Should I even bother with monitors

[iHate]

I'm planning on buying some Yamaha Hs80m monitors soon, but as I'm doing research I now feel like it would be pretty pointless to get monitors in my untreated room. There's just no way I can treat my current room, don't ask why, it just cannot be done right now in this place. The room is about 14'x14'x9' with vaulted ceilings so the room isnt completely square, there is also a huge window with a ledge for seating and a bunch of irregular wall shapes for a room. Its definitely not a square box.

I have been using headphones for as long as I've done this which is about 5 years. I've never had real monitors. Should I still get monitors even though my room is untreated and will not be treated any time soon?

 

[lolzgreg]

Get a good pair of computer speakers WITH a sub. Maybe you should start there. If you feel like you're making improvements on that system, move to monitors.

 

[iHate]

I have a JVC boombox with 5" mids and 8" ported subs and everytime that I've tried to mix on them, the mix would come out horrific. The snare would come out just disgusting, and I feel like I cant even judge the low end even with the 8" subs, but I'm really not sure how much of that is the room or if the speakers are just garbage.

 

[006]

Get the HS50's, you'll be alright for a while.

 

[Empathy]

+1 on the HS50's. They're pretty damn forgiving in regards to room acoustics. I still use a pair with the matching HS10W sub after I got my room treated properly.

Inversely, HS80's are a nightmare in shit rooms.

 

[006]

Inversely, HS80's are a nightmare in shit rooms.

Yeah the 8" driver, generally speaking, would put out too much bass for an untreated room whereas the 5" should be noticeably more tame. I've had BX8A's for a long time now and it took treatment on the walls, heavy ass sand-filled DIY stands and MoPads before I could get mixes to translate decently on other systems. All of that was worth it but I still need bass traps though, 8" monitors really do have plenty of low end output.

 

[iHate]

I guess I had it backwards, I thought that bigger drivers were needed for a smaller room. Good thing I checked here!

Now, are the hs50's in the same league as the hs80's or is there a big difference in quality and sound? 3" doesnt seem like it would equate to $300 more but I dont know... and if I step down to 5" monitors, are there better options than the hs50's in the sub $700 range?

 

[GuitarHack]

I'd say go for the HS80 over the 50 and just use the "compensating" switches on the back of them (download and read the manual to see what they are for) to reduce some Bottom end, etc.... Might save you some money in the long run when you have a better room to utilize the 80's fully in.

 

[iHate]

Well I went and tested a bunch of monitors out including higher end monitors like adam. I ended up liking the hs50m more than the rest including the hs80m which i thought was very harsh in the high end. I love the way that the hs50m has such a massive mid range. Got a pair for just under $300 out the door...

 

[006]

Nice, enjoy the monitors man

 

[iHate]

Ok I've been using em for a little bit now. I'm kind of disappointed with yamaha QC, one woofer cone is perfect, but the other has kind of shoddy glue work around the dustcap and the cone.

But a bigger issue is ear fatigue. I literallly just listened to them at very low volume for maybe 30 minutes, not mixing just referencing and trying to get used to the sound. The fan on my laptop is louder than the music yet I'm getting extreme ear fatigue and ice-pick-in-my-ears-and-want-to-die syndrome. Tinnitus increase as well and my right ear feels numb to the touch. Am I doing it wrong???????

 

[006]

Check that back and make sure the EQ settings on them are at least flat, do some research on maybe some different settings for them as well.

 

[Trevoire520]

Good choice on the HS50's. I've had them in my room (untreated) for a while and have found they translate really well.

No problems with ear fatigue here. Mind you I used NS10's through college, so nothing seems fatiguing compared to them!

As said check the settings on the back are flat, maybe reduce some highs or mids if things are still sounding nasty.