budget monitors???

G

Grizzly_Diesel

New member
so i was looking to get the scarlet 2i2 interface. guitar center had a package deal that came with the interface, a set of studio headphone, a mic, mic stand, all the cable and a set of monitors. the monitors were very low grade. but i as gonna deal with it for now till i had the money to upgrade. well they removed the package deal. so now i need to find some decent monitors that wont break my bank. any suggestions? i found some 8" jbl monitors for $200 a piece. I play metal. anything from down tuned dethcore to metal core to some prog stuff from time to time. are the 8" monitors good for that type of music? I've heard they can be quite "bassey". any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Re: budget monitors???

I don't like my JBLs, among other things one amp broke and it is really hard to access (pretty much glued in).

I have a pair of Rokit 6ens that I use with a JBL subwoofer. That is an awesome combo. Screw the rokit haters.
 
Re: budget monitors???

Grizzly_Diesel said:
so i was looking to get the scarlet 2i2 interface. guitar center had a package deal that came with the interface, a set of studio headphone, a mic, mic stand, all the cable and a set of monitors. the monitors were very low grade. but i as gonna deal with it for now till i had the money to upgrade. well they removed the package deal. so now i need to find some decent monitors that wont break my bank. any suggestions? i found some 8" jbl monitors for $200 a piece. I play metal. anything from down tuned dethcore to metal core to some prog stuff from time to time. are the 8" monitors good for that type of music? I've heard they can be quite "bassey". any help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Whether to go for 5s or 8s (or anything in between and beyond) depends on many factors.

  • Genre - Most "acoustic" genres from classical music to folk rock and singer-songwriter-type styles don't really push the low end that hard, so 5s are fine. Music with a significant "enhanced bass" section, including modern metal but also EDM, hip-hop/rap/R&B, really test the low end and require a monitoring setup that will get you those frequencies. You said you play a lot of modern metal so that's one in favor of going with 8s.
  • Speaker placement - The size of the "triangle" between the two monitors and your head is critical to determining what you can get away with. As you probably know, the best results with near-field monitors come when you place the speakers in a perfect equilateral triangle with your head. The smaller that triangle is, the smaller the "sweet spot" is where your head should be, but the less volume you need, so the speakers don't have to be as big to get the required amount of bass from the woofer to your ears. The larger the triangle, the more volume you need; every time the "legs" of the triangle double, you need 4 times the speaker wattage, all other things being equal, to make up for the 6dB drop in SPL due to the change in distance.
  • Mixing room acoustics - The monitors themselves may have a ruler-flat response pattern, but the room itself probably won't; the dimensions of the room will result in "room modes" that amplify certain harmonic series while cancelling out others. The larger the triangle, the more the room tone will be a component of what you hear. Typically you want the space in which you mix to be as acoustically "dead" as you can get it. I don't mean soundproof per se, I mean that reducing reverb time within the space using acoustic insulation and tuned frequency traps is key to getting good mixes from near-field monitors. Bass frequencies in room reverberations are the most difficult to dampen, so if you can't tame the reverb under 125Hz or so with some bass traps, there's little point in buying speakers that will only increase this component of the sound picture. If you have the resources to really get the room nice and dead (you'd be surprised how far another $500 or so will go if you do your homework and DIY the panels), then you can expand the triangle, get a larger sweet spot with fewer issues relating to not being exactly in the right place while listening, and make good use of the bassier 8s.
  • Alternative listening options - Studio monitors are the primary tool for setting up the stereo image; they get you the "depth" that comes with producing the sound from points in front of you instead of to the side like headphones do, so the phase interactions through the air and the "crosstalk" between the two speakers as heard by each ear produce a more faithful virtual placement of sound sources. However, a good pair of headphones is also a critical tool for any home recordist, and what headphones sacrifice in aural depth, they usually make up for in frequency response, with relatively inexpensive models being capable of faithfully reproducing bass down to 20Hz. If you trust your headphones to give you an accurate frequency picture, then the need to maximize the frequency range from your near-field monitors isn't as big a deal; you EQ in the cans, then take them off and position the source in the mix with the boxes.

