Really confused about Studio/Hi-Fi Speakers

[admin_exported]

Hello everybody,

I think this topic have been done a lot of times but i want to explain my situation, thank you for reading.

I'm a student (so don't have lot of money) but i'm really fond of music and Hi-Fi. I'm actually producing a little bit of music just for the pleasure, i'm also playing piano and listening to all kinds of music : Classical, Electronic/House music, Pop, rock, and sometimes a bit of Hip-Hop.

I've already had some set of speakers like the Yamaha's HS80 (i didn't enjoy them, found them without dynamic, without soul). Now, i have a pair of FOCAL XS, i know they aren't really studio speaker but they match my expectations, good sound and they don't take too much place !

I'm looking now for "REAL" studio/hi-fi speakers, i can spend 500 Euros, and i've already look for the B&W's 685 and the Arcaydis DM1.

What do you think about this ? And did you have any suggestions ?

Thank you very much (sorry for the faults in english, it's not my mother language)

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Student,

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

Maybe you can give a summery of your hifi setup so the people here can give you some suggestions of what they think what speakers will match with your amplifier, cd player etc. Last but not least; if possible try the speakers at home before buying.

Good luck!

 

[Overdose]

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

More correctly, studio monitors are designed to give a flat frequency response and therefore portray a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. Soul doesn't come into it, what you presumable mean by soul though, is colouration. Studio monitors are designed to avoid colouration.

Soul is in the music and not the equipment.

 

[relocated]

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

More correctly, studio monitors are designed to give a flat frequency response and therefore portray a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. Soul doesn't come into it, what you presumable mean by soul though, is colouration. Studio monitors are designed to avoid colouration.

Soul is in the music and not the equipment.

Absolutely correct Overdose.

 

[Anonymous]

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

More correctly, studio monitors are designed to give a flat frequency response and therefore portray a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. Soul doesn't come into it, what you presumable mean by soul though, is colouration. Studio monitors are designed to avoid colouration.

Soul is in the music and not the equipment.

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

 

[WishTree]

Hello Student,

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

Maybe you can give a summery of your hifi setup so the people here can give you some suggestions of what they think what speakers will match with your amplifier, cd player etc. Last but not least; if possible try the speakers at home before buying.

Good luck!

+1

If you are on such shoe string budget and want to enjoy the music too, then you buy two sets of speakers 250 Pounds each. One for HiFi and one for recording.

250 pounds is not really pocket change and there are some competent speakers like Wharfedale D9.1 or Tannoy Mercury V1 which are excellent for the asking price. Also look into Adam series for studio monitors as they are tremondous value for money (I was told!)

 

[Overdose]

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

More correctly, studio monitors are designed to give a flat frequency response and therefore portray a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. Soul doesn't come into it, what you presumable mean by soul though, is colouration. Studio monitors are designed to avoid colouration.

Soul is in the music and not the equipment.

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

That sounds like typical vague and flowery nonsense to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul. Of course there are exeptions ( B&W Nautilus etc. ) But then we are talking about a different price range. I have the feeling that is not what you are looking for.

More correctly, studio monitors are designed to give a flat frequency response and therefore portray a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. Soul doesn't come into it, what you presumable mean by soul though, is colouration. Studio monitors are designed to avoid colouration.

Soul is in the music and not the equipment.

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

That sounds like typical vague and flowery nonsense to me.

Maybe you should start a new topic and substantiate your opinion.

 

[omnibeard]

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

That sounds like typical vague and flowery nonsense to me.

Maybe you should start a new topic and substantiate your opinion.

Not sure that needs substantiating - he's right, it is vague and flowery nonsense. I have a fairly expensive pair of active monitors in my home sudio (not going into make or exact cost) and the point of studio monitors is to reproduce sound as flatly/accurately as possible. Often this will result in a sound that might be harsher/weaker/bassier/less bassy (and so on) than I intend the final recorded music to be. Playing the music back on my various "hi fi" set ups results in massively different results - but it's the same recording, with the same amount of "soul" put into the playing/mixing of various instruments. What you generally get from a "hi fi" set up IS colouration. I'm not saying that is a bad thing - it can make stuff sound really great. Not sure what "soul" actually means but it's nothing to do with the equipment the music is played back on.

Not meaning to be rude, but are you kind of contradicting yourself? On one hand you say "Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul" but on the other you say "With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning". If the soul is there in the recording's musical meaning, then studio speakers surely cannot "give the music without any soul". It does indeed sound like you do mean "colouration" by "soul".

I might be wrong though!

 

[Richard Allen]

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

That sounds like typical vague and flowery nonsense to me.

Maybe you should start a new topic and substantiate your opinion.

Not sure that needs substantiating - he's right, it is vague and flowery nonsense. I have a fairly expensive pair of active monitors in my home sudio (not going into make or exact cost) and the point of studio monitors is to reproduce sound as flatly/accurately as possible. Often this will result in a sound that might be harsher/weaker/bassier/less bassy (and so on) than I intend the final recorded music to be. Playing the music back on my various "hi fi" set ups results in massively different results - but it's the same recording, with the same amount of "soul" put into the playing/mixing of various instruments. What you generally get from a "hi fi" set up IS colouration. I'm not saying that is a bad thing - it can make stuff sound really great. Not sure what "soul" actually means but it's nothing to do with the equipment the music is played back on.

