A few words about Yamaha NS-10's

Brad

Brad

New member
It seems like every picture I see of pro and semi pro studios, the monitoring set up always includes the Yamaha NS-10's, I figured if that many pros were using them, then they have to be great, right? And they are very affordable, so I was thinking about getting a pair. Then I started talking to a few engineers, and that prompted me to call a few studios in my area, and the verdict was unanimous: NS-10's are for "crap reference"
Those same pictures of studios that have the NS-10's also have a pair (or more) of some excellent, way too expensive speakers as well. So they are using the NS-10's to see how their mix is gonna sound on a crappy stereo (one guy said he uses them so he would know how his mix would sound coming out of the dashboard speakers of his Gremlin). They all said they were excellent for that purpose, and that is why you see them in almost every studio.
I just wanted to get this info out because the price is tempting and someone may think that they are scoring a deal on something they can use as their sole monitoring system, when, in reality, they are used primarily as an addition to a better system in order to hear all of the sonic possibilities.
 
After reading all of the info that this site had to offer... I laid $500 bucks for a pair of 20/20P's... I went back and listened to a few songs that I mixed on my PC speakers( a $100 set of Boston Accoustics with a sub) and I couldn't hear anything that needed changing...
I know that everyone swears by 'em but for half-deaf noise mongers like myself... Don't expect a night-and-day difference... You will hear discreet differences in the mix... but it is unlikely that you will have the right equipment to effect them.

always on the downside,
S8-N
 
I used a pair of NS-10's for years, I thought they were very good. Crap speaker? I don't follow that, who has a set of 10M's in their home? Everything is a reference, and I found the Yamaha ha's did it quite well for the price.

Emeric
 
Thanks Emeric for sticking up for these wonderful little buggers.

I don't own a pair of "Nasty" 10's, but, when I have a big mixdown to do, I borrow a pair from a friend of mine. I have found that if the mix on 10's sounds good, you have a mix.

NS 10's offer some of the tightest midrange response I have ever heard out of a pair of speakers. This is an excellent thing to have because I have found that addressing the midrange in a mix is the single most important factor for clearing it up. If your monitors do not have great midrange responce, you will always find some very big problems in the mix after you listen to it again a week later.

I would never recommend NS 10's to someone starting out simply for the fact that these monitors would tend to disappoint them. But after your ears adjust to the studio, they are an excellent source for fixing a mix.

Ed
 
Let me restate my point, which was obviously missed. I am not saying these monitors are bad, I am just relating what I have heard from the guys who are supposed to be "in the know" and they are true audiophile types; they call NS-10's "crap reference" because it truly represents what the average Joe is going to hear on their home system. Consider for a moment what these elitist engineers listen to music through. I was just trying to warn people so that they would not expect miracles from this affordable speaker, even though it is widely used. I was just trying to point out that these monitors are used (at least from the people I talked to) as a "consumer reference" and that is widely traslated as crap (by the snobby audiophile types that I am talking about). Please guys, I was just trying to pass on some friendly advice! I am not saying these monitors suck, I am just telling you what I heard through some well respected engineers.

[This message has been edited by Brad (edited 10-22-1999).]
 
Hi. I read in a magazine that they blind folded 5 Top recording engineers and told them to listen to 4 monitors. They all picked the NS10's

Adam.
 
Hey, Fender - re: the blindfolded engineers: the blindfolds were covering their ears. That's why they thought they weren't hearing any highs. But in fact, the blindfolds were acoustically transparent. It was the NS-10s that didn't have any highs.
 
Have you noticed what a good thread this is? Most of the people here seem quite sincere. If that's the case, then the lesson is: there's no absolute truth, one man's ceiling is another man's floor, etc and S8-N might have saved me some hundreds of dollars. But S8-N, you play *loud* and I play acoustic. Do you think perhaps nearfield monitors might prove more useful with the delicate tapestries of sound I weave? LOL Or maybe I should just keep mixing on various crap monitors (my stereo, headphones, boombox, etc) till it sounds good.

[This message has been edited by dobro (edited 11-05-1999).]
 
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