Studio Monitors

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:33 pm

yamaha hs80m or adam a7 seem to be some top picks. i have rokit 5's but really want to move to hs80m's.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:15 am

My AV40s come tomorrow! Stoked!

George · Post by **George** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:19 am

Sloan wrote:yamaha hs80m or adam a7 seem to be some top picks. i have rokit 5's but really want to move to hs80m's.

I don't think I have a need for the 80's but I had my eye on a nice pair of 50's used on eBay then the fucker withdrew the listing. My heart is set on a pair now. The reviews seem great and just what I'm after.

However, hold the phone...

http://www.studiospares.com/studio-moni ... vt/248030/

These look pretty spiffy and cheap. No reviews though, and no way to try them out!

George · Post by **George** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:52 am

This has 2 inputs...

What's the difference between XLR, balanced/unbalanced? Specifically differences to sound. Is one better than the other?

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm

XLR is a balanced input. The TRS (the 1/4" input) can be balanced or unbalanced, depending on what cable you use and the interface you have. It doesn't matter whether it's XLR or TRS, as long as it's balanced. With unbalanced inputs you will have significant hum and interference.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:36 pm

I can fully endorse the AV40s, especially at the price they are going for. Great detail, listening to albums I've heard before every instrument really feels distinct and seperate in the mix. They are also loud as fuck, no need to have them past 10 o clock, really.

I got mine for 117$ shipped.

George · Post by **George** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:55 pm

Thanks for reporting back! They sounds pretty good. How's the EQ on them? Do they sound flat enough?

Happy birthday by the way!

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:42 pm

George wrote:Thanks for reporting back! They sounds pretty good. How's the EQ on them? Do they sound flat enough?

Happy birthday by the way!

They do sound pretty flat. For general music listening I've had the bass boost switch on. Really clear high end, too.

Then again I have no idea what I'm talking about

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:37 pm

This is a question based more on nosiness than any intention of buying anytime soon, but I've always wondered how studio monitors would do as hifi speakers? Currently, I have my PC, PS3 and TV all going through a big hifi with four speakers set up in a massive stereo setup. It sounds awesome, but can be a bit bassy for listening to TV on, it can be difficult to hear what people are saying at low volumes, say at late night or whatever. When I get back from NZ I plan on putting a wee bit of money towards getting a better setup for doing all the things this would do. Studio monitors also have an appeal because mixing half way decently is something I'd like to learn to do. Is there any sense aiming for a setup that will do both or is that unrealistic? I realise that for mixing the more important thing is the shape and layout of the room, which might not suit for watching TV, so any compromise might not even be possible.

johnniespring · Post by **johnniespring** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:49 pm

Al_ wrote:I don't know that there's a whole lot of difference between models at that price point. If you can go someplace like GC and listen to a bunch of different ones side by side that can help narrow the field. But if you're just buying off recommendations it's a bit of a shot in the dark.

Once you get some though, spend some time learning how they sound and represent material in your listening space. Put on a bunch of CDs and other music you're familiar with to get a sense of how they sound on that; so you know what things should sound like when you're mixing your own stuff.

That's the most important thing at any price point. Know your monitors. Listen to lots of music through them rather than just what you are recording.

johnniespring · Post by **johnniespring** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:54 pm

BacchusPaul wrote:This is a question based more on nosiness than any intention of buying anytime soon, but I've always wondered how studio monitors would do as hifi speakers? Currently, I have my PC, PS3 and TV all going through a big hifi with four speakers set up in a massive stereo setup. It sounds awesome, but can be a bit bassy for listening to TV on, it can be difficult to hear what people are saying at low volumes, say at late night or whatever. When I get back from NZ I plan on putting a wee bit of money towards getting a better setup for doing all the things this would do. Studio monitors also have an appeal because mixing half way decently is something I'd like to learn to do. Is there any sense aiming for a setup that will do both or is that unrealistic? I realise that for mixing the more important thing is the shape and layout of the room, which might not suit for watching TV, so any compromise might not even be possible.

studio monitors would be fine. they are just speakers...
You can mix on any setup as long as you know it and know what music sounds like through it. you will always need to test your mixes on other systems just in case though.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:22 pm

Did you decide on a certain pair?

