studio monitors - can someone explain?

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nuperspective
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studio monitors - can someone explain?

Post by nuperspective » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:16 am

i'm looking for a pair of studio monitors. however, i'm not sure what i'm looking for. active, passive, powered, unpowered and nearfield. can someone explain the differences and what i'll need to do when setting them up [amps and connections etc].

minimal
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Post by minimal » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:47 am

mmhh.. studio monitors are very subjective, best give it a try in the shop with some CDs you know very well.
I use the Yamaha MSP5, and while for me they are good monotors you'll find some people not happy with them...
My advice would be active ones, in my hopinion the best alternative as the amp and the cones are built to go together, you have less things to connect.

good luck with your choice, take your time before buy them.


all the best and stay groovy

FaX-01
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Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2004 3:58 am

Post by FaX-01 » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:15 am

I'll echo Minimals comments with regards to which speakers are best as it is Subjective and you'll find a broad range of moitors used by most people here I'd suspect.

I gather this is for a home/project studio.

If so.

Here's my advice.

1)Get Actives instead of passives.
Besides Minimal's comments on less cables etc.
You also get amps that match with the correct speaker spec.
Nothing worse when your passives are 4 / 6 or 8 ohms and you
find your amp doesn't match.

2)You definately want "Nearfiled" Monitors for a home studio setup.

3)Get Monitors with a broad frequency spectrum.
Make sure the bottom end is rated between 40-60hz.
Anything rated above 69hz will not give you adequate bass imaging IMHO.

4)Try to find a pair that have good stereo imaging/seperation.
Tight and accurate bass with flat mid's and crisp but not brittle top end.
You don;t want a speaker that will colour the sound to much .
IE:You aren't looking for Hi-Fi gloss in other words.

5)Take along as many CD's as you can and A/B test as many monitors as is humanly possible. See which ones you prefer.
Shop around at various places and see what they have too offer.


Look at -

Genelec
Mackie
Alesis
Tannoy
Samson
Behringer
Krok
BlueRoom
Yorkville
Yamaha

These Brands are pretty much a safe bet.
I swear by my Behringer Truths on pure bang for the buck.
Been rock solid 100% stable workhorses this end.
Though I like the YorkVilles / Tannoy's and Alesis Actives alot also.
The Mackie's where gorgeous but way out of my price league.
Ditto the Krok's I liked (though I've tried mixing with a pair and found the results patchy myself) .
So for me a very tight budget was a huge consideration .
That said alot will depend on which systems you like.
Obviously what you can or can't afford come's into play also.
All the above manufacturers make good active monitors for different budgets and purposes.
So shop around and take your time deciding what's right for you.
My aren't the wings of butterflies beautiful and do they not make wonderful perturbations.....

hambone1
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Location: Abu Dhabi

Post by hambone1 » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:17 am

Also M-Audio BX-8s.

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