Not meaning to be rude, but are you kind of contradicting yourself? On one hand you say "Studio speakers are designed to give the music without any soul" but on the other you say "With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning". If the soul is there in the recording's musical meaning, then studio speakers surely cannot "give the music without any soul". It does indeed sound like you do mean "colouration" by "soul".

I might be wrong though!

As a person who has worked in studios I think the word "Analytical" comes into the conversation. That word in the studio sense is absolutely essential and I've worked with speakers that weren't 'flat response'. The job in the studio for a speaker is different than a HiFi.

In the studio I wasn't 'listening' to the music. I was 'looking' into the mix i.e. separation, placement etc. At home, I 'listen' to music without dissecting what I'm listening to and, with a few exceptions ( very few actually ) found studio monitors so "in yer face" it wasn't funny.

I agree with Omnibeard here. HiFi is about a degree of colouration whether we like it or not. I also think that the OP should use his existing speakers for HiFi duties and maybe invest in a pair of Behringers for mix work. Just my opinion.

 

[steve_1979]

It's worth pointing out that there are generally two different types of studio monitors.

1. Some studio monitors sound awful because some of the frequencies are exaggerated to help audio engineers pick out sounds in the music. The old Yamaha NS-10 speakers are an example of this type of monitor.

2. The other type of studio monitors are designed to reproduce the sound with as little distortion or colouratation as possible in order to get a true picture of what the music really sounds like. IMO this type of monitor is an absolute pleasure to listen too and beats most conventional hifi systems by a mile. ATC speakers are a good example of this type of monitor.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Should we not go back to the first post and ask why do we want 'REAL' monitors? As well explained here they are for a specific purpose ie to deliver an accurate 'copy' of the original recording. Home acoustics and personal taste/hearing will dictate whether this overall presentation is to our liking. If not then we take time to match speakers, electronics & room treatments to try to find a more pleasing presentation. Warmth, colouration & room acoustics combine giving us a sound which may be interpreted as soul or passion etc which are not measurable acoustic properties but human emotion.

Korr. Did I just say that?

Cheers

 

[andyjm]

It's worth pointing out that there are generally two different types of studio monitors.

1. Some studio monitors sound awful because some of the frequencies are exaggerated to help audio engineers pick out sounds in the music. The old Yamaha NS-10 speakers are an example of this type of monitor.

2. The other type of studio monitors are designed to reproduce the sound with as little distortion or colouratation as possible in order to get a true picture of what the music really sounds like. IMO this type of monitor is an absolute pleasure to listen too and beats most conventional hifi systems by a mile. ATC speakers are a good example of this type of monitor.

A BBC studio would have a main set of monitoring loudspeakers with as neutral a performance as possible to mix the programme material, then it was quite common for other speakers to be substituted via a selector switch to see how the mix sounded on equipment likely to be found in a domestic environment.

Worth pointing out that there is a world of difference between nearfield monitoring loudspeakers (where most of the sound goes directly from speaker to ear - very common in a mixing room environment with speakers on top of the desk) and farfield (where significant portions of the sound arrives after interacting with the room - very common in a large studio playback or at home). Putting a nearfield monitor in a farfield position is unlikely to be a winner.

Student, if you want to learn about this, the BBC have recently published their white papers on the design of the LS 5/8, the LS 5/9 and the LS 3/5a studio monitors. Don't be put off by the age of these docs (mid 70's), the work done by the BBC is the basis of many modern designs. The LS 3/5a is still manufactured and is considered by many to still be the best small studio nearfield monitor available.

 

[steve_1979]

It is a more technical description. But in general I agree. With soul I do not mean colouration, but the recording's musical meaning.

That sounds like typical vague and flowery nonsense to me.

+1

The 'soul' of the music is what's on the original recording. Soul is the artists talent and emotion captured in a recording. Speakers don't add soul to music they can only add distortion and colouration.

I like accurate and uncoloured sounding speakers where some people prefer coloured (warm or bright) sounding speakers. Different people have different tastes. If some people like the sound of colouration then that's fine by me - I hope that they enjoy whatever sounds the nicest to to them.

All a speaker does is reproduce sounds. Some music has the artists soul and emotion recorded into the sound and that that sound can be reproduced by a speaker. But lets not confuse things by saying that "studio monitors are designed to give the music without any soul" because that's just not true.

 

[Overdose]

Whether you like an 'in yer face' sound, flat response, accurate sound, coloured, or any other presentation, if you start off with equipment that has colouration built in, you've already strayed from the fidelity path and are now on the road to upgrade pain, with various tweakings to further change the presentation not too far off the horizon, all the while you are striving for 'better', but only achieving 'different'.

A good pair of neutral speakers, monitors or otherwise, must surely be the place to start before properly affecting tone with an EQ or some such device.

I don't think colouration is neccessarily a bad thing, but the path some people take is rather convoluted.

Regarding nearfield monitors, I thought that the differentiation between them and farfields/hifi speakers, was that nearfields are designed to give better cohesion between drivers close up and that this would not adversley affect sound further away, as the soundwaves are dispersed? For example, a hifi speaker would not be ideal to listen to close up, but a monitor would be fine. I certainly don't have any particularly noticable adverse effects from my speakers at around 3m.