T
theEND
New member
Hmm... After an arduous 2 hour listening session on a few pairs of monitors I still have not reached a final verdict. I had the pleasure of having a pair of KRK Rokit 6s, 8s and VXT 4s as well as the JBL LSR2325p (Jesus! why do they make those names so impersonal and hard to remember!) And some Yamaha NS10s at my disposal in a "Properly Designed" (Fairly designed) listening room.
Quick Impresions: (By-passable!)
NS10s: mmm... The same everyone has to say about them. (Not very main monitory, to put them in a way) Also! Not active! Dont have a proper amp and would add plenty to the final cost! x.x
VXT 4: Wow... First... Can't believe a 4 inch speaker could be 200 dollars more expensive than the Rockit 8s. (1000-1050 AUD) mmm yes its kevlar, yes it has ports... so what? I have to hand clarity and separation are really good but it lacks A LOT of... balls? Bottom end, but we can blame it on the 4 inch speakers since they can't push that much air out. They would be great as a second pair of monitors but Id still get something else with that money. I took them out on the bases of lacking bass and being so darn expensive.
Rokit 6: This is where it gets complicated. For some reason they sounded a lot louder than all the other monitors and just plain AWKWARD (Probably something to do with the set up) and they were placed about a meter away from each other (looked to close) but I didnt have the liberty of moving them or checking the set up, just pressing the "flip to another monitor pair" switch. I dont know why but if I only slightly moved my head anywhere all the top end just shifted greatly (Phasing kind) Also the snare got completely buried in any part were it met heavy distorted guitars or in some cases just vocals with a not so loud guitar. Call me CRAZY but strangely enough they also seemed to have a bass heavier sound than the 8s
I know, I know someone wants to slap me in the face right now. I was skeptical at first (out of plain common sense) but I trust my ear and after half an it just felt ridiculous and left me bamboozled. I think something was wrong somewhere in the set up because I've heard RP6s before and they didnt sound sloppy, whereas these ones just were all over the place! Crazy! Muddy! Totally opposite to all the good things Id heard about them everywhere. It is also illogic that a 6 inch speaker would have a more loose and present bass sound than an 8 inch. I need to more opinions on them vs the Rokit 8s since I'm pretty sure something was wrong there. 
Rokit 8:
yess... deli... At first impression I was overwhelmed, I felt in the middle of a venue with a BIG sound in front of me. This made me fumble a bit and question their clarity. Bottom end was great (Felt a bit too much, maybe because Im used to almost no bottom end at all) tight, and clear. I shifted between the RP6s and 8s and my face was going like because I felt the 6s were sloppier even in bass tightness than the 8s and the 8s didnt bury the snare as much in the song I was listening to. Still I feared all that bottom end would greatly compromise clarity and listened to a few songs with "hidden details" that I had recently discovered courtesy of my AKG 702s and I could distinctly hear them, and VERY clearly. I was very pleased, specially since I had heard the same song on a pair of Yamaha's earlier the day before and I could barely, barely notice them. I moved my head around and they have a fairly big sweet spot which is a total plus since I bob my head around and move a lot whilst listening to music. Something that totally SUPRISED me was hearing two new things pop out of nowhere in a song I listen to rather occasionally that had never caught my ear. That was a HUGE plus on these monitors. 
JBL LSR2325p: Ive heard a few people talking about them and they seem to have really fair reviews and they were also in the price range! They have a 5 inch speaker which probably is the defining factor in their lack of bottom end. On the tracks I played I could not hear a clear boom on the kick but rather a really clicky thump. I listened to the "hidden details" of the songs through them and still noticed them very clearly. They seem to have a slightly bigger sweet spot than the Rokit 8s in my opinion. I also noticed stereo separation better on them, specially with toms in drum fills, emphasizing greatly on the floor tom. In fact I barely noticed the floor tom on a fill through the Rokit 8s and had to listen back to it and pay close attention for it to notice it (It was probably buried by the resonance of the kick). Overall I feel they lack a lot of bottom and require a sub, also I felt fatigue after listening to them for a while (Not as long as I would have to use them regularly), they can be very harsh on the poor ol ears.
(Continuation)
Overall: Kicked every one of the monitors out and left only the Rokit 8s and the LSR2325p's (Refer to RP6 problem on the top section). I felt the Rokits sounded fabulous, maybe TOO good. Everything sounded beautiful, clear and specially pleasant to the ear. This may sound like a good thing but could be a really bad thing. I listened to songs that were professionally mixed and mastered so a pleasant result is pretty much expected. But my fear is what happens when yore doing a mix! If they sound great all the time you would just hear everything and go "Wow! This sounds great! I don't need to do anything!" And you joyfully go on and do your mix with almost no processing and finish, bounce and leave it a side. Then you listen to it somewhere else and go. "this sounds like s.. poo"
Do you think its my impression after referencing with less "friendly" monitors and that they actually dont make EVERYTHING sound great (TOO good) from the start? PLEASE let me know!.
The LSR's well... theyre harsh, but maybe that pushes you to do a better mix. Although maybe they are too harsh and thats something you might want to avoid. Im more used to this type of monitor but its really fatiguing and it would need a sub which would add to the budget.
