# Audio Interface, Monitors & Headphones



## Broth3rz (Nov 12, 2020)

I need to chose what audio interface, monitors, and headphones I should go with as I build my studio. I will be composing cinematic music, no band stuff or anything, only me. I have separate budgets for each part of the studio I'm doing. PC, music gear, room treatment, VSTs, etc.

These things above that I need to pick out are my last decisions to make really.

*Audio Interface*:

I will be using the Komplete Kontrol S88 MK2 Keyboard. I do wish to add a guitar in the near future. So I will have the guitar, keyboard, the 2 monitors and the headphones to plug into this audio interface.

I honestly just want the BEST of what I need, some future-proofing would be nice.

There is the Scarlet 2i2, or 4i4, BabyFace Pro, or I guess the Apollo Twin (bad latency). Those are the ones I've been been seeing.

My main goal is to find something that is what I need, best LOWEST latency, and future-proofing. I rather not spend $800 on one if it's not needed.

*Speakers*:

My budget is around $200-$400. I wanted to get the Adam A7X back in the day but I think they are too pricey right now, looking for something to future-proof with, something that is really accurate with mixing and composing. I heard Mackie is a good brand to look into? Mackie CR8-XBT?

*Headphones*:

The budget is the same as the speakers really, $200-$400. They need to be accurate and good for composing and mixing.

I *DO NOT* want beginner things I like to future-proof honestly.
Thanks!


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## fakemaxwell (Nov 12, 2020)

I'm not sure what future proofing means here. Everything you mentioned will get the job done, it's not like there's groundbreaking speaker developments every 6 months and you have to upgrade to stay current. Your budget isn't really putting you in the ballpark of "the only X you'll ever need."

That being said, you can't ever go wrong with RME, so I'd recommend the Babyface Pro. You can find used non-FS versions that are cheaper than new and you won't even notice a difference with the FS stuff.

Kali Audio LP series is my new budget pick, they're ex-JBL guys who have basically updated the JBL LSR series. 300 for a pair. If you meant per monitor (800 for a pair), Neumann KH80 are the best I've heard in the range.

Headphones- open back Sennheiser HD600/HD650, closed back Neumann KDH-20. Headphones are the only things at this budget you can buy once and never again, so I'd splurge for these.


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## Broth3rz (Nov 12, 2020)

What does the BabyFace do better than the Scarlett 2i2? I mean its like a $600 difference.

On the speakers.. I see the Kali Audio LP-8 is good on price, same with the Mackies, whats the main tech spec to look for with speakers? So these Kali Audio LP-8 vs the Mackie CR8-XBT?

I've heard about the HD 650 a few times. I guess they are really good, $400 is quite a bit for headphones..


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## tf-drone (Nov 12, 2020)

Hi,

your budget for speakers is too low IMHO. With your ambition, a proper set should be around $2000.

Headphones: I am very content with my Sennheiser HD 600 (around $300).


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## peladio (Nov 12, 2020)

Tannoy Gold speakers are really great and cheap..for headphones check Beyerdynamic 770/880/990 or Audio Technica M50..

If latency is that important then get RME..otherwise Focusrite is more than enough

JBL 305P/308P are great for the money and less hissy than Kali..

You certainly don't have to spend $2k on speakers


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## Broth3rz (Nov 12, 2020)

tf-drone said:


> Hi,
> 
> your budget for speakers is too low IMHO. With your ambition, a proper set should be around $2000.
> 
> Headphones: I am very content with my Sennheiser HD 600 (around $300).



$2,000 is too high right now. I'm still kinda of going to go with the HD650 at the moment.



peladio said:


> Tannoy Gold speakers are really great and cheap..for headphones check Beyerdynamic 770/880/990 or Audio Technica M50..
> 
> If latency is that important then get RME..otherwise Focusrite is more than enough
> 
> ...



The JBL 308P looks nice...

So with the speakers, interface and headphones, what are the MAIN things I'm needing to look at spec wise to see which is better? The JBL and Mackie are around the same price but I don't know which is better spec wise since I don't know what to look for yet.


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## fakemaxwell (Nov 12, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> What does the BabyFace do better than the Scarlett 2i2? I mean its like a $600 difference.
> 
> On the speakers.. I see the Kali Audio LP-8 is good on price, same with the Mackies, whats the main tech spec to look for with speakers? So these Kali Audio LP-8 vs the Mackie CR8-XBT?
> 
> I've heard about the HD 650 a few times. I guess they are really good, $400 is quite a bit for headphones..



It's....better latency and better performance, which is what you were asking for? Again, what is this future proofing you're talking about if all you want to pay for is the lowest entry level gear?

