# Budget Studio Monitors Advice



## ModalRealist (Jul 13, 2014)

Up to now I've been mixing on headphones. I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD280s, but actually ended up using my £50 Creative Aurvana's after finding that I generally made more reliable mixing choices using them. However, I regularly find the music I'm writing to sound quite terrible on "average" speakers (i.e. friends' laptops, their PC speakers, etc.) and I've been told this may be (in part) due to only mixing on headphones (or at least, mixing on phones isn't helping). So I'm in the market for studio monitors. (Also: to give my skull some rest from the 280s death grip.)

As an amateur, my budget is unfortunately very limited. I'd ideally like to spend under £200 on a pair, but that's probably near the impossible. My upper limit is around £300. What I'd like to know is a) what the best option would be, and b) whether all the options in this price range are actually "ultimately no good" - i.e. of insufficient quality to warrant getting them. Bear in mind I'm working more or less exclusively with orchestral material. (The focus on electronic and popular music in reviews is a main reason for asking here.) I've heard good things about M-Audio's BX range, but I'm not clear on whether their most basic model (BX5 D2) would be a reasonable choice for orchestral music, or whether I would at least need to consider the upper-end budget items (BX8 D2s or beyond).

I appreciate in advance any advice people might have. (And mods, if this is the wrong forum for this, sorry!)


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## gsilbers (Jul 13, 2014)

i have the bx8 deluxe and they are very good. i got a used pair for about $300. try and get the 8 inch. the bass is great when mixing. 
i now have the vocals solo6 and i was impressed by the bx8 when i compared them to the focal. vocals are better but the difference didn't seem like $1k difference.


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## José Herring (Jul 13, 2014)

I have an old pair of JBLs that I bought for $400 in the early '90ies. I would have upgraded a long time ago but every time I go to test speakers, I have the same feeling that gsilbers has, yeah they're a bit better but really not 1k or 2k worth of better.

I find that if you get into the 4k and 5k range then the difference is remarkable. 

I say all that because these days at a few hundred bucks it's hard to find anything good. I would look into looking at some used shops and getting a decent amp and pick up some older speakers. Generally speaking they're about the same price but much better than the newer budget speakers.

Spend the time to shop around. 

Also, you may have already the answer you need. Back in the old old days I use to just use my stereo amp and speakers. Set up right and it actually sounded pretty good. Later on there were some problems and that's when I learned about studio monitors. But even those I used with my stereo amp for years. As I got more serious I got a better amp.


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## clarkus (Jul 13, 2014)

Tannoy.


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## ModalRealist (Jul 13, 2014)

Clarkus, looking up Tannoy's range, their 8" model is a cool £150 more than the most recent BX8 Carbons (which are advertised as possessing flat frequency response for mixing), and their marketing is very heavily aimed towards EDM producers etc. Could you (or anyone with the same opinion) expand on why you'd vote Tannoy? (At the moment I'm thinking to pick up a pair of BX8 carbons for £250, or the previous generation for £200).


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## muk (Jul 14, 2014)

From personal experience I can say that the Blue Sky eXo2 system is very good. It's well within your budget, and it comes with an integrated sub which is welcome for orchestral music. Here's a trusty review:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar08/a ... yexo21.htm


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## José Herring (Jul 14, 2014)

ModalRealist @ Sun Jul 13 said:


> Clarkus, looking up Tannoy's range, their 8" model is a cool £150 more than the most recent BX8 Carbons (which are advertised as possessing flat frequency response for mixing), and their marketing is very heavily aimed towards EDM producers etc. Could you (or anyone with the same opinion) expand on why you'd vote Tannoy? (At the moment I'm thinking to pick up a pair of BX8 carbons for £250, or the previous generation for £200).



M-Audio has a reputation for hype over substance. Though I haven't heard the Carbons yet, I have to say that every other speaker I've heard from M-Audio was sonically challenged. Can't say that the "higher" end stuff wasn't accurate, but that they sounded so God awful terrible that even if you got a good mix you wouldn't know it. 

So make sure you hear these before you spend any money on them.


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## Ozymandias (Jul 14, 2014)

If you're willing to go secondhand, the HHB Circle 3 can be had for under £200.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec99/articles/hhb.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun99/a ... circle.htm


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## emid (Jul 14, 2014)

I always say if confused, too many choices - go for Yamaha. You won't regret. HS series, I think is in your range.


