Event 20/20 vs. Tannoy Reveal vs. NS 10m

  • Thread starter Thread starter twonky
  • Start date Start date

Which monitors do you prefer

  • Tannoy Reveal

    Votes: 18 45.0%
  • Event 20/20

    Votes: 15 37.5%
  • Yamaha NS 10M

    Votes: 6 15.0%
  • Alesis Monitor One

    Votes: 1 2.5%

  • Total voters
    40
T

twonky

New member
Hi, I know the monitor questionhas been asked like a zillion times on this BBS but I need to get some really specific opinions about these 3 monitors.

Event 20/20
Tannoy Reveal
Yamaha NS 10m

My needs:
1st and foremost I only have about $400 to spend.

I will be tracking and mixing on these speakers, they will do it all.
My mxing prowess hasnt fully "evolved" so to speak so I need monitors that will be BRUTALLY honest with me about my mixes.
Monitors that will say "Are you deaf or stupid or both?!".

I have been using a pair of Alesis Monitor Ones and my mixes have come out sounding really bad (not enough low end, weird placement of instruments, harsh mid-range)

I am currently borrowing a friends Tannoy Reveals and have been pretty happy w/ them, the two songs I mixed on them came out much better than any I had done before.

I have used Yamaha NS 10M before although that was when I first started to record so I dont recall feeling one way or the other about them. I do understand however that it is hard to place low end on them.

I dont know anything about the Event 20/20s but have heard that they are comparible and sound good.

Or should I just get the woofer in my blown Monitor one replaced because they are just as good as the aformentioned speakers?

Please give me your thoughts and opinions and horror stories

For whats it worth I am using an RA-100 power amp and a Mackie VLZ board.

Thanks,
Twonk
 
Tannoy Reveals are my faves even though they're not what you'd see in a 'proper' studio and not really 'proper' studio prices - some people are snobs about that, a famous producer (well Joe Meek in fact) said 'if it sounds good, it is good'.

I have used NS10s in other studios and absolutely hated them, far far too toppy. Industry standard? Bog standard more like.
 
twonky said:
....so I need monitors that will be BRUTALLY honest with me about my mixes.
Monitors that will say "Are you deaf or stupid or both?!".

You wont get that for $400.
I have the active Tannoy's, I like them, but I can say shit about them compared to the other monitors since I haven't used them.

I'd try to find a palce where you can listen to both the Tannoys and the Events..
 
went from JBL Control 1s to Tannoy Reveals - now I can hear what I'm doing
 
he asked for "brutally honest"....not our personal favorite, not the best bang for the buck....we must all agree that the NS10 is "brutally honest" if anything.....

btw, your Alesis monitors are better off blown:rolleyes:
 
Nope...Id pick the Reveals.....but your question wasnt about what Id rather...you wanted a brutally honest monitor.....im not saying that the Reveals arent kick ass monitors because they are.....its just that the one thing the ns10's are famous for is that every little flaw in a mix will jump out on them.....they also are famous for being very fatiguing to listen to......both are fine monitors.......
 
"Brutally honest"????

Gidge, we're talking about monitors here.... this is TOTALLY subjective to the individuual listener.
Go listen to the same CD on 10 different pairs of monitors from 10 different manufacturers and I'll bet my house that they'll all sound significantly different from eachother, despite their claims of "flat response" and "total accuracy".

Read the words of a "pro" that verifies this...
http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/3BE62B170E4104EF86256688001A0A85

That being said, here's a review of the 20/20bas monitors.
Oh, and forget list price... you can get a pair for $450 if you look around for a deal.
http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/8351F5321E22C67E86256AE1000FA82A

"B-" is a pretty darned good rating for an affordable set of monitors.

twonky,
I'm going to give you the same advice I always give to people who ask about which headphones to buy.....

GO TO THE STORE AND LISTEN TO EVERYTHING FOR YOURSELF!!!!
Only YOU know what's right for you.

