Studio monitor recommendations

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sat May 03, 2008 3:38 pm

Hey Gang,

I'll be looking to spend up to about a 1K for a set of monitors by next month. Since there is a thread on headphones, I thought I would ask the fourm for advice on monitors for home. I am leaning towards the Mackie HR624MMKII, the JBLs LRS4300s, or the M-Audios BX8as. Is there others I should consider?

best regards to all,

vic

6string · Post by **6string** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:41 pm

The Mackie HR824's are great... haven't heard the MK2's though.
Also consider Genelec, Event, Tannoy, KRK, etc...
Since you live in the Bay Area, you have plenty of places to go and listen and compare in person before you buy.
Happy hunting.

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:01 pm

You can get a used set of HR24's for under a grand. Those are good once you learn them.

Put Adam A7's on your list too.

I have a Blue Sky 2.1 setup that is hard to beat and very cost effective. Give those a listen if you can.

george

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:54 am

If you have a GC nearby, you could bring some reference CDs (with varying types of material...stuff that you're really familiar with, production-wise) into their 'monitor room'. They should have a CD player with a switcher in place to demo various monitors. Obviously it's not an ideal situation as how you place your monitors in a room, room size, etc. are going to affect how they sound, but it should help you narrow things down. I've heard folks bag on the HR824s before but back in the day my old roommate had a pair matched up with a Mackie D8B and some Tascam DA-88s....they sounded phenomenal. You can get a good pair without breaking the bank, also. Look at Dynaudio, Yamaha, the smaller Genelecs, KRKs, and Mackies. Just go in and try some A/B-ing. They have a return policy.

45auto · Post by **45auto** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:59 am

i could have sworn i heard a gc radio commercial yesterday advertising some mackies for a grand a pair? i could be hallucinating again...happy hunting

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Thu May 08, 2008 10:43 am

VelvetGeorge wrote:You can get a used set of HR24's for under a grand. Those are good once you learn them.

Put Adam A7's on your list too.

I have a Blue Sky 2.1 setup that is hard to beat and very cost effective. Give those a listen if you can.

george

VG,

Are you running a sub-woofer with the 2.1s?

My local GC has the Adam A7s "in the back," but not on the floor, I told the salesperson via phone that I'll call to make an appointment to come on in and do a comparison (got to practice that "due diligence"), before make a purchase.

And to everyone else, what should I use as a reference disk, VH1

?
Any other models/makes to consider?

best to all,

v

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:05 am

Yes they have a sub. I have two sets.

On the workbench is the media desk set up. I picked these up as a scratch and dent item:

http://www.abluesky.com/asp/catalogue/p ... code=00012

I'm using these for everything right now since I don't have anyplace to set up my other set. The Pro Desk:

http://www.abluesky.com/asp/catalogue/c ... ?linkid=18

These are both killer. I liked the Pro Desks a lot more than the Mackie 824's I have. You just have to be careful to set the sub level correctly.

george

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:30 am

crazyfingers wrote:what should I use as a reference disk, VH1 ?
Any other models/makes to consider?

I would just bring CDs that have good production, represent the frequency spectrum well (and stuff you've really sat down and done critical listening with and know intimately). The idea is that you want to be able to accurately hear everything that's going on. Don't be afraid to use other genres of music for listening tests, either. Need to check out the bass response? There are plenty of R&B albums that are mixed pretty brilliantly. Make it even easier, burn a custom CD with various examples so you don't have to lug a bunch of discs around. A couple general pop CDs I've used in studios when switching monitors from room to room:

Toy Matinee - "Toy Matinee" (great production)
Madonna - "Music" (great production, bottom end, and lots of things going on)

When you pick monitors that work for all styles, you can then focus on reference CDs in whatever genre you're using them for and use them as mix references.

dino rico · Post by **dino rico** » Thu May 08, 2008 1:59 pm

just recently bought a pair of the Mackie HR824mk2 .
They are the incredible..good luck hunting
Angus and malcolm, I read.....love them

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Mon May 12, 2008 2:42 pm

Hi Guys, this is my first post as I have just joined the Forum!!!
I have designed studios all over the world and suppled a large amount of high end gear to some of the top studios, engineers and artists.
If you want the best, in my opinion, you gotta have Genelec 1030

JimiJames · Post by **JimiJames** » Tue May 13, 2008 8:30 pm

...First... Welcome to the forum My Good Lady...
I foresee a lot of responses to your posts as "Hey Jude"

6string wrote:The Mackie HR824's are great... haven't heard the MK2's though.
Also consider Genelec, Event, Tannoy, KRK, etc...
Since you live in the Bay Area, you have plenty of places to go and listen and compare in person before you buy.
Happy hunting.

+1

Those Mac's are hard to beat. They have a super flatline curve so what ever you've just recorded is what is being translated... no coloring let's say.

The Mac's frequency range is broader and has a better distortion ratio.
But for some reason the Gen's have something pleasing to the ear.
Does it color the sound in a good way...I dunno?
One thing for sure you need your mon's to tell you the truth.

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Tue May 13, 2008 9:38 pm

JimiJames wrote:...First... Welcome to the forum My Good Lady...
I foresee a lot of responses to your posts as "Hey Jude"

Not to get too off topic but where did you get that "Jude" was a girl? Jude Law is a guy and "Hey Jude" was something Paul wrote for Julian Lennon when his parents were going through their divorce.

JimiJames · Post by **JimiJames** » Tue May 13, 2008 9:59 pm

ha ! Yeah I know , Pete...

I only know 1 Jude (Law) and it sounds like this is a SNL thing with "Pat".
All in good fun...

ehh... I ment to say my good Lad...

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:43 pm

Hi JimiJames,
I do like girls!!!( especially if they have a load of mustard caps!!!!) but unfortunatly having said that I have to shatter your illusions and let you know that i

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:16 pm

Well, Jimi, at least he let you down easy.

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