Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Trouble is, nowadays "Audiophile" has all too often come to mean overpriced rip offs rather than simply "quality".
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
There is a lot of "audiophool" stuff out there -- But there are also stacks of terrible sounding boxes that say "Studio Monitor" on them also. Gotta shop around. Always good to borrow someone experienced when shopping also...
It's a catch-22 to some extent. It's very difficult to develop your listening skills without decent monitoring. But you can't tell decent monitoring without reasonably developed listening skills.
It's a catch-22 to some extent. It's very difficult to develop your listening skills without decent monitoring. But you can't tell decent monitoring without reasonably developed listening skills.
joey2000
New member
I think if you do some browsing on the net (reviews, forums like this etc) you see some leading speaker candidates emerge and would be fine with any of them, with only minute diff's. In fact I disagree (with admittedly limited knowledge/shopping experience) that there are a lot of junky monitors out there, although some are certainly better than others.
Farview
Well-known member
Nope, there are plenty of junky monitors out there. Mostly just crap bookshelf speakers with the words 'studio monitor' on a sticker applied to them. There are a couple decent monitors in the lower price ranges, like the Equator D4, but most of the speakers in that price range are no better than anything you could find at Best Buy.
mjbphotos
Moderator
Have you been to BB lately? They've got almost nothing on the shelves for 'bookshelf speakers'. Even on line, there less than a handful of powered speakers available from them. Home stereo speakers tend to be unpowered, and that's the biggest differnece between speakers marketed as 'studio monitors' vs home audio (stereo) speakers.
Farview
Well-known member
Not all studio monitors are powered. That just became popular in the last decade. NS10's, urei 813's all the JBL studio monitors I've ever seen, the big tannoys, etc... are all unpowered monitors.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
True story there too. I don't think I ever used a powered studio monitor until the mid 90's. And they were terrible. The passive version of the same box was quite decent though. Like Dynaudio -- The BM15 for example. Couldn't stand them. Heard the BM15P (passive) with a decent amp - Ran out and bought a pair.
I stand by the "mostly junk" statement though -- The vast majority of "studio monitors" I've heard over the last decade - at least the under $1k category -- If I had my way, I'd throw most of them into a tire fire and walk away laughing. Some awful, awful stuff.
Not all -- But plenty.
At this point, most of what's marketed as studio monitors are short-throw, limited range, nearfield boxes that are designed to not be "as bad" in a bad room. But again, I'm really not trying to "bash" -- I'm just all about getting the absolute best you can possibly get when it comes to your monitoring chain. Just because it says "studio monitor" don't think it's good. And just because it says "hi-fi" don't think it's bad.
I stand by the "mostly junk" statement though -- The vast majority of "studio monitors" I've heard over the last decade - at least the under $1k category -- If I had my way, I'd throw most of them into a tire fire and walk away laughing. Some awful, awful stuff.
Not all -- But plenty.
At this point, most of what's marketed as studio monitors are short-throw, limited range, nearfield boxes that are designed to not be "as bad" in a bad room. But again, I'm really not trying to "bash" -- I'm just all about getting the absolute best you can possibly get when it comes to your monitoring chain. Just because it says "studio monitor" don't think it's good. And just because it says "hi-fi" don't think it's bad.
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R
RFR
Well-known member
John, would you be willing to elaborate on what under 1k is junk and what is decent to good?
I realize it is your personal opinion, but based on ears and experience, a valid one.
One that could help some people and maybe you as well. Better mixed stuff = Easier, better masters.
There is so much "trendiness" going around the net with monitor choices.
Sometimes i think monitors get popular due to herd mentality, or blind leading the blind.
Right now the low priced JBLs are leading the sheep, next month or year it may be something else. I cannot comment, they may be great, haven't heard them. I'm just commenting on trends in monitors.
So, I feel your opinion as a mastering engineer would be useful to quite a few lost souls who buy what is popular
Me, I've tried a bunch of stuff and always come back to my trusty Ns10s paired with a Bryston 3b power amp. I guess after so many years, you get to know them like old friends.
