new monitors ... ns-10s

B

BuildingStudios

New member
I recently spent the best $200 I've ever spent on equipent (as far as end sound quality goes) for my studio on a used pair of yamaha ns-10 speakers... Well they obviousl dont sound very good (haha the first time i listened to them there was this wierd harsh burning sensation in my ears... i cant explain it. It went away though) Well my mixes have never translated this well befor... for the most part what it sounds like on these monitors is what it sounds like on most systems.. its great!

My question is... So many people dog on them, should i still save up for the mackie powereds or some genelecs? would there be much of a difference. Is the only reason i like the ns-10's so much because im coming off of allesis monitor ones??

Well im gonna stop talking now.... Im just looking for general coments about how ns-10's stack up to other moitors... not necissarily in sound but how well they translate (isnt that the point?)
 
If you can make them work for you, fine.... but IMO, there are many other monitor choices out there that allow you to translate mixes WITHOUT actually hurting you ears in the process with the NS10s abyssmal sound quality.
 
Which ones?

Bear, I know you like the KRKs, do you reccomend those for people who are still "building" their mixing chops or for more experience listeners.

What other brands do you guys feel deliver the same "nakedness" of the NS-10s but w/ out the brutality of their ear shredding mids?

I currently have the Tannoy Reveals passive but have found that my mixes generally are missing the nice silky mids that tend to give overall definition.

Twonky
 
I just got myself in trouble in another forum for sticking up for NS10s. Someone was saying that a famous producer many years ago sent an assistant out to get a mediocre set of home speakers to listen to his mix on, and that the NS10s were the home speakers he returned with. The story continued that the project was a hit, and everyone wanted to follow the formula to reproduce his success, so a grand illusion commenced, a sort of the kings new clothes story, in which the NS10, a mediocre home speaker, found it's way into virtually every studio in the world. The poster went on to say that if you can't create a good mix on NS10s, you can't mix. That's where I lost my composure ever so slightly, and totally offended the guy by saying just the opposite.
NS10s, to the contrary, are famous as the monitors that, if you can make a mix sound good on them, you really can mix, and that mix will translate very well. Many top flight producers own a set and carry them to work in different studios to this day. I'd love to get a pair some day to check my mixes against, but I wouldn't really want them to be my only set of monitors. Yes they force you to mix well, but they are fatigueing to work with, and they take a lot of fun out of mixing. If you can, keep them and get a different primary set of monitors.
Cheers, RD
 
I agree

I've heard the NS-10s...
They are bruitally honest in their assessment of your mix...

If you get a good mix on them - You've got a good chance of having a good composition on other speakers, too....

There are two schools of thought on mixing....
Mine is that you need an "honest"/unbiased opinion through flat speakers to determine how your mix will set with all mediums...

If you get a pair of monitors that accentuate a specific frequency, either know it and work with it, or it will hurt the final outcome of your mixes as a whole...

OR - Buy a pair of flat speakers to control how your sound works on the front end and mix to the audience that will listen the most...

Hope this helps...
 
I'm a total newbie to monitors, and I'm about to purchase my 1st pair....I have kinda thought like riverdog...that they should be very neutral and flat. i was thinking, (since I have found MY mixes to sound awful on $300 monitors, better in my speakers) that this "honest assesment" of your mixes makes them sound bad, but that is what helps them after your tweaking to sound good. I figured it was sort of tough, but if they can sound good on those, they should sound great on speakers. Am I thinking incorrectly? I'm about to go test some at a store...what do I listen for?
 
Re: Which ones?

twonky said:
Bear, I know you like the KRKs, do you reccomend those for people who are still "building" their mixing chops or for more experience listeners.
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They're for anyone who can afford them! If you're a novice, they'll get your started on the right path and make the mixing job that much easier... and if you're more seasoned, you'll simply appreciate what they can do for you (assuming you like their sound to begin with - some people don't!)


twonky said:
What other brands do you guys feel deliver the same "nakedness" of the NS-10s but w/ out the brutality of their ear shredding mids?
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I would give the Yorkies a try.... (YSM-1s) -- there's also the Tannoy Proto-J which I found very similar to the NS-10s (too much so for my taste which is why I stopped using them as secondaries!)
 
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I just payed $170 for new tweeters on my NS10's because I finally blew one after 10yrs. I'd be lost without them and I haven't hear any other monitors yet that I felt like I had to have. I need to try some of the newer ones but for now the NS10's do the job and the price is cheap.

I'd say you if can only afford one pair of monitors they should be NS10's. It's the one pair you are guaranteed to see in every big studio and it's the one way to know you are hearing the exact same sounds that they would hear.
 
no matter what you perfer, you oguhtta learn the NS-10's, even if you move to another set of monitors, you better know the NS-10's or you better carry yours with you EVERYWHERE you go
 
anyone know the difference between NS-10's and NS5 bi-amped moniters? I have the ns5's and i really like them. Whats the difference though.
 
it's probably good to keep the NS10's for reference's sake, but really, i would move on to newer, flatter monitors if only for your health... those things are seriously damaging in so many ways.
 
i haven't heard the MSP10's, but i imagine they're similar to the MSP5's. a friend of mine has MSP5's. i can't believe he paid $800 (CDN) for them. they sound like ass. i can't stand hearing them. they have no bass response and their upper midrange is almost as bad as the NS10's. they honestly sound like $50 speakers. hell, i own $50 computer speakers that sound way better, and i would mix on them before the MSP5's.
 
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The type of amp you use plays an important role in how you monitors sound. I use NS-10's with a Hafler P1500 and they sound much better than they did through a Carver PM175 that I previously used. I like NS-10's for close "in-your-face" detailed listening.
 
bleyrad said:
it's probably good to keep the NS10's for reference's sake, but really, i would move on to newer, flatter monitors if only for your health... those things are seriously damaging in so many ways.
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Dude gimme a break.
 
I thought the point of the NS-10s was to give colored mixes with hyped bass and treble.

People say if you make it sound good on the NS-10s it sounds good on everything... I bet the guys who think this is the way music should sound are the same guys whose graphic EQs at home look like a smile (or even the dreaded EQ V shape).

In fact... if you go to circuit city I give it 9 outa 10 odds some idiot boosted the bass and treble on any given system.... dam them guys at Yamaha were smart.





Reminds me of something... a few years ago I spent a lot of time and money researching and buying my stereo. I picked up just the right speaker / amp / preamp combo… just the right CD player… I ended up with a sweet sounding system that is simply awesome to listen too. It sounds so good it’s like your f**king there.
My friend comes over to check it out and you know what he says? Where’s the EQ, would be cool if you could boost the bass!
 
chances are 99.99999999999999999 % of the albums you like were mixed primarily on NS-10's. The fact remains that if you cant get a good mix on NS-10's you are in trouble. Of course I dont use my NS-10's anymore :)
 
pipelineaudio said:
chances are 99.99999999999999999 % of the albums you like were mixed primarily on NS-10's. The fact remains that if you cant get a good mix on NS-10's you are in trouble. Of course I dont use my NS-10's anymore :)
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Think you might be stretching the truth just a bit here?
:) ;)
 
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