X man Da Legend said:
I've been doing a lot of research on monitors for the last couple of months. Of all of the different pairs in my price range these ones seem to be the best. However this is just on paper I cannot find any reason why one monitor is better than the rest outside of that.
I'll speak to what I know (or think I do) here. Reading on paper can only get you so far - you really have to listen to monitors to see what you prefer. There's another thread going on right now which references the Event SP8s and
the Dynaudio BM5As. Those are two of my favorite picks, but they're completely different. The BM5As are really smooth, and good for quiet monitoring that you could listen to all day. The SP8s kick like crazy, and have a pretty bright high end - they'll get your blood flowing. I love both of them, but they're very different.
X man Da Legend said:
What makes the V6s so special.
Nothing, unless you like them more.
X man Da Legend said:
The Mk2 has just as good frequency response as the TR8 why are they so much cheaper?
Because Alesis doesn't have as good of a name in the studio monitor world as Event does. And personally, because I thought the Mk2's had a ridiculously hyped bass response.
X man Da Legend said:
Is there really going to be a huge difference between a 6" woofer and a 8" even tho they hit the smae frequencies?
Huge? Probably not. Big? Yeah, I'd say so. Your 6" woofer will only hit those 40Hz frequencies so hard... the 8" will hit a lot harder. The 6" will be better in the midrange frequencies, though, on average (certain models do better than others).
X man Da Legend said:
I don't want to buy a sub because I already tend to over compensate and I want a monitor that is honest but even after testing the few I have had the chance to I really can't decide what one is best.
I decided not to get a sub because the rooms I'm currently working in aren't treated very well, and a sub has more likelihood of exciting room modes and standing waves than nearfield monitors do. Usually, you can turn the sub up or down relative to the main speakers... but I personally felt that nearfields were more accurate and reliable when I listened to them.
X man Da Legend said:
I'll tell you what I listened to, and what I bought. Like I mentioned, I thought the Alesis M1's have way too much bass in them, and it wasn't a real linear bass, either. I checked out the TR8s, too, but wasn't particularly impressed (don't remember exactly why). Also tried the BX8's, which sounded horrible to my ears in the high frequencies. KRKs are really nice - I listened to the V-series, and also to the Rokit series - I ended up with the Rokit 8's for three reasons: they sounded very similar to the Dynaudio BM5a's (which are very well reputed, sounded amazingly smooth, and were MUCH more expensive), they had lots of kick to them when you cranked them up, and they weren't too expensive. I thought for the money that I got the best deal I could. However, now that I have them, I realize they're a little dark on the top end, and wish they had some more highs in them. But mostly, I just need to get used to that.
There is one factual matter to get out of the way: if you want monitors that you can crank up a good bit and get kicked in the chest, you'll probably want something with 8" drivers (although there are exceptions). This is also true if you're going to be mixing stuff that has lots of really low frequencies - the others may say they can hit them, but they won't be able to get as loud as the 8" ones, probably. If, however, you don't care how loud they get, prefer quieter music, and don't do lots of work with really low freqs, stay with smaller speakers - they'll probably be more accurate on average.
Alright, from here on, listen to them! If you think they sound bad, then that's all you need to eliminate them. You're looking for a speaker that has a flat frequency response that you're happy to listen to all day, so just pick what you think sounds good! When you listen, take in a well-mixed/well-produced CD that you know REALLY well and is similar to what you might be mixing, and listen to the same songs on every set of monitors that you're interested in. This will help you evaluate them more evenly. Listen to see if you hear any major frequency bumps or dips, listen to see if they're harsh to your ears, listen to see how muddy or clean the bass is... those sorts of things.
I'm out of words of wisdom for right now. Anyone else what to chime in?