Looking at my Bryston, and more so, picking up my Bryston, that's a hunk of machine!
Even its backup little brother the 2b is a hefty animal.
Those are considered to be good amps, and when I see the toy power amps in most budget active monitors I kind of cringe.
I dont see how amps like that can do any good.
The only inexpensive monitors that I've liked are the the Equator D5.
The worst was a set of krk rokit 8s
I realize it is your personal opinion, but based on ears and experience, a valid one.
One that could help some people and maybe you as well. Better mixed stuff = Easier, better masters.
There is so much "trendiness" going around the net with monitor choices.
Sometimes i think monitors get popular due to herd mentality, or blind leading the blind.
Right now the low priced JBLs are leading the sheep, next month or year it may be something else. I cannot comment, they may be great, haven't heard them. I'm just commenting on trends in monitors.
So, I feel your opinion as a mastering engineer would be useful to quite a few lost souls who buy what is popular
Me, I've tried a bunch of stuff and always come back to my trusty Ns10s paired with a Bryston 3b power amp. I guess after so many years, you get to know them like old friends.
Looking at my Bryston, and more so, picking up my Bryston, that's a hunk of machine!
Even its backup little brother the 2b is a hefty animal.
Those are considered to be good amps, and when I see the toy power amps in most budget active monitors I kind of cringe.
I dont see how amps like that can do any good.
The only inexpensive monitors that I've liked are the the Equator D5.
The worst was a set of krk rokit 8s
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Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
The Equator line seems pretty cool and freakishly inexpensive. To the point that I'm considering adding a surround system with their D8's (summing to stereo to check on the D1's). Because a surround system of D1's would require selling off my family. 
NS10's -- Personally, I could never use them. I hated them even before they put the "Studio Monitor" sticker on them. THAT SAID, they were at least reasonably consistent -- I can see why people used them to some extent. I just couldn't deal with how limited the response was (but that's not just a NS10 thing). It's one of those "If it works for you, that's fine - Just understand that you aren't hearing everything" things.
*THAT* said, it's not just a "small speaker" thing --- I have a set of Tyler D4M's here that I (very rarely and usually just for fun) use as "smallies" -- But when I crank them up (powered by a Bryston 2BLP Pro), people can't believe I'm not running a pair of subwoofers. They're absolutely amazing at incredibly high volume. You can literally see the woofers skewing asymmetrically to the point that I can't believe they haven't smoked out. There's "thump" and "thud" and that pant-leg shaking pressure that typically only comes from - Well, it comes from wide-range, wide dispersion, normal-throw uber-speakers.
I actually recall - more than once - starting to work in here and wondering why something "seemed different" somehow - and realizing that I had the wrong speakers engaged. Keep in mind that these things have a woofer the size of the midrange drivers in my D1's. And the D1's together, have four. *And* four woofers (and two tweeters). I've never heard a studio monitor of similar size create such an amazing soundstage. These aren't even placed properly. I just threw them in where they'd fit. They're a "real world simulation" set (for lack of a better term).
*THAT* said, I can't "really" work on them. Even on the rare occasion that I'm mixing in here (it's rare, but it happens), I still use the D1's. I *might* check on the D4M's (especially if the client is in the room) and I recall using them for restorative work (clicks and pops are a little more obvious at higher SPLs with limited-range speakers).
I dunno...
I was a studio rat for some time before I got (figuratively, but in a literal sense) thrown into the mastering chair. I was rarely ever satisfied with the speakers in the studios I where I worked. I was always intrigued by the rigs at the mastering facilities (I was usually the guy who would bring recordings to the mastering facility and would usually hang around while the engineer was working - In no small part, likely why the old boss "threw" me into that chair). I got to a point where if I couldn't close my eyes and feel that the band was right there in the room with me, with the same soundstage, at the same SPL's, those speakers weren't good enough.
