Monitors reviews: The missing link

  • Thread starter Thread starter SergeD
  • Start date Start date
monitor heads from mars

what about the sat sub, active's...the new stuff like Blue Sky sets?

i sense alot of resistance to the sat/subs, but some seems to be pure "anti-change".

the nearfield in conception and intention, was to hear the mix in an avg. joe setup, instead of the $$$ monitors.

so as the auratones moved over for the NS10's...the NS10 type will move over for the sat/sub...for nearfield?

Roll Over Beethoven... dig these sats and subs...
 
bleyrad said:
Take a look at the schematics for YSM1P's.
Then take them apart and take a look at the drivers. And the components used in the amp if you want.
Then take a look at the build quality: nice MDF, a perfectly tuned flared port, rounded front baffle edges, heavily braced cabinet, lots of dampening.

These are serious speakers. I don't have a clue how they manufacture them so cheaply. There is at least 6-7x the component cost in them than any other sub-$1000 monitor I've ever seen. I also have Wharfedales which have amps that look to cost 1/10th the price and the worst drivers I've ever seen. They do sound "warmer" than the Yorkies but I think this is a matter of heavy colouration; they have a pretty prominent midrange bump, poor HF extension, and a fair bit of distortion.

About the only thing you could do better is to use low-ESR capacitors in the opamp loops and of course, you can always go up in terms of drivers. I'm trying out some Morels in mine shortly.

Also keep in mind that a well-designed active biamp hold a significant advantage over a passive system. It performs far better for less money. Even a "relatively cheap" active biamp such as in the Yorkies will outperform even the most expensive passive crossover components and design you could possibly have.

Mind you some of the other stuff you see in similarly-priced monitors is not so good. TL072's are often used and phase correction isn't even thought about, which is silly because that's the biggest advantage of an active crossover.
Click to expand...

I agree with you that the Yorks are probably the best of the bunch, and they would be what I would get if I had to spend for monitors in this price range. Otherwise, I'd go up to the ADAMS and/or EMES.
 
never heard of Emes, but i spent last night reading on DynBM6 and 6a's.
and subs.

i agree theres the first level which includes alot types,
then the next level, ~$1,000. but the Yorks may be like the RNC and just have that design to where their top-quality and cheap...rare combo.

going up from there...probably is fine details, quality, and gearhead madness!
 
TheDewd said:
To finalize my statement, I'd like to say that those professionals that mix on sub par quality chineese rubberish class D amplified speakers use them because they are used to how they translate.
Click to expand...
Yup, and I'm used to how mine translate. So, why spend $1000+ on monitors if all you have to do is spend a little time getting used to some sub $1000 ones and spit out some sweet sounding mixes.? It works for me.
Also, the KRK RP8's are not all that bad and much better than the BX8's, Truths, and others that I've heard near its price range.
I see what your saying but still, I see some SERIOUS recording engineers using some of the sub $1000 and that makes me wonder if my mixes are really going to turn out that much better if I buy some crazy monitors.
 
Roi

the ROI... return on investment.
yeah, Goodland.. you bring some common sanity sense back to the equation.
good point.

in a HR bedroom, basment studio too...
at some point, will you really be able to tell the difference?

I think there are levels, between a BX8 and RP8 probably not much difference..a Wharfedale and York probably not huge,huge difference..
personal taste more likely.

but from a B&W 303 to a B&W 802....huge,huge difference, i'd think you could hear the improvement easily...or else there's possibly a room or serious hearing problem. :p
 
TheDewd said:
Any SERIOUS sound engineer should search for flatness and accuracy more than anything else...and this is something cheap monitors can't offer. Sorry, but that'S the truth.
Click to expand...

Dewd, the first part of your statement is easy to agree with, but the second part is way over the top. My experience in pro studios, at home, and from mag reviews tells me that there are plenty of good options for actives in the sub-$1000 range. Flatness and accuracy are relative, especially in any given room, and simply increasing money on monitors will not necessarily provide better mixes. In fact, spending more money on room treatment may have a bigger effect in some cases.

