- Three-way sealed enclosure: 8.25" woofer, 3" soft dome midrange, 1" tweeter
- 585 W total Class D amplification, including 300 W on the bass
- Complete 32-bit DSP signal chain, compatible with MA 1 room correction
- External dimensions taken from the KH 310 A: integration is done without modifying the furniture
I connect monitoring speakers all year round, and there’s one family that keeps coming up in studio feedback: Neumann’s active three-ways. The KH 310 A served as a reference for over ten years in production and post-production control rooms, and you still see them regularly. So when the brand announces the Neumann KH 310 II, you take a close look at what’s changed under the hood.
Short answer: almost everything, except the footprint. New woofer, increased amplification, fully digital processing chain. The reference we’re interested in here is the KH 310 II R, the right channel, to pair with its left twin for a stereo pair or to slot into a larger system.
The KH 310 II R is the right speaker. It pairs with the KH 310 II L for a stereo pair, or takes its place in a multichannel system. That’s the logic of the series at Neumann: one reference per channel, so each speaker occupies exactly the role intended in the system.
Behind the front panel, three ways and a sealed enclosure. Sealed enclosure means a hermetic cabinet, without a port: the bass stops when the signal stops, instead of trailing a resonance tail. Neumann announces high transient accuracy and low group delay, which matters as soon as you’re judging rhythmic placement or a compressor’s reaction.
The rest is available headroom. 300 W on the woofer, 160 W on the midrange, 125 W on the tweeter, all Class D amplification, for 585 W total. This margin mainly shows up in headroom (the level reserve before saturation): the volume rises without the image shifting, even when the session gets dense.
Pros
- Sealed enclosure: the bass starts and stops cleanly
- 585 W of headroom, with a limiting structure that protects without crushing dynamics
- 32-bit DSP chain and MA 1 compatibility for room alignment
- Dimensions taken from the KH 310 A, so no need to redo the control room furniture
Cons
- Calibrated for medium to large spaces
- Sold individually: the stereo pair requires the left version as well
Technical sheet - Neumann KH 310 II R
| Type | 3-way active monitor speaker, sealed enclosure design |
|---|---|
| Channel | Right (RIGHT model) |
| Speakers | 8.25" woofer · 3" soft dome midrange · 1" tweeter |
| Total power | 585 W |
| Amplification | Woofer 300 W · Midrange 160 W · Tweeter 125 W · Class D |
| Linearity | ± 0.6 dB from 100 Hz - 10 kHz |
| SPL level | Up to 5 dB more than the KH 310 (measurements in half-space and free field) |
| Processing | Complete 32-bit DSP signal chain |
| Room correction | Compatible with MA 1 |
| Bass technology | New generation ELFF woofer: increased linear excursion, reduced intermodulation distortion |
| Footprint | External dimensions identical to the KH 310 A |
| Intended uses | Recording Production Post-production Broadcast Mastering Immersive audio |
| Verdict |
Pros
Worth noting
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What the Neumann KH 310 II changes in the bass
Most of the work went into the woofer. The new generation woofer of 8.25 inches features ELFF technology, which Neumann highlights for increased linear excursion and reduced intermodulation distortion. In real life: when the cone moves a lot, it continues to behave predictably.
The effect plays out in a busy low spectrum. A kick, an electric bass working in the same register, a trailing low reverb tail: these three elements remain separable when the level rises. This is typically where you end up turning the volume down to hear clearly. Here, the margin is wider.
And the power follows suit. The woofer goes up to 300 W when the KH 310 A announced 210, the midrange to 160 W versus 90, the tweeter to 125 W versus 90. The maximum level rises accordingly: Neumann announces up to 5 dB more SPL compared to the KH 310, measurements taken in half-space and free field.
“Half-space” means a measurement with the speaker placed against a surface, typically a wall or console surface. “Free field” is the same measurement without a nearby surface. Neumann gives both figures because placement really changes the available level.
32-bit DSP and MA 1: the Neumann KH 310 II aligns with your room
The entire signal chain is digital, at 32 bits. That’s what makes precise system alignment possible: levels, delays and filters are finely adjusted, speaker by speaker, instead of turning stepped potentiometers hoping both sides line up.
This architecture mainly opens the door to MA 1, Neumann’s in-house room correction. The principle works in two steps: you measure the response at the listening point, then the system compensates for what the room adds or subtracts. The brand’s stated goal is worth quoting as is: secure the listening point, not smooth for smoothing’s sake.
Basically, it’s about reducing the impact of room modes, those bumps and dips in the low end that depend on the room’s dimensions, and stabilizing the tonal balance. The final benefit has a name: translation. A mix that holds up on headphones, in the car, on TV broadcast or on a streaming platform.
Before pulling out the measurement mic, take care of the placement and room treatment. Digital correction works much better on a room that’s already healthy than on one left as is.
Consistency from one unit to another
Neumann emphasizes a less flashy but decisive point: repeatability from one unit to another. Two speakers of the same model resemble each other more. On a stereo pair, this results in a clearer central image. On a multichannel system, it means more predictable calibration and a panorama that stays locked when sources move.
Stereo, multichannel, immersive: where to place the KH 310 II R
The KH 310 II targets medium to large spaces and studios where decisions need to be quick and accurate. Neumann mentions recording, music production, post-production, broadcast and mastering. The R version occupies the right channel, whether the system has two speakers or twelve.
Immersive audio is explicitly part of the specs, Dolby Atmos included. This is where consistency between units really matters: in a system where a source moves continuously from one speaker to another, the slightest timbre difference between two channels is heard as a glitch.
To go lower, a subwoofer like the Neumann KH 805 II complements the setup and serves as the bass management point on a multichannel system. The rest of the series can be found in the Neumann catalog, alongside the studio monitors section.
An upgrade without renovations
One last point, and it will please studios already equipped: the external dimensions are identical to those of the KH 310 A. Cabinet niches, stands, wall mounts, already drilled control room desks, everything remains valid.
On a multichannel installation, that’s more than comfort. Replacing eight or twelve speakers without reworking the room’s acoustic structure changes the budget and schedule of a project significantly.
If you’re replacing an existing system, switch channel by channel while keeping a reference listening session handy. You hear much better what changes when the comparison happens in the same session.
FAQ – Neumann KH 310 II
Is the KH 310 II R sold alone?
Yes. It’s the right speaker, referenced separately. For a stereo pair, you need to add the KH 310 II L.
Do you need the MA 1 to use the KH 310 II?
No. The speaker works without it. Its 32-bit DSP chain is however designed to accommodate the MA 1 room correction and the system alignment that goes with it.
Is the KH 310 II suitable for a small control room?
It’s calibrated for medium to large spaces. In a small room, the nearfield formats of the Neumann series fit the available distance better.
Can it be used in Dolby Atmos?
Yes. Immersive audio is one of the intended uses, just like stereo and multichannel setups.
The Neumann KH 310 II doesn’t reinvent the three-way sealed design, born at Klein & Hummel in 1967 with what is often considered the first active three-way studio monitor. It picks up where it left off and takes it further: more headroom, a fully digital chain, integration that doesn’t require renovations. For a studio already running on KH 310 A, the question is no longer if it fits, but when to switch. It remains to be seen what this DSP platform will bring down to the more compact formats of the series.