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## shapeshifter00 (Jul 14, 2014)

You should check out the JBL LSR305, seems to be amazing quality for the money...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305


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## Vin (Jul 14, 2014)

I really like my Yamaha HS50m monitors.


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## Carbs (Jul 14, 2014)

I purchased a pair of the 305s (JBL) a couple months back. I think they are a tremendous value. They have a *slight* amount of self noise, but that would be the only con. I normally use my monitors for music so that gets drowned out easily anyways. :lol:

I listened to about everything in this price range over at Sweetwater and for me it was a pretty easy decision.


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## wst3 (Jul 14, 2014)

a few more thoughts...

Monitors are one purchase where price does affect - to a point - quality. I'm not sure exactly why.

M-Audio - caveat, I used to design for them - generally speaking the quality to cost ration of M-Audio gear is remarkable. I have been disappointed with their microphones and monitors. Perhaps they simply don't deliver the same quality:cost ratio? But I've not been tempted to purchase them...

Equator - this is one of the exceptions. Not only my ears either, everyone that I know, and trust, finds their 8" model to be great for mixing. Most find them a little to "nice" for tracking, I'm not sure I agree, but I've not used them that way.

Presonus - I've only heard their new monitors on a trade show floor thus far, but I was really excited by the Sceptre 8-inch version. I am hoping to have a pair in my studio for eval later this month.

Now the Equator and Presonus represent two different price points, both of which may be outside your budget.

If that's the case look into Yorkville. I still use a pair of their passive monitors, and while I need to upgrade them for bass response I'm still quite happy with them otherwise. I think if you were going to use them for orchestral mixing you'd need a sub-woofer.

Tannoy makes some really remarkable monitors, but I think they might be a bit north of your budget.

Lastly, sometimes the differences are subtle, and you might make a case that the price difference can't be justified. Sometimes I guess that's true, but sometimes that subtle difference means less fatiguing -for which I find it difficult to place a value!


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## ModalRealist (Jul 15, 2014)

Thank you all for the advice. I've written off the M-Audio options as a result, and it's between the Yamaha HS5s, Tannoy 502s, and JBL 305s. These all come out ~£250. I visited the only accessible audio store for me, and got to listen to the HS5's (they didn't stick the others). Something went wrong that the salesman couldn't fix, so aside from the first 3 minutes I was stuck effectively hearing mono! However, I did get an appreciation of the tone, which to me seemed quite bright and forward - I suspect I might fatigue on them, but the MUDs and highs seemed quite clear to me. Can anyone offer input on how the Tannoys or the JBLs compare? Tannoy seem to have quite a unequivocal reputation for being good, but does that translate to this "budget" model? (Given wst3's thought that Tannoy were north if my price point.)

Thanks again for any further input.


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## shapeshifter00 (Jul 15, 2014)

Check out some info on the JBL LSR vs Tannoy on gearslutz, lots of discussions on things like that there.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much- ... 308-a.html

I've been researching to get a good pair of budget monitors for a year now, since I can't invest in them before I move I just keep on reading.
JBL LSR305 is what I can understand from most people is the most value for money, but I guess the best way is to go to your local store and try them for yourself


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## zolhof (Jul 16, 2014)

Under £300, Equator D5's are a no-brainer for me. $429 pair + accessories: http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Monitors-Pads-Case-2-6-xlr-1-4-cabels-p/d5-c.htm (http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Monitors ... p/d5-c.htm)

The Presonus Eris E5's ($300 pair) and E8 ($500) receive a lot of love, definitelly worth a check.


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## ModalRealist (Jul 16, 2014)

My word, this studio monitors business really is tricky isn't it? And with the money and results at stake... I'm very seriously considering just sticking through with my two headphones until some point in the distant future when I can blow a £1000+ on something better. (Speak up if you think that's a wise choice, or a stupid choice; I do still need to keep composing/producing in the meantime.)

The Equator's look very nice, but at the moment they're above my pay grade: the UK list price is actually £399!

I'm concerned about the Tannoy's hissing problems. The company says they've been fixed, but if they haven't... That thread on Gearslutz is part of what's making me think of just backing out. Almost every monitor on the table has been panned dead by at least one writer! (And yet they all have received pretty good reviews in mainstream media like SOS etc.)

So, do I wait and save for something like the Equator D5's, or are the diminishing returns going up to ~£500 not worth it, and I'm better off with spending £200/£250 on Presonus or Yamaha?

