Monitors

[tomjackson]

Yeah they were an absolute pain weren't they!

I got it working in the end, had to kind of glue it back in it's surround.  Not sure if it's 100% right but it's definitely working. 

I'm not really doing anyything to serios now so it's fine for my needs.....

[Lew]

Well, I got a second opnion (a mate thats a sound engineer) on the questeds: he said they're amazing.

They're also pretty expensive!

At the moment its looking like the S6's, MAYBE the S7s or, a new candidate, Adam A7s

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/15655

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/10389

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/10392  (ouch!)

At the moment I'm really leaning for the A7s. Heard nothing but good things.

The Quested s7 are good but be warned they have a big bass response that can make mixing a pain.

edit: nvm read you made a choice. congratz :D

double edit: christ just realized how old this thread is

[Johnny Mac]

Mark, Ben, I've just re-read this thread. Any thoughts on moniters 2 years on as I need a pair. I do own a lovely pair of Linn Turkan hi-fi speakers. Would powered monitors give a more honest sound over the Linns with a half decent amp with no added EQ?

Threadnomancer!

That pic takes me back. Such idiotic placement :lol:

Hi fi speakers can work IF you know them like the back of your hand.

There are a couple of things that make actives and dedicated monitors in general better though

Amp/speaker matching - once something that people spent years trying to get right with passives, now something that R&D teams try to get as good as practicably possible for the price point of the monitors. Gives a more linear, transparent sound. Monitors will also tend to be bi-amped with some tuning built into them to let you get them more linear in a given place in a given room, which is very, very handy.

The other is how they handle dymanics and transiets - hifi speakers are designed to deal with, by and large, pretty linear volume, mastered music. Monitors have to handle being thrown around with huge dynamic range changes that are in raw recorded sound on a second to second basis, allow you to hear it accurately so you can control it, and be able to take it and not explode. They are all things being equal much more robust in that regard, and much more capable of letting you hear the sound generally going nuts (so you can do something about it) where a hifi speaker might mask it and lead to the detail in the sound being generally obfuscated and not translate well, or even be damaged by it.

As for specific monitors - it took me years to get them placed and tuned just reasonably well, but now they are, my adams (with a sub 8), when playing well mixed and mastered music, are to my B&W DM602s as a hypersonic, nuclear powered, ninja-piloted fighter jet is to the wright brothers plane. The sound they are capable of delivering is phenomenal (to me at least); incredible detail, stereo field, depth and clarity - I can hear things on these *effortlessly* that I cant even strain to hear on my B&Ws, or my senn HD25s, or ultrasone pr0750s, or senn IE8s, and in translation to other systems; if it sounds like its 'supposed to' (whatever that is) on the adams then it always sounds about right on everything else, minimal tweaking results from referencing with these, so I recommend the A7s.

Thanks for the update Mark, that is some statement! I've been looking at so many brands and price points. My room is small with fitted wardrobes down one side d/bed and a Koch focal point at the opposite end as the workstation. So I wouldn't need to go to mad on the size and power of the monitors, just a good sound. Adam have a good rep' as do Mackie, I've been looking at some of their new products. There is so many options for this purchase, (my last for a while). I do want a sub too. What sort of money was your set up? Between £500-800? Or over a grand?

[MDV]

With a sub its over a grand. The sub is 400 and odd, might be more now, the A7s cost about 550 or 600 for the pair when I got them, but last I looked they cost quite a bit more than that. That said, if for whatever reason (warning; harmony central review comment content approaching, read with caution!) I lost them I would just go and get some more instantly.

I got the sub to control room resonances with a third low end source and add extension in a bad room - in my previous place the A7s on their own went down to 40Hz just fine.

That said, stereo imaging and separation is much better with the sub dealing with the lowest lows and the A7s on a high pass, and I'd get the same sort of setup for that reason alone, regardless of low extension.

[Johnny Mac]

With a sub its over a grand. The sub is 400 and odd, might be more now, the A7s cost about 550 or 600 for the pair when I got them, but last I looked they cost quite a bit more than that. That said, if for whatever reason (warning; harmony central review comment content approaching, read with caution!) I lost them I would just go and get some more instantly.

I got the sub to control room resonances with a third low end source and add extension in a bad room - in my previous place the A7s on their own went down to 40Hz just fine.

That said, stereo imaging and separation is much better with the sub dealing with the lowest lows and the A7s on a high pass, and I'd get the same sort of setup for that reason alone, regardless of low extension.

Thanks Mark. Is the sub made by Adam too? From what you've said, it sounds like a great set up as i know what exacting standards you have!  :D

[MDV]

Too kind, And most welcome

The sub is an Adam Sub 8. In hindsight I could have done the same job with a model or two down, but its there now and can handle a bigger room if it ever has to (Which hopefully it will!).

[Johnny Mac]

Too kind, And most welcome

The sub is an Adam Sub 8. In hindsight I could have done the same job with a model or two down, but its there now and can handle a bigger room if it ever has to (Which hopefully it will!).

