Monitor: what should be the next step?

combination thread.
Hades
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by Hades »

blizt wrote:
Going back to the monitors discussion, I spent quite some time yesterday reading opinions on forums and reviews, and to start I have added to my "monitor to hear" list these three:

- Mackie HR824 Mk2 (519 € per unit)
- Mackie HR624 Mk2 (435 € per uni)
- Adam A7X (479 € per unit)

These also fit with my price range and I've read some good feedback but I have to do more research:

- Dynaudio BM5A MKII (479 € per unit)
- Focal CMS50 (511 € per unit)
- Genelec 8030 (511 € per unit)
I wouldn't take the HR624's if there's only such little difference in price with the 824's. Back when I bought mine, it was like 700 per 624 unit, and 900 per 824 unit.
I've always heard many positive things about Adams, and if I hadn't found the Focals, I would have probably gotten me a pair of Adams, or Dynaudio BM6A's.

Honestly, I've heard mainly positive stuff about Genelec, Focal, and Dynaudio, so I would just try to find a store where you can test most of these models.
If you're in Europe, and close enough to Germany, go to Music Store. Their selection is quite huge, and they always have a low price.
I've been dealing with them for about 15 years now, and saw them grow from "local big" to "European massive", but they still treat their customers with respect,
even if you have problems with gear.
Just ignore the occasional crap frustrated-musician-seller-guy-that-doesn't-know-sh!t-about-what-he's-talking that works there. You have them in every music store... :lol:
lem
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by lem »

tone-def wrote:
lem wrote:
tone-def wrote:Build your own tuned resonators if you want perfect flat bass in your room.
I understand the function of tuned resonators, but I have never heard them in use...
...have you got any experience with them? Just curious...
i made and tested one for my uni coursework. it's a little more work than these things you stick in the corners but it's much better if it's just a few frequencies giving you problems.

here is a good calculator for making your resonators. you still want to test them with impulse responses and something like an earthworks microphone. the one i made needed a pillow inside to make the Q or frequency band it effects wider.

http://www.lautsprechershop.de/index_hi ... ltz_en.htm

from what i learnt about standing waves i wouldn't bother with those things in the corners.
Thanks for the response AJ.
I was under the impression that tuned resonators would take up much more room and that room modes effected many frequencies. An acoustic engineer told us that in small rooms that broadband absorption was always the way to go.
Maybe because tuned resonators are harder to build, less effective vs space? I don't know....
As far as I can remember, this is the first time I have ever heard them recommended.
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by steevio »

blizt wrote:@tone-def I've read about building a resonator, but at the end it was not very clear for me and decided to go with the normal bass traps + panels.

@Hades Then go for the ceiling cloud! You will only benefit from installing one.

Going back to the monitors discussion, I spent quite some time yesterday reading opinions on forums and reviews, and to start I have added to my "monitor to hear" list these three:

- Mackie HR824 Mk2 (519 € per unit)
- Mackie HR624 Mk2 (435 € per uni)
- Adam A7X (479 € per unit)

These also fit with my price range and I've read some good feedback but I have to do more research:

- Dynaudio BM5A MKII (479 € per unit)
- Focal CMS50 (511 € per unit)
- Genelec 8030 (511 € per unit)
you cant go wrong with HR824s in my opinion, ive been using mine now for about 8 years, no complaints, and before that i had a whole string of different monitors which i eventually sold because i didnt like them ( i think ive had at least 10 different pairs since 1981 including all the regulars like NS10ms etc. )

i've also used the 824s in three different studios with widely varying acoustics and they seem to sound the same wherever i go.
plenty of bass, which for me is important.
my mate has had a alot of different Genelecs and now has the top of the range latest model, he swears by them, he's also mastering some well known top producers at the moment, but i've never liked the sound of any of them. they always sound thin to me.
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by Mono-xID »

tone-def wrote:go to a shop and have a listen.
doesn't make sense 'cause the monitors will sound different when used in your room...
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by tone-def »