J.
 
Thanks, Coolcat. I needed that. Such stories make me re-think the little I think I know about recording and make me doubt anyone who's too sure of "what is correct". From the emusician article above:

"Similarly, I learned a few years ago that John Leventhal, who was one of my heroes at the time, did the bulk of his mixing on a pair of small Radio Shack speakers. (Leventhal, a New York City-based guitarist, songwriter, and engineer, made his mark by producing Shawn Colvin's acclaimed 1989 record, Steady On.) Leventhal owns both a pair of Yamaha NS-10Ms and a pair of Radio Shack Optimus 7s. But he prefers the latter."

And fortunately, there are lots of these stories, including some great ones in the wonderful collection of pro-recording interviews in Howard Massey's "Behind the Glass".

J.
 
i am thinking about selling the wharfedales and buy rubicons or after reading this topic the yorkvilles.

But the problem here in germany is to find yorkville´s. I know that they are available here but i have to drive a lot to hear them. And i think the prices for them are higher too. 298,00 EUR per piece. Passives go for 150 € p.p but i think my old 150 € sherwood av receiver isn´t good enough.

a question: do the yorkville ysm-1p go really down to 40 hz with an 6,5 `` woofer ? can´t be true.

and what about the new YSM2P ? couldn´t find the price hear but i think those must be cheaper ( 5 `` woofer ) ?

hmmm the rubicons are cheaper, r6a for 430 € so the difference ( i did pay 300 € for my wharfis ) would not be too great :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
fernandoesmaron:

Before I bought my last set of monitors, I listened to both the Rubicon 6A and Wharfedale Pro 8.2a.. on personal opinion I chose the Wharfedales.

Rubicons sound to me to have a better (read, smoother, less harsh) top end than Wharfs, but I found the bottom a little muddy and undefined. The Wharfedales could go a bit lower, but the bass that is there is nice and tight, much more so than the Rubicon (I know Bleyrad would disagree).

Stereo imaging would have to go to the Wharfs also. While there is nothing wrong with imaging on the Rubicons (and the nice top end helps it out), the Wharfs to me let you know where things are in the mix much better.

Anyway I chose the Wharfedale quite easily from the two, but the main point would be don't get rid of yours until you've actually listened to the others extensively, or you don't know what you're getting!
 
Yorkies...yeah, baby, yeah

I was REALLY going to get the Wharfedales but decided to go Yorkville YSM1P as they were more readily accessible and I'd never read anything bad whereas I'd started to read some complaints about the wharfes. Do a search on Bleyrad's comparison and you'll find the Yorkville's are definitely the ones to get. For a home studio, if your music isn't sounding good, it won't be because of these monitors. You'll love them.
 
M is for Monitors

fernandoesmaron said:
i am thinking about selling the wharfedales

:
Click to expand...

your in a good position now.
you can do a direct A/B with your Wharfedales and take the competitor speaker back to the store.

i agree with compostion4. you can listen to the others extensively.

from what i understand it never ends...
the KRK RP's sound great..until you hear the V's..then they sound the best until you hear the....(place X speaker brand here). :rolleyes:

i can relate Fernandoesmaron,
i might be selling my BW303's if i upgrade again.

I've been A'Bing a few months now and the details are better in the JBL Control 5's compared to the BW303. Mainly noticeable in the Vocals but background details too.
the BW303 sound muffled now in direct A/B...

i guess this is typical of monitors. I'm not saying these control 5's are the holy grail... just better detail than the 303.
i got 'em used for like $100-125 or something in trade. a great deal.
the BW303 were supposedly a lot like the DYN BM5 per SOS HiFi article you turned me on to. i paid $150 for the BW303's used, their in MINT...might just keep 'em for stereo or something. i bought 'em, and quality is very,very nice.

I'll be selling everything if i dump for some $1,000 DYN BM5A's...!! :eek: :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top