Monitor Questions

[TripleM]

I'm getting tired of mixing on my computer speakers. I'd like to buy a decent set of monitors without spending a gob of money.

I'm confused on the terminology. What do things like "active" and "powered" mean? If I want something that can take output from a PC sound card, and not have to empty my checking account, what should I be looking for?

Thanks.

[c7sus]

Some manufacturers are using the terms "active" and "powered" interchangably.

Powered monitors have internal power amps. Usually they are bi-amped for a two-way system, and include crossovers. So you supply a line-level signal to the speaker input rather than the output of a power amplifier.

Active monitors supposedly have a bit of extra circuitry that provides an "interaction" if you will between the speakers and the internal amplifiers. At least that's how Mackie and a few other guys are touting their products.

This is a vast oversimplification........

I'm sure some other guys here can expand on this almost geometrically............

[Chris Shaeffer]

And because the "active" or "powered" monitors have their own amps, you don't have to worry about a seperate power amp. Just plug the output of your sound card (through a Y cable a la radio shack) into the powered monitors and off you go.

Chris

[TexRoadkill]

Powered speakers also cost a bit more. Add up the cost of the unpowered versions and a power amp to see what works for your budget.

The advantage of a seperate power amp is you can get different sets of passive monitors and use a switcher to change between the pairs if you want to go crazy with your monitors. It also makes it cheaper to upgrade just the monitors in the future.

Powered speakers on the other hand are more hassle free and convenient. They are also matched to the power amp so their performance is more consistent.

[TripleM]

I've read posts where people have said, "Monitor X is a piece of junk." I go look at their price and they're something like $800. Yeesh! And that's not even near the top of the range.

I've seen monitors that sell for $250-$300 (e.g., Event 20/20, Roland DS-90A, Yamaha MSP5), which is more my price range. If the $800 monitors suck, am I just going to waste my money on a $300 pair?

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[Whoopysnorp]

The thing is, monitors are very subjective. You kind of have to try them out yourself. You can't really go by price as a measure of how good they are. You can get fine monitors for a home studio in your price range.

[wes480]

All you need is something that is accurate, but mainly - something that you get used to.

People say "you can't mix on home stereo speakers!"

well, that isn't exactly true. If you know all of the quirks/deficits of your speakers, then you can mix on them. (for instance, they boost the bass significantly, or accent very high frequencys kind of harshly) whatever..

Then you mix your stuff accordingly. So, you goal is make it sound "bad" on the home stereo speakers, more or less...to get a stable mix.

Same thing with monitors, except that on a decent pair of monitors, you should be able to mix it until it sounds good on those speakers - and then it should sound good anywhere (lets face it, the deficits of a lot of home stereo speakers are what make them rock!)

So, if you find monitors in your price range (all the ones that you mentioned are good)...then you will be able to get great mixes out of them easily - once you have listened to a lot of material on them and figured out how a good mix sounds on them - that's the deal with mixing on *any* speaker.

And thats why engineers are slow to give up a speaker that has been good to them (a la Yamaha NS10).

The 800 dollar ones that are "bad" normally come down to stuff like limited bass response...or, "ear fatigue" from harsh frequencies (that's a legit concern). But, you can still get good mixes out of them.

It's more of a jump in and do it thing, with monitors. Whatever you get, you can learn to use and be happy with. Researching the numbers doesn't gain you a lot...go listen in person, make a decision, start learning to use them.

[Speeddemon]

For $300 the Yorkvilles YSM-1 seem to get a lot of thumbs up. Stretch for $100 more and try the Behringer Truths as well. A lot of low-end and power for little money. I tried them. They're way better than the Roland DS-50's....