Best monitor controller under $1k?

Ermz

Ermz

¯\(°_o)/¯
Apr 5, 2002
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Melbourne, Australia
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Hey guys,

Need some advice here. I'm really getting fed up with the cheap construction of my M-Patch 2.

Would love some suggestions on the best active monitor controllers on the market under the $1k mark. I would jump and grab and Avocet to be done with it, but those units are really outside my price range, and here in Australia they're just plain prohibitive.

Something utterly transparent with options for at least two sets of inputs would be ideal. Multiple outs would be a bonus.

Please don't recommend any passive units, as I am sick of hearing noisy pots and stereo image drifts on my monitors. The M-patch 2 excels greatly at both of these.

Cheers!
 
I'm currently in the same boat. I was going to buy the M-Patch 2.1, but after reading your post I may not.

I'm curious as to how good the JBL MSC1 is, but I don't need the room correction so it seems like a waste. Might check out the KRK Ergo also, but that too has features I won't use.
 
acappa said:
I read that Active controllers suffer colouration...I´ve seen various post where people recomend passive ones...don´t know what do you think guys..¿?
Click to expand...

You'll get it with anything.... Passives are good but the pots start going bad after a bit and start messing with things...

Active controllers have their demons too, but at least they are consistent.

So you are damned either way. I'd rather have something that lasts though.
 
So you are damned either way
Click to expand...
Well, in that case I´ll await for some new opinions, as I am also in the same boat, thanks!! I´ve recently bought RME ADI2, and it´s hard to monitor with it.
Am...in other order of things, any cheap HiFi speakers I can buy to "test" my master&mixes? Now I´ve got ADAM A7X...any? thanks
 
The only semi-decent controller for under $1000 is probably the Presonus Central Station. I have one but I've had two problems with it since 2007 when I bought it. The led display suddenly stopped showing half of the led's on one side. I had it RMA'd and it cost me about $95 with shipping to fix it. Then there was a problem with one of the pots and I soldered in a new one because I didn't want to pay another $95. Both things happened when it was out of warranty.

Really for under a grand it's going to be short-lived chinese made gear. You have the Central Station, Mackie Big Knob (seems to mess with the stereo image), JBL MSC1, Samson C-Control (blows). Then there's the Coleman Audio stuff which I have never tried but it looks more studio-worthy. That might fall right under $1000. After that you have the kickass stuff like the Dangerous D-Box (which I'm saving up for), Dangerous Music Monitor, Crane Song Avocet, Grace Design, etc.
 
Audient Centro as well, but way out of your budget. Wolfe, you ought to build the worlds most kick ass monitor controller! :D
 
Transparent and under 1000$ doesn't exist:erk:
Save money and go for an avocet/DM,GD...etc.

But if you find something something in your price range, pm me link; I would jump on it.
 
You'd think that the ability to turn down the volume wouldn't cost this much :lol:

Thanks for the responses so far guys. I'll look into a lot of these that I haven't already discounted. Really looking to avoid passives in light of pot wear and the low level stereo image drifts. Just no patience for it anymore. Might have to put the Avocet back on the agenda. At least that way I'm getting a decent set of converters to justify the ludicrous price.

How good is the D-box compared to the Avocet? The D-box seems to have a bunch of extraneous summing/talkback features i don't need, and I'd rather not take a cut in DA quality, or anywhere else essential.
 
I have tried several controllers, and short of turning down the volume on my interface, under $1k they all suck. The Big Knob and Central Station are good and solid but I can hear the sonic degradation. The Central Station has sweet features, but it is shrouded and onboard converter isn't that hot. Maybe with some mods... hmm...

The M-Patch 2 is what I have now, it is very transparent to me. But the switches cause pops sometimes, construction is steel but still cheap feeling. My pots aren't scratchy after 3 years, and the stereo drift is much much less than one I built myself and only at low volumes. Headphone amp on it is total dogshit too. The pots will fail eventually with hard to find spare parts. So it has its weaknesses, but for the price you certainly can't beat it.

It sucks, but at your level I would go for a Dangerous D-Box. You get talkback, monitor/input switching, relatively useless but good sounding headphone amp (only mimics the monitors), talkback mic (which you will have to use the headphone out to use), and 8-channels of external summing... also mostly useless. But you get a killer set of converters with a great analog section and the other features are useful with some creative routing or summing.

The Avocet is sweet too. But holy $$$. At least the D-Box is close to $1k.
 
The thing that gets me about the D-box is that it seems to have an identity crisis. I'd happily get it if they dropped the 'tag-on' features like the summing and talkback (which are fairly poorly thought out and the summing at least is useless in this day and age) and let the price drift down to around $1k. If I'm going to be spending somewhere between $1 and $2k for a monitoring solution that is 'almost but not quite' there, I'd rather just future proof myself and grab an Avocet, Grace or something equivalent.

At the end of the day though it feels like an awful lot of money to put down for something that ultimately is a volume knob.
 
Ermz said:
The thing that gets me about the D-box is that it seems to have an identity crisis. I'd happily get it if they dropped the 'tag-on' features like the summing and talkback (which are fairly poorly thought out and the summing at least is useless in this day and age) and let the price drift down to around $1k. If I'm going to be spending somewhere between $1 and $2k for a monitoring solution that is 'almost but not quite' there, I'd rather just future proof myself and grab an Avocet, Grace or something equivalent.

At the end of the day though it feels like an awful lot of money to put down for something that ultimately is a volume knob.
Click to expand...

Agreed! The ONLY reason I can think of why they added all that was just to fill out the rack chassis. Then yeah it gives it a bit of wow-ness.. but all pretty much useless. Even if you are a fan of external summing, 8 channels? And only 2 pannable, I mean come on.

But I do like the converter and bit of control. And the Talkback would be nice if it had a regular out on it instead of only to the headphones. WTF? I mean I guess I see it for like home studio or small project studio

But I am in 100% agreement with you. Just that jump from $1399 to $2800 makes me cringe... especially just for a damn volume control and to switch between sets of monitors.
 
Can your RME control interface use MIDI or HUI control?

Maybe tie a cheapy interface to it and then turn it down at that level. I can do it on my MOTU with a Behringer BCF2000 and is probably the most transparent.

The problem with any active one is that you are going to buffer the signal or run it through sound degrading electronics. Total purist attitude I know. Passive you get the stereo image drift, and no two pots are alike. So maybe switches and resistors which would be a horrible mess.

So really right from the converter/analag section to monitor is the way to go. Just like all the expensive options. So maybe controlling it at the interface digitally with a more convenient interface would be the best way to go. Then for monitor switching, there are lots of cheaper passive options.

Otherwise, yeah you have to justify it with the fact that you are getting among the best converters with the Avocet and arguably better converters (than most stuff) with the D-Box.
 
The coleman audio stuff is great and it has less tacked on features. I find it to be very transparent and have used it instead of our neve center section while mixing because it is more transparent.
 
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