Presonus Sceptre S6 CoActual Studio Monitors

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Hey what’s good fam!

Here with a review of some pretty cool monitors from Presonus.

It’s the Sceptre series and I’ve been testing the S6.

Let’s get into it!

So what is the Sceptre S6?

SceptreS6This is the 6″ woofer version of the Sceptre series monitor from Presonus.

The Sceptre series is their line of “CoActual” 2-way monitor systems.

It’s a coaxial design with the tweeter and woofer in one plane, the tweeter looks similar to a loudspeaker in my opinion.

It’s got some custom DSP algorithms going on inside that allow it to overcome some of the typical acoustic issues with such a design.

If you really want to learn the science behind their DSP and the design, head over to their website and read up on the design process.

For me the main thing was…it looks very sexy….but how will it it sound!

Quick Specs

  • size: 6.25″ woofer, 1″ tweeter
  • technology: 90W amps, acoustic space control, HF control, low cut, soft start, overload protection, RF shielding, DSP
  • connections: power, xlr, 1/4″ trs
  • price: $649.95 each
  • product page: http://www.presonus.com/products/Sceptre

So how does it sound?

Reel to Reel Tape RecorderMan the first thing I noticed when I hooked them up was how loud they were! The output was really powerful and I found I didn’t need to crank up my interface or the input level on the back of the monitors at all.

It was almost too loud at the suggested settings so I ended up lowering the input setting a little bit and using the pink noise test to set them up properly in my environment.

The stereo field on this things is simply amazing, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…or what I hadn’t been hearing previously for that matter.

I found myself hearing so many subtle things in my music that I was missing as well as artifacts and details on sounds and samples I was testing…that I had to hook up my old monitors just to make sure it was a placebo thing going on.

It wasn’t. I was definitely hearing way more detail than before in all areas of use.

I also love the fact that their really isn’t a “sweet spot”. Like…I could stand up and move around to the side, or further back, and the stereo space was still full.

I had to adjust my ears to the high end output of these, at first it felt a little harsh but the more I used them and the more I broke them in it sounded great. It’s definitely a different sound than the studio monitors I was used to, but man it’s such a great sound.

So what’s the bottom line?

I love these things, one of the great parts about doing what I do is I get a chance to checkout great gear like this…of course it’s harder when you fall in love with such gear knowing you’re about to send it back.

But I definitely suggest checking these out at your local dealer if you get a chance, I find it hard to listen on anything else, the clarity is just so vastly superior to anything I’ve personally used before.

I expected them to sound good, and I thought it would sound different for sure, but I didn’t expect this much of an impact in what I was hearing.

Overall I give the Sceptre S6 monitor 4.5 out of 5 subs, great stereo field with powerful output, tight bass, and plenty of options to customize to your own personal environment.

The one thing I thought could have been changed was the high pass filter option. I really think it would be more beneficial as a knob instead of a switch with 3 static settings, just because each setup will be different and matching the monitors to your sub in your setup may be totally different to the optimal response setting in my setup.

Even still, they sound great. These are not a set of “budget” monitors, and the price reflects that, but they aren’t insanely expensive in my opinion especially for the quality you get.

I know monitors are a personal thing, but again I have to highly suggest you try to get somewhere and give these a listen, the more I listen to them the more I love them.

Go on over and read up on all the technology behind these sexy beasts: http://www.presonus.com/products/Sceptre

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think

 

8 Comments

  1. Too nice, remind me of the old classic Tannoy dual concentric monitors. If you offered me a swap I’d still keep my KH-120 though, for mixes that translate really well to there systems. In the old days of Tannoy and JBL full range monitoring, before near-fields, NS-10s and Auratones – well a lot of times what sounded totally great in the studio brought tears to your eyes when you brought it home lol
    Still, I’d love a pair of these as well, to really turn the microscope up on Hats and stuff

    Reply
  2. Thanks, I really like your down to earth reviews! I picked up a pair of S6’s last week and been listening to some old mixes that I had done on my JBL LSR 2300’s. The S6’s are giving me details I didn’t hear before. What I thought was a reasonable cello from Halion now sends very artificial – and the East West sampled cello is so much better sounding. I totally agree with your review and would strongly recommend these monitors in their price point. Keep up the great work!

    Reply

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