The studio I worked at was eventually in flux - new owner, etc. I went from "Studio Manager / Chief Engineer" to freelance guy. This was in the mid-90's and reasonable digital rigs were just coming into reach (well, if you consider $5,000 for a 3.8GB hard drive, 32 MEGABYTES of RAM, a 4X SCSI CDR drive and a 128MHz processor "reasonable"). I bought and sold more "studio monitors" than you could shake a stick at. Wound up at one point with a pair of JBL "Studio Series" S38's... A definitely "home stereo" set of speakers, but exceptionally consistent (not unlike a "big" pair of NS10's). Mixed several albums on those (including one that won some goofy "audiophile pick" award in Europe) and realized that I was looking at the wrong speakers the whole time. Found a set of (not legendary - yet...) B&W DM602 (series 3) speakers that changed my life. I still can't believe they discontinued those things. I see them occasionally on ebay for twice what they sold for at retail. Combined with a pair of subs, they were formidable.
[Inspirational story] Then one day, I walked into a (Cash Converters?) pawn shop and saw a guy setting up a mega rig -- A pair of B&W 800 series Matrix 800's as mains, 802's as rears and a (I can't remember the legendary amp). "How much for those 802's?" knowing there was no way in hell that I'd be able to afford whatever they were asking. He came back with an obscenely low price for some odd reason (he screwed up). I went "Paul Stanley" cool (Farview will explain if needed) and said "Well, uh, can I hear them?" and I swear, not just a month or so later, I changed the name to MASSIVE Mastering, got a very sweet writeup in EQ Magazine and couldn't believe what I was missing. Shuffled some gear and took out a small loan for a pair of (also B&W) Nautilus 802's (hey, Sterling Sound, Abbey Road and Skywalker Ranch couldn't all be bad, right?), built a new room, etc., etc. Then even "outgrew" the N802's and found the Tylers. Actually bought them unheard (unheard of for me) based on a "if you don't love them, I'll take them back" guarantee. I was the first mastering place I know of to use them as mains. Now there are dozens and dozens. Stuff that sounds amazing sounds amazing on these things. Stuff that sounds sh*tty sounds sh*tty on these things. Stuff that sounds bassy sounds bassy on these things. There's a vertical coherence that's unlike anything I've ever heard short of $30k speakers. They're remarkably reasonable about placement. I've changed a good amount of my gear around since purchasing those speakers. There's a reason for that.
LONG STORY SHORT (I know - Too late) - If there's ANYTHING people should almost NEVER be satisfied with, it's the monitoring chain. Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. Everything else doesn't matter. [/Inspirational story] [/Senseless digression]
Back to the point. Yeah, the Equators are pretty cool. I haven't tried the "budget" Focal units yet, although I'd expect them to be pretty darn decent. That said, I'd probably go with a used pair of DM602S3's and a Bryston of either of them.
NS10's -- Personally, I could never use them. I hated them even before they put the "Studio Monitor" sticker on them. THAT SAID, they were at least reasonably consistent -- I can see why people used them to some extent. I just couldn't deal with how limited the response was (but that's not just a NS10 thing). It's one of those "If it works for you, that's fine - Just understand that you aren't hearing everything" things.
*THAT* said, it's not just a "small speaker" thing --- I have a set of Tyler D4M's here that I (very rarely and usually just for fun) use as "smallies" -- But when I crank them up (powered by a Bryston 2BLP Pro), people can't believe I'm not running a pair of subwoofers. They're absolutely amazing at incredibly high volume. You can literally see the woofers skewing asymmetrically to the point that I can't believe they haven't smoked out. There's "thump" and "thud" and that pant-leg shaking pressure that typically only comes from - Well, it comes from wide-range, wide dispersion, normal-throw uber-speakers.
I actually recall - more than once - starting to work in here and wondering why something "seemed different" somehow - and realizing that I had the wrong speakers engaged. Keep in mind that these things have a woofer the size of the midrange drivers in my D1's. And the D1's together, have four. *And* four woofers (and two tweeters). I've never heard a studio monitor of similar size create such an amazing soundstage. These aren't even placed properly. I just threw them in where they'd fit. They're a "real world simulation" set (for lack of a better term).
