KRK Rokit 8s vs Yamaha NS-10s

F

Foo-bu

New member
Hey guys,

I've come to the conclusion lately that I need to upgrade my current studio monitor setup and I'm in a bit of a dilemma picking what to get. I currently have Yorkville YSM1 monitors with an amp. I just find them to be too mid-scooped and lacking bottom end

I found a pair of KRK Rokit 8s for $400 and a pair of NS-10s for $500. I know the NS-10s are a standard in studios but they don't have much bottom end. On the flip-side, the Rokit8's have tons of low end which might be better suited for the type of music i'm primarily working on (electro-rock).

What do you guys recommend?

...Or should I just stick to my Yorkvilles for now and save up for something even better?


Thanks for your input!
 
If they're mid scooped and lacking bottom end, would it not be safe to say they're toppy? and i'd vote NS-10's if you have a good amp. or get both and use them to A/B
 
I have the 8's and they work fine. Like any monitor set, you have to learn how they sound in your room. I dont care if they are 200 per pair or 2000 each, you have to learn them all. But I have 3 pair and I use the 8's as my main set.
 
I'd say go with the KRK's for electro-rock, and this is coming from a guy that has 2 pairs of NS-10M Studio's. (One pair I bought purely as an investment - for those of you who don't know: the NS-10's were discontinued bacause the paper cones came from an extinct tree) NS-10s were incredibly popular and are definately an industry standard, but you are not building a commercial studio. You are clearly working on your own music which is electro-rock. I do not own Rokit 8's, but I have heard them many times. I think they will serve you better for creative purposes. I have other sets of monitors that I use for creative purposes, and I use the NS-10s purely as a reference monitor for mixing. I hardly ever use them for choosing sounds or effects (which is likely a big part of what you do).

Look, if you can get both pairs then great. But, if not, save yourself $100. and get a fun pair. You'll enjoy them.
 
This is dead on:
BushmasterM4 said:
Like any monitor set, you have to learn how they sound in your room. I dont care if they are 200 per pair or 2000 each, you have to learn them all. But I have 3 pair and I use the 8's as my main set.
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This is....weird:
jalanjohnson said:
History lessons and unusual assertions about using different monitors for different kinds of music, and even different stages of production.
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^^^I'm not sure what to make of this guy yet... The credits list on his About Me is impressive, although not as much so as some of our members (who aren't nearly so...enthusiastic about who they are), and I can't easily find any source mentioning him outside of said About Me page... Odd, given that list, but I'll reserve judgement for now, since he didn't say anything wrong, really - just kinda weird. That signature seems to imply that all the other members who are record producers don't help out (when they clearly do), and that all the members who happen to work at Guitar Center are trying to sodomize people (which they clearly don't...at least not here, lol), and then an advertisement for a book that happens to have an author of the same name...hmmmm... Controversial is never boring, at least. Welcome to HR, Jason... :drunk:

Anyway... My relevant input (in addition to reiterating what Bushmaster said):
I've owned both. Neither present any significant hurdles in learning how to use them. The KRKs were easier for me to get accustomed to.

That said - nobody has mentioned, and you don't seem to realize, that NS10s (all flavors) are passive monitors. Historical significance and investments in extinct trees aside - I see no reason to spend even $1 more for NS10s than Rokit-8s, much less $100 plus the cost of an amp to power them more.


edit: oops! Just noticed where you said "with amp" in the OP, so I guess that might not matter so much.
 
Telegram Sam said:
I use 10m's, and I would do it again.
I think they are excellent, flat (no surprises) NF's for mixing.
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I don't disagree they're good monitors (they can obviously be used to get a great mix) - but flat, they are not. They've probably been analyzed more than any other speaker - ever, and consistently been shown to have a pretty significant (+5 db or so) bump at 2khz and an (also pretty significant) low shelf drop off around 200hz. Some people say this "helps expose weaknesses".... Of course... some people say we didn't go to the moon. I doubt it's any more or less flat than anything else, tbh, and that it still comes back to exactly what bushmaster said - you just gotta learn to use them.
 
