Event 20/20 BAS VS Mackie HR824's

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Event 20/20 BAS VS Mackie HR824's

Ive read they're both excellent monitors, but the Mackies are about TWICE as much as the Event 20/20 BAS. For double the money am i really going to notice a huge difference? Im serious about music, and i want to invest a lot of time and money into it. Im also thinking of going to school to be an audio engineer of some sort, workin a studio of some sort. So, if it would make a big difference i would be willing to save longer for the Mackies. But will i notice that big of a difference? 1100 Canadian for the Events, and 2200 Canadian for the Mackies. Anyone fill me in on this?
 
personally, I dont think that you would notice that much difference.

I listened to a mix on both the 20/20s and the mackie hr824s last week. While switching between them in real time, I could not hear a difference that would matter in decision making except that the low mids sounded different.

I would go with yamaha ns10ms. THe mix I listened to was done by me on the ns10ms and I did not hear anything, even in the low end, that I had not heard on the nasties.

but if it comes down to a choice between the 20s or the mackies, save money and get the events. They translate pretty good.

Spend the money you save on converters or something
 
Cyan, you got to be kidding ... you say you A/Bed them and didn't hear a difference except for sth. in the low mids??? I think you were listening with your nose ... You know what an enormous achievement that would be for two speakers from different manufacturers to sound the same?
Every monitor manufacturer wants their monitors to sound "flat" but there is no so such thing as perfect "flatness". There'll always be some element of character in a speaker coming from the materials used, the size, ...
So, if someone tells me two speakers sounded the same or almost the same (i.e no difference in sound), then that clearly shows that person has no clue what he/she is talking about. It's an impossibility.
 
ye

Ok, so heres the deal. I've ruled the mackies out, this is a home studio, im not making money, and im 18 years old. Anything i buy is 1000times better than what im using now, and maybe in like 5 years if im making money i will buy some nicer ones. I went into the local store (long and mcquade) and had a chat with the guy, looking at the stuff they had. They were getting the Event 20/20 BAS in for 670 Canadian each, and the Yorkville YSMIP for 370 each. Now he says the yorkville are really good, and for the price, they seem to be the speaker for me. Does anyone own the yorkville seT? or could they give me a comparison between them and the events?
 
I just ordered the YSM1 shielded, it was only $15 more than the YSM1. $116 U.S. each. My buddies claim that they are the best for the price. I read one review that praised them but also said they don't like to be pushed at all. I really just went by price. I'm hoping that inexpensive monitors will still be better than regular speakers.
 
Ambi, if your local store has both sets of monitors available, do yourself a favor and go listen to both for yourself. There is no substitute for personal hearing, so others can only tell you what THEY like. If you really want a fair comparison, first acquire a Radio Shack Sound level meter. The analog version sells for about $40 US, and will pay for itself later in your studio, as well as allowing you to make informed decisions on speakers. It's a well-known fact that the human ear doesn't have a flat frequency response - as simply as possible, the softer the sound the less bass and treble percieved. What this means in real world, is that any two things you listen to for comparison, the one that is even 1 dB louder will sound better. This phenomenon is used to great advantage by un-scrupulous sales people. Say they have a better mark-up on speaker A, but speaker B is a better value. If you don't watch them, they will intentionally turn up the sound to the pair they want to sell you, so you think they have a better response. You can take two IDENTICAL sets of speakers, same program material and everything - put them behind black grille cloth so you can't see which is which, and set one pair 1 dB louder than the other, then A/B them - You'll buy the louder pair every time, even though they are the same speaker. To get away from this, you can take a sound level meter with you, have them set up the two or three choices in as quiet a room as possible, feed them the same CD source (commercial release, known by you) check each level with the sound level meter and set them to less than 1/2 dB difference, tighter if possible, centered at 85 to 90 dB, but EQUAL - Then, when you A/B the choices you will be comparing apples to apples. Also, if comparing more than two sets of speakers, set them up

A/B/C - - - - A/B/C, not

A/B/C - - - - C/B/A -

This way, the spread between any two speakers will be the same, so you won't be fooled into thinking that pair "A" has better separation/imaging. Center your head between the two speakers you're listening to each time.