[Brief edit: discovered that one of the local suppliers in the UK has a 28-day no-quibble return policy. So as and when I can shortlist two or three monitors, I can bring one in, give it a whirl, and decide how I find it. Unfortunately, it's prohibitively expensive for me to get to anywhere big enough to stock a wider variety of monitors...]

*[Slightly more important edit:] It occurred to me that, with my setup, I don't have the option of placing the monitors anywhere but quite close to a wall. For this reason, am I better to choose speakers that have their bass port to the front, rather than to the rear? And in general, will my fairly useless listening space make anything more than a fairly cheap monitor worthless anyway?*


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## ghostnote (Jul 16, 2014)

How about the acoustics in your room? You can buy the best Monitors on the market, but they won't bring you far without proper room treatment. 

I'd say get the BX5 and spend the rest on a decent pair of open-back headphones or get the BX5 and proper room treatment.


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## José Herring (Jul 16, 2014)

The problem about listening to too much advice is that people tend to compare a product based on the most ideal representation of that product. So, if you compare any budget speaker to your favorite Adams speakers costing 10x as much then it's not a real comparison. 

Personally, I think that "good" speakers start at around $5000 each. But, there are certainly usable speakers at any price point.

So what you want to ask is, "can these speakers allow me to mix in the medium that I need to mix for?"

There's no sense in spending the money to buy a $30,000 surround sound with sub if all your tracks are only destine for mp3's on soundcloud.

And, Alan Meyerson, HZ's head mixer is quoted as saying that he uses laptop speakers and headphones to mix games and trailer scores, because 99% of that end user will end up listening on this type of system. I don't know if he's exaggerating. Seems kind of hard to do, but I do believe that he probably spends a good amount of his time checking mixes on those small speakers if the end result of what he's mixing will end up on that type of system.

So people can go crazy on the subject. And, the craziest people seem to be the ones that really aren't doing anything at all and really should be putting their time into something else.

That being said. At your level. The speakers you get aren't going to be critical. I would get speakers as mixing on headphones if you don't know what you're doing is really, really tough. The bass end often gets pumped leading to a muddy middle and the highs rolled back, ect... Leading to an overall dull sound.

So any reasonable pair of speakers will get you started. Sub 400 pounds is a bit pushing it, but I was impressed once with a pair of Macky's in that range. So not impossible.

In the end, you just need a flat reference. Something that is translatable, and speakers that give an accurate representation of the sound. For example, people raved about the Adam A7, but when I heard them, trombones didn't sound like tbones and brass in general didn't sound like brass. Kick drums lacked bass and had an exaggerated 8k so all you heard is click. Imo, they sucked. But, people raved about them. All the people raving had probably never heard real instruments before.

SOS is good at spotting out gems. And, when they review they review with the price point in mind. And, tell you upfront what you'll get and what falls short compared to higher end monitors. 

In the end, a pair of monitors that give an accurate representation will work fine and any monitor under $1500 each will have places that they had to cut corners. It's what corners they cut that make the difference.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jul 16, 2014)

I just got this press release this morning:

http://cr.mackie.com

"The new Mackie CR3 and CR4 Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors will be available worldwide beginning August, 2014. Sold in pairs, CR3 monitors will have a U.S. MSRP of $129.99 and CR4 monitors will have a U.S. MSRP of $199.99."


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## zolhof (Jul 16, 2014)

josejherring @ Wed Jul 16 said:


> And, Alan Meyerson, HZ's head mixer is quoted as saying that he uses laptop speakers and headphones to mix games and trailer scores, because 99% of that end user will end up listening on this type of system. I don't know if he's exaggerating. Seems kind of hard to do, but I do believe that he probably spends a good amount of his time checking mixes on those small speakers if the end result of what he's mixing will end up on that type of system.



Many mixing engineers do that, it's a great strategy. Charles Dye use a pair of Sony SRS-88s, here's a quote from Gearslutz: _"I do something similar myself. My main mixing speakers are at a right angle to my mixing position, a small pair of Sony self-powered computer speakers. I also have NS-10s + MSP-10s (by Yamaha, like 1031s), but I spend most of my time on the Sonys. I listen to them in what I call manual mono, because only my left ear can hear the two speakers, essentially summing them to mono. They're really great for balancing, but suprisingly I've found they work quite well for EQing, especially for cleaning up the low mids."_

I myself keep coming back and forth from my trusty Yammys MSP5s to Apple's earpods.