Nobody here can tell you which monitor you'll like the best.
Just like we can't tell you what toppings will taste the best to YOU on your pizza.

Sorry about the rant, Gidge... got a horrible migraine right now. :(

Buck
 
Thank you

Gidge, thanks for your input, I am aware of what my origional question was but I was asking you about your prefernce specifically because you seem to be knowlegable about those types of things.
I also realize that I need to go to music stores and listen to the monitors myself and see what I like, thats a given. But you guys know that its hard to get 'real' perspective in a music store full of people and sometimes a guy standing next to you w/ his hair shaved on the side but w/ a big long ponytail telling you "Man, the monitors are bad as a bitch, dijoo know that Sevendust tracked their album on these same monitors?, man Sevendust is pretty rad!"
That shit drives me crazy.
Sure the monitors can sound good in a store, and the problem is, that most of the monitors are going to sound good w/ AJA being pumped through them in the acoustically treated room at Mars music. But my control room SUCKS and that is where I am going to use them.
That is why I made the post in the first place to see what most of you guys use. I just dont want to buy a pair that I think sound good only to find a few months down the road that I really dont like them.

So if lot of you guys say 'Tannoy' or whatever that will be a good indicator to me, that my purchase will be a good one.

20/20
Twonk
 
Is this a good idea?

I go on ebay or somewhere and find a pair of NS 10s, while I still can. I figure I'll probably pay around 250-350 on a pair. Use them and really get a hard lesson in mixing, i.e. finding out how to make my mixes sound good (a truly good mix of anything I have recorded to date, still eludes me).

Then in about two or three months when I can afford another pair (lets say active ones) like the Reveals or something that I like the sound of and then start using the NS 10s to check stuff with?

Twonk
 
Buck, you gave me a migraine...:D

anyways, i think outside of the Alesis, Tannoys or Yamaha are both good monitors.....those Mackies are also great as are JBL LSR25P's.....the key is to get a decent monitor and learn them.....
 
twonky,

You appear to be on the right track,...... Mackie, JBL, Yamaha, Event, Tannoy, all make good to great monitors (not necessarily in that order)......BUT each one will sound different to each individual, and as you said the acoustics will also be a factor. Stick to a known brand and you can't go too far wrong.

Personally, I have Reveals and love them. But don't take my word:D

ChrisO :cool:
 
The best advise I can think of on this HIGHLY subjective subject on top of the other great advice already given is this. All the suggestions pretty much will do the job. Go to the store, listen to as many as you can, pick the one you like, take them home and listen EXAUSTIVLY to as many commercial CDs that are akin to the type of music you'll be doing through them and get your head tuned into the way they translat these mixes. The bottom line is this, you can mix on anything if you know how they behave. It'll take a little while but that would be true on any monitor. Buy, listen, make music. Just add beer.
:cool:
 
I got to test them

Hey all!
for whomever is interested, I got a chance to compare the different monitors. the Tannoys and the Yamahas in my "control" room. and then the Events at a music store

I tested them w/ some of my mixes, did some tracking on them, and then litened to AJA, Fresh by Sly and the Family Stone, Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (highly reccomended listening) and Meshuggah, an extremly hi-fi techie speed metal band from Sweden (also highly reccomended).

Without getting to far into it, the Yamahas were every bit as brittle and low end free as people have been saying. The Events seemed to have too much low for my taste and the Tannoys? Just right, not to much of anything. I gotta say they are my faves.

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help.

Twonk
 
The reveals are nice sounding speakers but they have a bump in the low end (high bass area, 200-350). Also the midrange is set back. All the things you find on consumer speakers. They are pleasant to listen to but will definitely take learning to do good mixes with.
 
Pilgrim,
Did your ears tell you these things about the Reveals or have you gone to the trouble of analysing them yourself?

I'm just curious, as there are some well respected people round that would endorse them as an excellent near-field.

:cool:
 
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