Studio Monitors!

[iamapirate]

Well, now that I've got myself some decent headphones (ok, £40) and I've started to rip all my music at 320kbps and I've started noticing a huge differnece in quality. I thought it was about time to get some studio monitors. I've been asked recently as well to do some home recording for a band (as well as my current one). An iPod dock would be great, but basically I want the best possible for £100!

Consider this a challenge - you have 24 hours! ;D

Edited June 7, 2009 by iamapirate

[mike257]

You might have a job finding a good set for that to be honest. I haven't been monitor shopping for a few years, but from what I remember there wasn't much to choose from under £200. I might be wrong though! GAK is always worth a look for these things, I'd go check them out.

Saying that, I know a few people got a set of those Behringer Truth active monitors and gave them rave reviews. Haven't heard them in action, but apparently they're better than the brand name would have you think. I'm sure I've seen them for about £150.

If you're going to be doing a lot of recording, I reckon it's well worth saving for as good a set of monitors as your budget allows!

[Eight]

For around £150-£200 (with some serious shopping around) you can get the Alesis M1 MkII active monitors which are almost a de-facto standard at that end of the market.

So popular - and for good reason. I love mine.

Edited June 9, 2009 by Eight

[butlerk02]

I recently bought some studio speakers and went with some KRK's.

I was very nearly tempted to get a pair of M-Audio Studiophile BX5A though. You can get a pair for £150 from here - [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/48624/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/48624/[/url]

I also agree with Mike's comment about saying up and getting a really decent pair if your are planning on doing some studio work.

Edited June 9, 2009 by butlerk02

[iamapirate]

Well, the only reason why I said under £100 was because [url="http://www.techng.com/Samson-Audio-SASD3I-StudioDock-3i-USB/M/B0014HO9QY.htm"]http://www.techng.com/Samson-Audio-SASD3I-.../B0014HO9QY.htm[/url] are the ones that by brother has at the moment, and I know they're not exactly studio quality, I want something similar, maybe a bit better but not these exact ones

EDIT

"And because the music stays digital, StudioDock produces remarkably high quality audio"
I'm sure that's wrong! I always thought that the analog stuff was better quality!

Edited June 9, 2009 by iamapirate

[MythSte]

theres always my tannoys on here! I think they'd annhilate anything new for that price.

[iamapirate]

^ +1

[spiltmilk_2000]

[quote name='butlerk02' post='508913' date='Jun 9 2009, 11:42 AM']I recently bought some studio speakers and went with some KRK's.

I was very nearly tempted to get a pair of M-Audio Studiophile BX5A though. You can get a pair for £150 from here - [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/48624/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/48624/[/url]

I also agree with Mike's comment about saying up and getting a really decent pair if your are planning on doing some studio work.[/quote]

A friend of mine works for Digital Village and on his recommendation I went for the M-Audio BX5A deluxe monitors.... about £145 i think. Anyway, Im really pleased with them for the money and think you'll struggle to get better value in this entry level range without buying used which is also a really good option.

If you want to listen to really heavy bass (dance / hip hop etc) the size of the drivers will hold you back a little as they simply cant shift that much air being so small. However, for most purposes i think these are an excellent choice for the £££s

definitely look out for used though!

Russ

[iamapirate]

Yeah, I defo wouldn't want a pair of speakers that has an EQ that dominates any certain frequencies. Just the most balanced and clear ones I can get. I've got a few things to pay, so I'll probably be buying the start of July or maybe August - depends how hard I work this month! XD

[alexclaber]

For £140 the Tascam VL-5X are absolutely incredible!

Alex

[iamapirate]

Cheers! I just did some rough recording with an eletric drum kit (a really nice £2000 one) using my bro's samson 4i monitors, and I have to say it sounded simply incredible. It was just perfect sound quality.... for my needs....

[steve-soar]

I use Behringer Truth B2031A, they are excellent, really well made, can be run hard and for the price I paid give a very faithful representation of any recording. Still going strong after 4 years.