I really want to hear your personal opinion on all of this, and feel free to suggest any active monitors in that same price range!
Thanks!
J
Quick Impresions: (By-passable!)
NS10s: mmm... The same everyone has to say about them. (Not very main monitory, to put them in a way) Also! Not active! Dont have a proper amp and would add plenty to the final cost! x.x
VXT 4: Wow... First... Can't believe a 4 inch speaker could be 200 dollars more expensive than the Rockit 8s. (1000-1050 AUD) mmm yes its kevlar, yes it has ports... so what? I have to hand clarity and separation are really good but it lacks A LOT of... balls? Bottom end, but we can blame it on the 4 inch speakers since they can't push that much air out. They would be great as a second pair of monitors but Id still get something else with that money. I took them out on the bases of lacking bass and being so darn expensive.
Rokit 6: This is where it gets complicated. For some reason they sounded a lot louder than all the other monitors and just plain AWKWARD (Probably something to do with the set up) and they were placed about a meter away from each other (looked to close) but I didnt have the liberty of moving them or checking the set up, just pressing the "flip to another monitor pair" switch. I dont know why but if I only slightly moved my head anywhere all the top end just shifted greatly (Phasing kind) Also the snare got completely buried in any part were it met heavy distorted guitars or in some cases just vocals with a not so loud guitar. Call me CRAZY but strangely enough they also seemed to have a bass heavier sound than the 8s
I know, I know someone wants to slap me in the face right now. I was skeptical at first (out of plain common sense) but I trust my ear and after half an it just felt ridiculous and left me bamboozled. I think something was wrong somewhere in the set up because I've heard RP6s before and they didnt sound sloppy, whereas these ones just were all over the place! Crazy! Muddy! Totally opposite to all the good things Id heard about them everywhere. It is also illogic that a 6 inch speaker would have a more loose and present bass sound than an 8 inch. I need to more opinions on them vs the Rokit 8s since I'm pretty sure something was wrong there. Rokit 8:
yess... deli... At first impression I was overwhelmed, I felt in the middle of a venue with a BIG sound in front of me. This made me fumble a bit and question their clarity. Bottom end was great (Felt a bit too much, maybe because Im used to almost no bottom end at all) tight, and clear. I shifted between the RP6s and 8s and my face was going like because I felt the 6s were sloppier even in bass tightness than the 8s and the 8s didnt bury the snare as much in the song I was listening to. Still I feared all that bottom end would greatly compromise clarity and listened to a few songs with "hidden details" that I had recently discovered courtesy of my AKG 702s and I could distinctly hear them, and VERY clearly. I was very pleased, specially since I had heard the same song on a pair of Yamaha's earlier the day before and I could barely, barely notice them. I moved my head around and they have a fairly big sweet spot which is a total plus since I bob my head around and move a lot whilst listening to music. Something that totally SUPRISED me was hearing two new things pop out of nowhere in a song I listen to rather occasionally that had never caught my ear. That was a HUGE plus on these monitors. JBL LSR2325p: Ive heard a few people talking about them and they seem to have really fair reviews and they were also in the price range! They have a 5 inch speaker which probably is the defining factor in their lack of bottom end. On the tracks I played I could not hear a clear boom on the kick but rather a really clicky thump. I listened to the "hidden details" of the songs through them and still noticed them very clearly. They seem to have a slightly bigger sweet spot than the Rokit 8s in my opinion. I also noticed stereo separation better on them, specially with toms in drum fills, emphasizing greatly on the floor tom. In fact I barely noticed the floor tom on a fill through the Rokit 8s and had to listen back to it and pay close attention for it to notice it (It was probably buried by the resonance of the kick). Overall I feel they lack a lot of bottom and require a sub, also I felt fatigue after listening to them for a while (Not as long as I would have to use them regularly), they can be very harsh on the poor ol ears.
(Continuation)
Overall: Kicked every one of the monitors out and left only the Rokit 8s and the LSR2325p's (Refer to RP6 problem on the top section). I felt the Rokits sounded fabulous, maybe TOO good. Everything sounded beautiful, clear and specially pleasant to the ear. This may sound like a good thing but could be a really bad thing. I listened to songs that were professionally mixed and mastered so a pleasant result is pretty much expected. But my fear is what happens when yore doing a mix! If they sound great all the time you would just hear everything and go "Wow! This sounds great! I don't need to do anything!" And you joyfully go on and do your mix with almost no processing and finish, bounce and leave it a side. Then you listen to it somewhere else and go. "this sounds like s.. poo"
Do you think its my impression after referencing with less "friendly" monitors and that they actually dont make EVERYTHING sound great (TOO good) from the start? PLEASE let me know!.
The LSR's well... theyre harsh, but maybe that pushes you to do a better mix. Although maybe they are too harsh and thats something you might want to avoid. Im more used to this type of monitor but its really fatiguing and it would need a sub which would add to the budget.
I really want to hear your personal opinion on all of this, and feel free to suggest any active monitors in that same price range!
Thanks!
J
