 'brash' at some point you'll eventually tire of that even with electronia or rock. What's being ignored is that there are some excellent recordings in these genres that easily reveal speaker problems. Once revealed you'll always hear it and it won't matter the genre!

(here are some examples:

'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath; get the white label Vertigo pressing to really hear what that recording is about

'Mystical Experiences' by The Infinity Project big bass, lots of fun details hidden in the mix; get the Blue Room Released LP pressing if you can find it)

The idea that a certain speaker can favor a certain genre is the biggest myth in audio. If its good at rock but sucks at classical, you'll find that if you play enough rock recordings it actually sucks at rock too.

This really is an issue of common sense. Oh and any good speaker is "voiced" toward neutrality or it isnt a good speaker. Nothing makes me laugh more than the idea that you should use a wood for a speaker cabinet that is the same wood as is used in instruments. Sure issues of scale and SPLs come into play but only as a long list of characteristics for each speaker type.

@jjss49

If a speaker is ’brash’ at some point you’ll eventually tire of that even with electronia or rock. What’s being ignored is that there are some excellent recordings in these genres that easily reveal speaker problems. Once revealed you’ll always hear it and it won’t matter the genre!

The idea that a certain speaker can favor a certain genre is the biggest myth in audio. If its good at rock but sucks at classical, you’ll find that if you play enough rock recordings it actually sucks at rock too.

like i said earlier, i don’t entirely disagree, but it really depends on use case/frequency/duration - imo to call it a myth is a little strong ... lots of people with nice hifi’s don’t sit there for hours listening intently, some want the excitement of live music, listen for a while, get their thrill, turn it off

we need to be careful not to impose our own usage behaviors and patterns, think all folks do as we do - pleasure from a hifi comes in many forms, usage occasions, situations

not to mention people hear differently, some clearly more preferring or more sensitive to some forms of distortion/tonality than others

I haven't owned a pair of speakers since my JBL's or Definitive Techs that sounded good for the majority of rock recordings but think that's partially to most rock isn't recorded that well to begin with.

The Dynaudio's I had were the worst.

imo to call it a myth is a little strong ... lots of people with nice hifi’s don’t sit there for hours listening intently, some want the excitement of live music, listen for a while, get their thrill, turn it off

we need to be careful not to impose our own usage behaviors and patterns, think all folks do as we do - pleasure from a hifi comes in many forms, usage occasions, situations

not to mention people hear differently, some clearly more preferring or more sensitive to some forms of distortion/tonality than others

'Myth' isn't strong. It might not be strong enough! All I'm saying' all I've been saying is there is literally no way to design a speaker or anything electronic to favor a certain genre. If that were possible the market would look a lot different. Anytime there is a coloration present it will affect all genres equally for a simple reason: musicians all use the same bandwidth; all forms of music have the same use of lows, mids and highs.

not to belabour this discussion, but can we be precise on what we are talking about here? ... what the myth is or isn’t -- i am not arguing, just clarifying

no doubt any speaker design and its resultant sound profile will play the same way given an input signal (or musical type sent through it)... its sonic fingerprint applies to all genres - 100% agree

but that is not what i see this thread, and the op’s query, is about - it is about which speakers (not design processes, not designs, but finished speakers) may make certain genres sound better or worse to listeners using them

i do not believe it is a myth that certain speaker makes are better (or worse suited) to certain musical genres -- it is not an accident that sonus fabers, spendor classics, harbeths, are more favored and more often owned by listeners of classical, vocals, acoustic ensembles etc - and cerwin vegas, tektons, jbl’s are more favored by pop, rock, electronica listeners... the market speaks, people aren’t deaf, they have their preferences as to what makes music they like sound good to their ears

it is about which speakers (not design processes, not designs, but finished speakers) may make certain genres sound better or worse to listeners using them

Such a speaker might make a certain recording sound better but its impossible for it to do that for an entire genre! I think this myth persists on account of certain recordings rather than an entire genre.

It most certainly isn't a myth that many speakers, most even, don't provide sufficiently extended bass to do justice to electronica.

There is no specific voicing required, just additional low frequency extension.

Even in the pro sound field, the subwoofers deployed by big sound systems have moved away from the 'Big Bertha's to the Danley Labhorns, precisely because they go deeper, as required by modern dance music.

Surprised no one's recommended Goldenear Triton References.  I've had a pair for 2 years.  Best thing I heard without spending at lease 2x the $$$.  My opinion of course.  I was in the audio business in the late 70's but moved on to another life.  Always kept up with home audio, and I just don't know that there's much competition in that $$$ range.  Before I blow up this thread, this is my opinion only. The bass response is awesome and plentiful and I have always loved Heil tweeters. I was an ESS dealer in the 70's early 80's.   Hope this helps!