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## The Darris (Jul 16, 2014)

I use the Mackie MR5mk2 and they are awesome. I don't think they sell them anymore but they mk3 sells for $300 a pair. That is less than your budget.

They also make the MR8mk3 (8inch speaker) but those are $500 a pair.

Reference: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MR8mk3


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## clarkus (Jul 16, 2014)

Sorry for the delay. Getting back to you on the Tannoy recommendation.

I'm just passing on what my studio guru told me (everybody needs one of those, unless you are one yourself). 

He recommends the more expensive of these, the Reveals.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufacturer/Tannoy

The cheaper ones are in your $$ range. I can't vouch for those. 

i bought a pair of headphones recently (used). Sennheisers, and they set me back a few hundred dollars. A great investment. Anytime I'm not sure I'm getting the real picture, aurally, I put them on.

There's an "ouch" factor to this gear, pricewise, I know, but my advice: don't buy anything that will have you mixing all out of whack & think you are saving money, because you'll just be selling those monitors at a loss & finally buying what you should have picked up in the first place. And I suspect this will mean a few more $$ then you expected you would spend.


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## clarkus (Jul 18, 2014)

Say, Modal Realist - I wonder if you went & listened to some of the candidates & made a choice? I am in almost exactly your position. I bought the quite nice headphone I wrote about earlier & they are great for a number of purposes, but the correspondent is correct that you can't rely on them as the only tool for mixing.

For what it's worth, I have nailed it down to either the Tannoys (502's or 802's) or the JBL LSR 305's

At least here in the States, 2 of 3 of these products are less than 400. the pair. The Tannoy 802's are closer to 600., but I did hear that the larger 8" drivers in the 802's may actually prove a liability in my small & untreated space. So I may go for one of the "budget" options.

I'm listening @ a local store on Monday & then will either buy there or online. 

Glad to hear any "Budget Studio Monitors" advice.


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## wst3 (Jul 18, 2014)

even at your budget point I'd insist on being able to take them home and listen to them in your space. That's the only test that has any validity.

Not sure where you heard that an 8 inch driver would be a liability, that's simply not true. A loudspeaker that uses an 8 inch driver may or may not work in your space, but it ain't the driver's fault.

So go talk to your local store, get the monitors home, listen to material you know cold in your studio, and then you can make an informed choice.


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## clarkus (Jul 18, 2014)

I'm not sure Gtr. Center is going to go for that. But I can ask.


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## Jem7 (Jul 19, 2014)

wst3 @ 19/7/2014 said:


> So go talk to your local store, get the monitors home, listen to material you know cold in your studio, and then you can make an informed choice.



Exactly. Also if your room is not treated it really doesn't matter which monitors you got. Even expensive and really good ones will sound crap in a bad room.


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## wst3 (Jul 19, 2014)

going out on a limb here...I think it is dangerous to make the generalization that 

"if your room is not treated it really doesn't matter which monitors you got. Even expensive and really good ones will sound crap in a bad room."

It is certainly possible that great monitors will sound bad in any given space, and especially a space that is not properly treated.

It is absolutely true that great monitors will sound their best in a well designed space.

But you can't really generalize. An untreated room might sound good all by itself - come to think of it, that's the idea behind proper room design!

It has been my experience that monitors designed with a controlled pattern tend to sound better no matter the room. Further, these monitors tend to be easier to place properly.

Anyway, good luck with your hunt Clarkus.


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## clarkus (Jul 19, 2014)

Thanks. Those are my thoughts, more or less.

Also, the room I use for mixing is not so bad & SOME room treatment is fairly inexpensive. And is in my future. So readers' concern for my audio future may be a bit exaggerated.


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## José Herring (Jul 19, 2014)

Jem7 @ Sat Jul 19 said:


> wst3 @ 19/7/2014 said:
> 
> 
> > So go talk to your local store, get the monitors home, listen to material you know cold in your studio, and then you can make an informed choice.
> ...



I've heard so many great sounds and mixes coming from untreated rooms with speakers that sounded great that I can say without any hesitation that this is untrue. It's not that black and white.

Learning to mix with what you have by referencing a lot of material in your space is far more important than bass traps


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## JohnG (Jul 19, 2014)

I agree with Jose. 

