Studio Monitors

Edward_Alexander

@animalelder said:
I got a pair of IK iLoud MTM recently, as they were $100 off and sold individually so it was $200 off a pair. Each monitor comes with a measurement mic and it’s built in to the monitor itself.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmtm/

I'll second the iLoud recommendation!

I bought a pair of the previous gen models second hand for $140, and that was probably the best $140 bucks I've ever spent on my home studio setup. I can only imagine how much better the new generations are!

I love my iLouds!

ervin

@espiegel123 said:

@ervin said:

@espiegel123 said:

@ervin said:

@espiegel123 said:

@drcongo said:
Thank you all, too many names to @ mention as there's so much great stuff here. All the monitors mentioned are basically the shortlist that I'd already put together, so good to know I was on the right track. Currently trying to narrow it down further than Adam T7s, KRK RP5 or some nice white Kali Audio things though I do worry about the mentions online of hiss on those.

@NeuM I used to think like you until I actually tried doing my mix on a flat response and discovered how much better the end result was when I played it on all my usual test speakers - a crappy mono BT box, HomePods, 19 speaker system in my car and so on - and it was perfect on every one of them. It just helps you get it right first time.

@drcongo : I think if you go somewhere to audition the speakers side by side with full-range material you know well, you will know right away what you like.

One thing to keep in mind about that though: if you go somewhere that is not your studio / room to listen to speakers, you will end up choosing the best one for THAT environment and not your place. So there's that.

That's true...but as long as it is a good listening environment, it will generally give a good sense of what the speakers themselves contribute...but that environment does need to be good. A lot of music stores aren't set up well. It should give a good relative sense of the speakers...ideally you could also test in your studio but that is rarely an option.

The hidden issue is that we need to be aware of what the room contributes and set things up as much as possible to minimize the room's problems...which is often a matter if moving the speakers to the right spot (not too close to the walls) and dampening a few key corners. One of the great things nearfield monitors brought to the game was being able to reduce the room's contribution.

I agree, with one exception. Given the category of speakers the OP is interested in, it would be possible to order the three best candidates online, test them in situ and keep the winner. Admittedly not the most elegant solution, but definitely not impossible. And if he orders everything from the same vendor (so they end up getting the money regardless of his choice), it’s not even unfair imho.

I'd agree if OP also compared the speakers in a good environment first. A downside of not comparing them all in a good environment is that if one pair of speakers sounds significantly better in the home studio than in the good environment -- it is a clue that the environment needs some work [which might be as simple as moving the speakers and/or putting a some foam on a ceiling corner].

🤝

richardyot

@mrufino1 said:
You’re not really looking for “better” in monitors as much as honest and revealing. Yes, that’s part of better, but monitors being pleasing to your ears is not really the aim, as that can fool you into thinking the mix is better than it really is.

To be honest I think these two criteria are one and the same. Over the four decades of research and blind testing at Harman Kardon, listeners at all levels (from experts to neophites) overwhelmingly preferred speakers that measured as flat in anechoic chambers. Speakers that measure as flat are good speakers.

animalelder

@mistercharlie said:
@animalelder I tried some of those iLouds out last year, and compared them to my Yamaha HS8s. I was blown away by how close they were. In fact, the imaging accuracy of the iLouds was a lot better than the HS8s.

Bass was almost as good. I was all set to keep them, and sell the Yamahas, but for a few things. My guitar sounded better through the bigger speakers (all-analog signal path, via mixer and analog amp-sim pedal), and I realized that it was way more hassle to sell the HS8s than to just return the iLouds.

Also, the iLouds were black, and I prefer white speakers against white walls

Same, I got the white ones space is always an issue for me so these were the better choice…but I’ve always wanted NS8s and thereby HS8s in lowering my dreams

maxwellhouser

Just want to add another experience with the Adam TV series. I've had the T7V's for about a year now in my home studio. My room is not ideal but has some treatment. I'm using Sonarworks Reference room correction software as well. I've never been able to have mixes that translated so well from home before this. I also make the mids sound right with a mono Avantone monitor and check with Beyer headphones etc... Insane that the Adams were $500usd for the pair.

Gravitas

My monitoring configuration is very retro.

I use Alesis Monitor One’s mk2’s paired
with an Omniphonics Footprint 75 amplifier.

The amplifier was approx £300 twenty five years ago.
It’s solid, worth double the cost.
Quiet, powerful and not prone to distortion.
Even at full volume, crystal clear.
Really well made.
The Alesis’s have also stood the test of time.
Combined they only costed £500.
I needed something midway between pro and consumer
as I was working in a lot of studios back then when I bought them.

