WHY NOT STUDIO MONITORS 4 MUZIC?

[Native_bon]

Well cant say anymore. Take a good source Player & listen 4 urself. If i must say, systems like Naim With pre & power amps setup really do impress.. but ur talking 30times the price of a studio monitor.

 

[Craig M.]

@monstrous.

no i'm not. have you heard my speakers? thought not.

i, at least, have heard what i'm commenting on.

 

[MattSPL]

Ive been through several hifi systems of various different price ranges, and i have also come to the conclusion that Active monitors are the way forward

For sheer performance per pound, an active monitor will generally blow the passive competition(+amp) out the water.

 

[Native_bon]

It goes to show at least some people leave in the real world..lolol.. I think it makes them feel good about they expensive setup.. Anyone reading this if u listen 2 studio monitors in same price range As amp + speakers combo, u will be very very surprise at the performance of Studio monitors..

 

[Anonymous]

@monstrous.

no i'm not. have you heard my speakers? thought not.

i, at least, have heard what i'm commenting on.

So you're positive I haven't heard Opals? You're positive that you are in a position to tell what I have and haven't listened to, even your Event Opals, which I have heard? I have heard far better active monitors from working in studios over the last few years, than your opals. I am more than knowledgable about what I'm commenting on and I will stand by my position regardless of how many times you tell me what I have done in this world. Do you know what speakers I HAVE heard? No. So how can you know what speakers I haven't?

 

[MattSPL]

FWIW, I moved from B&W N803's + Krell amplification, to PMC IB1's + Krell amplification, to ATC passive monitors + Krell amp, to ATC Active monitors.

Each change was a step in the right direction to my ideal sound.

Making the move to active apeakers has also stopped the urge to upgrade power amps and use expensive speaker cables, so you save money there too

 

[Craig M.]

@monstrous.

no i'm not. have you heard my speakers? thought not.

i, at least, have heard what i'm commenting on.

So you're positive I haven't heard Opals? You're positive that you are in a position to tell what I have and haven't listened to, even your Event Opals, which I have heard? I have heard far better active monitors from working in studios over the last few years, than your opals. I am more than knowledgable about what I'm commenting on and I will stand by my position regardless of how many times you tell me what I have done in this world. Do you know what speakers I HAVE heard? No. So how can you know what speakers I haven't?

apologies if you have. i based it on the ridiculous comment about them not being enjoyable - these are the most enjoyable speakers i've ever heard, if they weren't i would've moved them on and stuck with what i had. and my experience of the b&w 800 range.

 

[plastic penguin]

@monstrous.

no i'm not. have you heard my speakers? thought not.

i, at least, have heard what i'm commenting on.

Craig, what's the fundamental difference between 'Studio' monitors and others? The only ones I know I've heard are the ATCs.

 

[Craig M.]

@monstrous.

no i'm not. have you heard my speakers? thought not.

i, at least, have heard what i'm commenting on.

Craig, what's the fundamental difference between 'Studio' monitors and others? The only ones I know I've heard are the ATCs.

in the context of this thread pp, i meant pro audio actives. i think you get vastly more sound per pound. the active part is particularly important, they have massive advantages over a passive setup if done right.

this word verification is getting old - every post so far...

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

this word verification is getting old - every post so far...

couldn't agree more... 🙂

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

I see another debate passive vs. active is raging 🙂

let me comment.

I will agree with MattSPL who has said before that at given price point "active monitor will generally blow the passive competition(+amp) out the water". but there are a few exceptions. when reaching certain (rather high) price point R+D, technological innovations, premium components used may swing the balance in favour of a passive system. what I mean is that I have never heard of any active speaker (studio or otherwise) which uses first order crossovers, which are the best solution for music reproduction but not so good solution for drivers (due high levels of distortion that may be incured by driver being forced to reproduce frequencies reaching far beyond their crossover limits). I have never heard of any active speaker using pure class A amplification which is purer than A/B or D which is usually used in active speakers (class A/B amplification introduses crossover distorion and class D introduces ultrasonic ringing). not to mention using feedbackless amps... those are rare in hi-hi and in pro audio probably inexistent. and if ultimate purity of sound is what you're after than a feedbackless amp is what you need. normal amps use feedback which is nothing else as returning signal been previously amplified and is now reamplified with new signal... it's good when you feed a 1kHz signal through an amp (low THD, high linarity, low output impedance) but unfortunately music is anything but a 1kHz tone...

as I see it now studio speakers are more about reaching some consensus between high level of performance and monetary outlay. in hi-fi there are a lot of nuts who are willing to pay a lot of money for their gear, hence price-no-objective segment of hi-fi audio.

however, I'd like to point out now that spending loads of money for some mega buck amp and such speakers doesn't mean you're getting mega buck performance. you simply need to know what your money is buying... 🙂

 

[chebby]

Craig, I thought you had AVI ADM9.1s or some humungous active ATCs. (I forgot which and might have even confused you with 'Messiah' at times.)

Now your sig say's 'Event Opal'. What happened? What did you have before?

(Now Googling Event Opal to try and catch up.)

