Do all Amps sound the same?

  • Thread starter Thread starter AlinMV
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AlinMV

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I settled on the Yamaha NS10M's for my home set up, and would like to buy an amp which won't break the bank but will get the best out of these awesome speakers. (I know, I read the posts about the Event monitors, etc. . .) I just like the Yamaha's.

Any advice on such an amp in the $200 - $300 range, keeing in mind that I am using this set up in a small room - no need for a lot of power, just clarity.

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
Hmmm...

Never heard NS-10's described as "awesome", even by life long users of them. But, if they float your boat.

One word on the amp, but it won't fit into your price range......

Hafler

Anything else is a compromise, unless you can afford better.

Ed
 
Thank you sonusman. I should clarify that the term "awesome" meant to describe the clarity and detail of the sound reproduction!
 
Ed... you are almost as fanatical (I mean that in a nice sense ;) ) about Hafler amps as RE is about The Sound Room... but I guess if you know you are onto a good thing why not tell everyone about it... I guess that's the value of this place... you get to hear people's opinions rather than salesman opinions... I guess there is no better endorsement than REAL people using something and getting good results from it.
 
Even audiophiles won't turn their noses up at Hafler stuff.
It rocks.
 
"Never heard NS-10's described as "awesome", even by life long users of them. But, if they float your boat."

Hmmm things must work different out in the west then they do in Nashville, cause when I asked the engineer I work with what speakers to get it took him about 1 second to answer NS-10M. Now we are talking about someone I trust and who knows better than anyone else I have ever heard. He did the first 10 George Strait albums, Crystle Gayle, Patty Loveless, Reba, and the list goes on and on. He has got a number one album or song recorded for just about everyyear I have been alive. I think I will take his word for it.

P.S. Hafler does rule!
 
Well Shakes....

Please, take his word for it then. Notice that I didn't say anything to the effect that they sounded "bad", or not "good enough", just that I haven't heard them described as "awesome".

I will not argue with anyone about monitors. I will especially not get into a silly arguement trying to compare NS-10's with something like the Event 20/20's.

I have heard any number of monitoring systems that sound better then NS-10's. Genelec, KRK, Event, Mackie, JBL, UREI, and there are many others that I am sure sound much better.

I will repeat this one more time just for you Shakes since you probably never caught when I have said it before.

Most engineers who have been working professionally for many years will swear by NS-10's mainly because they are the monitors they started out with, and invested a lot of time "learning" to hear on. No engineer in his right mind would claim that NS-10's "sound" better then any number of monitoring systems that have come along since them because they know that the NS-10's DON'T sound all that great. But they are used to their sound, and feel more comfortable mixing on them, and can't afford to learn to mix on another set of monitors.

I have many testimonials be top engineers that said if they had to relearn to mix on another set of monitors, they would pick something different then the NS-10's. Event 20/20's come up a lot in these testimonials, so do the Genelec's and KRK's.

If you haven't compared these monitoring systems side by side, well, you have no basis to make a comparison friend. I have used both the Event 20/20's and the NS-10's extensively, side by side, in the same sessions on numerous occasions. After many hours on NS-10's, my ears are very fatiqued, and I cannot trust at all what I am hearing. Also, I cannot trust the low end on the NS-10's at all!!! If the low end sounds good and beefy on them, then there is waaaaaaaaaay too much low end. The Event's do not suffer as badly in either thing. I can listen to them for hours and have far less hearing fatique, and I can trust the low end a whole bunch more then Nasty 10's.

It is a fact that in the last few years, Tannoy, Event, Mackie have outsold NS-10's by a wide margin. NS-10's while providing a nice tight midrange sound, just don't compare well to other monitoring systems available.

Now, if you are just starting out in engineering, ANY monitoring system would be fine to learn on. The thing is that you will need a few years before you can really KNOW the monitors and how good sounds sound on them. The reason I won't use NS-10's any more is because they are very annoying to listen to for extended periods of time, and since I must learn the monitors anyway, why not learn on something that sounds more pleasing to my ears. There is no way anybody can say that my mixes would improve by using NS-10's over the Event 20/20's unless I used NS-10's for a few years exclusively. You can turn this around too. I know people that use NS-10's, and when they hear the Event's, well, they agree that they are more pleasing to listen to, but they don't feel they could mix on them because they are not used to them.

Once again Shakes, NS-10's could only be described as awesome sounding by a deaf cow! They are not, and nobody who compares them to any number of monitoring systems would say that.