*THAT* said, I can't "really" work on them. Even on the rare occasion that I'm mixing in here (it's rare, but it happens), I still use the D1's. I *might* check on the D4M's (especially if the client is in the room) and I recall using them for restorative work (clicks and pops are a little more obvious at higher SPLs with limited-range speakers).
I dunno...
I was a studio rat for some time before I got (figuratively, but in a literal sense) thrown into the mastering chair. I was rarely ever satisfied with the speakers in the studios I where I worked. I was always intrigued by the rigs at the mastering facilities (I was usually the guy who would bring recordings to the mastering facility and would usually hang around while the engineer was working - In no small part, likely why the old boss "threw" me into that chair). I got to a point where if I couldn't close my eyes and feel that the band was right there in the room with me, with the same soundstage, at the same SPL's, those speakers weren't good enough.
The studio I worked at was eventually in flux - new owner, etc. I went from "Studio Manager / Chief Engineer" to freelance guy. This was in the mid-90's and reasonable digital rigs were just coming into reach (well, if you consider $5,000 for a 3.8GB hard drive, 32 MEGABYTES of RAM, a 4X SCSI CDR drive and a 128MHz processor "reasonable"). I bought and sold more "studio monitors" than you could shake a stick at. Wound up at one point with a pair of JBL "Studio Series" S38's... A definitely "home stereo" set of speakers, but exceptionally consistent (not unlike a "big" pair of NS10's). Mixed several albums on those (including one that won some goofy "audiophile pick" award in Europe) and realized that I was looking at the wrong speakers the whole time. Found a set of (not legendary - yet...) B&W DM602 (series 3) speakers that changed my life. I still can't believe they discontinued those things. I see them occasionally on ebay for twice what they sold for at retail. Combined with a pair of subs, they were formidable.
[Inspirational story] Then one day, I walked into a (Cash Converters?) pawn shop and saw a guy setting up a mega rig -- A pair of B&W 800 series Matrix 800's as mains, 802's as rears and a (I can't remember the legendary amp). "How much for those 802's?" knowing there was no way in hell that I'd be able to afford whatever they were asking. He came back with an obscenely low price for some odd reason (he screwed up). I went "Paul Stanley" cool (Farview will explain if needed) and said "Well, uh, can I hear them?" and I swear, not just a month or so later, I changed the name to MASSIVE Mastering, got a very sweet writeup in EQ Magazine and couldn't believe what I was missing. Shuffled some gear and took out a small loan for a pair of (also B&W) Nautilus 802's (hey, Sterling Sound, Abbey Road and Skywalker Ranch couldn't all be bad, right?), built a new room, etc., etc. Then even "outgrew" the N802's and found the Tylers. Actually bought them unheard (unheard of for me) based on a "if you don't love them, I'll take them back" guarantee. I was the first mastering place I know of to use them as mains. Now there are dozens and dozens. Stuff that sounds amazing sounds amazing on these things. Stuff that sounds sh*tty sounds sh*tty on these things. Stuff that sounds bassy sounds bassy on these things. There's a vertical coherence that's unlike anything I've ever heard short of $30k speakers. They're remarkably reasonable about placement. I've changed a good amount of my gear around since purchasing those speakers. There's a reason for that.
LONG STORY SHORT (I know - Too late) - If there's ANYTHING people should almost NEVER be satisfied with, it's the monitoring chain. Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. Everything else doesn't matter. [/Inspirational story] [/Senseless digression]
Back to the point. Yeah, the Equators are pretty cool. I haven't tried the "budget" Focal units yet, although I'd expect them to be pretty darn decent. That said, I'd probably go with a used pair of DM602S3's and a Bryston of either of them.
R
RFR
Well-known member
Good answer. It being long didnt bother me at all. Good info is good info.
Never have owned any of those. I have heard a few sets of B&Ws and was impressed.
