Neumann KH

After a long legacy spent sculpting the very sound of music history, Neumann introduced its first studio monitor in 2010. Dubbed the KH 120, the model was an instant hit, especially in Europe’s studio scene. It was a truly historic step for Neumann, and the model’s name pays fitting tribute to the past with its KH prefix — a tip of the hat to Klein + Hummel, a lauded monitor maker that became part of the Neumann family. In fact, Sennheiser tells Sweetwater that Klein + Hummel were the minds behind the very concept of a powered studio monitor with built-in amplifiers and active crossovers, first developing the initial iteration of the idea as early as 1967.

Every Neumann KH studio monitor is designed with the same goal: to deliver the highest linearity and the lowest distortion with optimal adaptability to a studio’s acoustic environment. Therefore, every KH monitor — from the highest-end offering to the most accessible model — provides the same reference-grade quality of sound, with the only difference between models being their maximum volume and their level of bass extension. That consistency is compounded by the extremely tight tolerances of Neumann’s manufacturing process. And just like Neumann’s legendary microphones, any two Neumann KH speakers of the same model make a perfectly matched stereo pair.

To enhance the sound and performance of the KH lineup, Neumann builds many of its monitors with onboard DSP. This built-in digital control bolsters the precision and transparency of Neumann’s monitors by linearizing both their frequency responses and their phases. The result? An increased level of clarity and an accurate sonic depiction of acoustic spaces and reverb. Even more importantly, the internal DSP allows for powerful room correction to be built within the loudspeakers themselves. To boot, Neumann’s MA 1 Automatic Monitor Alignment software ascertains a room’s response based on real-world measurements, computing the perfect set-and-forget compensation curve.

The quality that most differentiates Neumann’s MA 1 system from third-party room-correction solutions is that the former factors in all parameters of the loudspeaker into the equation, including the monitor’s internal crossovers and dispersion pattern. Furthermore, the design of the MA 1 incorporates decades of experience from acoustic experts to compute a room-adaptive target curve. With Neumann’s MA 1 in your arsenal, you’ll be able to effortlessly create mixes that translate perfectly to any playback system.

The consistency and precision of Neumann’s manufacturing process allow its monitors to excel in multichannel setups. Because all Neumann monitors share the same perfectly balanced sound, any combination of models can be effectively utilized in an immersive audio configuration. For instance, if a producer were running dual KH 150s in stereo, they could easily extend their rig into the realm of immersive audio with several KH 120 II monitors for surround channels and KH 80 DSPs for the ceiling speakers.

To pair with its myriad of monitors, Neumann also offers a rich range of subwoofers to fill out your setup’s low end. The KH 750 DSP subwoofer extends your bass frequencies down to an impressive 18Hz, making it an ideal choice to reproduce the LFE channel in immersive systems such as 7.1.4. Neumann also sports an extensive range of mounting hardware, which makes installing ceiling speakers a breeze.