I also say again. If you are buying your first monitors, and are not used to professional monitors, it really doesn't matter what you buy. It will take you years to know how they sound. So if that is the case, you might as well purchase monitors that sound pleasing to your ears.

I will add this little bit here too. Many engineers who use NS-10's then hear the Event's make a very similar comment. They are amazed at how much more detail there is in the sound. Reverb trails that they never heard before are very present. The imaging is just outright superior too.

It doesn't take a "big time Nashville engineer" to know what a good speaker sounds like. Most big time engineers do not hear any better then the rest of us. They just know how to use the equipment available to get outstanding sound. But that doesn't make their subjective listen one iota better then anyone else's.

Peace...:D

Ed
 
Hmmmmmm.

Deaf cow!!!! Ha ha ha ah haa aah ahha hhaa hhaa!! Mooo Mooo!! haa HHeee ahhhaoo hhheee MOOOOOOOOO@@!!
 
hahahahahahaha, hehehehehehehe,

Anyhow, I don't know how good they sound, but
full compass is trying to clear their stock of samsons, and she was going to sell me a Samson servo 260 for $230, but I am sure you can get it for $215 if you bargain well.

I think they deliver like 100 watts into 8 ohms, but I am not sure.

You could also get a used one on ebay. I saw an alesis ra-100 going for $50 the other day and they have them in the $120-200 price range(the ra100s).
 
I see GS has the new Hafler TA 1100 for $199 (50 wats per side). Interesting.
 
How about the servo 120 57.5 watts into 8 ohms, but can you beat this ?

Technics receiver: 100 watts into 8 ohms x 5 channels
all the audio and video inputs and outs you could want, a separate subwoofer output, doubles as your surround sound system, you can hook up your two favorite pairs of monitors and still have one out left .30 station preset yada yada yada and woo woo

$229 @ sears = $189 @everywhere else, except @radioshack where it will be $580.

I personally know a dude who powers his Alesis monitor 2s with 99 dollar receiver. It sounded ok too.

Meanwhile, what is this I am hearing about a hafler for $200? I must run, I must check it out, and I must buy.( and then after I have bought, I will find out that it was a low quality piece of crap that Hafler was making to try and suck the poor man out of his money, and that they have been discontinued.
 
Well said ed :D I agree with you totally - they became popular when everything was mixed hard and sharp but taste has changed and the smoother monitors are far superior nowadays - I've tried them all and I agree with you on the events - luv'em
Hey have you worked with the JBL LRS 32's??
cheers
 
Hafler - sure you can!

The further adventures of foo, private detective.

Time: Late at Night
Location: Ebay website

I was looking for a deal on a power amp, when she walked into my browser without even knocking and sat on my desk.

She said her name was Hafler P 1500. Which was a pretty strange name for a broad of her caliber. 75-watts each side. This dame was built just right.
But this was a broad who knew what she wanted. She wanted me to buy her.

So I did - and when she showed up looking and sounding like she just stepped out of Catholic Girl's School, I introduced her to my studio monitors - a pair of twins whose code name is NS-10M.

Together they now make a great team.

She cost me just over three large, including her travel expenses.

foo
 
... and as for NS-10's sucking ...

I bought mine when I was doing session work in London.
Every studio I went in had at least three different sets of monitors.

One set was a small box-like thing about the size of a mega coffee cup (maybe 6 inches square) that I can't remember what it was called. They were used to simulate a boombox or average car stereo. If my memory serves they were called 'Aurotones'

The others were a huge set usually mounted in the wall above the glass in the control room which were one of several brands.

... and the third were NS-10Ms. Always. Every studio. Usually with a piece of tissue paper over the tweeter to back the highs down a little bit.

They were supposed to be the best representation of the average consumer home stereo.

Hope this helps.

Do I like mine?

Yep - 'cos most people have an average home stereo and when I've mixed something, I know that whoever I give it to is going to be able to hear the things I want them to hear.

foo

[Edited by foo on 09-16-2000 at 17:48]
 
I want to stand up for Hafler. About 12 years ago, I purchased a Hafler power amp as a kit for my home stereo. It pumps out a very clean 120 a channel. It has served me very well plus the fact that i had the pleasure of putting it together. Since starting to get into the recording scene, I started looking into amps for my studio. Boy are they expensive. Well I made the hard descision to use my old hafler in my studio. I can hardlt wait till I get some monitors. My stereo will suffer a little not having it hooked up any more but I am willing to make the sacrifice to get a good mix. I was transfering it back and forth for a little while, but what a hassle.
 
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