Now, if I were to get active speakers I’d be looking at either Dynaudio’s or Focals
though I have heard really good things about the Adam T7V’s.
The iMonitor Loud’s 2nd gen look interesting as well.
I need to hear mixes through them first though.

mrufino1

@richardyot said:

@mrufino1 said:
You’re not really looking for “better” in monitors as much as honest and revealing. Yes, that’s part of better, but monitors being pleasing to your ears is not really the aim, as that can fool you into thinking the mix is better than it really is.

To be honest I think these two criteria are one and the same. Over the four decades of research and blind testing at Harman Kardon, listeners at all levels (from experts to neophites) overwhelmingly preferred speakers that measured as flat in anechoic chambers. Speakers that measure as flat are good speakers.

Yeah, you’re correct, I didn’t really phrase what I meant very well. What I meant was the speakers that sound the most pleasing or impressive upon first listen (and probably more listens beyond that) are not always the best when it comes to being a tool for critical listening. And of course listening environment plays a HUGE role.

With that being said, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the choices that have been mentioned. And having heard some very nice focal and barefoot monitors in spaces that are excellent mixing spaces, there is a difference when you get in that price range. That price range is not mine, sadly…but my Yamaha hs-5’s are working well and I just spent a week with the 306P mkii again and in that space they were very cool. In my space I probably should have gotten the 305 instead.

The ARC3 software really does help, but I still hope to build a better listening environment in the future.

Telefunky

@Gravitas said:
My monitoring configuration is very retro.

I use Alesis Monitor One’s mk2’s paired
with an Omniphonics Footprint 75 amplifier.

The amplifier was approx £300 twenty five years ago.
It’s solid, worth double the cost.
Quiet, powerful and not prone to distortion.
Even at full volume, crystal clear.
Really well made.
The Alesis’s have also stood the test of time.
Combined they only costed £500.

The important part can be read between the lines: continued listening experience
If you really know your monitors, any solid pair will do.

Gravitas

@Telefunky said:

@Gravitas said:
My monitoring configuration is very retro.

I use Alesis Monitor One’s mk2’s paired
with an Omniphonics Footprint 75 amplifier.

The amplifier was approx £300 twenty five years ago.
It’s solid, worth double the cost.
Quiet, powerful and not prone to distortion.
Even at full volume, crystal clear.
Really well made.
The Alesis’s have also stood the test of time.
Combined they only costed £500.

The important part can be read between the lines: continued listening experience
If you really know your monitors, any solid pair will do.

Agreed.

Lurcher

I have the Kali audio LP-6 (in white) & suffer from no hiss whatsoever - use decent leads. The fact they are front ported as well so can go close to the wall in a small space was a big part of the choice for me. Absolute revelation compared with my previous set-up. I love them!

drcongo

I ended up with a pair of KRK Rocket 5. If my new interface ever turns up I'll let you know how they turn out.

NoiseHorse

So basic question for those of you who got new studio monitors that have room compensating EQ adjustments on the monitors themselves:
1-what reference track did you use to adjust your new monitors’ Eq to your liking for your room?
2-did you find your mixes sounding different (better hopefully, but specifically more treble, bass, mids, stereo spread, etc After you got your monitors?

rs2000

@NoiseHorse said:
So basic question for those of you who got new studio monitors that have room compensating EQ adjustments on the monitors themselves:
1-what reference track did you use to adjust your new monitors’ Eq to your liking for your room?
2-did you find your mixes sounding different (better hopefully, but specifically more treble, bass, mids, stereo spread, etc After you got your monitors?

1. Many! Setting EQ is a continuous process (for a while), you can't do that with only one track.
2. Good question. At least the "errors" in the mix have become more obvious but checking the mix on different systems - including car audio and BT speakers in my case - is what made the biggest difference. Which somewhat questions the necessity of expensive studio monitors.

If I had to name the most important advantage of my pair of A5X, it's certainly that they don't sound like loudspeakers but they just present the music, simply said, and that helps when listening for a long time.

mistercharlie

@rs2000 said:

If I had to name the most important advantage of my pair of A5X, it's certainly that they don't sound like loudspeakers but they just present the music, simply said, and that helps when listening for a long time.

Same with my Genelec 8030s. The music is just there.

I use the DIP switches on the back to tweak mine. One tip is to not be afraid of cutting something drastically. For instance, I have mine on a desk, close to the rear wall. I didn’t want to cut the bass too much, as these aren’t big speakers to begin with. But I ended up using a -4dB cut, and all it does is reduce the unwanted boom.

I also thought about getting a mic to calibrate for the room, but then I realized I’m not running a pro studio. I only need that accuracy when doing the final mix, and even then, the most valuable trick is to listen to the mix on several sets of crappy speakers and headphones.