As far as brand/model recommendations, you can do much worse than the JBL LSR 3-series you're considering. For the price, the 305s and larger 308s are probably the most faithful I've heard, while not being fatiguing to listen to over a long period of time (like the more expensive but more well-reviewed Yamaha HS5/7/8 series). For my money they blow the Eris, M-Audio and Rokits in this general pricepoint out of the water in terms of sound quality and value-for-dollar; the Eris series in particular are pretty scooped for a speaker intended to help you suss out midrange issues. However, I do not at this time own any near-field monitors, so that opinion is based on store demos (therefore I have nothing to say on durability), make of that what you will.
 
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Re: budget monitors???

uOpt said:
I have a pair of Rokit 6ens that I use with a JBL subwoofer. That is an awesome combo. Screw the rokit haters.
Click to expand...

There are Rokit haters???!!! I love my Rokits. And I have the older Gen 1 5's. Rokit's are killer little monitors.

Just to put this in perspective, my Yamaha NS-1000's and Definitive Technology 450's are in a closet.

Edit: BTW, I also use the Scarlett 2i2. Sweet little interface.
 
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Re: budget monitors???

ArtieToo said:
There are Rokit haters???!!!
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I wouldn't limit it to Rokits; I can't say I care for KRKs in general. The pro studio I used to record at had KRK VXTs in a few of their rooms and I always used the other monitors, even if it was a pair of NS-10s. Generally speaking I found them to be scooped and really bright, so I imagine they'd work great for hip-hop but not great for guitar rock.

My recommendation for budget monitors are the JBL LSR305s, Presonus Eris E5s, or the (now discontinued) Yamaha HS-50s. Whether or not you should go with bigger speakers has more to do with room acoustics than music style IMO. I record in a medium-small room, so 8" speakers are too much.
 
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Re: budget monitors???

dystrust said:
I wouldn't limit it to Rokits; I can't say I care for KRKs in general. The pro studio I used to record at had KRK VXTs in a few of their rooms and I always used the other monitors, even if it was a pair of NS-10s. Generally speaking I found them to be scooped and really bright, so I imagine they'd work great for hip-hop but not great for guitar rock.
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That's probably a good point. I doubt that my 60-something ears have the same response as my 20-something ears ever had. I may be EQ'ing for old guys. ;)
 
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Wow Artietoo, you've been on a rescent tear to push, not even mid level, but "cheap" gear as being as good or even better than high level stuff. Puzzling, becasue you probably have better gear than most of us. I don't even pretend to get it. DaiseyRock like maybe a Les Paul? Cheap stock pickups as good as premium custom pickups? Okay...Krockets better than Yamamha nSM10's? K :dunno:
 
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Re: budget monitors???

I seriously doubt that I have better equipment than "most of you". :)

There are a couple of specific items, recently, that I'm judging with my ears, rather than my wallet. The Daisy Rock is, for all intent and purpose, built by Schecter. Not a bad guitar. And, it came to me with Duncan Slash AII Pro's already installed. This baby rocks. But it did NOT knock my #1 out of 1st place: A Les Paul, with PATB-1's installed.

The KRK Rokits definitely blow Yammy NS-10's out of the water. Those speakers have a rep they really don't deserve. They're more the product of folk lore than substance. I was referring to my old NS-1000's, which are now 40-something years old. Granted, the Rokits have the advantage of convenience, being self-powered. They plug directly into my Scarlett 2i2, bypassing the need for a mixing board and amp.

And the dang Rich b***h pups sound good. But, they will be changed out for Blackouts before the week is over. Stay tuna-ed. ;)

Artie
 
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That reminds me that I wanted to run my analyzer on my sets of monitors, not to mention re-measure my car.

The JBL set is still down one side, though.
 
Re: budget monitors???

Rokit hater here! Overhyped bass IMO. Great speaker if you need one for general listening and mixing though, I'll give em that...but I find they don't translate as well due to this overhyped low end.

Yamaha HS80m user here, but those might be a little above the range your looking at. I wouldn't go smaller than 7".