I'm really starting to like you TH. :)

NS10's are not even a place to start. At best IMO, they are a secondary, actually a last resort, when there is something going wrong with a guitar tone. I actually just gave my power amp to a buddy, cuz I just don't have a need to listen to the NS10's anymore. They really suck actually. The hype about them really makes me wonder why they were ever popular. I have a $60 pair of computer speakers, that tell me more than the NS10's.

I like my KRKRP5's for reference, but most of my mixing is done on the Event TR8's. I have listened to the KRK RP8's, and would have picked them over the 5's or 6's. But they were not $160 on Craigslist. I'm thrifty. :)

In any case, you can mix on any decent monitor, as long as you know what they are telling you. Translation to other systems depends on how well you actually know your monitors. I'll also add that I spent way too much time second guessing my mixes, before I built 'real' acoustic treatments for my room.

Bottom line for me was getting the low end in my room controlled. Then translation became almost simple. There is always a benefit to having alternate monitors to critique your mixes. But most important, is having trust in one pair.

Holy hell, I just wrote a friggen novel huh? Bedtime.....

:D
 
TyphoidHippo said:
This is....weird:

^^^I'm not sure what to make of this guy yet... The credits list on his About Me is impressive, although not as much so as some of our members (who aren't nearly so...enthusiastic about who they are), and I can't easily find any source mentioning him outside of said About Me page... Odd, given that list, but I'll reserve judgement for now, since he didn't say anything wrong, really - just kinda weird. That signature seems to imply that all the other members who are record producers don't help out (when they clearly do), and that all the members who happen to work at Guitar Center are trying to sodomize people (which they clearly don't...at least not here, lol), and then an advertisement for a book that happens to have an author of the same name...hmmmm... Controversial is never boring, at least. Welcome to HR, Jason... :drunk:

[/i]
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I didn't mean to offend with my "The record producer who gives back" comment. I know many other producers who couldn't care less about independent musicians. I was not implying that was the producers on this forum. Perhaps I should re-word that. With regards to the book; ofcourse it is my book and I want people to read it. I am not spamming, nor did I mean to mislead anyone. I wrote a book that has helped many of my independent musician friends, and I would like to help as many people as possible with it. In fact, I made the book free for Kindle Prime members and 99cents for everyone else (which is the lowest amount Amazon will allow me to charge). As I have seen a lot of colleagues laid off from record companies, I believe that it is important for me establish a network within the independent community. Again, nothing I have written is meant to mislead anyone. However, if you feel that I should re-word something, I would be happy to entertain any suggestions.

With regards to Guitar Center... I worked there when I first moved out west. It was a long time ago, so maybe things have changed. However, when I was there, the employees regularly screwed over customers to increase gross profit (or "gip" as they called it). I could share many stories about customers who spent a fortune on equipment they did not need. The problem is that the customers viewed the employees as experts in the field. But during my tenure, the employees that lasted were good salespeople and not good engineers or musicians. If fact, I have never encountered a single sales associate from there since I have worked in the professional recording world.

Lastly... there is tons of information about me online, so I am surprised you could not find anything. If you would like me to provide you with specific times, dates, and a list of professional referrences, I can. Although, I think that would be a little extreme. Ultimately, I hope that my posts will speak for themselves. I don't think that impressive resumes mean much in this business, as I know many producers and engineers who can name drop for hours but still don't have anything valuable to contribute.

Going forward... I will do my best to provide good information and clear explainantions about my knowledge and experience. I have worked in a very small network of studio artists and professionals, so it is not uncommon for people to question my experience. I promise you that I am genuine, and as long as the moderators will allow me, I will continue to prove it.

Greetings to you as well.
 
^^^ I don't need any lists or anything, I believe you. You're cool with me, bro :) We just ruffle feathers around here sometimes. I'm glad you've joined - your input is surely appreciated.

jalanjohnson said:
I don't think that impressive resumes mean much in this business, as I know many producers and engineers who can name drop for hours but still don't have anything valuable to contribute.
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I totally agree!
 
NS10's didn't become a stusio standard because they're flat ..... they became a stusio standard because they were cheap and available everywhere and were crappy like most speakers that the consumer listens to.

All this said ....... nothing in that price range is gonna be anywhere near flat ...... it's gonna be a matter of learning your monitors (whatever they are) and how they translate to other systems.
 