Mono-xID wrote:
tone-def wrote:go to a shop and have a listen.
doesn't make sense 'cause the monitors will sound different when used in your room...
well yes but you can get an idea of their character. for example some people really like the detail in Adam tweets while others find them harsh and fatiguing.
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by tone-def »

lem wrote:
tone-def wrote:
lem wrote:
tone-def wrote:Build your own tuned resonators if you want perfect flat bass in your room.
I understand the function of tuned resonators, but I have never heard them in use...
...have you got any experience with them? Just curious...
i made and tested one for my uni coursework. it's a little more work than these things you stick in the corners but it's much better if it's just a few frequencies giving you problems.

here is a good calculator for making your resonators. you still want to test them with impulse responses and something like an earthworks microphone. the one i made needed a pillow inside to make the Q or frequency band it effects wider.

http://www.lautsprechershop.de/index_hi ... ltz_en.htm

from what i learnt about standing waves i wouldn't bother with those things in the corners.
Thanks for the response AJ.
I was under the impression that tuned resonators would take up much more room and that room modes effected many frequencies. An acoustic engineer told us that in small rooms that broadband absorption was always the way to go.
Maybe because tuned resonators are harder to build, less effective vs space? I don't know....
As far as I can remember, this is the first time I have ever heard them recommended.

broadband wasn't covered on my course. i can only assume that it wasn't worth knowing about. i don't know the science involved with them but lets say you have a standing waves at 25Hz and 32Hz. 25Hz will also give peaks at 50Hz, 100Hz and 200Hz, while 32Hz will have peaks at 64Hz, 128Hz and 256Hz. now a broadband absorber will take the energy out of these frequencies but it will also do the same for the frequencies you don't want to effect.
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by steevio »

Mono-xID wrote:
tone-def wrote:go to a shop and have a listen.
doesn't make sense 'cause the monitors will sound different when used in your room...
i'd have to disagree, you can actually tell the difference in the quality of monitors when you audition them together, its real easy to tell which are the cheap ones and the expensive ones. when i bought mine i listened to 12 different models and the difference between them all was amazing.
there's alot of talk about the importance of room acoustics, and obviously it plays a part, but they arent going to make a sh!t pair of monitors sound good and good ones sound sh!t.
its all down to taste really, you just know straight away when auditioning them all together.
the most important thing is to take a cd with tunes you know really well in with you, otherwise you might be listening to some sh!t folk CD that the shop just happened to have lying around :)
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Re: Monitor: what should be the next step?

Post by Hades »

steevio wrote:
Mono-xID wrote:
tone-def wrote:go to a shop and have a listen.
doesn't make sense 'cause the monitors will sound different when used in your room...
i'd have to disagree, you can actually tell the difference in the quality of monitors when you audition them together, its real easy to tell which are the cheap ones and the expensive ones. when i bought mine i listened to 12 different models and the difference between them all was amazing.
there's alot of talk about the importance of room acoustics, and obviously it plays a part, but they arent going to make a sh!t pair of monitors sound good and good ones sound sh!t.
its all down to taste really, you just know straight away when auditioning them all together.
the most important thing is to take a cd with tunes you know really well in with you, otherwise you might be listening to some sh!t folk CD that the shop just happened to have lying around :)
I completely agree with this.
Of course your room plays a role, but like Steevio said : they won't make bad monitors sound good and vice versa.
Listening to them in a store will get you to learn their character a bit, and whether they are right for you or not.
Eventually they will sound a bit different in your room, but if they sound completely different,
then you have some serious acoustic problems in your room, and you'd have problems with any pair of monitors you bring in.

Another thing to consider is that some monitors need quite some time to "run in" or whatever you want to call it.
With my Focals, it was said in the manual they needed at least 30 hours to properly run in, but many said on the net that 80 hours was more like it.
That was completely true. I wouldn't say they sounded like complete crap before, but they did sound a lot better after the run in time.
If you hear a model that sounds too "harsh" for you, ask the seller if it's been just out of the box recently, and maybe needed more run in time.
Plus you won't hear in the shop whether or not you'll have ear fatigue more easily or not with a certain model of monitors.
This all sounds like small stuff, but they do effect how you will like your monitors in the long run.

Usually, you have a 30-day-money-backperiod, no ?
Take the one you like best in the shop, take them home, and then test them as much as possible in the one month period at home.
Then if you're still not happy, return them and get your 2nd choice.
That way you should be covered to check out all possible problems : room, run in time, ear fatigue,...
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