 

[Anonymous]

Avi Adms anyone! great actives and sub if you need one and look prety good to. At least to me, and really give lots for fairly little money.
Nick

 

[Native_bon]

You can much about technology as much as u want. But i will let my ears do the job. Yes i did mention about some systems when using pre/power amp sound very impressive. but the piont at which ur talking about. The price ratio is not justifiable at all. a product that is 30times more than the price of A studio monitor.

Hence i agree with ur last paragraph.

 

[Craig M.]

Craig, I thought you had AVI ADM9.1s or some humungous active ATCs. (I forgot which and might have even confused you with 'Messiah' at times.)

Now your sig say's 'Event Opal'. What happened? What did you have before?

(Now Googling Event Opal to try and catch up.)

no, i've never owned adms or active atcs. i had atc sia2-150 and scm19 before. what happened? i heard some adms and became very intrigued by actives - in some regards the adms where the best speakers i'd heard, but i would've needed the sub i think and it would take up too much space. the opals are both the best i've heard and the ugliest i've seen.

 

[dannycanham]

There isn't much need for a one versus the other. They are all amps and speakers with different aspects in mind. Some montiors can share more in common with some hi fi's for a type of sound and another set of monitors and hi-fi's can be in a different camp. Hardly one versus the other.

Some people pay a premium for 5 star kit, shiny cables and cherry wood finishes for their front room. Some people pay a premium for theoretical improvements that don't necessarily pay off. Some people pay the dealers cut for chances to demo and talk about and get informed about a range of kit that may or may not suit them. That doesn't mean hi fi as a whole is a rip off. Some buy hi fi only when they find models that interest them at 25% of their release price and choose between a selection of cabling they happen to come across that was thrown in as part of a deal at one time or another or use trading second hand for extended demoing of a range of kit for little cost. If you don't pair to taste and just look at what you can pay for kit in the hi fi market I am sure you will find much more expensive hi fi kit that doesn't suit your tastes as well as a cheaper monitor that you how found that suits you.

 

[songox]

i used to use KRK VXT8 with my dj setup and must say they were pretty crap with low end for a speaker this size! i had to buy the sub KRK 10s and still it could not produce some of the details in the lower frequencies wich were perfectly heard everywhere else - studio headphones, club or hi fi! so i got rid of them and guess what i use my monitor audios bx5 to mix which in my opinion gives me all the sound from top to bottom no problem!

 

[Native_bon]

Well that explains it Dj setup... Humm..

 

[Richard Allen]

In my previous lives in the studio I used a combination of both. Active main monitors for the mix etc and passives for near field monitoring.

It's interesting to note the differences between the two. For example, I mixed a few tracks using Adams. Played back on the Adams, the mix was spot on. listening on a pair of passives, well, it weren't bad.

Also, in the EB camp, we have sold a number of EB1's and 2's to recording studios. Their attitude is "If you're gonna listen to music on these things then maybe we should mix on them as well then. Haven't had a pair back yet from a studio. Also the point made previously about B&W, Nautilus is used in studios as a reference monitor.

I think, without succombing to all the AVI rhetoric, we as an industry should learn a few things from our pro cousins. After all, the music is the end result. Isn't that what matters?

 

[Richard Allen]

I have never heard of any active speaker using pure class A amplification which is purer than A/B or D

You haven't seen the ATC active specs then?

 

[shooter]

Well that explains it Dj setup... Humm..

I presume your reply is to songox?

He has a point though, just looking at the VXT8 spec and the frequency range they cover is 40hz - 22 khz. Not ideal for true studio monortoring as you would need to add a sub just to pick up the lowest note on a pianno which is an A at 27.5 hz.

This means you don't have a true flat response covering the audio band coming from a single unit thus a adding a crossover point and distortion around 40hz.

 

[Anonymous]

isn't an active speaker essentially a bi-amped regular speaker? albeit with the required amount of current/power.

look at the difference in price between the passive dynaudio focus 110's and the active 110a's, £540.

and those speakers are notoriously difficult to drive, yet for that £540 dynaudio can supply the required amplification with the necessary current to drive them.

yet if one were to buy a new amp that would be capable of similar performance when used with the passive 110's they would probably have to spend north of £1500.

makes me wonder if the various amp manufacturers are being a tad greedy?

 

[idc]

Studio monitors in the domestic environment make more sense now as increasing numbers of people have PC based desktop systems and can mix and make their own music at home with easily available softwear.

Rubadub in Howard St, Glasgow have a few shelves full of them and you can try each in turn. I really liked the Yamaha HS80M.

 

[DandyCobalt]

Also the point made previously about B&W, Nautilus is used in studios as a reference monitor.

I think, without succombing to all the AVI rhetoric, we as an industry should learn a few things from our pro cousins. After all, the music is the end result. Isn't that what matters?

In the mastering studio where our album was completed, (a studio frequented by the likes of Jarvis Cocker et al) they used B&W 801s ( also in a surround setup for soundtracks and SACDs). Several months later I had the great opportunity to interview a very famous guitarist in his own studio, which is also used for other established (very famous) recording artists, who have very high reputations for recording quality (I have seen WHFSV use their discs as reference discs in the past). What monitors did he use? .....B&W 801s.

Studios will also have "grot boxes" - and listen/check the sound in mono - as the great majority of us actually end up listening in non-stereo-sweetspot situations (bathroom radio, driver seat of car etc).

 

[idc]

But you can't put a 801 on your desk........