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Upon its introduction, the Barefoot Sound MicroMain27 captivated the professional recording world. It was the speaker that put Barefoot Sound on the map, truly defining their identity. Initially, its radical design with subwoofers on the sides seemed unusual, but it proved fundamental. With woofers, subs, and a tweeter in a fairly compact box, it accurately translates sound. All the additional drivers are there simply to bolster, buttress, and amplify that core design. This monitor has received major fanfare and is used by some of the biggest artists and studios worldwide.
The MicroMain27 is a 3.5-way active system with 5 drive units housed in sealed enclosures spanning 30 Hz to 45 kHz, boasting vanishingly low distortion, breathtaking dynamic range, and incredibly fast transient response. Featuring opposing 10" Dual-Force Technology subwoofers, the renowned MicroMain27 boasts advanced electronics and drivers, granting it even greater dimension and transparency across the entire audio spectrum. The 5.25" midbass features an array of advanced technology, yielding midrange detail rivaling any driver on the planet. The 1" ring radiator tweeter delivers incredible detail and wide dispersion out to its highest frequencies. Barefoot Sound developed a powerful and completely transparent amplifier stage for the MicroMain27. The system is melded together with a groundbreaking DSP (Digital Signal Processor) crossover that Barefoot has dedicated thousands of hours to developing. With beautifully designed high-end converters and cutting-edge proprietary filtering techniques, the MicroMain27 soundstage is seamlessly coherent and deeply revealing.
Barefoot Sound’s goal has always been to push the design limits of what is possible in a compact studio monitor. Initially, the design of the MicroMain27 seemed radical, but it proved fundamental.
The front baffle is machined aluminum and inset into a Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF) cabinet with generously radiused corners to minimize diffraction. The cabinet is sealed, extremely well-braced, and damped, enclosing a volume of 32 liters. It features the well-known Barefoot Black polyester coating with its signature textured finish.
Each MicroMain27 comes with two handles, which are handy for lifting and positioning the monitor. Additionally, these handles can double as base “skids” for mounting the speaker horizontally, adding versatility to its placement options.
Cabinet vibrations are a significant source of distortion and coloration in most loudspeakers. The primary mechanism is simple action and reaction. As the driver motor forces the cone to move back and forth in order to generate sound, the cone exerts an equal and opposite force on the motor. This force is transmitted through the driver frame to the cabinet. The effect is especially prevalent in the low frequencies where the cone motion is greatest. While MicroMain27 cabinets are massive and well braced, they also tackle the problem at its source by eliminating vibrations before they even begin. This is achieved through Barefoot's innovative force cancellation design (Dual-Force Technology). The low-frequency drivers are mounted on opposing sides of the cabinet, and their motors are locked together. As the cones are driven in and out in opposite directions, the forces exerted on the motors cancel one another. The vibrations never make it to the cabinet because they are not allowed to develop in the first place. This layout has the further benefit of forming a massive internal metal cabinet bracing. Furthermore, because the wavelengths generated by the subwoofers are much larger than the speaker cabinet dimensions, the subs radiate as if they were a single point source located on the axis with the tweeter.
Like all Barefoot Sound monitors, the MicroMain27 includes the versatile MEME Technology Voice Emulation feature. Despite the advantages of high-resolution monitors, Barefoot Sound realizes that many engineers still use their NS10M’s and Mix Cubes as secondary references. These speakers have long traditions, and people find them familiar and useful for focusing on certain aspects of their mix. However, crowding one’s console with those extra boxes degrades the sound field of the primary reference monitors. Additionally, they are no longer manufactured, require amplifiers, cable runs, and consume more studio space.
The solution is to make the MicroMain27 sound and translate like those speakers. With the turn of a knob, one can switch from the MicroMain27′s brutally revealing “Flat” response to the warmer and sweeter “Hi-Fi” setting, generically emulating the sound of some high-end consumer audio gear. More specifically, the “Old School” setting closely emulates the sound of the NS10M nearfield, while the “Cube” setting emulates the mid-centric sound of classic mix cubes. The idea is not to perfectly replicate every subtle quirk of these venerable old speakers, as that would be impossible. Instead, the MicroMain27 captures the essence of how they behave and translate, modeling their frequency, phase, and transient responses, dynamic compression, and even specific distortion components.
"Unlike many other pieces of gear, monitors are a very personal choice. I've been mixing on one set of midfields for the past 20 years. During that time, I've A/B'd them against most of the popular contenders. None showed the potential to improve my mixes until Mike Nehra at Vintage King asked me to try a set of Barefoot MM27's. They sounded great on first listen but would my mixes translate accurately? If so, I'd be super impressed and open to change. As a large midfield monitor they offered me an accurate response from a big bottom, warm punchy midrange to a wide clear top end, at both low and high playback levels, something that my present midfields didn't do well.
"I patiently gave my ears plenty of time to adjust and adapt to the MM 27's. Over a period of a few months, I slowly weaned myself from my old midfields to the Barefoots. It wasn't a deliberate decision, I just found myself over time being able to trust them. I've really fallen love with the bottom end they pump out and my mixes are coming out great. And for the benefit of clients that want to playback a mix at physically altering levels, unlike many other self-powered monitors, these can be driven really loud without the amp folding or going into an auto-limiting mode.
"The most obvious response has been coming from my clients that prefer I playback on the Barefoots when making comments.