[cheddatom]

I bought some studio spares NS-10s and they're a bit sh*t IMHO. Anyone else used these? Am I doing something wrong?

[stingrayfan]

I got rid of my studio monitors - found them far too cold sounding for listening to music generally. Found that wiring my Mac up to a micro hi-fi gives a much warmer sound.

[iamapirate]

yeah, I know what you mean. You need a certain amount of 'muddiness' to make the music feel full. Well, in a couple of paycheck's time, I'll probably bite the bullet and go for it!

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='515185' date='Jun 16 2009, 12:22 PM']I bought some studio spares NS-10s and they're a bit sh*t IMHO. Anyone else used these? Am I doing something wrong?[/quote]
NS-10s are difficult to love, but they have one good thing going for them, and [url="http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/ns10nearfieldmonitors.htm"]I quote Bob Speer[/url]: [b]"if it sounds good on the NS-10s, it will sound good on anything"[/b].

[escholl]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='515185' date='Jun 16 2009, 12:22 PM']I bought some studio spares NS-10s and they're a bit sh*t IMHO. Anyone else used these? Am I doing something wrong?[/quote]


No, that's just how they sound

They're more than just hype though, they really are very good for what they're used for, supported by actual science even! There's a reason why they became the near-field speaker of choice for so many studios -- and as mentioned, if a mix sounds good on there, it's likely to sound good anywhere. Acoustic Energy have now released a significant update on the theory which I intend to get a hold of when I've got the money.


[i]Supposedly[/i], the woofer makes a good kick mic as well, if you reverse wire the speaker up as a dynamic mic. I've heard a few different studio types mention it, but I've never tried it, so it could be complete bollox.

[alexclaber]

NS-10s are an acquired taste. If you try to mix on them having never used them before you will end up with a disastrous mix with the kick hideously loud and the snare rather absent. Get to know them and they're pretty good but they never sound nice. I wouldn't want to listen to music on monitors all the time, they tend to get rather wearing.

I would however like enough space and an excuse (and a substantial windfall) to get a pair of these:

[url="http://www.meyersound.com/products/studioseries/x-10/"]http://www.meyersound.com/products/studioseries/x-10/[/url]

Alex

[steve-soar]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='515923' date='Jun 16 2009, 11:34 PM']NS-10s are an acquired taste. If you try to mix on them having never used them before you will end up with a disastrous mix with the kick hideously loud and the snare rather absent. Get to know them and they're pretty good but they never sound nice. I wouldn't want to listen to music on monitors all the time, they tend to get rather wearing.

I would however like enough space and an excuse (and a substantial windfall) to get a pair of these:

[url="http://www.meyersound.com/products/studioseries/x-10/"]http://www.meyersound.com/products/studioseries/x-10/[/url]

Alex[/quote]Yes please, I'll take 2.

[escholl]

you'll need to spend at least at much on the room itself as you do on those x-10's, or else there won't be much point.

quite nice though, speaking as someone who can appreciate the technical aspects of the design.

[dr.funk]

For under £100 perhaps try the Tannoy F1 Custom from Richer Sounds (£90). Apparently, and I say that as I haven't had the chance to judge myself, according to the SOS forum there is little to distinguish entry level hi-fi and monitors.

I am after a nice pair of speakers to reproduce the sound I get when I practice through headphones using guitar rig, so many choices I haven't a clue what to go for!

[MythSte]

[quote name='dr.funk' post='516848' date='Jun 17 2009, 08:31 PM']For under £100 perhaps try the Tannoy F1 Custom from Richer Sounds (£90). Apparently, and I say that as I haven't had the chance to judge myself, according to the SOS forum there is little to distinguish entry level hi-fi and monitors.

I am after a nice pair of speakers to reproduce the sound I get when I practice through headphones using guitar rig, so many choices I haven't a clue what to go for![/quote]

Ive also heard the JBL one series are good for monitoring in a simlar vein.

