OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Peevy
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OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Peevy » Sun Jun 26, 2011 9:01 pm

I'm using a set of Behringer B2031Ps powered by a Marantz Integrated Amplifier (I know I should really be using a proper power amp with these) & while they have served me well enough over the past 3 or 4 years or so, I think its time to get a set of Active Monitors. Mixing will be the main purpose for the new monitors but I'd also be using them for writing/composition. I'd love to get the more high end models fromm Genelec, Adam & Dynaudio but my budget just won't stretch that far, I almost broke the bank this week buying the NI Komplete Audio 6 usb interface ( which is amazing by the way)

My budget is around the £300 - £450ish mark but if I have to I'd maybe stretch to £600 - £700 but I'd really prefer to stick to the £300 to £450 range. My studio is small & untreated (for now) so I don't want anything too boomy. I've a very varied taste in music, I'm in a Rock band plus I make a bit of Electronic/DnB/Dubstep myself So something thats ok for mixing Rock right through to Bassy Dubstep would be great.

I don't want to have to get a sub anytime soon (or at all if I can help it) so I based my search on this & of course sound quality & before anyone says it I don't have the luxury of testing anything out because my local music store is FWOABW "CRAP"

Here's what I've come up with so far:

Yamaha HS80M (supposed to be great for getting a decent mix but I'm concerned about the supposed harshness & potential ear fatigue for writing/composition)

KRK VXT4
(I've read a lot of unfavourable opinions on the Rokit G2 series, so I'm staying clear of those but the VXT series seem to get a lot of praise & the VXT4 is suppoesed to do very well in the bass department for their size)

Maybe the Genelec 8020B (I've heard these are really good monitors but I'm almost ruling them out straight away because I think out of the bunch these are the most likely to need a sub, the Genelec subs are very expensive)

KRK VXT6 (If I really have to stretch to the £600-£700 range, I would maybe go for these. Again they've had a lot of praise & very good reviews plus I don't think I'd need a sub for these.

EDIT: I'm gonna add the Mackie MR5/MR8s to the list, I've heard they're pretty good for the price & they get a decent enough review @ soundonsound

ADDED:
Focal CMS 40 (they're supposed to be very detailed with a surprisingly good low frequency response for their size, I'd probably use a cheap sub with these for checking the more extreme lows or just use my DT250 headphones)

Focal CMS 50 (very good reviews for these supposed to be identical in quality to the CMS 40s but with a bit more low end, these are actually going a bit beyond my absolute limit though)

I know the Yamaha HS50M/HS80M gets a lot of praise here & on most other music production forums but the harshness & ear fatigue might put me of a bit for playing/writing my music. Idealy I'd like to be going for the Yamaha HS80M or the KRK VXT4, I'm sorta leaning towards the VXT4 at the minute.

Any help or advice here would be much appreciated :)
Last edited by Peevy on Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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deanthomastunes
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by deanthomastunes » Sun Jun 26, 2011 9:56 pm

Nothing wrong with my KRK Rokit 6 G2s
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Peevy
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Peevy » Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:05 pm

deanthomastunes wrote:Nothing wrong with my KRK Rokit 6 G2s
I've read a lot of bad reports of over hyped low end, & that they're not the best for mixing IE. they don't translate well to a domestic setup. Do you have the Rokit 6s, how are you finding your mixes on them?
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Peevy
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Peevy » Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:23 pm

One other option I'm considering is the Mackie MR5s

Has anyone used or owned these?
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DEEMUSIC
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by DEEMUSIC » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:02 am

I'd wait for the Events 20/20BAS I'm in save mode now in 6 months my Xmas present to me. I have the VXT4 and they do what they do you won't be disappointed.

macmurphy
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by macmurphy » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:00 am

i can assure you the Yamaha HS80Ms aren't harsh or fatiguing.

The Carpet Cleaner
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by The Carpet Cleaner » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:14 am

I own a pair of yam hs-50. Good to do the mixing, but indeed I ll like to havE something else for playing/producing. Same goes for mastering.
For me it's like that :
Yam and mackies have not Pleasant sounds. They good for mixing with 5". For writing and mastering yiu should go for krk or genelec or the like, with 8" drivers.