"The final and most important factor in deciding to continue with the Barefoots came from Mastering. The first record that I recently mixed (Slow Poison/The Bravery) on the MM27's got excellent reviews from my mastering engineer, meaning he didn't have to mess with it and the bottom end was just right. Barefoots DON'T LIE!" - Michael H. Brauer, Record Mixer "I'd been using the same monitors for over 10 years when Ted convinced me to try the Barefoot MM27s. The test mixes I did were so good that I ordered a pair, and the three weeks that I had to go back to using my old monitors while waiting for my MM27s to be delivered was torture." - Mark Linett (Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Red Hot Chili Peppers) "The MM27 is such a major step forward that it could easily become the must-have speaker in every studio. It's the NS-10 of our generation." - Kevin Augunas, Fairfax Recordings "They have very impressive bottom end, sound-staging, and imaging, and can be brutally honest. I had a very short adjustment period with them, and was pleasantly surprised to find that mixing actually went faster and translated excellently." - Rich Costey, Producer, Engineer, Mixer "The MicroMain 27's sound amazing! I feel like I'm listening to the music, not the speakers, and I can hear everything from top to bottom with incredible detail. There are no surprises when the mixes leave my studio, and they translate extremely well to the real world." - Butch Vig, Musician and Producer "The MicroMain 27s are my new standard." - Bob Ezrin "I installed the MM27s, and the first thing I noticed was their weight, oh my god they weigh a lot!! Also, their construction is amazing, built like a tank but at the same time the design is so beautiful.... So I finished my mix and after some listening in my car and my boombox I send it to the label without surprises, the mix was exactly as I mixed it at my place. C'mon! this was my first time with those speakers and I was able to deliver a mix that translated really well to other systems!!!" - Armando Avila "The MM27's provide more "information" than any speaker I've ever heard. They are brutally honest and once you get things sounding good on these, they'll translate extremely well. Also, I've become a big fan of mixing w/o the need for a separate subwoofer." - Doug McBride "I knew within 30 seconds of hearing the MM27s that I had to have a pair. The sonic clarity, punch and ability to hear (and therefore mould) frequencies, transients and low end is so much better than any other speaker I've heard. I honestly can't put into words how much I love these speakers, my mixes have improved by at least 30% since owning them." - Rik Simpson
I purchased my pair of gen 2 mm27s from Vintage King nearly 10 years ago after getting my first real job. It was a huge investment for me as a hobbyist, and they cost more than double what I spent on my car. And, yes, I am still driving that car too lol. The mm27s on the used market in 2023 cost about what I paid for them new 10 years ago, which speaks to their quality, desirability, and reputation. Overall, I would recommend these monitors to anybody without hesitation. They have an incredible frequency response, clarity, and seemingly limitless headroom. The monitor emulation modes are extremely useful and help deliver better results in a shorter period of time. Bad mixes sound like trash. Good mixes sound good. Excellent mixes make you feel like you are listening from inside of the song. I had serious monitor GAS and tried many different rigs for years leading up to purchasing these monitors. Since these mm27s arrived at my doorstep, I haven't spent a single minute looking at new monitors. I'm sure there are many great, new options on the market now, but I have no idea what they are (and don't care at all), and I highly doubt they are any better than the gen2 mm27s. My mm27s have seen thousands of hours of use (although mostly at lower volumes), and one of the power amps is finally starting to fail. I'm not even mad at all. Barefoot has my back, and I will be back in business within a few weeks. TLDR: If you can get the money together to buy these, do not hesitate. You will not be disappointed. Signed, A 10 year, happy user of gen2 mm27s.
They will become your most trusted musical collaborator, honest and smooth at every listening level. Really enjoyable to listen to even at the end of a 12 hour day. Simply unbeatable from the satisfying and secure lows to the sparkling (not harsh) highs. Thank you Miles and VK for setting me up with these!
I’m able to fine-tune the mid range with unbelievable clarity.
Was skeptical about how good any speaker could sound. And if they would really be worth it. Sounds unlike anything I have heard before. Every person that comes into the studio immediately says they are worth every penny. Every producer I know has started bringing their tracks over just to do the mixdown in my studio. There is no question the low end detail in these is worth every penny. Zero questions about kick and baselines sitting well together in a track. I feel like I’m hearing all of my old tracks for the first time. These are that good. If my studio burns down tomorrow, the first thing I’m ordering with the insurance money is another pair of these.
Great speakers
I have had my mm27s for 4-5 months now. I had a old pair of Genelecs before. I had a problem on a mix I was doing on the Genelecs in the 250hz range. Sounded fine on the Genelecs but bad elsewhere. The second I plugged in the Barefoots I heard the problem clear as day. These monitors do not lie to you at all. What you hear on them is what you hear elsewhere. A huge selling point to me was the 4 mode the mm27s have. I use the hype mode from tracking, flat from mixing then switch to ns10 mode during mixing also. I have a mono Avantone mix cube I am very used to. So, I really do not use that mode on the Barefoots. They are expensive but worth every penny.
First of all, it’s very difficult to review these speakers without a few four letter words. That being said, we’ve had these in our mix room for about a month now and I’ve never been so excited to mix in my career. The sound is beyond accurate. I hear changes to my mix I’ve never heard before. A .5db change at 4khz? Yes I can hear that like night and day. Makes mixing fun. And cute mix time down exponentially! Without a doubt, single best investment we’ve made in our studio. Thank you to VK for great support, advice, and just all around great service.
Once you go Barefoot- you never go back!!
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