Argh, no! More monitor threads

[Elton Bear]

***Yes, I've used the search function before asking this question***

How much should I be looking at spending on my first set of monitors for adequate-quality demo recordings? I want to spend as little as possible, but don't want a shit sound; I know monitors are not the things to be skimping out on, but how little could I get away with spending without ending up with crap monitors?

Sorry if that made no sense...

 

[superspit]

***Yes, I've used the search function before asking this question***

How much should I be looking at spending on my first set of monitors for adequate-quality demo recordings? I want to spend as little as possible, but don't want a shit sound; I know monitors are not the things to be skimping out on, but how little could I get away with spending without ending up with crap monitors?

Sorry if that made no sense...

check the 'Truth' passive mons from Behringer....supply your own amp or go with the active versions......they work very well for me....very impressed for the price!....but bloody big!!!

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Brother Bear of Yogi:

You can do well with some Yorkvilles or KRK passives.

Either of these step-in monitors will give you a good spectrum of sound and you, and your other gear, should be able to produce some good sounds.

I had no trouble selling my KRKs after I moved up a bit. Sometimes, I miss them.

Best to be able to HEAR these monitors LIVE--then, let your ears decide. Even better, get a chance to MIX some of your tracks on the monitors and see how they turn out.

Fore..................

Green Hornet

 

[Elton Bear]

So, in short, I'm looking at about £250 for something half-decent?

 

[Elton Bear]

£250 a pair that is ^

 

[djc]

At least. I bought the Yorkville YSM1P actives. I figured they were the best bang for the buck. They sound great.

 

[travelin travis]

i don't love their sound by my art slm-1's translate well and have a good frequency response. now if i could afford some monitors that sound REALLY good, i'd be in heaven. until then, these will do just fine.

 

[SuperJX]

I have a pair of M-Audio SP-5Bs that I like a lot. Especially since I got them for $50 from a gracious member of the group here. He was trading up, and the center domes in the woofers had been pushed inward by his kids.

Spent 30 seconds attacking the domes with a vacuum cleaner hose and they look almost new. Sound fine. Just need to keep my kids' fingers away from them...

Long story short-- consider gently used monitors that have been replaced by the current model and you may find a great deal!

 

[dkelley]

Spent 30 seconds attacking the domes with a vacuum cleaner hose and they look almost new.

DEAR GOD!! I'd hate to be a spider in your house.... I wonder if that would work on a dent in my car door?

Seriously though, I am guessing, based on what you'd said, that it worked and didn't stretch the spider-type support surround that keeps the center of the cone moving in a controlled linear motion. Because I'd worry like crazy about that happening - then you'd end up with nasty banging noises and/or vibrations and/or "obviously" reduced performance if that had gotten pulled by your vacuum hose.

To summarize - it worked for SuperJX, but don't try this at home!! speakers are sensitive devices, vacuum cleaners give your nice friendly speaker cones nightmares! Just ask one sometime...



That's amazing that it worked man, more power to you, I wouldn't have the guts to try it. Very kewl, good deal on those monitors!

 

[omtayslick]

i don't love their sound by my art slm-1's translate well and have a good frequency response. now if i could afford some monitors that sound REALLY good, i'd be in heaven. until then, these will do just fine.

I also use the slm's. They are the same as the Yorkvilles, but sold under the ART nameplate. They do translate well, and sometimes I pick up little problems that my friends with more expensive, prettier sounding monitors miss.

 

[travelin travis]

That's amazing that it worked man, more power to you, I wouldn't have the guts to try it. Very kewl, good deal on those monitors!

you do know that if you stick your weiner in a vacuum hose, you won't pull your weiner off unless you pull hose real fast, don't you?

the best thing i've found to pull pushed in dust caps is tape. the type of tape depends on the dome material and size. the stiffer the dome, and/or the larger the dome, the stickier the tape should be. for example, black electrical tape works good on a small cloth type dome and packing tape works good on a big paper composite dome. take a piece of tape about 6" long and carefully place one end on the dome. use your fingernail to gently scratch the tape onto the dented area of the dome, covering as much of the dent as possible. hold the other end of the tape while leaving a little slack and jerk it real fast. just make sure the tape is'nt too sticky because you want the tape to come off when you jerk it. it might take a few trys but it almost always works. usually paper domes will have creases after being pushed in and those creases will still be there after you pull the the dent out.

I also use the slm's. They are the same as the Yorkvilles, but sold under the ART nameplate. They do translate well, and sometimes I pick up little problems that my friends with more expensive, prettier sounding monitors miss.

just curious omtayslick. how do you know this is true? maybe the crossover components are different or the woofer is a little different, or........how do you know?

 

[omtayslick]

Travis in FL,

ART now owns Yorkville. They are the same except for the nameplate.

I think the slm's (Yorkvilles) reveal the mix in detail, the good, the bad and the ugly. I have two recording buddies here, one uses ADAM and the other Dynaudio. After listening on my monitors I have been able to consistently point out little things about their mixes (they ask for evaluation) that can improve their sound on car stereos, home stereos, etc. I think that their mixes sound so "pretty" on these other monitors that they don't hear these things. Admitedly there are many variables. My ears vs theirs' , my room vs theirs', etc.

 

[SuperJX]

DEAR GOD!! I'd hate to be a spider in your house.... I wonder if that would work on a dent in my car door?

To summarize - it worked for SuperJX, but don't try this at home!! speakers are sensitive devices, vacuum cleaners give your nice friendly speaker cones nightmares! Just ask one sometime...

That's amazing that it worked man, more power to you, I wouldn't have the guts to try it. Very kewl, good deal on those monitors!

I probably should have offered a bit more info for those reading along at home You're absolutely correct about the sensitivity of the speakers, though ultimately they're just electric motors.

I first tried the tape trick, but these caps are a poly material of some sort and the tape didn't adhere. So, I supported the cones with one hand to keep them from moving outward, opened the vent on the vacuum hose, and slowly brought it to the dust cap. When they popped back out (immediately), I killed the vacuum and drew it away gently.

Learned this trick while working in a music store in the 80's that had a repair shop with speaker reconing services. If you're gentle and the cap is large enough it works well. If not, then you're looking at replacing the cap anyway (number of places online that sell caps and glue). I figured that if I mangled the drivers then replacement ones from Maudio were only about $35 each, so it would still be a good deal.

Oh, and re the car door-- it probably would work there too given a large enough vacuum or a suction cup. (Working on my classic Fiat is another hobby...)

 

[SuperJX]

the best thing i've found to pull pushed in dust caps is tape...

I've also found that in some instances you can push the dome back out from behind if the tape and/or vacuum aren't working. Many pro drivers have a vent through the magnet assembly on the back of the driver, so that the voice coil is cooled by the air pumping back and forth. (Sometimes the vent is sealed by a sticker too, if the damping effect of the motion of the driver is more important than heat transfer.)

If you unscrew the driver and find an access point there, I've used the eraser end of a pencil inserted through the vent to gently push the dust cap back out. Make sure you support the cone so as not to stress the rest of the driver, and a glance into the vent with a flashlight is also a good idea to make sure you have direct access to the dust cap.