The other main use for the Sound level meter is to maintain a constant mixing level, so your ears don't get fatigued and you get more consistent results. The human ear is not capable of discerning absolute sound levels, but instead it "gets used to" whatever level that is present. This means that levels can creep up durning a mix and not be noticed without outside instrumentation (Sound level meter) Remember that loudness affects percieved bass and treble response, so mixes done at louder levels will tend to be bass and treble shy, and vice-versa. This is all stuff you will become very familiar with in time, assuming you pursue your stated goals - but for now, this should help you get closer to the speakers you really need. Hope this helps - Too little money and too much needed gear is a problem we all face... Steve
 
thanks

thanks knightfly, that really helped a lot. Is a Radio Shack Sound level meter like, a decimeter? That you use to test how loud something is? Or is it some sort of a switch? Im not sure exactly what it is, but i'll take your word for it and look it up, and pick one up.
 
hmm

ok, yea i think its one of those decimenter type things, that measures how loud something is, so i can go through and make sure all speakers are exactly the same volume when being setup? Ok cool, and would you recomend an analog or digital one? Ive used an analog one a few years ago... the one with the needle.
 
Yeah, you're on the right track - the term you're looking for is decibel meter (sound pressure levels are measured in decibels) The analog version is both cheaper and better for normal studio use. The pro versions of this from other companies sell for anywhere from $600 to $2500 or more, so the RS version is definitely more bang for the buck. What you get for the other $1000 or so is stuff like true calibrated sound levels instead of just close, lower sound level ranges for measuring noise floor in your studio, separate microphones for more versatility, and a chance to miss out on something else for your studio that the extra $1000 would have bought :=) Also, don't discount the "geek" factor - if you show up to audition speakers and expect to insist that levels be equal, etc, as I posted earlier, you are less likely to have a sales person try to snow you. Happy shopping... Steve
 
I've listened to the Yorkville YSM-1P (active, 115W per side) monitors alongside the Tannoy's, 20/20, Mackies, etc.....and the Yorkie's DO sound very good, especially for the low price of just $740 Cdn ($450 Usd) a pair.....

Yeah sure, the Mackies (824's) DO sound better, but at $2500 Cdn here in Canada....they are NOT 3 times better than the Yorkies....performance wise.

Also, I couldn't really tell any difference between the Tannoys ($1200 Cdn) and the Yorkville YSM-1P's either.

They make the Yorkies right here in Toronto, so I guess that has something to do with the lower price and good value for the buck. I actually like the idea of buying something "made" in Canada for a change....as apposed to some 3rd world sweat-shop in China or where-ever.

I've also heard that the Behringer Truths are very good value for the money in the under $1000 category....but, they are on a 3 month back order delay here in North America....so I haven't actually been able to hear a set for comparison.

For under $800 Cdn....I don't think one would be able to find a better product than the Yorkville YSM-1P monitors.

Yorkville have ben making gear since the 1960's, so they should know how to get it right by now - eh :-)

Just MY 2 cents worth..

KEV
 
Now you know why Knightfly is worth his weight in gold, or at least iron pyrite. :)
 
Aw, shucks LD, there ya go embarrassin' me again - "or at least iron pyrite." I'm thinkin' maybe more like Lead - but, hey, at least you could roll that into sheets and use it for sound block - I'll settle for "not totally worthless"... Steve
 
yea

i'll have to test out some Yorkvilles, they're probably what im going to buy. They don't look so hot to me though, but look don't really matter. They look plastic
 
Hey Ambi,

I think you have the wrong impression of the Yorkies, and obviously you haven't seem them up close & personal....coz they are definitely NOT cheaply made, but in fact built very sturdy with 3/4 "MDF, and do not have a plastic feel at all. Each monitor weighs just over 25 lbs.

I was downtown today near L & M's main store so I went in and re-checked the Yorkies ($740 Cdn) out, plus the Event 20/20 bias ($1400 Cdn), and those new digital Roland DS-90's ($1500 Cdn)....and to MY ears the Yorkies sounded as good as the Event 20/20 bias...and way better than the Rolands.

Unless the Behringer Truths's are amazing (at $789 Cdn) I bet ya can't find a better set for under $800 Cdn than the YSM-1P's

BUT, speakers are rather 'subjective' in nature so, your'll just have to go check 'em all out for yourself mate :-)

KEV
 
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