Studio Monitors - 5" or 8"

[adam79]

I'm in the market for a pair of studio monitors and I'm trying to figure out if I should go with 5 or 8 inch. I have it narrowed down to either the JBL LSR305/308 or Yamaha HS8. Any suggestions? On the size and whether there's a better brand/model out there I failed to notice?

Thanks,
-Adam

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by adam79

I'm in the market for a pair of studio monitors and I'm trying to figure out if I should go with 5 or 8 inch. I have it narrowed down to either the JBL LSR305/308 or Yamaha HS8. Any suggestions? On the size and whether there's a better brand/model out there I failed to notice?

Thanks,
-Adam

If you have the room go for the LSR308. Better bass extension than the smaller 305; the sweet spot is about the same on both models though. And whichever one you get make sure you get some kind of isolation pad or such to go between the desk and speakers. Also don't scrimp on the cables to go between your interface and the speakers.

The HS8 is an okay speaker but doesn't hold a candle to either of the JBL's.

[adam79]

Originally Posted by musicman691

If you have the room go for the LSR308. Better bass extension than the smaller 305; the sweet spot is about the same on both models though. And whichever one you get make sure you get some kind of isolation pad or such to go between the desk and speakers. Also don't scrimp on the cables to go between your interface and the speakers.

The HS8 is an okay speaker but doesn't hold a candle to either of the JBL's.

I heard you need a decent size room for the 8" monitors to be effective, but I can't find my room dimensions at the moment. I've heard people praise the LSR's and others say that they're unusable. As far as the HS models, some people love 'em for their sound and others like them cuz they don't sound so good (similar to the NS10, the HS are supposedly their successor), and if they can get a good mix on those then I guess it works for 'em. Anyways, I'm skeptical whether my rooms big enough for the 8's, so I'm thinking either the LSR305's or the H5/H7's. I'll get back to ya with my room dimensions.

[albee1952]

I am also a big fan of the LSR models. I have the 308's in my midi room and 305's in the main room(alongside of larger Genelecs). My 2 cents, if your room is "bedroom" sized, the smaller 305's might be less likely to excite and exaggerate room issues in the low frequencies.

[adam79]

My room dimensions are: 21' (L) x 15' (W) x 8.75' (H). What size monitor would be recommended for these dimensions? Thanks.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by adam79

My room dimensions are: 21' (L) x 15' (W) x 8.75' (H). What size monitor would be recommended for these dimensions? Thanks.

LSR308's for sure. You may want to float a cloud over your mix position with that low of a ceiling. Other than that with those dimensions I don't see a problem. I have an Excel spreadsheet I came up with that does the calculations for room modes/resonances and it doesn't show a cluster at any one particular frequency. Sending you an email with the spreadsheet. All you need to do is to enter your room dimensions in feet at the top in row 2 in column B for height, column c for width and column D for depth. You just need to have Microsoft Excel.

edit for additional:
Apparently I can't attach the spreadsheet to an email sent from the DUC. Shoot me an email at my DUC email address from your regular email address and I'll send you the spreadsheet if you want.