But on the OP, you are facing a tough choice. I mixed a lot of TV music on headphones over the years but trying to do it with inexpensive speakers can be difficult.


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## clarkus (Jul 20, 2014)

Hi, JohnG -

No offense, but it sounds like you are disagreeing with Jose.

One thing I have been wondering, though it seems a bit subversive, is why one would want a pair of very expensive monitors that replicate the entire sonic spectrum with breathtaking accuracy, given that more and more listeners are listening to television and movies on tiny portable devices with speakers the size of a faucet washer, or, alternatively, on entertainment centers tweaked to shake the floor and shatter one's wineglass. It seems to me a set of small speakers that are reasonably neutral is a viable way to go, and closer to some sort of reality than the "Blue Sky" systems we are supposed to covet. 

In mixing sessions, good engineers toggle to small speakers, of course, to test how the mix holds up in real-world conditions. But (just to be a bit of a troublemaker), I have to wonder why one shouldn't mix on earbuds, then check things on an entertainment center that was bought on sale at Home Depot. In an untreated room with a shag carpet.


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## simonmac (Jul 20, 2014)

I think when using budget monitors, the ability to know your monitors in your space is key. They are all really much of a muchness really and all colour the sound to some degree, as will your room.

There's a reason that good mixes sound good wherever you play them, be it on your phone or through a club system. They are usually mixed on flat monitors that deliver a good SPL in a treated space where the anomalies if any are known and adjusted for. If you mix for earbuds, then you have no idea how your music will be represented by the person who plays it on their car system with six subs, or through a state of the art hi-fi system.

As you are most certainly aware, knowing your monitors and your space is just a matter of trial, error and time of course. Comparing all the time on alternative systems, adjusting your mixes and then comparing again. But when you finally get there it's very rewarding. I mix through a pair of cheap 150 dollar ESI nEar 05's with the ports plugged up and a 200 dollar ESI sub crossinng at 85Hz and I wouldn't change them for the world unless I was going to spend at least 2000 dollars on a new pair, which is not going to happen any time soon!

I personally don't think it'll matter which speakers you finally go for so long as you like the sound of them, the real partnership won't begin until you start to mix with them in your own space and learn that translates to other systems. 
If anything, look for a pair that has good midrange seperation, as that's really the toughest thing to find with budget monitors (and why I love my nEar 05's so much!).

Just my tuppence FWIW


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## wst3 (Jul 20, 2014)

clarkus @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> In mixing sessions, good engineers toggle to small speakers, of course, to test how the mix holds up in real-world conditions. But (just to be a bit of a troublemaker), I have to wonder why one shouldn't mix on earbuds, then check things on an entertainment center that was bought on sale at Home Depot. In an untreated room with a shag carpet.



You could do that, but you would absolutely be placing yourself at a disadvantage.

The reason that 'real' studios continue to spend insane sums on monitors, amplifiers, converters, room treatment, and everything else is that they NEED to hear every little bit. The squeaky chairs, the pumping compressor... EVERYTHING!

While it may seem counter-intuitive, it is so much easier to mix for MP3s listened to on ear buds when you know what's really there. Back in the 1970s broadcasters started buying cheap monitors based on the same logic - that listeners were listening in their cars. That didn't last long!!

This is a debate that is on-going at every level of the industry. Why bother with higher sample rates and longer word lengths, both of which put a strain on processing, storage, and transmission, when no one cares?

Well people do care! Not a lot of people, but it turns out that it is highly likely that the people that do care actually buy their music. That is not an insignificant bit<G>!

And when it comes to writing for film... I'm pretty sure there is no quicker route to the exit door than handing the supervising mixer a crappy mix. And you will not know if your mix will translate well to the big theatre systems if you can't hear all the details.

Lastly, well, it turns out that folks that record and mix music tend to like both music and audio. Yeah, some of them might even be considered audio snobs. Ain't nothing worse than having to listen to data compressed, level compressed audio over crappy monitors all day long - they just won't do it.


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## clarkus (Jul 20, 2014)

Yeah, I kind of knew that (I've actually spent a lot of time in recording studios over the years, and am familiar with the arguments). Was placing my tongue in cheek, just a bit. 

It is hard to deny - if one wanted to liven up the debate (& just for fun) - that the average listener-experience has veered farther and farther from the ideal, not closer. Ask anyone under forty these days what kind of system they have at home for listening to music and see what happens. It's enough to make an Audiophile seek out a window-ledge on a tall building.