I think you need to do a little more research on this, as well as seek out some demos. There's no "tech specs" for speakers that are going to tell you how it actually sounds.


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## shponglefan (Nov 12, 2020)

I don't really understand all the "future proofing" comments either.

It sounds like you're afraid to buy the wrong thing. If that's the case, then I'd suggest just shopping for inexpensive used gear for the immediate term. Once you actually start using gear, you'll get a better idea of what you really want. Don't expect to know that before hand without any experience.


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## Broth3rz (Nov 12, 2020)

By future-proofing I just mean getting something with an extra input or two so IF in the future I'd like to connect up a MIC or guitar, I can. Something that is better quality that will do what I need for longer.

I don't mind spending cash, but I just don't wanna buy something that really isn't worth the price hike.

I believe that people, when buying speakers, go by the hz I think, one that has more of a wide range of hz is generally better? If the quality is there of course.


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## shponglefan (Nov 12, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> By future-proofing I just mean getting something with an extra input or two so IF in the future I'd like to connect up a MIC or guitar, I can. Something that is better quality that will do what I need for longer.



Any of the audio interfaces you listed will do just that.



> I don't mind spending cash, but I just don't wanna buy something that really isn't worth the price hike.



Nobody can really decide that for you though. That's going to come through experience and you determining what gear meets your specific needs. This is why I again suggested just buying stuff used to start. Then you're at less financial risk upfront and can always resell anything you don't gel with.

Don't worry about getting it all perfect from the get-go. What you want/need from gear will potentially change over time with experience.


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## fakemaxwell (Nov 12, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> I believe that people, when buying speakers, go by the hz I think, one that has more of a wide range of hz is generally better? If the quality is there of course.



Yeah man no disrespect here, just get the cheap stuff and start working and learning. You are going to learn absolutely nothing from reading about speakers if you don't know what you're looking for from experience.


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## jcrosby (Nov 12, 2020)

shponglefan said:


> Any of the audio interfaces you listed will do just that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


100%. Asking this question and expecting to get the "right" answer from a group of strangers you've never met, have little-to-no no information about their background, and have absolutely no background about any particular brand bias they may/may not have is completely unrealistic.

In reality if you dedicated a weekend to simply looking at a bunch of posts and crunching numbers you'll find that everyone has some kind of bias. Some of these biases are warranted, but many of them aren't, as no one product will EVER checks all of the boxes you want it to. The few that might are going to be on the expensive side. (RME, well established as excellent for low latency performance. )

Even then... Some brands fetch a high price tag while in reality aren't necessarily leaps and bounds better than brands slightly less expensive, some brands will fetch a high price tag and have been proven time and again to be industry workhorses.

Your budget is realistically the lower to midtier 'prosumer' market. You either need to accept that that's your financial reality right now. Do some research on what products sit in that price range and consistently are well liked...

I'll offer a metaphor most can relate to since it's one that anyone can understand the financial impact of... Lets imagine you were looking at buying a more expensive item, we'll use a car as an example... Would you go onto a forum and ask what is the best car you can buy for $15999-$19999 and blindly buy it based on the word of some strangers on a forum? Would you test drive it if at all possible? (Some of these items will be available in any major music retailer like guitar center)... And/or if that reality were some how an impossibility would you at least do as much research as you can before parting with the cost of that car? *More importantly*: You're not going to get a Porsche/Mercedes/_Pick-your-high-end-brand-sports-car_ for the cost of an economy car.

Basically this question is asked about 15 times a day on this forum alone, let alone any other... All you have to do is substitute the type of product, and insert few different brands that person was already looking at and you have an endlessly recurring question...


_Which headphones do I buy? I like Sennheiser and Audio Technica but I can't afford either._
_Which String library is the best for legato? ... I have Spitfire product xxx and Orchestral Tools product yyy, but I can't afford any of their dedicated string libraries._
_Which are the best "mastering" speakers under $400?_ (Hint - there's no such thing other than the speakers you can afford and know well...)
I'm not being snarky.. Just emphasizing that this is the best overall answer I've read so far... YOU have to decide. You can either phone that decision in by asking a question and rolling the dice... You can answer it by listening to anything that might be available at a retail location depending on your retail/covid situation... You take the weekend and gather info and decide what averages out to 'seemingly' check enough boxes without being able to try the device in person... And most importantly have realistic expectations about your price point. The music hardware market is competitive... More often than not products are more or less on equal footing if in the same price point... You typically get what you pay for... And you get a whole lot at that price point now than you did 15-20 years ago.

Ultimately you'll probably be a whole lot happier if you do the research yourself and buy something once you feel confident.. Letting others dictate your purchase is a potential way to end up with buyers remorse. That doesn't mean you will but IME that's the best option if you don't have access to trying something in person...