[WinterMute]

[quote name='escholl' post='515728' date='Jun 16 2009, 08:43 PM'][i]Supposedly[/i], the woofer makes a good kick mic as well, if you reverse wire the speaker up as a dynamic mic. I've heard a few different studio types mention it, but I've never tried it, so it could be complete bollox.[/quote]

This is entirely correct, I have one mounted into an 8" tom shell, it's excellent for recording the real low end woof of a kick drum, but you need to ally it with a good kick drum mic, my choice is the EV RE20 or a Beyer M88.

A dynamic mic is, in essence, a speaker operating in reverse.

On the question of monitors, true monitors are not good for actually listening to music, they are tools. Hifi speakers are coloured to make all music sound good.

I've never bought the NS-10 argument, they are simply crap, why should I have to suffer listening to crap speakers during a mix.

I use Dynaudio M1's or BM5a's, my mixes sound good on them and good on anything else, a good mix has little to do with the speakers provided you know what they are telling you.

If yo want some real monitors, get these, if the career bombs out, you can always live in them...! [url="http://www.dynaudioacoustics.com/Default.asp?Id=284"]Dynaudio Acoustic M4+[/url]

Edited June 17, 2009 by WinterMute

[escholl]

[quote name='WinterMute' post='516970' date='Jun 17 2009, 10:15 PM']I've never bought the NS-10 argument, they are simply crap, why should I have to suffer listening to crap speakers during a mix.[/quote]

I think the idea was that they were accurate in the time domain with minimal bass overhang, and had a fairly smooth frequency response in practical application, which peaked around 2kHz or so and let the detail on instruments such as guitars and vocals come out more clearly. The frequency response also has a bit of an inverted V shape to it, which is often cited as one of the reasons they tended to sound harsh but translated well to other systems. Interesting fact, most people mounted them incorrectly.

I've used them a few times and I liked them as a tool (hence my desire to get the AE version), but then for some reason I like listening to music through (most) studio monitors and wouldn't mind a set of [url="http://www.in2guitar.com/stereo/ureiad39p.jpg"]these[/url] in my living room (simply because they look awesome -- that's right, buying speakers on [i]looks[/i] ), so I suppose there's no accounting for (my own) taste ^_^

[WinterMute]

[quote name='escholl' post='517002' date='Jun 17 2009, 10:54 PM']I think the idea was that they were accurate in the time domain with minimal bass overhang, and had a fairly smooth frequency response in practical application, which peaked around 2kHz or so and let the detail on instruments such as guitars and vocals come out more clearly. The frequency response also has a bit of an inverted V shape to it, which is often cited as one of the reasons they tended to sound harsh but translated well to other systems. Interesting fact, most people mounted them incorrectly.

I've used them a few times and I liked them as a tool (hence my desire to get the AE version), but then for some reason I like listening to music through (most) studio monitors and wouldn't mind a set of [url="http://www.in2guitar.com/stereo/ureiad39p.jpg"]these[/url] in my living room (simply because they look awesome -- that's right, buying speakers on [i]looks[/i] ), so I suppose there's no accounting for (my own) taste ^_^[/quote]

They cut off at 300hz, they have no tunable porting, they didn't have aligned elements, and the originals were designed to stand upright as you note, the "Studio" version had filtered tweeters and were designed to sit on their sides, but that buggered up the imaging. They all honk like a constipated goose at 2K, which is where the presence in a bass is (well, between 1K and 2.5K) and that really hurts your vocals and guitars too.

No offence but these are really average speakers that have been excellently marketed.

Oddly if you power them with a Yamaha GC 2520 (I think) amp, they sound pretty good, this was the amp they used when they designed them.

Having said all that, I have used them on many occasions and have gotten good results out of them, I just find them much harder to mix on that good (and obviously more expensive) speakers.

The KRK range is very good, the Rockets aren't all that expensive, the Tannoy Reveals are very nice, the dual concentric design give excellent imaging and time alignment. If you can find a pair of PMC TB2's on evilBay they are very good but need a decent amp.

In the end, understanding what a speaker is telling you is more important than having great speakers, good engineers will get good results from almost anything.