One of my favorite speakers that were HiFi, but I wouldn't hesitate to use in the studio were old ADS L710s
If remember correctly they used two 6,5 bass drivers with a mid and tweeter
Nowadays there is so much good stuff as well as hyped junk it's mindblowing.
In my opinion there is no reason a hifi speaker in theory wouldnt make a good studio monitor.
I mean with both, isn't the idea to hear what is really there??
Unfortunately I've been a speaker junkie my whole life. picking them up like women buy shoes. The unfotunate part is, I havent had the budget for the real high end stuff.
Right now what i am using as midfields may seem a bit odd to some but I'm quite pleased with.
It's set of Yamaha Ns344 s stacked on top of an old set of Boston Acoustics A100s.
They make a big tower.
The yammis are pretty detailed but lacking in bass. The Bostons are a 2 way with the mids scooped out. Both on their own are ok but not great. I disconnected the Boston's tweets and am just using the woofers.
Both on at the same time sound great! Dont know if I'd trust them for mixing, but it sure sounds like I have the band in front of me.
Never have owned any of those. I have heard a few sets of B&Ws and was impressed.
One of my favorite speakers that were HiFi, but I wouldn't hesitate to use in the studio were old ADS L710s
If remember correctly they used two 6,5 bass drivers with a mid and tweeter
Nowadays there is so much good stuff as well as hyped junk it's mindblowing.
In my opinion there is no reason a hifi speaker in theory wouldnt make a good studio monitor.
I mean with both, isn't the idea to hear what is really there??
Unfortunately I've been a speaker junkie my whole life. picking them up like women buy shoes. The unfotunate part is, I havent had the budget for the real high end stuff.
Right now what i am using as midfields may seem a bit odd to some but I'm quite pleased with.
It's set of Yamaha Ns344 s stacked on top of an old set of Boston Acoustics A100s.
They make a big tower.
The yammis are pretty detailed but lacking in bass. The Bostons are a 2 way with the mids scooped out. Both on their own are ok but not great. I disconnected the Boston's tweets and am just using the woofers.
Both on at the same time sound great! Dont know if I'd trust them for mixing, but it sure sounds like I have the band in front of me.
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John Willett
Circle Sound Services
The Equator D5 and D8 are inexpensive monitors that punch well above the price - I think they are in the middle of being redesigned - the AE22 was also good (but now discontinued).
Passive - the Harbeth Monitor 20 are excellent.
My top 5 manufacturers are (alphabetically):- ATC, Harbeth, ME-Geithain, Neumann/K+H, PMC - the passive Amphion are also excellent I hear.
On Gearslutz, a studio in Norway fully tested virtually every top-end monitor and ended up selling his PMCs and Barefoots and buying a top-end ME-Geithain as mains and a smaller pair of ME-Geithain as nearfields. Though those two pairs cost in the region of £30k, so are certainly not "budget".
When people ask me what to get on a low budget, I normally recommend the Equator D5.
joey2000
New member
Not to still doubt you, but where?
Good luck finding much of anything regarding audio equipment at Best Buy. This aint the 90s.
Apparently you haven't seen too many JBLs.
I'm still wondering where "many junky" studio monitors are to be found. Let me know so I can tread lightly.
Steenamaroo
...
I'm still wondering where "many junky" studio monitors are to be found. Let me know so I can tread lightly.
Just google studio monitors and look at the cheap stuff.
Maudio, Alesis, Samson...almost certainly junk.
And this isn't from a professional mastering point of view. This is from the point of view of an un-treated garage engineer with a pair of Mackie 624s.
Tadpui
Well-known member
I'm still wondering where "many junky" studio monitors are to be found. Let me know so I can tread lightly.
Edirol, Behringer, Alesis, M-Audio. I'd steer clear of most of the entry-level price range of monitors. Between poor low-end frequency response, or exaggerated low end, or wacky mid and high frequency response curves, and consumer-type connections...a lot of those entry-level monitors do appear to be hi-fi speakers in the skin of a studio monitor. Basically you can go to Musician's Friend, look at the studio monitor category, sort ascending by price, and pretty much disregard most of the first couple of pages. Those JBL LSR305's are actually pretty solid for the price though.