And at you price point you have a finite amount of options... So choose a well respected retailer and see what's available in your range... Assuming an online purchase is the only option then read reviews from several well respected different places and see what seems to average out as best value for money..

First place I'd suggest comparing items in your range (in the US) are Sweetwater and B&H...

Ironically I'm about to offer some biased advice  Mackie is middle of the road these days. An equal priced Presonus speaker's really no better or no worse.. The same could be said about most 'consumer' priced nearfileds... At the price point you're talking about everything's _generally_ on equal footing... One may have better bass, another clearer highs, another wider range, but all are consumer nearfields and ultimately aren't necessarily sugnificantly better than anything else in that range... There's always exceptions but competition tends to keep things fairly even in the lower to mid price range.

The point is is that your impression of Mackie could be based on bias, marketing, I don't know... But Mackie monitors now aren't the Mackie monitors they were 15 years ago... They're about the same as anything else in their price range... So do some research and see what you feel averages out as well rated and reliable in the range you're looking at..


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## proxima (Nov 12, 2020)

I think you should borrow from your sample budget to spend a bit more on your monitors. At least if future proof means "I don't want to replace these any time soon". I tried using $200-400 monitors, and I found myself just using a pair of $250 headphones all the time that completely blew them away. 

Of course, if you don't mind using headphones all the time they're definitely the more frugal way to start while still having professional quality. Or buy less expensive monitors and expect to sell them in a few years and trade up; audio hardware retains its value reasonably well.


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## widescreen (Nov 13, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> I need to chose what audio interface, monitors, and headphones I should go with as I build my studio. I will be composing cinematic music, no band stuff or anything, only me. I have separate budgets for each part of the studio I'm doing. PC, music gear, room treatment, VSTs, etc.
> 
> These things above that I need to pick out are my last decisions to make really.
> 
> ...



I'd recommend taking a closer look on M-Audio AIR interfaces. Especially the integrated Monitor Controller helps a lot.

For monitors, the relatively new Tannoy Gold Series can also be interesting to you. I have the 7 and they are gorgeous for the price.

And last but not least for headphones is the beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro. Very neutral and detailed. You can wear it all day. Check all the reviews in the net.

Sure there are better solutions for all of them, but comparing the price range I haven't found anything better in total. All are in your budget.


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## Broth3rz (Nov 13, 2020)

After more research I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser HD650 and I'm trying to decide between the Babyface Pro FS, Scarlett 2i2, and Apollo Twin X.. latency is important when playing back the high quality VSTs.. so trying to research whats best between those.

I also was trying to decide between the, Mackie CR8-XBT and the JBL 308P, I'm sure the ADAM A7X's are much better but that's adding $1,100 to the price vs JBL and Mackie. I think I will be using my headphones more as I live with someone... But if that's not the case I can always sell what I do get for the A7X's.

I've always liked Mackie over the years with based off my research because they are always built with quality, like a tank most people say.

Also I'm not totally sure if I need a headphone amp, I hear they are great but not so sure why.. I need to research them.

So from asking on the forums these items have been mentioned that I didn't know about and I think that if I go with anything above I would be really great off for a long while to come. So once I choose the audio interface and speakers, and if I need to get an amp, I should be set really. I think the HD650 will be great quality purchase for everything for long while.

Is there a certain company that is good with making room conditioning items? Diffusers, etc.


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## germancomponist (Nov 14, 2020)

Some month ago I bought a Focusrite Clarett 4 Pre USB (not a Scarlett) for a 2. computer and it is absolutely professionally quality. A very very good sound and some good software gifts inclusive.

I would suggest you to spend enough money for the room treatment itself, because this is the most important.


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## Broth3rz (Nov 14, 2020)

I think I'm going to be using my headphones most the time so I'm debating to even buy any speakers honestly.. people do that, right? lol..


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## SupremeFist (Nov 15, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> I think I'm going to be using my headphones most the time so I'm debating to even buy any speakers honestly.. people do that, right? lol..


It's possible now with Slate VSX or a good pair of cans plus dsoniq Realphones.


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## TheNorseman (Nov 17, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> I think I'm going to be using my headphones most the time so I'm debating to even buy any speakers honestly.. people do that, right? lol..



Yes, I have bought one set of monitors years ago but never used them. Always used a good headset.

