Studio Reference Monitors?

[jrm]

Hello everyone!-

I am looking to purchase some reference monitors for my home "studio". Basically it's a MAC G4 running an MBOX. I have no idea where to start or what to be looking for. Could someone give me some advice in what I should be looking at (ie. frequency response range, type of drivers, etc...) Thanks!

-jon-

[mahler007]

Hey Jim,
If you do a search on the DUC, you'll find plenty of posts where people give their opinions on all sorts of different monitors...

The general consensus is that one should really spend some time going to the store and a/b-ing a bunch of different ones until you find a pair that fits your needs as well as your budget. Other people advise taking along a CD with which you're really familiar and see which speakers are most revealing. Ideally, one would like a reference monitor to have as flat a frequency response as possible, although you might at some point like to tweak them to fit the acoustical resonance of your room- but that's a whole other issue

Some brands to investigate are:
1. Genelec
2. Dynaudio
3. Adam
4. Event
5. Tannoy

You can spend a fortune or not too much- it all depends
I recently got a pair of Genelec 1031A's, and love them, although they're somewhat pricey I've found that they translate well... Keep in mind that it's also a good idea to have a different set of speakers on which to test your mix- this way you'll have a better idea of how your mix is translating on other systems- always nice

Anyway, that's just a start- if you do a search, you'll find a library full of other opinions, advice, and info- including a post I made several months ago when I was looking for a pair of monitors

[pk_hat]

What he said...all good.

Furthermore, do realize all monitors lie, you just have to learn what it is they're lying about and adjust accordingly. Your room and it's acoustics will play an even bigger role once you take them home, so bear that in mind. Room acoustics are the speaker you can't see, but plays a huge role in monitoring, affecting how you're hearing things. No matter which you get, you'll go through an adjustment period in terms of how they translate to other system. It takes time for your ears to adjust to their sound.

That said, take some cd's you're familiar with and go for a test run at the shop. While it's a very subjective topic, people like certain brands and models based on experience, myself, I like these within their price brackets:

Under $500: Alesis M1mk2 ($399/pr)
Under $1000: KRK V6II ($699/pr)
Under $2000: Dynaudio BM6A ($1500/pr)

Good luck.

[magicm]

I went with the Yamaha MSP5A's. They work for me.
Peace.
M.

[PCM]

Under $500: Alesis M1mk2 ($399/pr)
Under $1000: KRK V6II ($699/pr)
Under $2000: Dynaudio BM6A ($1500/pr)

good suggestions except i'd have to say that for the under 500 the yamaha's can't be beat (msp5a's).

[Andi R]

KRK.

but NEVER the RockItPowered Series!!!!

V6, V6, or E8T.

Cheers!


Andi

[yOkO]

the new genelecs rocks ,
well, i liked them really

[jrm]

wow. thanks for the info guys! I've heard some good things about all of those brands, and honestly, I didn't even think about the room acoustics (I know.. total noob). I'm going to go check som eout this weekend, so I'll keep you informed! Anyone else have any pears of wisdom?

[C52382P]

Dynaudio is my favorite. I cant afford any of them but at school id use the dynaudios on top of the ssl before the majority of the time...even though there were tannoys....and genelecs and some huge dual 18 inch mains.....the Dynaudios with sub are amazing sound reproducing machines. The higher end ones even get sent to Steinway piano to be laquered black. Right now I use the old school KRK V6s they sound pretty okay too.

[cwhite771]

I have Event 20/20 BAS's which have been good for me, but for the size and the price I was extremely impressed with the Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1's (picked a set up for $379 including shipping for a friend). To me they sounded a ton better than the Alesis or anything else that I A/B'd them to in that price range. THey offer a couple options in the $900-$1400 range too.
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c