So if you don't have that much money and you can use Only one speaker and your concern about ear fatigue go for krk or genelecs

Earwax69
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Earwax69 » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:53 am

What I do is I compose with my M-50 headphones. That isolate me from the rest of the house and I can ear even low frequencies quite well. Then I use the HS50m in my final EQing session to make the mix more universal. No need to compose on the HS50m really but they are excellent to reveal small stuff you would ignore even in headphones.

When I listen to Beck or Radiohead in the HS50m, I ear stuff I never heard before in those albums. Its like you got all the instruments separated in front of you, naked, ready to be tweaked at will. Also the HS50m stereo image is strangely strong.

Peevy
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Peevy » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:08 pm

macmurphy wrote:i can assure you the Yamaha HS80Ms aren't harsh or fatiguing.
the HS80s are still on my list the HS series do get a lot of high praise online but how much better would they be than the Behringer B3021Ps I already have? (the Behringer Truth series has actually gotten some pretty rave reviews over the years)
Earwax69 wrote:What I do is I compose with my M-50 headphones. That isolate me from the rest of the house and I can ear even low frequencies quite well. Then I use the HS50m in my final EQing session to make the mix more universal. No need to compose on the HS50m really but they are excellent to reveal small stuff you would ignore even in headphones.

When I listen to Beck or Radiohead in the HS50m, I ear stuff I never heard before in those albums. Its like you got all the instruments separated in front of you, naked, ready to be tweaked at will. Also the HS50m stereo image is strangely strong.
I use the headphones a lot too but I also like to let rip on my monitors when I get a chance.

I'm starting to think I might have to go up to £500 - £650ish range so I'm gonna throw a couple more monitors up here:

Focal CMS 40 (they're supposed to be very detailed with a surprisingly good low frequency response for their size, I'd probably use a cheap sub with these for checking the more extreme lows or just use my DT250 headphones)

Focal CMS 50 (very good reviews for these supposed to be identical in quality to the CMS 40s but with a bit more low end, these are actually going a bit beyond my absolute limit though)

Out of these 2 I'd like to be able to go for the cheaper CMS 40s, has anyone used them or own them? I'd very interested to here some opinions on these.

Thanks
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deanthomastunes
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by deanthomastunes » Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:07 pm

Peevy wrote:
deanthomastunes wrote:Nothing wrong with my KRK Rokit 6 G2s
I've read a lot of bad reports of over hyped low end, & that they're not the best for mixing IE. they don't translate well to a domestic setup. Do you have the Rokit 6s, how are you finding your mixes on them?
Well, I've only just recently purchased them and I have used them on one track so far. Tbh, I think they found fantastic. Yeh, they are Rokit 6s. The highs are particularly good.

I toyed with getting the Mackie MR5s; it just came down to what I could find a better deal on.
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The Carpet Cleaner
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by The Carpet Cleaner » Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:42 pm

using headphones for an extended period of time is not recommended (for your health), it's much better to use small monitors at low level. You should seriously quit this habit.

Peevy
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Peevy » Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:56 pm

deanthomastunes wrote: Well, I've only just recently purchased them and I have used them on one track so far. Tbh, I think they found fantastic. Yeh, they are Rokit 6s. The highs are particularly good.

I toyed with getting the Mackie MR5s; it just came down to what I could find a better deal on.
I might consider the Rockit 6s, I think I can actually demo them in a shop in Belfast (about 35 miles away...not too far)
I've heard they're not as boomy as the Rockit 5s which is a good thing. Plus they're not that expensive (have to keep the lady happy if you know what I mean)
The Carpet Cleaner wrote:using headphones for an extended period of time is not recommended (for your health), it's much better to use small monitors at low level. You should seriously quit this habit.
I hear ya. I mainly use the headphones at night but I very rarely listen at high levels. If I'm composing during the day I'd rather use monitors.
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Cowlash
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by Cowlash » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:15 pm

You should take in to consideration the size of the room you're putting them in as well as trying them out before you buy them.

You wouldn't go and get glasses without trying a few pair on first, would you?

Ears deserve the same attention.

David
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by David » Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:07 pm

I listened to Dynaudio recently, they sounded amazing. The new KRK Rokits are very good to for the money, my sister has them and they sound superb, big sound, detailed.

oblique strategies
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Re: OH NO Not the Dreaded "Which Monitors" Question again!!

Post by oblique strategies » Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:50 pm

The Carpet Cleaner wrote:using headphones for an extended period of time is not recommended (for your health), it's much better to use small monitors at low level. You should seriously quit this habit.
This, unfortunately, is true.

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