Speakers or Headphones for monitors? (for a low price range) What should I choose?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Feanor IV
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Feanor IV

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Hello,

I'm new to the whole thing, so I was just wondering, while looking at various threads here, what's the benefit in using Headphones for monitoring and what's the benefit in using real monitors. Moreover, what money do you think I will have to spend to get something relatively good for headphones and what money would I need to get something equally good in speakers?

Let's take a rather typical example, the AKG 240S, which go for $99. That's what I mean by "relatively good". So, I think my second question can be rephrased as "how much money would I have to spend to buy real monitors as much 'respected' as the AKG 240S headphones?"

BTW, my room is 10 square meters, with a table, bed, books & CDs, that is, the worst thing you can imagine, sound-wise.

Thanks guys! :)
 
Ah, thanks very much! :) Your article is really very interesting and helped me out with this thing! :) However, how much do you think I should "invest" on monitors, keeping in mind that I'm using them in a room with lots of stuff in it? (i mean, it's not a dedicated room or anything like that :()

Thanks in advance,
Menelaos
 
There are many topics on monitors already posted and you should definitely have a look through them. I read them all when I was asking myself similar questions and I decided to get the BX8s. However, you might want to choose something different. Go to a store and try out a few.
 
Hey man, I would say get what you can and just start recording a ton. Sure it's a bitch to mix on headphones, but the AKG's are pretty nice and you could save up for some future monitors and you'll have a nice set of phones. Just referance your mixes on other stuff, like a well set-up stereo.

Let's face it if you're just starting out your mixes ain't gonna sound the greatest anyways probably.
 
@4-Man: yes, that's what I've been thinking of anyway. It's not going to be any professional job, at least until I get some experience...... :)
 
You're going to have a problem with how your mixixng and how your discs sounds. They will sound way different. Go to wal-mart and pick up a 30 dollar stereo setup for your computer w/ a sub. It's be cheap....ANY speakers will help transpose the sound from what you're hearing to the CD better than phones. I've done this, mixing with headphones, even with 240s its fun, don't get me wrong, but when you go to burn your disc, your sound isn't going to be what you expected....your first words will be, "well it sounded a hell of a lot different on the phones"
 
That's very true. Take my advice lightly. It is hard to mix with phones, can be done, but it's much more difficult in the long run. I basically just say, get what you can and do what you can do now, experience is the best way to get great mixes. Plus having a good set of phones is good for a lot of different reasons.

If you do this, you'll basically be EQing and using effects with the phones, but using a real stereo to figure out correct levels for everything. It's very hard to get correct levels in phones.

You can get decent monitors for about $400-500 though.
 
Buy the best monitors you can and write lots of music then make lots of mixdowns. Of course, burn lots of CD's. You'll eventually learn and understand your monitors then be able to naturally make adjustments to your mixdowns so that they sound better in whatever stereo you play them through. I use low end monitors myself (.. inside a regular room in my home as well) but after listening to different things through them for thousands of hours I've learned to automatically adjust certain frequencies that I know wouldn't be present otherwise when the mix is played in my car or boombox.

It's been said before that there are no shortcuts but the idea is to "learn" and the more you learn the less confused you will be when you upgrade to better quality components and environment. Practice makes perfect!


Good luck! :)
 
Here's an idea for ya seein as how you haven't spent the thousands of dollars many here have already.

Start hanging out at open mics & jams at clubs. Play a few songs, get to know some other folks that perform and record themselves. Chances are a certain percentage of the folks you'll meet already have some home recording equipment and have used it for a while.

Collaborate with your new acquaintences on both music and engineering. Even if you don't know much about the front-end of audio engineering yet you certainly know what the end result is supposed to sound like. Everyone knows if something sounds good or not - not everyone can record and mix to get it that way but in time many people can learn it given time, money and interest.

So then your skill to 'trade' in a musician/engineering collaboration are your musical skills and your independent set of ears. While you're collaborating you can pick up skills and be exposed to better equipment than what you may have now.
 
So, if I ever get the money to buy monitors, and I suppose this could be aroung christmas or sth, I would appreciate something near $300-400. Are the Tannoys of that range good? which other monitors would you recommend?
 
Feanor IV said:
So, if I ever get the money to buy monitors, and I suppose this could be aroung christmas or sth, I would appreciate something near $300-400. Are the Tannoys of that range good? which other monitors would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Yes Tannoys are very good. Krix monitors are amazing but there in the 500.00 range. Studiophile makes a tight little monitor bx-5, and bx-8. I just picked up the bx-5 last Friday as a second set of reference monitors, and they sound great. They only cost 299.00. They have a crossover on them as well. I haven't heard better nearfields for that price. There rear ported as well.
 
If I can add from my experience:


Monitors for overall listening and overall feel.

Head phones for detailed listening.

It dosn't need to be horribly expensive.
 
Feanor IV said:
So, if I ever get the money to buy monitors, and I suppose this could be aroung christmas or sth, I would appreciate something near $300-400. Are the Tannoys of that range good? which other monitors would you recommend?
Click to expand...

I own Tannoy Reveals (passive) and have been very pleased with them. In my experiences mixing with them it's been close to a "what you hear is what you get" experience - especially for what would be called budget monitors. With time and trial and error, my mixes have translated well to other systems. Tannoy has active monitors as well, but the price will be quite higher. I picked up my Reveals on eBay over a year ago brand new in the box for $200. You'll need an amp as well for these. I'm using an old Roland amp, but there are ecomical offerings from Samson (Servo) and Hafler too.
 
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