Crunkfingaz
New member
We’ve all been there, reading magazines/forums/reviews, or going to different studios and coveting their speakers…well now it was my turn. I made a decision that I needed a new pair of “B” monitors. I have my Alesis One’s, my “A” monitors, which are my workhorses having had them nearly 9 years and knowing them inside and out, as well as the NS-10’s which have been used less and less and ended up being sold. The Alesis may not be what is classed as top end studio monitors, but I love them and I would buy another pair without flinching should these one’s give up.
I had been lent a set of KRK 5’s recently, and had not been impressed with them at all, with their over hyped bottom end they’re no doubt fantastic for EDM and Hip Hop/Dubstep, but not for what I was looking at. Same with the Yamaha MSP5’s, HS5’s and Adam A7’s – all great monitors but didn’t have quite what I was looking for after trying them out at my local music store.
I turned my attention to co-axial monitors, with their design benefitting the stereo field, I looked at both the Equator D5’s and the Prodipe TDC5’s – the D5’s I could find lots of helpful information on but there was nothing on the Prodipe’s. I had heard the Equators in action and I was pleased with the results, however, I couldn’t help feel I should give the Prodipe’s a shot. So I did. I ordered the TDC5’s and they arrived in December.
After running them in for 24 hours, I set to work. The first thing I noticed is the stereo image is more accurate than the other 5” monitors I had been using previously. When set up and playing a mix through them, the field is very wide, with the vocals, kick and bass dead centre, and the instruments I had panned L&R were sounding great.
Usually I’m not a fan of desktop mounted speakers, however, these have a 20° angled cabinet which directed them at my listening position, plus, they look nice. I know this shouldn’t be something that matters, as it’s the sound we’re after, but aesthetically, they are very pleasing. The TDC5’s have a much tighter bass response than I was expecting, and thankfully nowhere near as over hyped as the KRK5’s or the Yamaha HS5’s. I did need to adjust the HF to +1db to suit my room, but this is to taste – I’m more used to working on the top end my Alesis give me.
The Mids on the TDC5’s are really good. As in REALLY good, almost rendering the Mixcubes obsolete (I joke, I couldn’t get rid of them). I have been pleasantly surprised with the Prodipes as “B” monitors. I would say that if you need some smaller monitors in the 5” range, and you have a budget, then these would be great – personally I wouldn’t use them to mix on all the time, but to compare mixes and get a different view on what you’re doing, then these are great.
As I said, I found no reviews for the TDC5’s, hence why I decided to write this one. I made a bold decision to buy these monitors blind, but so far I have no regrets, and as with all monitors, I’m sure they’ll come into their own once they’ve bedded in for a few months.
I had been lent a set of KRK 5’s recently, and had not been impressed with them at all, with their over hyped bottom end they’re no doubt fantastic for EDM and Hip Hop/Dubstep, but not for what I was looking at. Same with the Yamaha MSP5’s, HS5’s and Adam A7’s – all great monitors but didn’t have quite what I was looking for after trying them out at my local music store.
I turned my attention to co-axial monitors, with their design benefitting the stereo field, I looked at both the Equator D5’s and the Prodipe TDC5’s – the D5’s I could find lots of helpful information on but there was nothing on the Prodipe’s. I had heard the Equators in action and I was pleased with the results, however, I couldn’t help feel I should give the Prodipe’s a shot. So I did. I ordered the TDC5’s and they arrived in December.
After running them in for 24 hours, I set to work. The first thing I noticed is the stereo image is more accurate than the other 5” monitors I had been using previously. When set up and playing a mix through them, the field is very wide, with the vocals, kick and bass dead centre, and the instruments I had panned L&R were sounding great.
Usually I’m not a fan of desktop mounted speakers, however, these have a 20° angled cabinet which directed them at my listening position, plus, they look nice. I know this shouldn’t be something that matters, as it’s the sound we’re after, but aesthetically, they are very pleasing. The TDC5’s have a much tighter bass response than I was expecting, and thankfully nowhere near as over hyped as the KRK5’s or the Yamaha HS5’s. I did need to adjust the HF to +1db to suit my room, but this is to taste – I’m more used to working on the top end my Alesis give me.
The Mids on the TDC5’s are really good. As in REALLY good, almost rendering the Mixcubes obsolete (I joke, I couldn’t get rid of them). I have been pleasantly surprised with the Prodipes as “B” monitors. I would say that if you need some smaller monitors in the 5” range, and you have a budget, then these would be great – personally I wouldn’t use them to mix on all the time, but to compare mixes and get a different view on what you’re doing, then these are great.
As I said, I found no reviews for the TDC5’s, hence why I decided to write this one. I made a bold decision to buy these monitors blind, but so far I have no regrets, and as with all monitors, I’m sure they’ll come into their own once they’ve bedded in for a few months.