None of this to say that one's music career is well-served by a system that exaggerates or obliterates parts of the frequency spectrum.

I should really start a thread called "Phenomenology and Studio Production." Our collective sense of what is real, true, and verifiable is a dicey business. There's a tiresome PhD waiting to be written.


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## José Herring (Jul 20, 2014)

clarkus @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> Hi, JohnG -
> 
> No offense, but it sounds like you are disagreeing with Jose.



It seems like we are but we're not. There's just a lot of conflicting data on the subject that makes it hard to think through. Main problem being that people tend to think in black and white and studio monitoring is many gradations of better and worse.

So to sum up my experiences, I'll do my best.

1) If you don't know what to listen for, it doesn't matter what you get. Learning what to listen for is 99% of the battle. Mixing is a skill that takes a long time to master. If it were easy then we all could mix and we all can't. I would trust Alan Myerson mixing on crap speakers in an untreated room more than I would trust myself mixing on 100 grand monitoring system in the best room. He would still be able to beat me in a mix contest. 
2) Speakers have to be at least good enough to give you an accurate representation of what you're listening to.
3) Treated rooms, make a large difference on the high end with engineers that really know what they're doing. Make absolutely no difference for those that are less the top notch. Like 99.9% of composers. 
4) Mixing on cheaper small speakers or headphones is Ok to do. I personally find headphones the better of the choice. I do notice that mixes that sound glorious on better speakers, can sound like crap on cheap speakers, so I always check on my budget speakers to make sure. They tend to strip away things like reverb, bass, ect, that can easily lead to a false impression of a good mix.
5) The older I get the less I rely on things like verb, eq, ect.. to get a good mix. If it's not in the sounds and balances then no amount of eq, compression, verb, ect.. will magically make it good.
6) Less is more
7) better to do nothing than the wrong thing 
8) When I was young (45) I got sucked into the hybrid thingy because I thought it was the thing to do. Now that I'm old (46) I realized that most composers that do that stuff, just don't know how to compose so they rely on a bag of mix tricks to sound "hip". What does it have to do with speakers you say? Only this, music was better 30 and 40 years ago with speakers that aren't as good as what most people get now. So....focus on the music then it will be apparent what's missing in your monitoring. Until then you could get $30,000 speakers and it won't make a damn bit of difference.


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## wst3 (Jul 20, 2014)

google is your friend... there are a number of scholarly papers on the topic already, and I imagine more than a couple PhDs earned on same.

First stop should probably be the Audio Engineering Society (aes.org) library. There have also been a few lengthy threads and a few articles posted at synaudcon.com. Neither is free, but the information at both is invaluable.


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## José Herring (Jul 20, 2014)

wst3 @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> google is your friend... there are a number of scholarly papers on the topic already, and I imagine more than a couple PhDs earned on same.
> 
> First stop should probably be the Audio Engineering Society (aes.org) library. There have also been a few lengthy threads and a few articles posted at synaudcon.com. Neither is free, but the information at both is invaluable.



Sounds great. I'll check them out for sure.


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## ceemusic (Jul 20, 2014)

Instead of M-Audio check Equator D5's @ $399.99 - I have both, no comparison imo.
Free shipping in the U.S., don't know the rates elsewhere.

http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial-Studio-Monitors-p/d5.htm (http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial- ... s-p/d5.htm)

I use mine with a sub.


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## R.Cato (Jul 20, 2014)

I am also looking for some decent Studio Monitors atm. Any feedback on the KRK Rokit series?


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## clarkus (Jul 20, 2014)

Did you compare to Tannoy?


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## The Darris (Jul 20, 2014)

R.Cato @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> I am also looking for some decent Studio Monitors atm. Any feedback on the KRK Rokit series?



I didn't care for these compared to the Mackie MR5mk2. I felt they were a little more boomy and unclear when it came to orchestral sample writing. Though they were setup in my friend's studio and he writes for hip hop so he may have had the freq adjustments setup for his style but they just didn't work for me. Also, I am not a fan of banana yellow but that doesn't really mean anything if you are talking strictly quality.


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## clarkus (Jul 20, 2014)

Banana Yellow? Must be a different line. Current Tannoy 402, 502, 802 are all basic black.

Anyway, going to go do some listening tomorrow.


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## vrocko (Jul 20, 2014)

Worth Checking out. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Alpha50/

I have had my Focal solo 6's for a while and love them, I got a chance to hear the Focal Alpha 65's over the weekend and they were pretty impressive.