It most certainly isn't a myth that many speakers, most even, don't provide sufficiently extended bass to do justice to electronica.

That is true and those same speakers don't do justice to classical music either! Classical music can have some serious bass drum whacks along with 16Hz organ pedal tones; 'if the room isn't shaking something's wrong' kinda thing.

Well it is true that some speakers move more air than others and this is a valid consideration. But if the only thing that the speaker does well is bass it is a bad speaker. Same is true of SPLs. These issues have nothing to do with one speaker sounding better on a certain genre of music however. If the bass is done correctly and all other pieces are in place, this lower bass speaker will sound better on all types of music. 

@atmasphere ​

Mystical Experiences' by The Infinity Project....had a listen.

Not bad, kinda ambient, bass, while extended, very loose and lacking punch, drive and definition.

Try the Jamie Jones 4z remix of 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell ?​​​​​​

@gavman Alternatively how about 'Sensory' by Symbiosis? On the original vinyl, the speed was specified at 33 1/3 which was incorrect. But that is how I always played it...

@atmasphere 

Yes i certainly preferred that...we'd call that genre 'goa trance'.

If you like the 808 sound, try this?

All Ablaze, by Ian Brown

Meanwhile, getting back to bass extension, solidity, punch😁

We have a genre known as drum and bass. Here the melody is often in the sub-bass. This also happens to be my favourite tune by anyone.

The bass is astonishing 

@atmasphere    In a similar vein (and this has nothing to do with bass) I got the 12" EP of the DKs "Holiday in Cambodia" and inadvertently played it at 33 1/3 rpm. I never went back...killer.

Well man you seem like enjoying the same music genres as I do. FYI I listened to most 90s/00s hiphop 70% of the time, 10% would be for rock & techno each, and 10% for other genres. 

Before I bought my speakers I tried many brands, from active Yamaha, Genelecs, D&B (my company is a resellers for these), to auditioning passive speakers at hi-fi store: Pro-Ac Respond, Dynaudio, Focal, Spendor, Kef LS50, Kef Reference 3, Revel, Sonus Faber, Monitor Audio Gold 300, let's say that hi-fi store here in Singapore are small and have a limited setting since it's in shopping malls, so my experience would not reach the speakers' capability, plus I have just been in this journey for less than 5 years, but here is my experience:

1. I found Monitor Audio with ribbon tweeter to be the fastest, most dynamic (which is very important to hiphop - I don't want my Public Enemy to be so laid back), however it sounds a bit too sharp & I get fatigue very quickly. 

2. Spendors A series are the most musical of them, bass is thick and punchy, mid si fully textured & high are clear and lively but not very sharp to the ears ,  the harmony of the music is lovely and I can really feel that I can enjoy them for a long time. I was looking at the D series, which the dealer said it is even better than the A but they don't have one for demo, plus it's over my budget so I gave up. 

3. My friend has a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica 1 can it sounds lovely and the bass reproduction is amazing too, punchy and right to the chest without any subwoofer. However his systems paring with Mcintosh amplification is also over my budget. 

HOWEVER, things get very interesting when I audition a pair of Joseph speakers RM7XL and without a doubt, I bought it on the spot because the sounds they reproduce is purely music, is the joy to listen to: from details, harmony, soundstage, speed, they have everything for just above a grand. If you have a dealer nearby, please go a try it, it perfect for me for all the music genres I listen to, and it is just amazingly well priced. Since then, 5 years passed and I have listened to many other speakers but I only upgrade my speakers through the Joseph Speakers line, now I owned 3 pairs of them, including their flagship Pearls. I listen to hiphop on them almost everyday and I feel that they are best for every buck, I don't need to spend so much on the speakers and more on other electronics along the chain.

P/S: My top 10 GOATs: Rakim, the Beastie Boys, Nas, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Outkast, Wu Tang Clan, Kendrick, Public Enemy, ATCQ. Hope that helps. 

@acresverde - Jello is a friend of mine; I'll tell him about that - he'll get a laugh out of that! 

3 pair cerwin Vega D9s’ , need new foam, but all in good order.minus some mild beer damage to one speaker.

U need these Vegas. 
krs-one, BDP productions, 80’s techno sounds chest shaking. 
I used to have CV AT-15 and SE380 stacked on top of my D9s’ on one wall, the SPL, was amazing! 

Ohm Walsh for lifelike presentation of all genres including those.