Ok I've just bought them from Digital Village!  :D I can't faff around any longer, i was looking at the A7X models a while back but for this bundle the price is about as good as I'm going to get. Cheers Mark!
 :D

[MDV]

Kickass!

You will love them!

Remember - speakers this good need to be VERY carefully placed. Inches matter (he he he, but seriously, they do) and sort some rudimentary treatment out for the reflection points. I made my own from generic acoustic foam and 60 and 120kg/m^3 rockwool from this place

http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/soundproofing/amw.htm

This stuff, 50mm, stuck to walls at reflection points

http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/absorbers/ffoam.htm

This stuff plus some planks and black fabric to make bass traps.

http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/soundproofing/amw.htm

Two whole slabs stacked per corner (as in wall intersection), and squares of it cut and then layered with slate tiles into cubes for other-corner (as in wall/floor or wall/ceiling).

None of its optimal, but that stuff all helped enormously, and also wasnt crippling expensive (which many believe it should be, but I dont).

Just general hints as to what can be done to treat the listening position - bens the expert on this.

[Johnny Mac]

Thanks for the info mate! I think I'll post a photo of my room to show how tight it is. I think it could be a bit of a mare!  :lol:

[Johnny Mac]

I got the two A7s and the sub8 this morning. They're amazing, the sound quality is the best sound I've ever had! I've only put them on the desk so far but I plan to get some stands and try and get the best I can from them.
Thanks again, I'm over the moon with them!  :D :D

[Davey]

which ones did you get in the end?

[MDV]

I got the two A7s and the sub8 this morning. They're amazing, the sound quality is the best sound I've ever had! I've only put them on the desk so far but I plan to get some stands and try and get the best I can from them.
Thanks again, I'm over the moon with them!  :D :D

Awesome!

Oh, I did think of one drawback - y'know how I said that I can hear things effortlessly on these that I cant hear on B&Ws and high end phones even though I know they're there? Well sometimes I can hear things on these without any difficulty at all, and once I know they're there I can hear them on the other stuff too but less so, but it all seems fine.....then I post stuff on players and other places and people say they cant hear the bass/kick/hats/toms/whatever!

Irritating. It that regard they're sorta too good :lol:

Which reminds me - reference systems are very important. I use phones and the B&Ws. I should probably add something a bit ghetto to the repetoire to make sure people listening on...well, shite systems can hear everything thats meant to be going on, some logitech PC speakers or a sony hifi or something :lol:

Anyway, dead happy youre happy with them - I was a little worried for a sec that after my enthusiastic endorsement and you buying them so quickly you would be dissapointed and mad at me!

[Johnny Mac]

I'm still over the moon with them Mark! I count my self fortunate to be able to call on so much first hand experience in here. The sound from these is just beyond belief!
I got a pair of A7's and a Sub8 Davey. It was a grand for that deal, so according to where your quotes are from, all in all a good deal.
I can see how placement would crucial.
I've only got sub set subtley. The bass out of the A7s is great. If like you say your mixes sound lacking in certain areas then a datum reference point could be an idea with cheapo stereos in mind and another for highend gear.
My exeperince of this is the masess like it loud with plenty of bottom!
We shall have to look into this with more detail!
Thanks again mate!
 :D

[_tom_]

Mark I've actually found I can usually get a consistent mix using my £50 Creative T20 speakers :lol: When I've listened to my mixes on other systems/through my headphones it usually sounds about right as well. Only problem is because they're so small I usually mix the bass a bit too heavy. And they don't have that great crystal-clear quality that better speakers have.

[MDV]

I'm still over the moon with them Mark! I count my self fortunate to be able to call on so much first hand experience in here. The sound from these is just beyond belief!
I got a pair of A7's and a Sub8 Davey. It was a grand for that deal, so according to where your quotes are from, all in all a good deal.
I can see how placement would crucial.
I've only got sub set subtley. The bass out of the A7s is great. If like you say your mixes sound lacking in certain areas then a datum reference point could be an idea with cheapo stereos in mind and another for highend gear.
My exeperince of this is the masess like it loud with plenty of bottom!
We shall have to look into this with more detail!
Thanks again mate!
 :D

Quite welcome, again. Glad youre enjoying them (I know just how much youre enjoying them too! You can see (hear!) what I meant before, I suppose, when I compared them to my B&Ws, which are well respected speakers and dont sound bad my any means)

There are loads of guides kicking round on placement, but in the end what works is whats right. Theres a minirator tool kicking round the net (I think theres a link on the Realtraps site I'll go find it in a minute) and I have no idea where I got it but I have a series of wavs of frequency progression through the whole spectrum for serious fine tuning - things like this, and a decibel meter, are essential to tune a monitoring position.

Tom, I've heard some of your stuff and it seems to translate pretty well to my B&Ws; its bass heavy and dulled in general, overheads are too loud and theres a lot of bass (as in the instrument, previously I meant low end in general), but maybe thats what youre going for, but they're not bad...I havent heard them on my adams though; that often tells a very different story ;)

Newer stuff in your link is a lot better than last I heard you, too, so well done!

Listen to clutch much ;)