More Monitor questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter digiboy
  • Start date Start date
D

digiboy

New member
Hi Folks


I'm looking at either the Akai DPS16 or the KorgD1600 for a small studio setup in my apartment.

Right now I'm trying to deal with the problem of monitors. I've got my eye on the Behringer Truths (2031's) or maybe The Yorkville YSM1P's. I'm certainly open to suggestions in that price range of around $500...


QUESTIONS:

I am hoping to have the powered monitors serve double duty. I would like to use them as regular home speakers too.. My plan is to connect them to a 15band graphic to adjust them to my taste for casual listening and bypass it for serious mixing...is this a good idea or would it be better for me to try and get used to hearing them flat all the time? Is anyone else here doing anything like that?

Also, I read that theoretically the most perfect near field monitor would be a headset with a flat response. So what about that? Is there a "monitor" headset that delivers a flat response suitable for doing mixes?
Does anyone here have any experience doing such a thing?

Thanks!
Mike b
 
JBL LSR25P

These are currently $500 at Mars, Guitar Center, Musicians' Friend. Search 'em here in these forums, highly recommended by people who know what they're talking about.

You'd be better off leaving your monitors flat. Then you'll know what a good mix should sound like through them.

Headphones are NOT good for mixing.

Read all about headphones and mixing

Queue
 
I'd go with Q LSR25's are by far the best ones available at that price.
Next on my shopping list (when the studio id finished) 5 x LSR25's and a LSR sub for my home surround system
 
nearfield monitor mania cont'd

OK I have checked the specs on the JBL LSR25P 's and I see they are reported to be very flat and transparent....but with a sharp drop off below 70Hz. I don't doubt that people get good results with these but i'm trying to understand the science behind it.

I understand the need for a flat response but with monitors like these JBL's, wouldn't I have a natural tendancy to push the low end of the mix because of the lack of it in their perfromance? Could you elaborate a bit more on why you recommend them?

Seems like a lot of near field monitors, another example being the Yammy YSM10's, are exepcted to sound crappy and then you adjust to them and they deliver a good mix. But since you have to "adjust" to any near fields, maybe flat response isn't really the important thing. I would think clarity and detail would really be key because that's not something your ears can compensate and adjust to if it's lacking. So is that what makes these JBL's so good? If so, then could I add a subwoofer to balance out the low end and still do proper mixes with them?

Thanks for the info, trying to make a good decision with very limited funds.
 
Can I recommend you read the other threads about monitors? and in particular the LSR?

I'll try and summarise it. The LSR series was designed from scratch, they started with throwing away the book. This has resulted in a small monitor subtantially better suited to its purpose than any near competition.
The simple facts are that it is not realy possible to build a small enclosure to accurately transmit frequencies below 70Hz, and it is equally difficult to build a small size speaker to do the same. Where a manufacturer decides to go for an unrestricted (or boosted even) low end in a small monitor anyway, it is in the mojority of cases achieved to the cost of overall sonic performance / accuracy.
Other plus points to the LSR are the wide dispersement, leading to a pretty big sweet spot for such a small monitor, and the components, which are especially designed / build for the purpose.
The LSR is becoming something of a standard small monitor for many large studios, especially for post production and 5:1 mixing establishments.


In the end, the best way to see if you like them, is to try them.
 
Monitor madness

Hey folks
I have been reading thru the other threads as Sjoko2 suggested. You certainly make a strong case for the JBL LSR25P's . I have to admit I am re-thinking my ideas on near-fields.

I understand how important it is that a monitor be very accurate in that 80-2000Hz range to get a good mix.
I am working in a very small room but I'm still concerned I might have a tendency to push the low end in the mix if i use those little JBL's.

(At the JBL website they include something in the LSR25P specs called "low frequency extension"...sorry if this is a dumb question but what exactly is that??)

Also, everyone is saying go and listen to different monitors, then pick the ones that sound best...but my sense is that monitors are not supposed to sound "good" at least not in the same sense that home stereo speakers do. So how do I demo them? From the comments i have read, if i went by my ears i would probably pass up monitors like the Yammy NS-10's as everyone seems to agree that they sound like crap.

Well I'm going to at least try to get to hear the JBL's before i decide now. But if I don't like them...maybe that means they are good???? BTW-All the shops mentioned are selling them for $600/pr now so I guess I missed out on a sale or something. Please report any $500 sightings.

Appreciate any further comments

Regards,
Mike B
 
Instead of starting a new thread, may I butt in and ask a question? I'm like digiboy, looking at monitors. Am I REALLY gonna have to spend $500 to get a good pair of monitors? Ouch!

Plus, in short, what's best- passive or active? Thanks.
 
My $.02 as a newbie

I decided to pursue this in the Newbie Forum so I moved my questions over there. You might want to check the threads there. I also recommend you do a search around the forums. You'll find Sjoko2, Queue, and several others have some very solid info for you to read.

I'm not going to give you any heavy advice since I'm not an expert. Just been researching a lot.

I know the advantage of active is that hopefully the manufacturer has mated the speakers and crossovers and amplifiers properly for you which is very important.You really want to get all that right for mixing.

There are cheaper active nearfield monitor sets but for me...up to now I haven't liked the sound of anything in my price range of $500. I heard the Events and the Rolands and hated them. To complicate matters I read that Yamaha NS10's (which are passive) are a good choice even tho they sound terrible. Where does that leave me??? Maybe some of those other "bad" sounding monitors are a good choice too but how can I tell?
A few people here were pushing the JBL-LSR25's so I read up on them. The very WORST report I found about them was in SOS and it said they are weak in the low end but still admitted they are incredibly flat and accurate above 85Hz and would be a very good choice for nearfield work. So I found a place to demo them and out of the near-field monitors I have heard that I could afford, these were the only ones I actually liked. I mean liked a lot! I'm giving them a test run at home right now and I'm pretty sure they are NOT going back to the shop.
 
Thanks digiboy and soko. I'll head over to the newbie forum. Sounds (no pun intended) like the JBL's ARE the bomb!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top