Pioneer DJ VM-70 powered speaker overview: This versatile speaker delivers appropriate sound at an practical imprint

TechHive doesn’t in overall hide video display audio system—powered or otherwise—nonetheless Pioneer DJ pitched its original VM series as versatile powered audio system appropriate for each and every work and play. Intrigued, we kicked the the tires on a pair of the center-of-the-differ VM-70.

It didn’t purchase long to enact that these audio system ship very appropriate efficiency in each and every categories, and without the high ticket ceaselessly connected to audio system which may perhaps well be appropriate ample for teach material creation. That’s no longer to sigh they’re cheap; the VM-70 imprint $229 each and every (they’re bought individually, no longer as a pair). But they ship on Pioneer’s promise of a fulfilling expertise whether or no longer growing (mixing) or recreating.

Pionoeer DJ

Form and specs

Whether or no longer you’re talking bookshelf studio monitors or audio system for overall listening, 7-creep-class woofers (6.5-creep, on this case), equivalent to the Aramid-fiber examples came at some level of within the VM-70, have a tendency to present appropriate the real quantity of bass—a Goldilocks level, within the event you are going to. And by the real quantity, I mean basically the most appropriate rendering of what’s within the audio signal.

The VM-70 are two-attain audio system, so that they’re also equipped with 1-creep silk dome tweeters, crossed over at 3kHz. The speaker’s whole frequency differ is 37Hz to 36kHz—which at the tip raze is about 16kHz better than the favored human can hear.

Model processing is done at 96kHz, which is so much swiftly ample for correct filtering and such. Quicker sampling charges can ship superior sound, nonetheless it’s no longer because that charge captures or reproduces better frequencies; moderately, it’s the lower latency and sooner processing that delivers the superior results.

Pioneer DJ

The VM-70, and its stablemates—the smaller VM-50 and the bigger VM-80—provide basically the most traditional inputs: a balanced XLR/quarter-creep TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) combo and glowing-to-goodness RCA. The latter connection is to enable leisure listening by potential of unbalanced audio sources (i.e., traditional individual audio tools).

The VM-70 is a bi-amplifed speaker, that potential one Class D amp on each and every speaker delivers 70 watts of energy to the woofer, and a 2nd Class D amp provides 30 watts to the tweeter. There are four DSP (digital signal processor) settings each and every for bass and treble that roughly, if no longer precisely, translate to flat and up to 3dB roll-off or enhance. You may perhaps well label the tweaked curves within the image below.

Pioneer DJ

These audio system will robotically move into standby mode when no active signal is present to put energy, though you are going to be ready to disable that by potential of a swap on the relief of the speaker, as confirmed above. 

Performance

As I theorized earlier than being attentive to them, the VM-70 hit the sweet location for bass replica on the head. For my fundamental testing, I left the woofer DSP at the default surroundings (L2/flat) and cranked the high-prove a notch to H3 and even H4. That became appropriate to brighten issues up a minute and guard in opposition to my tendency to over-emphasize high frequencies when mixing my bear stuff.

I cherished the barely a minute. The substantial-canine skill in audio system (particularly studio monitors) is the capability to accurately render individual devices within the sound enviornment. I became without concerns ready to discern them with the VM-70; and to be glowing, I notion I picked up differences in compression better than with my accepted Yamaha H8 studio monitors. Save one other attain, the VM-70 are very appropriate. I may perhaps well get hang of choosy and bitch appropriate a tad referring to the easier midrange wanting a shrimp enhance, nonetheless that is seemingly it.

After playing my test files and noise files, I performed with the total low and high DSP/EQ settings. It is no longer with out a doubt fundamental what I wound up with, the became musically magnificent. Whenever you occur to’ve ever long past wild with EQ, you know this is no longer any longer necessarily a straight forward ingredient to enact. Appropriate job, Pioneer. 

Anybody who’s ever switched audio system knows there’s consistently one thing lacking. Moderately ceaselessly it’s one thing within the listener’s head. I’d no longer commerce my Yamaha HS8’s for the Pioneer DJ VM-70’s, nonetheless if I had the VM-70’s, I doubt I’d commerce them for the HS8’s. As I stated earlier than, I may perhaps well mix and/or hearken to those audio system all day long. 

Bottom line

The Pioneer DJ VM-70 ship the lion’s fragment of the sonic goodness that extra-pricey opponents provide: Versatile EQ and the total connections you wish for standard listening, membership employ, or mixing.

I will recommend the VM-70 for overall listening and for recording and mixing. While I haven’t listened to its bookends, I’d guess you are going to without concerns exercise a pair of the lower-priced VM-50, with their 5.25-creep woofers, for dialog-heavy video editing. And the VM-80 (8-creep woofers) positively ship a bass-ier consequence that may perhaps well very effectively be extra acceptable within the event you’re DJ’ing a occasion. Whichever flavor you have interaction, I believe you’ll be comfortable.

• Pioneer DJ VM-70 active video display audio system

  These studio video display/overall-listening audio system provide very appropriate overall sound, appropriate mid-differ definition, and appropriate the real quantity of bass for correct mixing. For the imprint, they’re exhausting to beat.

  Pros

  • Beautiful the real quantity of bass for informal listening and mixing
  • Each balanced XLR/TRS combo and unbalanced RCA inputs
  • Low- and high-frequency attenuator controls

  Cons

  • Beautiful a minute bit cloudy thru the easier mids

Jon is a Juilliard-educated musician, ancient x86/6800 programmer, and long-time (slack 70s) computer fanatic residing within the San Francisco bay space. [email protected]