krk v8 vs mackie hr824

  • Thread starter Thread starter djgonzo
  • Start date Start date
D

djgonzo

New member
i just got the v8's but i'm hearing alot of good things about the mackies. i have a few weeks to return the krk's should i take em back and get the mackie's?

also i could get a powered jbl eon15 for about the same price. i spin trance/house and i do need to hear the bass well. what do you think about using something like that as a monitor?
 
I chose the V8s over the Mackies.... the V8s really work for me!

Bruce
 
Asking someone elses opinion on speakers it a lot like this analogy...

--
I recently saw the color green and have decided I really like it, but a lot of people are saying good things about the color blue. Should I like the color blue more than green?
--
The ony question you should ask yourself is, do YOU like how your speakers sound? Personally, I'm a fan of KRK, but that doesn't mean you will be.

If you can, see if you can bring the Mackie's home and try them side by side with the KRKs. That will be the only way you can decide which are better for your situation/tastes.
 
Tunez - You have a good point, but there certainly are GUIDELINES by which one can... uh... go, I guess. While I absolutely agree that speaker choice is incredibly subjective, I'm sure you will agree that there are speakers out there that are too "tubby," or light in the low end, or scooped, or high-end heavy to be real studio monitors. That's the kind of advice that I think most people are (or at least should be) looking for.

Not many speaker shoppers will blindly buy what any one of us recommends, but it can certainly point them in the right direction.

Ken Rutkowski
Outer Limit Recording Studio
 
Kendog,

I agree with you, and in this case djgonzo is comparing two very well known products, that are considered 'real monitors'. I guess I was generalizing a bit too much. You have to have a place to start, that's for sure, and if he had asked where to start, I would have suggested some brands/models to choose from. :)
 
I'd stay away from the JBL EONs if your goal is to mix music. The EONs are PA speakers, and will not have the kind of fidelity needed for critical mixing. From what I understand, the KRK V8s can get pretty loud (my KRK V6s get louder than what I'd be comfortable mixing at), but I think the Mackie's might play a bit louder. Just take heed that mixing at high levels is not necessary, and can actually cause you to make bad mixing judgements, and will fatigue your ears very quickly. Nominal mixing levels should be around 80-90db.
 
If you aren't getting enough level out of your V8s for mixing purposes, then you are mixing WAY TOO LOUD!!!

Optimum mixing levels are between 85-90db or so...


Bruce
 
well i figure practicing at louder volumns is better b/c its going to be way louder at clubs.

i spin trance/house btw.
 
So, I take it you're not actually mixing in the sense of multi-track, but rather mixing beats/spinning turntables. No matter, you still don't want to have your levels cranked up when practicing. You will probably find that you'll mix/spin better at lower volumes, and you'll save your hearing.
 
Hey Bruce - I stopped by Guitar Center to see what monitors they had available and hooked up (at my local GC they're famous for their eye candy... it's NEVER connected). The only ones ready to go were the V8s, so even though I only had a minute or two I took a quick listen. In short, the stereo imaging was IMPECCABLE, at least compared to my Tannoy PBM8s and JBL "client-wowers." The V8s seemed to be both fairly flat and pleasing at the same time, even though that's somewhat of a contradiction. I was very impressed with the short sample.

What we're planning, since a monitor upgrade is next on the list, is to bring our monitors in after arranging for the guys to hook up three or four sets for us so that we can do an accurate comparison with our own reference CDs. Then we'll take the winning two sets back to our own environment.

Can't wait to see the V8s and the Mackies duke it out.

If you don't mind, please give me your thoughts on "age-old debate #6," or "Should they sound good, or should they sound flat?"

Obviously, the perfect monitors are thouse that transfer best to every other system in the universe, but that's awfully hard to judge while A/B'ing 4 sets in a speaker shop. Too many people in these forums just go for the speaker that sounds best and/or pushes the most dBs, but in my opinion, the speaker that sounds best is likely not the best to mix on. The average consumer speaker has significantly scooped mids, a boost around 80 and another somewhere between 5 and 12k. Trying to mix on those is a recipe for disaster.

There are, of course, more details than I would go into in a public forum, but what's your basic philosophy?

Ken Rutkowski
Outer Limit Recording Studio
 
If you're at Guitar Center make sure you check the switches on the back of the Mackies to make sure they haven't been screwed up and set all funny like.

They make a higher profit margin of the V8's, and have been known to set the Mackies funny to skew the comparison in the V8's favor.

There are some active threads on Prorec about this Guitar Center phenomenon. Why does it not surprise me that the V8's were the only monitors plugged in.

-Jett
 
Jet - I took a look at the threads you mentioned at ProRec. AMAZING is all I can say. I won't condemn the whole chain (yet) based on these stories, but I'll definitely change my tune if I find them screwed up at my local GC.

Thanks for the heads up.

Ken Rutkowski
Outer Limit Recording Studio
 
Ken...

When I first heard the Mackies, I thought they sounded smooth and very "easy on the ears".... then I heard the V8s and they were a bit more brash and up front, but in a very good way and I instantly had the impression that I could easily work with them....

I honestly don't know which has the flatter response - I suspect the Mackie - all I know is that the second I heard the V8s it was an instant "Wow!"

So I guess to answer your question, I don't think it's about which monitor is flatter or not, it's about which monitor makes you go "hmmm...!" :D


Bruce
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
I honestly don't know which has the flatter response - I suspect the Mackie - all I know is that the second I heard the V8s it was an instant "Wow!"
Click to expand...
You're right, it's not a question of flat response. Both have good flat response - at least according to their published specs. The question is one of distortion. Even if All other things where equal, the KRK would have lower overall distortion, simply by virtue of the fact that the drivers are of a much higher quality.

The KRK may however exhibit a little more harshness in the upper midrange/lower highs because of that Kevlar woofer which has rather significant breakup in its upper frequency range. The Mackie's polypropylene woofer is no shining star up in this range either, but it's breakup is softer and more subdued.

barefoot
 
I knew...

...Barefoot would jump up to provide some clarity on the details!

:)
 
I also have the V8 as nearfield, and Tannoy system 12 as main-monitoring. A few weeks ago we rearranged our studio and the monitoring was put on boomstands. Before the were standing on special build wooden'boxes'filled with constuction sand.

First thing I noticed was the bass that disapeared when mixing with the V8's. The Tannoy who were also replaced are now standing right in front of the mixing console. Man do they sound 400% better than before.

This means I'll have to get used to mixing on both of them all over again. I do believe the new positions lead to better and more reliable monitoring.

In other words, listening to monitors in a store is like watching a car on tv and deciding if it rides comfortable. Not done. You will have to get them in the studio and listen to them in the matter you would do when mixing your stuff.

If you buy from a big store you probably won't get the monitors at home for comparison. Maayby it's better to pay a little extra and go to a shop which tries to thing about their customers in stead of money. They will let you try them at home.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top