ArtieToo - The NS-1000's are not the same as NS-10's. Plus, we all know NS-10's aren't legendary because they sound good on their own, but because they are so true in the mids and translate EXTREMELY well.
 
Re: budget monitors???

I'm a big fan of these. http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Studio-Monitors-with-DSP-Pair-p/d5.htm

5" so the bass won't thump your chest but it's very honest and musical. None of that "one note" bass so often found in smaller monitors. Coaxial design give you pinpoint stereo imaging and the mid range is brutally honest. There is no hype to these boxes. I also own the Yamaha HSM80's with the matching sub and quite honestly I'd rather use the equators. You can just hear so much further into a mix with them.
 
Re: budget monitors???

i appreciate all the input. im done some research and it's coming down to the krk rokit 5's and the jbl lsr 305's. a buddy has the jbl's in his home studio and they sound fantastic. as far as the rokits go ive heard way more good than bad about them. plus in my opinion they look pretty damn good too. idk yet i guess it all comes down to me going to guitar center and trying them out for myself.
 
Re: budget monitors???

Kamanda~SD said:
ArtieToo - The NS-1000's are not the same as NS-10's.
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Hey Mr. K. Yes, I know. Not even in the same ballpark. I only brought up NS-10's because I was responding to metalmaniac, who brought them up. Maybe it was a "typo". :)

No prob on hating Rokits. Speakers are probably the most subjective piece of audio equipment ever. I mainly use them to listen to Trance/Dance mixes. For guitar, I mostly use my amp du jour.
 
Re: budget monitors???

At the end of the day, no monitor will fix your sh!tty room.
Knowing your room and having any neutral speaker will yield good results.
 
Re: budget monitors???

ArtieToo said:
Hey Mr. K. Yes, I know. Not even in the same ballpark. I only brought up NS-10's because I was responding to metalmaniac, who brought them up. Maybe it was a "typo". :)

No prob on hating Rokits. Speakers are probably the most subjective piece of audio equipment ever. I mainly use them to listen to Trance/Dance mixes. For guitar, I mostly use my amp du jour.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I brought up NS-10s first, but that isn't really the point...

Kamanda~SD said:
ArtieToo - The NS-1000's are not the same as NS-10's. Plus, we all know NS-10's aren't legendary because they sound good on their own, but because they are so true in the mids and translate EXTREMELY well.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, have you ever heard a pair of NS-10s? They sound pretty horrible honestly, and they have a pretty big push in the nasal 1-2kHz range which I'd call anything but honest. The old adage was, "If the mix sounds good on NS-10s, it'll sound good on anything" because this frequency response would point out problems in the midrange. I loved tracking on them for just this reason; I was able to really dial in a great guitar sound with that detail. Setting the mid EQ switch to +2 on the HS-50 & HS-80 does the same thing, and the feature was foolishly removed on the new HS-5 & HS-8. OTOH I would NEVER mix exclusively on NS-10s because the bass is so thin.
 
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Re: budget monitors???

dystrust said:
Just out of curiosity, have you ever heard a pair of NS-10s? They sound pretty horrible honestly, and they have a pretty big push in the nasal 1-2kHz range which I'd call anything but honest. The old adage was, "If the mix sounds good on NS-10s, it'll sound good on anything" because this frequency response would point out problems in the midrange. I loved tracking on them for just this reason; I was able to really dial in a great guitar sound with that detail. Setting the mid EQ switch to +2 on the HS-50 & HS-80 does the same thing, and the feature was foolishly removed on the new HS-5 & HS-8. OTOH I would NEVER mix exclusively on NS-10s because the bass is so thin.
Click to expand...

I most certainly have! Hooked up to a Bryston no less, my buddy has them in his studio. Yeah, my use of the word 'true' was probably not the best, but my point was exactly as you said, that they point out any issues and allow for better translation. I wouldn't use them exclusively either for the same reason, but I love checking on them.

In regards to the Rokits - I am a hater, BUT I still recommend them for certain situations (i.e. the listening/ mixing scenario I mentioned earlier) and for guys mixing more electronic music.

OP - If you havent heard (or Can't) the Rokits then go with the JBL's. Maybe see if you can borrow them for a day to hear in your room?
 
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