Monitor buying advice- what ones??

  • Thread starter Thread starter dturcotte
  • Start date Start date
dturcotte

dturcotte

New member
Ok, I am getting ready (and have been looking around) to buy new monitors. I presently use the Samson (don't laugh... all I could afford) 65A and a Samson 80A sub. Although they are ok (but what do i know it's all i've used) I want something that gives me a better representation. Something where I may not need the sub just the monitors themselves.

Here are my questions:

1) Should I be looking for monitors with 8" woofer?
2) what are some recommendations for the price range of say $400-$600?
3) what kind of frequency range should I be looking for?

I really appreciate any feedback on this. I am ready to get some but just don't want to make the wrong choice again.
 
You should consider KRK's. Try out the KRK V6's. Pretty good for the cash.
Also, the Event TR8s are nice(i own a pair)....
 
Well, I was online last night looking around and I found a pair of 2031A's for $175 so I couldn't resist. That doesn't mean these are the "ones" I was looking for but it did seem like a really good deal so I took them.

I think what I would like to do is setup multiple monitors. Right now I mix through the Samson and for the most part I got them pretty much the way i want them. I then test the song through the multiple stereo stage (car stereo, home stereo, boom box, etc...) and then I will also run them through my PA which has Carvin 1588's. I have seen some pretty good posts both here and elsewhere about the 2031A's so I figured what the hell.

I agree with you on the TR8's. I have heard them and I like them so I think I am going to look for them as well. Now, I also hear alot of good things about the NS10's. What do you think about them? Every now and then I see, what i think, is a good deal on them to include one deal that was here for $250.00.

What do you think of the idea of multiple monitor setups? Is it really worth it? Is there a routing device out there where I can plug in all these monitors and have the ability to switch back and forth from one location?

Again thanks for your help.
 
dturcotte said:
Now, I also hear alot of good things about the NS10's.
Click to expand...
Whoever spoke well of the dreaded NS10's is a God damned liar.

They are the some of the most miserable speakers ever made, and I suffered through many a mix trying to cut thru the wool and murk of the NS-10's to hear what was REALLY going on.

I have a set of KRK RP5's at home now that sound great, are not fatiguing to listen to and, best of all, keep me from struggling to hear what's going on in my mix.

.
 
I have the Samson 65a's and the Ber...Truth 2031p's.

I do like the samsons for mellow music, but for fast/hard rock the low just dose not cut it for me. (I don't have the sub)

I use my 2031p's most of the time. Great low end, and they are not harsh sounding. I can mix for long periods of time and not get a headache.

dturcotte said:
Well, I was online last night looking around and I found a pair of 2031A's for $175
Click to expand...

Are you sure that they are the active ones? The 2031p's go for about $150.
Or are they used?
 
Are you sure that they are the active ones? The 2031p's go for about $150.
Click to expand...

Yeah they are the active ones and they were used.

I agree about the samson's... they are much better since I got the sub.
 
dturcotte said:
What do you think of the idea of multiple monitor setups? Is it really worth it? Is there a routing device out there where I can plug in all these monitors and have the ability to switch back and forth from one location?

Again thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

I started doing this "multi" with Passive speakers...one amp, and adcom speaker selector...and 6 buttons to choose speakers. Its cool if you want to go down that road. fhk 6 monitors, it burnt me out.

If i could I might go as far as like Sonic Albert, the 4" and a 8" set...jump back and forth.... pretty good contrast with out leaving your chair.

It started getting frkn anal and "studying the turd" as I recall it, reading specs, then more physics and then the room throws everything into the equation and then you find out about EAR WAX!!! and I said fhk this.
it lead me to getting one frkn set I liked. just learn those and listen to your stuff other places and re-mix. frkn CD's are 5cents.

I've heard beautiful HR CD's done on the 2031's.. its all what works, right?

its probably the person/skills for the majority of it and not the monitors....but anyway he has these B2031's over a year and frkn,loves them over his old 1980's monitors.

I read some Dot or Riochard article they chose the B2031A over the Mackies 824's just because the $$$$ didn't justify the small subtle betterment of the Mackies over the B's.

The problem you hear about Behringer is often they don't last, the materials are made of cheap crap that burns out and crackles and pops....their electronics in short...and I won't get into a Behringer thread, they earned their flaming though.
 
dturcotte said:
How's the low end on the RP5's?
Click to expand...
Good. They have a front slot below the speaker combo that - in my opinion - is better for bass extension than rear ported designs.

