Monitors Monitors Monitors

Line666

Line666

Fendurr
Sep 2, 2006
3,342
1
36
Ok, so on my quest to find the right first pair of monitors for myself I've been rather bamboozled (love that word) with shit loads of different opinions.

For every person saying buy X monitor there is another person saying "X is shit buy Y".

In general I want to get more serious about this mixing at home thing, I'm spending most of my mixing hours at college fiddling with the routine NS10's and massive big fuckoff Quested's and then coming home to attempt to mix on speakers that are even so far sub-hi-fi level it's unbelievable, so believe me when I saying anything is a step up! :kickass:

So far I've narrowed the running down to four different sets of monitors (I've got about a £300 price maximum atm - this is about a 1/3 of my current savings and I'm a very poor student without a job so it's quite a spend), anyway, without furtherado so far in the running is:

1. Tannoy Reveal 5a's (£245) - heard a lot of good things about these, there's not been much bad said about them at all, worried slightly that the 5inch driver will result in a lack of low end - although have heard that they deliver fairly well.

2. M-Audio BX8A's (£250) - Again seem to be a fairly well recommended budget monitor, from what I can gather from the search I know Kazrog mixed on an older version of these (and I quite like his mixes), the 8inch driver on this one is a big plus but I've heard that they can be a bit boomy.

3. KRK RP5's (£270) - Very mixed reviews of these, heard that they are very coloured and that the 5's lack the low end of the 6's or the 8's (which arent in the running due to price limitations) - heard that the Rokit series tends to colour the sound a lot.

4. Yamaha HS50's (£260) - From what I can gather occassionally recommended, lack in the lows again, a lot of people recommend the hs80's over these but I really dont think I can stretch that far.

So yeah, much appreciated if anyone can punt in with their thoughts, recommendations or even completely different suggestions, everything's open to consideration at the moment, I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can before I make a decision, unfortunately I can't A/B anything at a store because I live so far out in the wilderness its unbelievable, so I'm just going in blind here (or rather deaf :zombie: ).

In general I'm currently favouring either the M-audio's or the Tannoy's, someone help me out! :)
 
If you are looking for a steal, I've got a set of the older BX8's for sale at a price you won't find anywhere else.....
 
How much would it be for shipping to the UK do you reckon?

Cos £140 + Shipping + Import Taxes would quickly add up I think.
 
yeah it would be pricey, they are heavy.... probably around $150... I know I wouldn't pay that much for shipping...
 
In terms of aesthetics I think the Tannoy's are actually the worst looking out of the four actually. Not a fan of the dull blue colour. I dont mind the look of the KRK's actually - infact I think they're quite cool, when you live in a country as dreary as Scotland I guess you are drawn to things that are bright and colourful :p

Having said that, I could care less what they look like in all honesty, I'm buying the monitors entirely for the sound - so cosmetics arent really influencing my decision at all.

From the reviews I've read of the M-Audio's they have pretty solid stereo imaging as well, although they have a slightly hyped bass in comparison to the Tannoy's apparently, I'm not sure how much this would bother me, as just about every speaker set in my house inherently lacks bass, so I'd have a clear contrast between bassy/non-bassy to get my mixes right, someone correct me if my logic is completely out of whack here, it might well be :lol:
 
My housemate has the BX8a's, and I find them to be too bassy for my tastes. And I quite like the blue of the Tannoys (though blue is my favorite color ;)) Check it:

Deskatschool.jpg
 
Ah. Geez, I'm torn.

Guess I can mull over the sort of acoustic treatment I'll be needing whilst I figure out which set of monitors to buy.

Cheers btw :)
 
I've also heard the BX8 delux is very good. I recently got a pair of Fostex PM01's, which I like, they are very fast and tight, but I find them a bit toppy and can be slightly fatiguing.

Along with monitors PPPPPLLLLLLEAAASSEEEE at least spend around £40 or so on a bag of rockwool and some material to cover them (dust sheets are good and are £15 for a huge pack of 3, enough for about 9 traps). You won't regret the improved stereo image and low end.

Joe
 
Check out if you can find a pair of used Event ALP5's. They're my go-to recommendation when someone asks about monitors in this price range. From my experience, they do their job incredibly well considering they are low budget monitors. £300 is more than enough if you can hunt down a pair, so you'll still have good money left for some acoustic treatment :)
 
Reveals are really pretty good for the price, the yamaha hs definatly have the forward mid vibe of the ns10s but with a bigger bottom end. Or tbh for 300 quid you can get a pair of ns10s! You may have to make do with a cheapy amp with them If you can't stretch to a little more though. Or save longerand buy Adam a7s
 
greyskull said:
Reveals are really pretty good for the price, the yamaha hs definatly have the forward mid vibe of the ns10s but with a bigger bottom end. Or tbh for 300 quid you can get a pair of ns10s! You may have to make do with a cheapy amp with them If you can't stretch to a little more though. Or save longerand buy Adam a7s
Click to expand...

I really, REALLY wouldn't recommend getting a pair of NS10's as main monitors. They are great to be used for reference because of their somewhat limited (in terms of studio monitoring) frequency response, but they aren't exactly what someone doing mostly metal and rock would want for their main monitors.

And yes, I do know that some people mix with nothing but a pair of NS10's and decent headphones and get good results, but that really isn't the most convenient route to follow.
 
wishtheend said:
Stay away from the M-Audio BX series. Pretty much garbage. :puke:
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go that far, a lot of people on here like theirs, but I feel the bass on the BX8a's is just too much (might be better with room treatment, but even so I don't like overly bassy monitors for mixing, I find they're too flattering to the low instruments)
 
I haven't heard the other brands, but if you're going with the Yamahas, I'd suggest that you check out the MSP series (esp MSP-5) over the HS-50. So much better imaging, stereofield, clarity etc.. granted, a bit more expensive, but the price difference to me is somewhat of a ??? (here it's like 350-400euro against about 500 for a pair)
 
I'm going to be getting some MSP5s soon, hopefully a big upgrade from my Behringer Truths, which I like a lot more than the M-Audio BX series or other low end monitors.

The BX5a sound smaller than their size IMO, the BX8a is really tubby, not a lot of detail from the woofer like it moves too slowly.

With the Yamaha HS series, I hear they translate well, but you'll need a second or third set of monitors to reference with. The MSP series are more "full range" and a more transparent frequency response so. I don't have a lot of space so having one set do it all is important.
 
I've heard the MSP5's are great monitors but terrible speakers though, in that the titanium tweeter can be ear-piercingly fatiguing. My monitors double as my computer speakers, so that was an instant pass for me!
 
Oh yeah, and a big +1 on the event alp 5... it beats everything in the price range, but unfortunatly it is discontinued. Shame, but if you can find a pair on ebay for cheap buy them.

Joe
 
there are going to be slight imperfections with any monitor in this price range.
its gonna come down to how well you know the monitors. all are great monitors for the price, so you cant go wrong!

but I have heard the msp5`s are very honest to the source, which means they dont flatter the sound at all. I have heard they can be fatiguing as well. but my vote goes for them, or the hs50`s

you could also pick up a sub to complement your choice of monitors later down the road.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Monitors?
Replies
7
Views
617
Backline
bassguy
B
abt
How do audition monitors with bias
Replies
12
Views
890
Backline
Jind
J
RandomOne
Power Amplifier + Monitors Help
Replies
30
Views
2K
Backline
RandomOne
R
MegaMustaine
What Monitors for $400?
Replies
9
Views
704
Backline
pifos_2
P
Cryo114
How do pick monitors?
Replies
13
Views
658
Backline
Cryo114
C
Top Bottom
Back