Need thoughts on Timepiece 2.0 Monitors

[jeffry]

Does anyone know anything about these speakers? I am looking for a review or someone that has them. Please let me know what you find.
thanks

http://www.4sptech.com

[xstatic]

Thats an awful lot of money to spend on an unpowered monitor that is not tried and true.

[jeffry]

yeah i know, but i heard some people talking about them and I checked them out. The specss look great, someone please listen to them and tell me.I was actuaaly planning on spending more so from my perspective it looks like a deal.

[jeffry]

who wants powered monitors anyway. then your stuck with THIER amplifier that is usually junky. I guess its good if you move 'em around alot.

[xstatic]

The problem is, the specs look great on really cheap monitors as well. And as far as powered goes, yeah, if you buy cheaper, than the power may be junky. But the right powered monitors sound awesome;)

[jeffry]

well you see my power amp was $4000. Why would I want a pair of speakers with a built in amp that totals out at 500 - 1000 dollars.That combined is way less than my amplifier. I want a speaker that can match my amp. The thing is most cheap speakers don't post a frequency response curve, or if they do they use smoothing on it to make it look flatter. These guys say they don't use any smoothing and I am very much interested in them. I'm trying to build an awesome studio here.I never really heard a powered monitor I ever liked with any passion.Why does everyon like powered monitors so much anyway?

[michaelhoddy]

Because the better ones can match amps to speakers more accurately without many variables in between . There's no dealing with impedance variances, damping factors, and so on. An active crossover (if the monitors are biamped, which many are) also tends to be much more accurate with regard to response and phasing than does a passive crossover in a non-powered speaker. Not always, but much of the time.

The other thing with studio monitors is the fact that the most important characteristic of a good set is that they help you create mixes that translate well to other systems. Whether or not something sounds good on your expensive monitors means nothing if it sounds like crap on the end listener's boom box or car stereo. Add in the effect of control room acoustics and their relative level of quality, and the "flatness" of a monitor begins to not mean so much any more. Which is why lots of famous mixers use Yamaha NS-10's, one of the more un-flat, harsh, "cheap," all-wrong speakers I've heard, and get fabulous mixes. It's all about translation. I'm assuming you're looking at these as studio monitors.

Don't make the mistake of judging value based on dollars. I'd be wary of anything that I've never heard and that no one else I know uses, regardless of what their literature says and how much they cost. I'm also wary of things with no dealer network, because the higher-end pro audio dealers usually pick up the hype of great products quickly.

If they believe in their product, they or the dealer will loan you a pair, and you can judge for yourself. Then, and only then, will you be able to make an informed decision.

A $4000 amp for passive nearfields? Are you one of those audiophile types?

[xstatic]

Well, more power to you for having an awesome amp, but you never mentioned that before. I hope the speakers work out for you, but I stand by my original post. It is some what of a gamble to go with something that is not established, but you never know, it may pay off. You may be one of the first to discover what could be an awesome set of monitors:) Or, it could be a waste of money. I can't say. As far as powered monitors go, they really caught on with cheaper monitors first, but more and more high end monitors are starting to come out with powered monitors that people really love. It has to do with how each channel of the amp is designed specifically for the speaker. Not just for the driver, but also for how the driver reacts with the cabinet design. I have no problem with having seperate amps. Even live audio line arrays are coming out with a lot of powered cabinets. Many people did not like this idea at first, but it still seems to be catching on:)

[jeffry]

well not really, but i got the amp at a company auction really cheap cause it had a couple things wrong with it that I fixed very easily, i can't tell you what it was cause the company is not supposed to do that.I saw the Timepieces in Audio Media magazine in january's issue and I guess they are pretty new. I hear what your saying but i still want to know from someone that has heard them. I have been looking for a review to make up my mind.