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Wanted: Studio Monitors


Guest Tam o' Shantie

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

Anyone selling something along the lines of Behringer Truth/Tannoy Reveal/Spirit Absolute 2 for a reasonable price? Would be looking to spend 100 odd, depending on what was on offer.

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sorry, this is perhaps not the most useful post, but just wanted to say if you start looking on ebay, keep an eye out for some of the m-audio entry range monitor pairs too, they are no bad.

i got a pair of tannoy reveals second hand last year, and it was one of the best things i've done, especially so if you are moving from something like working with headphones all the time, or using a normal hi-fi and/or computer speakers. i moved from using a fairly ok hi-fi with what i thought were not bad speakers. i couldn't believe the difference when i started using the monitors.

it has the additional bonus that existing music you have sounds amazing through them too. hope you find something suitable soon.

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Tannoy reveal (particular the smaller models) do lack bottom end. You can supplement this later with a subwoofer.

I have a pair of Tapco from a similar price range as tannoy reveal, the bass is heavily exagerated so not a lot of use for mix down.

Also have a pair of KRK studio monitors which are amazing.

I also hear that some of the Alesis Studio monitors are very good, especailly for their price.

I heard great things about Samson Resol 8A. They are a bit more expensive but the suggestion was they were better than the other models in the range and of comparible models from other companies. If you don't need this urgently, it might be worth saving up for them.

If you find KRK secondhand, go for them, even if non-powered.

My fairly decent samson studio power amplifier cost around 100, new and it's worth every penny.

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Why? (8 chars)

The sound quality is better because the speakers are driven independently, easing the burden on the rest of your set-up and it also reduces 'slew rate' i.e signal loss as it amplifies the signal at the speaker end, which is important when monitoring something (i thought you would've know that- either that or you're just wanting to get me to clarify what i mean).

Using a balanced signal/balanced leads from your mixing source would be preferable in this case though as powered (active) speakers are more susceptible to noise pick up on unbalanced leads/signals.

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The sound quality is better because the speakers are driven independently, easing the burden on the rest of your set-up and it also reduces 'slew rate' i.e signal loss as it amplifies the signal at the speaker end, which is important when monitoring something (i thought you would've know that- either that or you're just wanting to get me to clarify what i mean).

Using a balanced signal/balanced leads from your mixing source would be preferable in this case though as powered (active) speakers are more susceptible to noise pick up on unbalanced leads/signals.

Slew rate should be fairly minimal in a short-run system like nearfield monitors (providing the amp is not at the other side of the room and the speaker cable isn't the thinnest bit of copper you can lay your hands on)

Some (budget) active systems only have one amp, so you get a higher slew rate on one side than the other.

Budget active monitors are "built down to a budget, not up to a spec".

While you won't find me arguing that passive is better in mid-high price range monitors (horses for courses there), it's a bit of a lottery at the budget end of the market. Coupled with the fact that it's more expensive to upgrade active monitors I don't think anyone should rule out passives if they're on a budget.

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Slew rate should be fairly minimal in a short-run system like nearfield monitors (providing the amp is not at the other side of the room and the speaker cable isn't the thinnest bit of copper you can lay your hands on)

Some (budget) active systems only have one amp, so you get a higher slew rate on one side than the other.

Budget active monitors are "built down to a budget, not up to a spec".

While you won't find me arguing that passive is better in mid-high price range monitors (horses for courses there), it's a bit of a lottery at the budget end of the market. Coupled with the fact that it's more expensive to upgrade active monitors I don't think anyone should rule out passives if they're on a budget.

Aye, i get what you're saying there and i agree. Like anything soundwise you should really try and get to hear it with your own set-up if possible, or a set-up thats similar (while thats not so bad if you're using a laptop with an offboard soundcard i appreciate that most folks wouldn't want to cart around their desktop/moniter etc.)

Depends what you intend getting out of it and how much money you're willing to fork out in the end i suppose.

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Guest Gasss

A few years ago I recorded at a well-known commercial studio in Fife that used NS10s. When we heard the finished mix on another system it was clear that the apparent screechy high mids at the time were EQ'd out at mixdown. Though this sounded good at the time, it resulted in a mix that was muddy and lacking bite on anything but NS10s. This affected the guitars more than anything else and could be partly, though not completely, fixed during mastering. I can't see how an innaccurate monitor can lead to better mixes but then again I'm not a sound engineer.

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Supposedly, if you could get a good mix while using these monitors, the mix would sound good on anything.

The guy that produced our CD has just ordered a set. I'll let you know what he thinks of them

At 100 quid a pair I doubt they are worth the money. The fact that they look a bit like NS10's and have a similar name makes me think they are just designed to cash in on retards.

There's no point in skimping on monitors, unless you think a 100 quid pair of toy speakers like that is going to do your music justice.

I would go for something like KRK RP5's as an absolute minimum, but if you have the money, mackie HR624's. Buy one speaker at a time if you can't afford it up front, get a credit agreement or whatever.

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It sort of depends what your use is. If you plan to record and mix CD's I would say that a good set of studio monitors are going to be one of the most important parts of your setup along wtih good A/D D/A conversion and pre-amps.

Tannoy Reveal or similar is sufficent if all you plan to do is play a keyboard and mess around with some software.

You don't get something for nothing, we all know this but I think when we see 100 active studio monitors, we like to think otherwise.

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

actually, i posted the thread in this forum cos I was hoping that someone would be selling a pair 2nd hand for around the hundred pound mark, which implies that the original price might be up to around 200. Anyone used Rokits? If I decide not to buy used, I will change my budget.

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

will be using it just for mixing, not recording. running an M-Audio Delta 1010lt, and a Sony Hi Fi system. So really, anything built for the purpose will be an improvement. There's a pair of B2031As going for 120 bucks in the classifieds, sounds like a good deal.

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The new Turnkey Catalogue went through my door today, A set of Samson Resolv 80A for 199. I know it's over your budget but you aren't going to get an accurate mix without accurate speakers.

Rannoy Reveal Active 8A for 218 also.

Also a few Edirol speakers for low prices. Don't know if they are any good but they look like good value.

If you can get a set of KRK, secondhand, you wont regret it.

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not looking for new speakers that cost as much as that.

So, does anybody have studio monitors that they are willing to sell for around 100+ ?

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"Inspired by the legendary Yamaha NS10"

One of the things NS10's were legendary for was the fact that a lot of people found them a bit harsh in the high mids.

Other people loved them, but I'd want to hear these SN10's before splashing the cash.

They sound awful....but not in an NS10 awful way...

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Guest Tam o' Shantie
It was either that model or another alesis set of studio monitors that were given away as free with Alesis Fusion keyboards to US residents in the US only as an incentive to buy.

People who got them said good things about them.

Yeah, I have heard good things and SOS gave them a very nice review too.

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