Short answer: the Neumann KH80 DSP for better sound quality, the Midiplus MI5 II for the lower price. The Neumann KH80 DSP ranks #7 of 64 powered bookshelf speakers at $598.98. The Midiplus MI5 II ranks #57 at $169, $429.98 cheaper.
What the Neumann KH80 DSP offers: Compact 2-way nearfield monitor - a 1” tweeter in an elliptical waveguide over a 4” mid-woofer, crossed over around 1.8kHz with steep 48dB/octave slopes. Exceptionally linear on-axis response, within about ±1.5dB, with essentially nothing worth equalizing beyond a minor, likely port-related wrinkle around 800Hz. Vertical dispersion is unusually wide and consistent for a monitor this size, holding together to roughly ±40° versus the ±20° or so typical of similarly compact designs - a benefit of the steep crossover slopes and waveguide minimizing comb filtering, so listening height and seating posture matter less than on most small monitors. Back-panel switches (freestanding, small/medium/large desk) tailor the low-mid response to compensate for desk-boundary reflections. Distortion in the midrange doesn’t change when high-passed to a subwoofer at 80Hz, showing the drivers already have a clean distortion profile on their own. Maintains good composure and linearity up to about 96dB SPL down to roughly 80Hz before an active protection circuit engages; tested with dense multitone program material rather than a sine sweep, output around 96dB costs only about 1dB in the midrange, putting realistic maximum SPL near 95dB. Watch for: High price for its size, at roughly $1,000/pair. The horizontal pattern stays wide and essentially constant out to about ±30° before beaming and narrowing further out (then flattening again near 2kHz) - a wide, controlled pattern in absolute terms, but one that reflects more high-frequency energy off nearby sidewalls than a narrower design would. At greater listening distances or in more reflective rooms (tested around 6 feet away at 75-80dB), that shows up as a top end that reads a bit hot despite the speaker measuring essentially flat on-axis - a byproduct of its directivity rather than its tonal balance, and mostly moot for genuine nearfield desktop use inside about a meter. The estimated in-room response shows a shallow dip around 1-2kHz and a treble trend running 2-3dB above the midrange in that same far-field estimate. Multitone distortion for a single speaker climbs into the 3-5% range at 96dB SPL, though that’s only really relevant well above typical nearfield listening levels. Bass rolls off below its F3 of 57Hz (F10 48Hz), so the 4” mid-woofer still needs a subwoofer for real low-end content. The companion app for EQ/setup is iPad-only, with no Android or Bluetooth option despite being control-only, and the in-room calibration microphone is a separate purchase in most cases. In a separate comparison test, the smoother-measuring KH80 actually sounded smaller and less present than the cheaper JBL 305P MKII, which had more perceived bass and clarity despite measuring worse on paper.
What the Midiplus MI5 II offers: A compact 5-inch powered pair with balanced inputs, Bluetooth and 100W RMS total output. The local Spinorama snapshot measures 49Hz extension and reaches 4.09 with a subwoofer. Watch for: The 1.81 raw preference score reflects notable tonal unevenness, and one powered cabinet drives the other through a proprietary cable. Brand support and US retail availability are thinner than mainstream monitor alternatives.
Buy the Neumann KH80 DSP if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Midiplus MI5 II if the price matters more than sound quality.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Midiplus MI5 II. It ranks near the bottom of the 64 powered bookshelf speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Specifications Side By Side
| Neumann KH80 DSP | Midiplus MI5 II | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $598.98 | $169/pair |
| Ranked | #7 of 64 in Medium Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers | #57 of 64 in Medium Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers |
| Dimensions | 13.6"H x 10.8"W x 9.6"D (345.4 x 274.3 x 243.8 mm) | 10.1H x 6.7W x 9.4D in |
| Frequency Response | 57 Hz - 25 kHz (+-3 dB) (Manufacturer specified) | 50Hz-25kHz |
| Inputs | XLR | TRS, RCA, 3.5mm, Bluetooth |
| Weight | 9 lbs / 4.1 kg each | - |
| Drivers | 4.1" woofer, 1" fabric dome tweeter | 1-inch silk tweeter, 5-inch fiberglass woofer |
| App | Yes (MA 1 alignment) | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | - |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 57Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | - |
| Bluetooth | No | - |
| DSP | Yes | - |
| EQ | Yes (via DSP) | - |
| Max SPL | 110.7dB @ 1m | - |
| Sensitivity | 91.9dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner) | - |
| Output Power | 140W (90W woofer + 50W tweeter) | - |
| Enclosure | - | Powered 2-way rear-ported |
| Power Output | - | 100W RMS per pair |
| Maximum SPL | - | 103dB |
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Prices on this page were last checked August 25, 2026 at 6:19 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Neumann KH80 DSP: $598.98 Amazon Bhphotovideo eBay
Pros: Compact 2-way nearfield monitor - a 1” tweeter in an elliptical waveguide over a 4” mid-woofer, crossed over around 1.8kHz with steep 48dB/octave slopes. Exceptionally linear on-axis response, within about ±1.5dB, with essentially nothing worth equalizing beyond a minor, likely port-related wrinkle around 800Hz. Vertical dispersion is unusually wide and consistent for a monitor this size, holding together to roughly ±40° versus the ±20° or so typical of similarly compact designs - a benefit of the steep crossover slopes and waveguide minimizing comb filtering, so listening height and seating posture matter less than on most small monitors. Back-panel switches (freestanding, small/medium/large desk) tailor the low-mid response to compensate for desk-boundary reflections. Distortion in the midrange doesn’t change when high-passed to a subwoofer at 80Hz, showing the drivers already have a clean distortion profile on their own. Maintains good composure and linearity up to about 96dB SPL down to roughly 80Hz before an active protection circuit engages; tested with dense multitone program material rather than a sine sweep, output around 96dB costs only about 1dB in the midrange, putting realistic maximum SPL near 95dB.