J
Johnny Don't!
New member
Overall, I agree with what most folks here have said, that monitors are supposed to be designed with a flat response such that your mixes will translate somewhat accurately to ALL other systems. However, I also agree with what some have said in that just because a set of speakers has "monitor" written on them or included in the description doesn't necessarily mean that's what they are in terms of having a flat frequency response.
I don't use super-expensive monitors, mainly because I don't do much mixing in my own studio. I either shop out the mixes to friends or semi-big name mix engineers with whom I have relationships from my history in the industry, or I take my projects into a pro studio and mix them myself there.
Why go to a pro studio and pay to mix when I have my own studio? There are many reasons for doing so, but my main reasons are fairly basic: pro studios spare little expense when it comes to not only designing & constructing their rooms but also when it comes to treating them acoustically. Someone else on this thread pointed out that it doesn't matter how good/expensive yer monitors are if yer using them in an untreated room, and that is the gospel. Period. The acoustic properties of your mix space is equally as important (if not moreso) than the quality of yer monitors. And when I say "acoustic properties," I mean ensuring yer space isn't causing standing waves or cancelling waves, as well as eliminating as many reflections as you can, especially early ones. (I'd go into more about this topic, but it's not what this thread is about and there is a TON of info on this forum regarding acoustic treatment in another section.)
But in terms of all monitors not necessarily being "flat," I recently bought a really cheap pair of "monitors" from AKAI (RPM3's) for use in a satellite location of my studio (meaning my apartment bedroom). They were a Stupid Deal of the Day from Musician's Friend, half-off. I sometimes do editing & cleaning of my tracks at home, mainly when I don't feel like driving out to my studio just to edit tracks, as that can be done on headphones. But, after two or three hours of wearing headphones, my ears get sore. So I wanted something just to hear what I'm editing without using headphones. And this particular set of monitors came with an audio interface built into them, so if I really need to, I can use them to create really rough demos & whatnot.
But HOLY CRAP, AKAI should be ashamed: they advertise these speakers as monitors, which means they should be flat, and they're nowhere near being flat. There's a switch on the back of one of the "monitors" to turn on a bass boost, and I can't believe that: these things are SO hyped in the low end I wish there was a bass CUT switch. It's INSANE. I've NEVER heard any speakers that are this hyped in the low end, LET ALONE ones that claim to be monitors.
Your best-case scenario would be to look around this forum for posts on which monitors people like best within your price range. But MAKE SURE your room is treated properly before investing in decent monitors; otherwise yer wasting yer money.
I don't use super-expensive monitors, mainly because I don't do much mixing in my own studio. I either shop out the mixes to friends or semi-big name mix engineers with whom I have relationships from my history in the industry, or I take my projects into a pro studio and mix them myself there.
Why go to a pro studio and pay to mix when I have my own studio? There are many reasons for doing so, but my main reasons are fairly basic: pro studios spare little expense when it comes to not only designing & constructing their rooms but also when it comes to treating them acoustically. Someone else on this thread pointed out that it doesn't matter how good/expensive yer monitors are if yer using them in an untreated room, and that is the gospel. Period. The acoustic properties of your mix space is equally as important (if not moreso) than the quality of yer monitors. And when I say "acoustic properties," I mean ensuring yer space isn't causing standing waves or cancelling waves, as well as eliminating as many reflections as you can, especially early ones. (I'd go into more about this topic, but it's not what this thread is about and there is a TON of info on this forum regarding acoustic treatment in another section.)
But in terms of all monitors not necessarily being "flat," I recently bought a really cheap pair of "monitors" from AKAI (RPM3's) for use in a satellite location of my studio (meaning my apartment bedroom). They were a Stupid Deal of the Day from Musician's Friend, half-off. I sometimes do editing & cleaning of my tracks at home, mainly when I don't feel like driving out to my studio just to edit tracks, as that can be done on headphones. But, after two or three hours of wearing headphones, my ears get sore. So I wanted something just to hear what I'm editing without using headphones. And this particular set of monitors came with an audio interface built into them, so if I really need to, I can use them to create really rough demos & whatnot.