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## ModalRealist (Jul 22, 2014)

*checks back in* Firstly: Thanks to everyone for making this a really great thread, and not just for me! It's threads like these that prove vi-control is a really great place.

Secondly, and on-topic: I've personally decided to press pause on my purchase of monitors. This is mainly because I suspect the cost-benefit ratio in the immediate present isn't good enough. Although I'm not going to be able to blow £1,000 or more on a pair of speakers anytime soon, waiting another six to twelve months could easily up my budget to something around £400-£600, and this would put me in range of the Equator D5s and so on. When I reach this (financial) point, my intention is to make use of the no-quibble returns policy that one of the UK's online retailers (gear4music, if anyone's interested) operates to test a couple of monitors in my room (in ascending order of preference, probably). Either that or make the trip to London when I have the time.

It's interesting that Clarkus mentioned the phenomenology of sound. "In real life" I am a doctoral student in philosophy of all things, and phenomenology in particular; my previous supervisor actually specialized in aural phenomenology. Clarkus' comment, and the other comments about Alan Meyerson mixing on this that and the other, got me thinking about what goes on when someone tries to mix: the actual phenomenological process involved. It struck me - chiming with Jose's comment about concentrating on writing the music - that mixing is partly about projecting a hypothetical future phenomenon (i.e. the sound of the piece as-heard via many different listening systems). A great mix comes about (and I'm just harping off on an academic tangent - the reality of course might be completely and utterly different!) in that case not because the mixer is listening to a "neutral response" but because, irregardless of what the mixer is currently listening to, they're able to "accurately" judge what it will sound like when it is in fact played back (accurately in scare quotes because it's about the phenomenon of the sound, not an accurate "measure" of the sound - if that distinction makes sense). The benefit of a neutral response, or in general high-fidelity audio reproduction, for mixing is just that it makes it easier not to "miss" anything in the audio that might, under certain circumstances, come out in a bad way.

I really just poorly reiterated what wiser and more knowledgeable people have just said already! Woops. ---well, that's philosophy for you...


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## clarkus (Jul 22, 2014)

Perhaps someone will chime in who has more expertise in this area (there are a lot of candidates for that position), but there is some basis for this thing called neutrality in sound reproduction. If you record a triangle in a room and you have measured the frequency and amplitude and what harmonic partials are occurring, you can then measure the sound that emerges from your signal chain at various points to see what coloration (or lack thereof) is being introduced by amplifier, cables, speakers, the room.

We needn't do this if other have done it for us, which - we hope - is the case with the people making well-built equipment.

I was pointing out a certain absurdity that exists in the world, in that we are so rarely mixing for even adequate sound reproduction. But I can tell you I am very happy with the Tannoy monitors I just bought. They agree with my very good Sennheiser headphones. The fact that there was previously an argument between my headphones, my monitors, and whatever would happen when I played my mixes on a friend's system ... this state-of-affairs is enough to make you crazy & it certainly doesn't lend to getting the job done.

It might seem, given the random nature of who will listen to our music and on what equipment, that this is all a losing game. But if I am introducing a lot of highs (or cutting them) because my own system is not neutral, I am skewing even more my chances of someone having a good listening experience, or of (at least as important) impressing a client that I know what I am doing and I have good ears.

In the good news department, the Tannoy 501's cost me less than 400. A crazily good deal. We live in an age of plummeting costs for well engineered audio equipment.


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## Christian F. Perucchi (Aug 23, 2014)

Genelec M30 M40s rocks!


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## Cowtothesky (Aug 24, 2014)

I have had a pair of Mackie HR824's for years and absolutely love them. When I got them, they were $1500/pair. You can find them now used for around $600. These are excellent speakers IMO. But, I haven't researched many of the newer speakers released in the past couple years.


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## tokatila (Sep 17, 2014)

I have a pair of Genelec's 6010a, which are affordable and I'm very happy with the sound except one thing; they seriously lack in the bass department (73 hz-->). I want to hear double basses too...So I set to find small speakers that can reach 50 Hz, problem is that my space is very limited in a small apartment. 

Finally found ones (Dynaudio BM5 compact MK III): Their footprint is only 170 x 260 x 211 mm / 6.7” x 10.2” x 8.3” and frequency response should go down to 49 Hz! Go Denmark! Cost was around 1000 € / pair, but at least hey, they come with the noise-isolating stands. 8) 

ps. Any ideas, how to break the news to missus...?