After a week+ with the M-Audios, I think they sound great. If anything, a little bit dull on the highs, but they are great especially for the price.

George · Post by **George** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:03 pm

I've basically narrowed it down to

HS50Ms
Studiospares Seiwns

Just waiting for a used pair to come up for a good price!

Rhysyrhys · Post by **Rhysyrhys** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:12 pm

BacchusPaul wrote:This is a question based more on nosiness than any intention of buying anytime soon, but I've always wondered how studio monitors would do as hifi speakers? Currently, I have my PC, PS3 and TV all going through a big hifi with four speakers set up in a massive stereo setup. It sounds awesome, but can be a bit bassy for listening to TV on, it can be difficult to hear what people are saying at low volumes, say at late night or whatever. When I get back from NZ I plan on putting a wee bit of money towards getting a better setup for doing all the things this would do. Studio monitors also have an appeal because mixing half way decently is something I'd like to learn to do. Is there any sense aiming for a setup that will do both or is that unrealistic? I realise that for mixing the more important thing is the shape and layout of the room, which might not suit for watching TV, so any compromise might not even be possible.

I missed the advancement of this thread. Simple answer is not really. George got it right in his post on the first page, the response from studio monitors and hi-fi speakers are set out differently across the frequency range. This doesn't mean that you can't mix on hi-fi speakers but if you want flat response to get the best from your sources then monitors are a must. Conversely though, once your initial mixing is done and you're happy with the results, its a great idea to take your favorite systems and mix to that to find a happy medium between totally flat and what your listener will hear through their system. I've know engineers who keep around old sony mini hi-fi's and crappy JVC headphones and do there supplementary mixing to those so that they can reference those sorts of things. The guy that I recorded with in my last band kept an old untaxed astra in his parking space because he liked to hear the mixes through that system to see if it would "feel" radio friendly through it's old clapped out speakers. So, no rules except that everyone does there first essential mixing through flat studio monitors so that they can hear all the horrible crap that gets picked up during recording with no sparkles or EQing to cover up bad stuff from takes.

Rhysyrhys · Post by **Rhysyrhys** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:34 pm

honeyiscool wrote:XLR is a balanced input. The TRS (the 1/4" input) can be balanced or unbalanced, depending on what cable you use and the interface you have. It doesn't matter whether it's XLR or TRS, as long as it's balanced. With unbalanced inputs you will have significant hum and interference.

No, sorry. Not quite right. Balanced connections do a lot to remove hum, that much is definitely fact. Significant interference from an unbalanced connection is a bit over the top. Balanced systems use phase cancellation and other audio phenomena to remove unwanted noise such as static from the travel of the cables by checking two cables against each other at the load end, these cables are cased in a weave or metallic braid exactly the same as guitar cables. Normal guitar jacks are unbalanced, because there is only two connections, live and ground (or neutral, I forget) - and with a simple set up as say: Mixer (Stereo Out) > Speaker (x2) it really, really doesn't show in my experience. The problem comes in mainly when you use a balanced connection with unbalanced connections (or vice versa); it's a big world of hurt, you get lots and lots of silly problems. So IMO if your doing something simple - don't worry, if you using a 48-16-4 mixer then worry. Then everything needs to be balanced because your brain will just explode trying fix the problems otherwise.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:50 am

So, bumping this for conclusion, did you ever get the Yamaha HS50Ms?

I am looking for some kind of flat response monitors now that I've been doing more and more of my band's recording work, right now I'm moving between headphones, to shitty PA, to standard computer speakers, to try to get mixes right. I'd like to just "get it right once" and be done with it, but those HS50Ms are expensive.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:45 pm

^i've been using hs80m's for a while now and mixes translate very well.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:32 pm

Cool, I haven't been able to find any used ones though. There's a CL ad right now for BEHRINGER TRUTH B2031A monitor pair that supposedly have good reviews as being nice and flat response also, so I'm trying to talk to that dude to pick those up as well.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:04 pm

I picked up a pair of those Behringer B2031A monitors and I so far have been very, very pleased with them. I was able to complete a mix that had been really difficult to get right thanks to them. I recommend them as a cheaper alternative to the Yamaha's.