Pioneer S DJ05 monitors?

Z

ztevie

New member
Any opinions on these? I plan to buy a new pair of active monitors for my small home studio and these have an included controller for volume and some other stuff, especially the ability to swap between input sources is a big plus, since this is exactly b what I need.
However, I mainly record and mix rock/metal tunes, so I'm as far from a DJ as it gets .
What's with the DJ thing? I was under the impression that monitors are better the more flat they are eq-wise regardless of music style?
Or are they tuned for dance music in some way ? Read a few reviews where they get nice grades, but there's no mention of mixing guitar based, harder stuff?
 
Do you have an I/O interface? If you're recording and mixing with monitors, you should be using an i/o ad/da converter in your chain (as opposed to just coming out of your computer with an unbalanced 3.5mm Y-split). Having an interface should help to switch between any inputs you need to monitor, as well as provide you with a volume control, etc.

The Pioneer monitors are geared towards DJs as Pioneer makes DJ equipment and decided to cater speakers to that crowd. While they can be alright for mixing, they are certainly heavy on marketing and low on delivery, especially for the price.

I would instead focus your efforts on getting a simple interface along with some tried and true monitors, like HS80Ms, KRK VXTs, Adam A7Xs, etc.
 
Thanks for the reply!
I have an Maudio Audiophile 2496 in the PC.
I also have an Axe Fx II which is connected by usb to pc.
I want to be able to use only the axe without turning on the pc, and vice versa, therefore very nice with Pioneer's ability to change between inputs. Yes, I could use a mixer or a controller like mackie big knob, but I'm afraid those would color the sound too much since I can't afford a more expensive / better quality controller and the signal must pass through that cheap stuff, whereas Pioneer's control can't effect the sound.

Now I use an old Sony receiver and it's cd/aux inputs. And a pair of passive Behringer studio monitors. It does the job, but i thought I'd invest in slightly better active monitors and hopefully increase the sound quality in my small home studio.
 
I've been looking at especially Yamaha HS80M and a SM Pro Audio M-Patch V2 to go with that.
I'm not sure how much the M-patch will color though? Opinions seems to vary a lot from what I've read about it.
Pioneer's solution is better, but of course I don't want to sacrifice quality just to get everything in one package.

Maybe I'll just email Pioneer and ask them why those speakers are especially suited for DJ dance stuff compared to other monitors out there?
 
Ah I see. Yes, that is one of the large problems with using internal soundcards instead of external (with an external power supply) - you can't use it without the PC being on.

Another option could be to use the multiple inputs on the rear of your speakers (but this doesn't solve want for the external volume knob). PC out to the XLR inputs on the speakers, Axe FX out to TRS inputs on the speakers.

Do you have somewhere you can demo these speakers? They sound roughly at the same level as KRK Rokits, but twice the price, IMO.
 
Unfortunately I live in a small town in a remote area so testing is out of the question.
But you got me thinking, maybe it's time to upgrade my soundcard. The 2496 have only unbalanced outs and is pretty limited over all. So instead of investing in monitor controllers and what not, maybe a new external card would be an idea?
Any recommendations? Maybe something with a preamp and phantom power for recording acoustic guitar and vocals with my condenser mic...
 
It would depend on what your needs were. There are a few things to consider with getting an interface. Those are:

Amount of I/O - does it have enough inputs that you need at once? Do you need multiple pairs of outputs for any reason?
Requirements for mic pres and any phantom power you might need - Some people need the ability to record 4 mics at once, while others may only need 2 and 2 direct ins. Also, some might want to bypass the mic pres, which isn't possible on all interfaces.
Quality of AD/DA conversion - Sample rates, bit-rate, etc are all important. The quality of the actual conversion is quite subjective and a lot of the expensive units (Apogee, Lynx, etc) are all highly touted for their beautiful conversion with low artifacts.

Decide what and how many of what you need and what you don't and find products that fit those needs.

In what seems to be your budget, I've been impressed with the Saffire Pro by Focusrite for the price.
 
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