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## synergy543 (Mar 19, 2015)

wst3 @ Mon Jul 14 said:


> Presonus - I've only heard their new monitors on a trade show floor thus far, but I was really excited by the Sceptre 8-inch version. I am hoping to have a pair in my studio for eval later this month.



Bill, did you ever get a chance to compare these? If so, I'd love to hear your impression. There are nothing but raves over on GS which is unusual. However, I wonder how they perform with orchestral material?


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## Walid F. (Mar 19, 2015)

Well, if you can scramble together $700, you can get these new-on-the-market M-Audio M3-8's which are so damn good for their price (or simply awesome overall).

I wrote a review on them here if you're interested!

http://filmandgamecomposers.com/blog/pr ... rs-review/

W.


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## stonzthro (Mar 19, 2015)

I had a pair of Sceptre-8 in my room and they have an amazing stereo field. They sounded fantastic for orchestral material! I had to send them back because I needed to get a surround system and I wasn't totally confident they would work as surround monitors in my room. 

Overall great sounding speakers for sure!


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## clarkus (Mar 19, 2015)

I recommend (again) Tannoy monitors. I don't believe you need to spend and arm and a leg on speakers (unless you have extra arms and legs). You need something neutral that is not going to break up at volume. I have compared my Tannoy 502's to my Sennheiser HD 580 headphones on occasions when I'm having trouble making up my mind ("too much bass?" "percussion too far forward in the mix?" "enough stereo spread?") and I can't hear a significant difference in terms of what is accentuated. Which is, I believe, the point. In other words, they're both pretty colorless. Unless you want to believe the Sennheiser is making headphones that have a lot of color. But I'm told the reverse is true.

One form of proof is that when I take my mixes to other systems, they sound good, and there is nothing consistently "off." And that's the best you can hope for. Things will always sound off sometimes, because we are mixing music for the real world, where people listen in all sorts of wonky ways, earbuds and computer speakers, leading the pack. But you can "get neutral" inexpensively. 

Oh, and I like the way they sound!

I do not work for Tannoy, by the way. I just got good advice.


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## lee (Mar 19, 2015)

R.Cato @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> I am also looking for some decent Studio Monitors atm. Any feedback on the KRK Rokit series?



Happy KRK rp6 user here. And they look good too! But you have to try different monitors out, and compare yourself. Bring some favourite cds to a good shop and a test Cd with different sine frequencies to get an impression of the response.


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## wst3 (Mar 19, 2015)

synergy543 @ Thu Mar 19 said:


> wst3 @ Mon Jul 14 said:
> 
> 
> > Presonus - I've only heard their new monitors on a trade show floor thus far, but I was really excited by the Sceptre 8-inch version. I am hoping to have a pair in my studio for eval later this month.
> ...



No, still trying to work the details as I really want to have the Sceptres and the Equators in the room for direct comparison... but I haven't given up yet!


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## Carles (Mar 19, 2015)

If your budget is tight, I'd go for a better second hand monitors than a worst new ones.

I've got a pair of Adam A7 for cheap and are sounding much better than the previous (paid more than twice for the pervious).


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## Vin (Mar 20, 2015)

I tried Genelecs (good sound, poor translation) and M-Audio's (good for listening, but not so much for mixing in my opinion) so I settled on a pair of Yamaha HS50Ms with Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro headphones. Pretty much all I need. Considering one Avantone MixCube purely for mono mixing in the future.


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## kfirpr (Mar 20, 2015)

ceemusic @ Sun Jul 20 said:


> Instead of M-Audio check Equator D5's @ $399.99 - I have both, no comparison imo.
> Free shipping in the U.S., don't know the rates elsewhere.
> 
> http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial-Studio-Monitors-p/d5.htm (http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial- ... s-p/d5.htm)
> ...



I have them to there great! similar to dynaudio,


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## EwigWanderer (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm using Presonus Eris 8 and after calibrating them with ARC2 they sound great. Few years ago I had a pair of Genelec 8250's DSP-monitors and they were best active monitors I've heard, but damn expensive. Had to sell them.. 

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct13/articles/presonus-eris.htm

The fact is that we all hear speakers differently. I used to sell Hifi-speakers for 3 years and they all sound different. So the best thing is to listen before buying.


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