Test driving several sets of monitors with commercial music as a reference is usually a good idea. While I can get used to just about any set of monitors, the ones I usually gravitate towards are the ones that make commercially done music sound good to me. I find I don't have to fight them as much. One of the things I liked about NS10's, was that at one time all of the rooms where I work had a set and so did many other studios on the planet. A constant from room to room (except of course for the brand of toilet paper hanging in front of the tweeter) was useful. Since they're not so ubiquitous any more, I'd go with something new.
 
I think the customary thing is to avoid name dropping and bragging, because in the end none of that matters. What I've learned is that when the record spins, the BS stops. Everyone can tell who has done the work and who needs to work harder. Ahem... back to the topic at hand -- I haven't a/b'd them, but have heard them both. I vote for the krk's. I was in (name removed to avoid name-dropping), a Nashville super-studio last week, and I just had to laugh. There was every kind of blinking light you could imagine in there and on the stands was a pair of ns10's. Obviously they were trying to impress the uninitiated. The whole idea with them was that they made you mix differently because of the LF flaw. That's right, flaw. This is a serious problem for today's music. At this point, you absolutely have to hear those frequencies below 200 because now almost everyone's playback can make those sounds. Oh, and if you're going with the krk's, get used to sitting a little farther back. The lows can't be heard from them if you're too close... So where can I get that book? Really, I'm going to buy it.
 
imnotdeafyet said:
I think the customary thing ...[snip]...So where can I get that book? Really, I'm going to buy it.
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Dude - use the quote feature. It's not really clear who you're talking to at some points in that post. If the last part is to Jason, there's a link to where you can buy it in his sig.
 
The legend on the Yamaha's (from what I read) is that they suck so bad, that if a mix sounds good on them, it will sound good on anything. Lt Bob is correct :) that they were a an inexpensive model. But they also say the speaker makes a great home made sub mic for the kick drum.
 
When I listened to a pair of Rokkits in GC they were a bit colored and very bassy. I am not sure if they were the 8s though. If you don't want flat/neutral sounding monitors the Rokkits will be fine.
 
FromASpark said:
When I listened to a pair of Rokkits in GC they were a bit colored and very bassy. I am not sure if they were the 8s though. If you don't want flat/neutral sounding monitors the Rokkits will be fine.
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A bit colored? Did you look to see if the HF knob on the back was set to something other than 0? Or listen to some others in the same space that sounded less colored? I ask because I would have never described the RP8s I had as colored. In fact - I only switched to what I use now (Event 20/20s) because they are more closely matched than the pair of RP8s I had (center sounds more centered)... The overall frequency response is a tad different (which, again, comes back to learning how to use them as the ultimate factor), but there's no significant difference in "color", though. It's not like the RP8s added some transformer fuzz or anything.

....my NS10s on the other hand... they had some personality, lol.
 
I sold my NS10s. I can see the appeal and understand the history, but for me they just didn't work in the end.

At first I put it down to my weak environment, but then I got to use a pair in a decent mastering room at uni and they were just as hard to work with (for me).

I can do a better mix on cheapo samsons with crappy replacement drivers than i could on NS10s, but again, that's just me.
 
TyphoidHippo said:
In fact - I only switched to what I use now (Event 20/20s) because they are more closely matched than the pair of RP8s I had (center sounds more centered)... .
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that's not the main reason why the center sounds more solid.
Speakers have 'lobes' of projection from the tweeter that radiate more or less to the sides. So all that wave guide stuff where they have a mild flair around the tweeter or a foam ring or whatever are to try and control that.
Events have well designed tweeters and cabs so that they have a very controlled radiating pattern from that tweeter which makes soundstage info more tight and aimed right where they want it and not spreading out and making the soundstage indistinct.
Having them matched well will make the center image be placed right in the center as opposed to off to one side or the other.
But what makes it more solid is that control of the tweeter dispersion.
 
Lt. Bob said:
Events have well designed tweeters and cabs so that they have a very controlled radiating pattern from that tweeter which makes soundstage info more tight and aimed right where they want it and not spreading out and making the soundstage indistinct. Having them matched well will make the center image be placed right in the center as opposed to off to one side or the other.
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:eek: Well, then... That's why I switched! :D
 
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