Yamaha NS-344 as monitors?

[JuliánFernández]

Hi guys... I found some reviews saying that they sound similar to the NS10s...

Anyone knows if they are any good as studio monitors?

Comments? Reviews?


Thanks!

[ssscientist]

Why oh why would you want something that sound similar to the dreaded NS-10m's?

There are MUCH less wooly, less fatiguing and just all around better options out there and you want to go back to the mid-80's?

Listen to the KRK RP5's and RP8's, the Samson Rubicons and the Wharfedale 8.2's before you decide on which monitors you are going to spend your hard earned cash on.


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[JuliánFernández]

Thanks ssscientist, I see your point, but someone is selling the NS344s for cheap, and I was wondering if they are supposed to have flat response and if they were designed for studio monitoring...

[JuliánFernández]

anyone else?

[robin watson]

I did some mixes just yesterday on some NS10s (mk1, with modified crossover for slightly flatter response), and for the material I was handling (acoustic/vocal/percussion), they were just fine, great in fact. I admit that at the silly prices they are going for now used, you can find better.

The '344s are not going to sound like the '10s since they use different drivers, plus they are a 3-way design, with a 10" woofer! No harm in giving them a try if they're cheap. They offer the ability to trim the tweeter and mid driver, that's an asset. My only reservation would be that it's hard to find information on them, which suggests they're perhaps not all that great.

Whoever thinks the NS10's are lousy, might want to try Alesis M1's. Now they ARE bad!

If they're cheap, give 'em a go. Bet they look cool at least!

Robin.

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by robin watson

Whoever thinks the NS10's are lousy, might want to try Alesis M1's. Now they ARE bad!

There are MANY bad sounding speakers out there.

That's not the point.

The NS10s were promoted as being 'so bad they're good' back in the day and that meant every little piss-ass studio I went into as a freelancer had a pair. Back then I carried around a pair of Tannoy PBM 6.5 which sounded much cleaner, clearer, less woolly and gave me crisper mixes that traveled better. When the house engineer or the studio owner was there, the first thing I did was ask where he wanted me to stack the NS10s. Most of them looked at me like I was crazy --- I didn't want to use the 'industry standard' nearfield monitor? When they came back at the end of the session and I played some of the days material some of the open minded ones asked where I got my speakers, how much they cost and where they could buy a pair. Most just made sure I put back the NS10's in the same place I found them.

I spent a year wrestling with the muddy and indistinct sound of the NS10, then when I reached a level of fed up frustration for the next 8 years of my freelance career I carried my own speakers.

This could be a discussion of which audio software is better, and the ultimate answer to that is 'it depends'. My purpose in this thread is not to convince you not to buy one or the other speaker, just to give you the benefit of my long experience with the NS10s. The answer to the age-old 'which monitor speaker is better' question is also 'it depends'.





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[robin watson]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

My purpose in this thread is not to convince you not to buy one or the other speaker, just to give you the benefit of my long experience with the NS10s. The answer to the age-old 'which monitor speaker is better' question is also 'it depends'.

And my 'purpose' is to say the NS10s are useable, and that there are other speakers out there which are worse. Thanks for the 'benefit' of your 'long experience.'

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by robin watson

And my 'purpose' is to say the NS10s are useable, and that there are other speakers out there which are worse. Thanks for the 'benefit' of your 'long experience.'

You're 'welcome'.



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[xstatic]

People cna say what they want about the NS10's, but many hits have been done on them. NS10s are actually very easy to mix on. I do not use them very often, but with a good amp and a decent room, they are really not all that bad. One thing I have noticed is that they work a little better if you push them a bit. They certainly do not have that pristine natural and open sound that better monitors have, but there is something about them that makes them work easily for me.

Just recently I was in LA and did a live mix for a national TV broadcast. The broadcast room had a pair of NS10's and a set on Genelec (1031's?) and subs to go with them on switches. I found it was much easier to do what I needed to do on the NS10's than the Genelecs. For whatever the reason, it went well. Even the house guys told me how nice the mix sounded that night.

[robin watson]

Originally Posted by xstatic

People cna say what they want about the NS10's, but many hits have been done on them. NS10s are actually very easy to mix on. I do not use them very often, but with a good amp and a decent room, they are really not all that bad. One thing I have noticed is that they work a little better if you push them a bit. They certainly do not have that pristine natural and open sound that better monitors have, but there is something about them that makes them work easily for me.

Just recently I was in LA and did a live mix for a national TV broadcast. The broadcast room had a pair of NS10's and a set on Genelec (1031's?) and subs to go with them on switches. I found it was much easier to do what I needed to do on the NS10's than the Genelecs. For whatever the reason, it went well. Even the house guys told me how nice the mix sounded that night.

case closed

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by robin watson

case closed

you wish


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