Here's a snip from Sound on Sound magazine editor Paul White's review of the RP8's and the RP5's -

"These may not be KRK's most expensive monitors, but they are ideally suited to the majority of project studio applications, delivering clarity and a decent amount of bass extension in a compact and affordable package. I really liked working with the Rokit 8s, but when switching to the Rokit 5s there was no sense of being fobbed off with a small sound — these are great little monitors for this UK price. All speakers built to a cost involve design compromises, but I feel the designers have done well in this respect to deliver a range of well-engineered, affordable active monitors with no significant vices. Whatever corners have been cut, they don't affect the ability of these monitors to let you hear a properly balanced mix with clarity and detail."

.
 
Very nice!! Thanks for the info... I am going to check into these. Looking forward to hearing the 2031A's as well.
 
I would recomend checking out either the KRKs or a set of events. I'm currently useing the Even ASP 8s and have fallen in love with them but by the sounds of things their out of your price range.
 
ssscientist said:
Whoever spoke well of the dreaded NS10's is a God damned liar.

They are the some of the most miserable speakers ever made, and I suffered through many a mix trying to cut thru the wool and murk of the NS-10's to hear what was REALLY going on.

I have a set of KRK RP5's at home now that sound great, are not fatiguing to listen to and, best of all, keep me from struggling to hear what's going on in my mix.

.
Click to expand...

i love my ns10m's...

they keep my (lack of) mixing skills in check. i cant build up an ego about being a good engineer because if it sounds like shit, it emphasizes the shittyness.

if you can make it sound good on them, it'll sound good on anything....

i'm not saying i made anything sound good anywhere though.. :D
 
and multiple monitor setups is good.

well, its great really.

i want to get a second pair of monitors myself sometime this year.

really, you kinda need something else to check your mix on. i use my NS10's, and my audio technica atm40-fs headphones, (or whatever the model is...)

then i check on ipod earbuds, then on laptop speakers.

oh, i also check on my PA too, my beautiful JBL's..
 
Yeah I hear ya... I absolutely love it when I get to listening to them on the PA! I pretty much take those same steps through the home stereo, car stereo, compter, etc...

I have gotten to the point with the samson where I know them pretty well and the sub made a BIG difference. But I would like to eventually get away from them and have a couple sets of good monitors. So we will see what the 2031A's do. For the price I got them for, I am sure I could turn them around if I didn't like them.

I am going to look at, and try to listen to, the KRK's and event. And I do appreciate the feedback on the NS10's even the negative. I have heard these before a while back and I myself was amazed at the sound from them. Didn't like the low output but that's ok too as long as I have the other set and the PA.

So with that being said, I am definatley going to get the NS10's, I just want to make sure they are the right ones as far as condition and all. So I am on the search now for the NS10's and also look into testing the KRK's and Events. I think no matter what I will be getting something with the 8" woofer so I will look into the RP8, TR8, and also the 20/20 BAS. Maybe I will just break down and say hell with it and go right to the 824's!!
 
I would recommend against the 824s personally. They sound good but only if your pusing a high dB level through them. If you're goign to spend that much on a pair I would recomend looking into either the BM5As by Dynaudio, the Event ASP 8s or the new JBL moniters. All of which are much higher in quality then the Mackies in my opinion.
 
KamikazeKyle said:
I would recommend against the 824s personally. They sound good but only if your pusing a high dB level through them. If you're goign to spend that much on a pair I would recomend looking into either the BM5As by Dynaudio, the Event ASP 8s or the new JBL moniters. All of which are much higher in quality then the Mackies in my opinion.
Click to expand...

uhhhhh.. why do you say that? what is your experience with them that you would even say that? have you used the new JBL's either??

everyone else raves about the 824's. i think the JBL LSR4300's sound like a killer concept, but i've never used either.
 
KamikazeKyle said:
I would recommend against the 824s personally. They sound good but only if your pusing a high dB level through them.
Click to expand...
Tell that to my 824s which work as well at 50dBSPL as they do at 90dBSPL. I wouldn't trade them for anything short of an Adam P22, which is twice the price.

Look, dturcotte, you're never EVER going to get any useful information on how speakers or microphones sound from text messaging. Everybody here has different ears, different rooms and different tastes.

Grab some CDs that you're so familiar with that the'll make you puke if you have to listen to them one more time and head down to your closest dealer and give them a test listen.

If you can't do that, then order what looks good to you from a place with a proper return policy. Try them out. If they work for you, great. If not, then return them for your 2nd choice. You won't be ANY worse off that way than you will by looking for a concensus here; both ways are equally blind pot shots.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Grab some CDs that you're so familiar with that the'll make you puke if you have to listen to them one more time and head down to your closest dealer and give them a test listen.
Click to expand...

So, you're saying take these CDs and whichever
speaker they sound the best on, you should
get that speaker? What if that particular speaker
is all hyped in the highs and the base, so as
to make the music sound better? And the
speaker that's actually flat in response has
your CD's sounding unimpressive compared
to the speaker with the bass boost.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top