Edit: I am not a professional, but I have had very good results with a headset.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 17, 2020)

Broth3rz said:


> I believe that people, when buying speakers, go by the hz I think, one that has more of a wide range of hz is generally better? If the quality is there of course.



really comes down to your room size, budget and personal preference. For studio monitors, you really need to demo a bunch, they are all different.
Same with headphones, demo as many as possible. I personally prefer the HD600 over the 650, but it’s purely because I like sound. If anything leaves your studio for anything other than personal listening, I recommend mixing/mastering on both monitors and headphones.


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## Drake Bailey (Nov 17, 2020)

For headphones - I have the Beyerdynamic DT770 pro (around $160) and LOVE them. I wouldn't casually listen to music on them but for composing/mixing they are incredible. 

It might be a bit difficult to get a really good set of monitors for your price range. If you can find a bit more for that investment, the Dynaudio BM5 also sound great and are well worth the money.

Just my two cents


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## jaketanner (Nov 17, 2020)

Definitely thinking too much about this, but I do understand what you're going through.

For very flat headphones, the Sure SRH 1840 are excellent but about $500...Honestly, the DT 770 Pro 80Ohms are led than $200 and sound great...more than enough to do the job. Get a plugin from GoodHertz called Can Opener Studio...simulates speakers, but with zero to no phasing and very inexpensive...about $70, and Sonarworks...you can skip the speakers for now if you are not doing critical mixing, or if you don't have a treated room...I would personally go for the JL 305P MKII or the iLoud Micro Monitors (don't let the size fool you, they're excellent).

Interface: Audient...iD series...your choice, they're all great and very good preamps. At some point you may want to record your own sounds.


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## noiseinmymind (Dec 7, 2020)

Interface: RME Babyface
Headphones: Massdrop hd650's (identical clones to the hd650 at half the price)
Speakers: Presonus Eris or Kali


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## Broth3rz (Dec 8, 2020)

This thread is a little old. I already ordered everything really. This is what I went with:









ADAM Audio T7V 7 inch Powered Studio Monitor


Active Vertical 2-way Nearfield Monitor with 50W 7" Woofer and 20W U-ART Accelerated-ribbon Tweeter (each)




www.sweetwater.com












MOTU M4 4x4 USB-C Audio Interface


4-in/4-out USB-C Audio Interface with 2 Microphone Preamps, LCD Screen, Hardware Monitoring, Loopback, and 6+GB of Free Content - Mac/PC/iOS




www.sweetwater.com





I'm trying to decide between the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO, the Sennheiser HD 650, and the AKG Pro Audio K712 Pro.

I didn't see a real reason to add $600 more for the Babyface. I also see that ADAM is a really good company and have great reviews. I think I chose well? :|


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## Jkist (Dec 9, 2020)

Yay, excellent choice with the Motu M4! Its exactly what I was going to recommend. Also good call going with some monitors. I find mixing on headphones my ears get fatigued faster. Also harder to perceive certain "depths" in the sound with headphones alone. Still use headphones when recording with a mic tho obviously.


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## Broth3rz (Dec 9, 2020)

Jkist said:


> Yay, excellent choice with the Motu M4! Its exactly what I was going to recommend. Also good call going with some monitors. I find mixing on headphones my ears get fatigued faster. Also harder to perceive certain "depths" in the sound with headphones alone. Still use headphones when recording with a mic tho obviously.



I'm still trying to get the M4, everyone is sold out on EVERYTHING I'm trying to get right now. Buying a PC has been the worst nightmare.

The M4 does use a headphone AMP right? Because I know I need one because none of the headphones I'm trying out are even a little loud.


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## PaulieDC (Mar 5, 2021)

Broth3rz said:


> What does the BabyFace do better than the Scarlett 2i2? I mean its like a $600 difference.


Everything. Audio quality, latency (lack thereof), stable drivers, great software once you learn it which also does LoopBack with a button click. I'm DONE with cheap audio interfaces for good. I've owned them all from FocusRite to PreSonus to Mackie to whatever else. The RME BabyFace Pro is so rock solid, you buy it and you're done.


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## sostenuto (Mar 5, 2021)

Still do not know how to compare top tier Audio I/F Mic Preamp, and Headphone Amp specs with quality dedicated Mic / Headphone Preamp / Amp specs.
Seems like few, if any, published specs are similar enough to do apples-to-apples analysis.
Do not dispute any posted experiences or results, but would prefer to have something to verify that Audio I/F 'X' has Mic / Headphone specs, equal or better than, dedicated Mic Pre 'Y' or Headphone Amp 'Z'.

(edit) _ RME Babyface is surely fine I/F choice, yet prefer to see specs which place it clearly equal or better than _mid-range_ dedicated Mic / Headphone alternatives.

Personal needs are not stringent since using Beyer.. DT880 Pro 600 ohm Fones __ Senn.. or Audix Dynamic Mics ( for solo Vocals ).


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