Cons: High price for its size, at roughly $1,000/pair. The horizontal pattern stays wide and essentially constant out to about ±30° before beaming and narrowing further out (then flattening again near 2kHz) - a wide, controlled pattern in absolute terms, but one that reflects more high-frequency energy off nearby sidewalls than a narrower design would. At greater listening distances or in more reflective rooms (tested around 6 feet away at 75-80dB), that shows up as a top end that reads a bit hot despite the speaker measuring essentially flat on-axis - a byproduct of its directivity rather than its tonal balance, and mostly moot for genuine nearfield desktop use inside about a meter. The estimated in-room response shows a shallow dip around 1-2kHz and a treble trend running 2-3dB above the midrange in that same far-field estimate. Multitone distortion for a single speaker climbs into the 3-5% range at 96dB SPL, though that’s only really relevant well above typical nearfield listening levels. Bass rolls off below its F3 of 57Hz (F10 48Hz), so the 4” mid-woofer still needs a subwoofer for real low-end content. The companion app for EQ/setup is iPad-only, with no Android or Bluetooth option despite being control-only, and the in-room calibration microphone is a separate purchase in most cases. In a separate comparison test, the smoother-measuring KH80 actually sounded smaller and less present than the cheaper JBL 305P MKII, which had more perceived bass and clarity despite measuring worse on paper.
Full Neumann KH80 DSP review and specifications →
| App | Yes (MA 1 alignment) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 57Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| DSP | Yes |
| Dimensions | 13.6"H x 10.8"W x 9.6"D (345.4 x 274.3 x 243.8 mm) |
| Drivers | 4.1" woofer, 1" fabric dome tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (via DSP) |
| Frequency Response | 57 Hz - 25 kHz (+-3 dB) (Manufacturer specified) |
| Inputs | XLR |
| Max SPL | 110.7dB @ 1m |
| Output Power | 140W (90W woofer + 50W tweeter) |
| Sensitivity | 91.9dB (measured at 0.3V/1m, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 9 lbs / 4.1 kg each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Neumann KH 80 Studio Monitor Review. Excellent Performance. Small Size. More from Erin’s Audio Corner →
- Erin’s Audio Corner Review Measurements
- Audio Science Review Measurements More from Audio Science Review →
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs Genelec 8020D Sound & Frequency Response Comparison More from DSAUDIOreview →
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs Yamaha HS8 Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs Focal Shape 40 Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs IK Multimedia iLoud MTM Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs JBL 305P MKII Sound & Frquency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: KEF LSX vs Neumann KH80 DSP Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: Adam Audio A3X vs Neumann KH80 DSP Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- DSAUDIO.review: Neumann KH80 DSP vs KRK Rokit 5 G4 RP5G4 Sound & Frequency Response Comparison
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: 🎃🔥 UBoom X - Halloween Rock Special 🎸🤘 More from Oluv’Sone →
- Audio Science Review Measurements (spinorama.org)
- Reddit Search for Neumann KH80 DSP Review
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Midiplus MI5 II: $169/pair eBay
Pros: A compact 5-inch powered pair with balanced inputs, Bluetooth and 100W RMS total output. The local Spinorama snapshot measures 49Hz extension and reaches 4.09 with a subwoofer.
Cons: The 1.81 raw preference score reflects notable tonal unevenness, and one powered cabinet drives the other through a proprietary cable. Brand support and US retail availability are thinner than mainstream monitor alternatives.
Full Midiplus MI5 II review and specifications →
| Dimensions | 10.1H x 6.7W x 9.4D in |
|---|---|
| Drivers | 1-inch silk tweeter, 5-inch fiberglass woofer |
| Enclosure | Powered 2-way rear-ported |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz-25kHz |
| Inputs | TRS, RCA, 3.5mm, Bluetooth |
| Maximum SPL | 103dB |
| Power Output | 100W RMS per pair |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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