But HOLY CRAP, AKAI should be ashamed: they advertise these speakers as monitors, which means they should be flat, and they're nowhere near being flat. There's a switch on the back of one of the "monitors" to turn on a bass boost, and I can't believe that: these things are SO hyped in the low end I wish there was a bass CUT switch. It's INSANE. I've NEVER heard any speakers that are this hyped in the low end, LET ALONE ones that claim to be monitors.
Your best-case scenario would be to look around this forum for posts on which monitors people like best within your price range. But MAKE SURE your room is treated properly before investing in decent monitors; otherwise yer wasting yer money.
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Farview
Well-known member
Originally, the LSR series were all passive. Some still are. However, the ones that you saw in commercial studios were the 4400 series, which were all passive.
There is probably a generation gap here. My experience with studio monitors goes back to the mid 80's, most of the monitors I've ever used were passive. I've owned two sets of active monitors, the Event 20/20bas (kind of OK) and the Genelec 1031a's (awesome). My main monitors at the old studio were Urei 813c's (passive). Before that I had the Alesis Monitor 2's and NS10's. (both passive)
The powered monitor thing only got popular in the last 10-15 years, before that, everything was passive.
Everyone else seems to have beat me to it.I'm still wondering where "many junky" studio monitors are to be found. Let me know so I can tread lightly.
R
RFR
Well-known member
Love the 813s
R
RFR
Well-known member
I'm still wondering where "many junky" studio monitors are to be found. Let me know so I can tread lightly.
Most everything under 500 bucks is junk and some stuff above that price point as well.
One needs to understand that despite the moniker "studio monitor", they are anything but.
The target market for these products are the home recordist who's music will NEVER be heard by anyone outside of friends family, and maybe 50 hits on soundcloud.
They don't want the speakers to be accurate. They want them to sound good. Due to the popularity of EDM, Hip Hop, Rap, House music, etc. They want innacurate speakers that hype the bass. Pumping bass sounds good.
The market is the bedroom "star" For the most part, the music starts and stays in the bedroom.
What's it matter if the bottom is hyped, just as long as it's pumping when friends come over to your 9x12 bedroom to hear your latest beats.
Watch sometime that youtube channel "studio rescue"; sponsored by Rhodes mics.
THAT is the target market for the inexpensive monitors.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
I went into a studio I had never been in and mixed an entire (and relatively challenging) album in just over 6 hours on a board with only rudimentary volume automation (I think it was a Tascam 3700) on Genelec 1031A's. Some of the best speakers ever.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Agreed. We used 1031A monitors in our edit suites the last place I worked and I loved working on them.
I haven't used the replacement 8050A model nearly as much so I haven't made up my mind on them yet.
Anyhow, I'm sure everyone here would love to have $1000+ monitors (and, in a way, I suppose I do--except mine are around 30 years old and not even made any more). However, this is a home recording forum, not an industry forum so the real trick is working out what works okay at a price the enthusiast can afford. I agree totally that there is a lot of rubbish out there using a "monitor" label to sell pretty awful speakers but there are some units that at least make an effort. As an example, I find the Tannoy Reveal series to do a pretty good job for the money and I know there are others that I'm just not as familiar with.
I haven't used the replacement 8050A model nearly as much so I haven't made up my mind on them yet.
Anyhow, I'm sure everyone here would love to have $1000+ monitors (and, in a way, I suppose I do--except mine are around 30 years old and not even made any more). However, this is a home recording forum, not an industry forum so the real trick is working out what works okay at a price the enthusiast can afford. I agree totally that there is a lot of rubbish out there using a "monitor" label to sell pretty awful speakers but there are some units that at least make an effort. As an example, I find the Tannoy Reveal series to do a pretty good job for the money and I know there are others that I'm just not as familiar with.