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Switching to new monitors...

Finally.. I'm getting rid of my, now old, alesis m1 mk2.
After quite a bit of searching, I'm down to:
1. Dynaudio BM6A,
2. Mackie HR824 mk2,
3. JBL LSR4326P,
4. Genelec 8030A,

Also done quite a bit of reasearch on adam, tannoy, and event, but I think i'll stick to the ones mentioned.
The room is 4x4m with the monitors placed in the middle (not dead center) and my chair is near one of the walls (in other words, no problems with excess bass). AFAIK this is the best position based on the room.
Soundproofing will be the next step, but first.. what should I choose?
I'm mostly leaning towards the mackies and dynaudio's based on opinions from other ppl. Also love the JBL's auto room matching. I can't preview any of them, so it's gonna have to be an educated guess.

Don't know if this helps, but I'd prefer a little brighter monitior with a good low end, if possible. As I have a tendency to mix a bit bright, and ofc, need the extended low end (not plannig on getting a sub). Music is trance, ofc in all shapes and sizes.

If anyone had expirience with any of these monitors, I'd love to know what you think.

Re: Switching to new monitors...

quote:

Originally posted by LfmC what should I choose? I'm mostly leaning towards the mackies and dynaudio's based on opinions from other ppl. Also love the JBL's auto room matching. I can't preview any of them, so it's gonna have to be an educated guess. Don't know if this helps, but I'd prefer a little brighter monitior with a good low end, if possible. As I have a tendency to mix a bit bright, and ofc, need the extended low end (not plannig on getting a sub). Music is trance, ofc in all shapes and sizes. If anyone had expirience with any of these monitors, I'd love to know what you think.

I prefer the Dynaudios hands down. I haven't heard the JBL's but did hear the Mackie and Genelec ones. I think the Dynaudios sound more dry than the other ones do.

However you're saying you like bright monitors with a good low end, I think mackies quite fit that description. Genelecs as well.
Dynaudios don't (IMO).

When I was listening in the music shop I felt like the Mackies had a better low end than the Genelecs. But with the highs it was just the opposite. I felt Genelecs have muffled bass, but pretty fresh highs.
Overall I would prefer the Mackies over the Genelecs if I had to choose between the two.

Tough choice Good luck!

Thanks Storyteller
This is great info.

So I'm prolly gonna skip the genelecs.
Anyone tried the JBL's? I've read a few reviews, all extremely positive, but I have no idea are they even in the same "class" as mackie/dynaudio.

You'll need a sub for all of those except maybe the Mackies.
I also used to have Alesis M1s.
I upgraded to Adam A7s. The high end is very detailed on the Adam A7s (thanks to the ribbon tweeters). I also tend to mix a little too bright, and because of that I think they're perfect for me. The bass doesn't go really deep, but it's very tight and I have no trouble mixing a good low end on them.

I would go with either ADAM A7s or if you want a 'sure thing' for producing trance music, the Mackies have become quite a standard for trance.

Re: Switching to new monitors...

quote:

Originally posted by LfmC I'm mostly leaning towards the mackies and dynaudio's based on opinions from other ppl. Also love the JBL's auto room matching. Don't know if this helps, but I'd prefer a little brighter monitior with a good low end, if possible. As I have a tendency to mix a bit bright, and ofc, need the extended low end (not plannig on getting a sub). Music is trance, ofc in all shapes and sizes.

I checked out all of these models before buying my last set of monitors. They're all very good choices and will be a noticeable improvement over your Alesis monitors. I originally was planning on buying the JBLs, but after spending a lot of time listening to them at Guitar Center with my mixes and commercial mixes, I was not impressed at all (for that price point). The built-in room compensation is more marketing than performance IMO and several monitors blew them away sound quality-wise IMO. The Dynaudios were nice, but lacked the presence I was looking for. The Genelecs were alright, but not impressive compared to anything else in that price range and the small woofers were definitely lacking in the low end - I wouldn't buy them w/o a subwoofer, but then there goes your budget. The Mackies were definitely my favorite of the four models that you are considering, but I actually liked the sound of the Yamaha HS80Ms even more and they were much less expensive (<$700/pr USD). I've had them for about 7 months now and I'm very happy with my decision. You may want to look around at specs and reviews for this model - it may alter your preferences. HTH.

If you are going to spend that much money on monitors you should probably go and get an audition of those Focal Solos or the Focal Twins since basically everyone over at Gearslutz creams their pants just thinking about them.

Im am also looking some Studio Monitor,what do yall think of the KRK RP6-G2 8 Inch 140W Powered Studio Monitor? I see them in alot of studios! http://www.pssl.com/KRK-RP6-G2-8-In...-Studio-Monitor

quote:

Originally posted by Eldritch You'll need a sub for all of those except maybe the Mackies. I also used to have Alesis M1s. I upgraded to Adam A7s. The high end is very detailed on the Adam A7s (thanks to the ribbon tweeters). I also tend to mix a little too bright, and because of that I think they're perfect for me. The bass doesn't go really deep, but it's very tight and I have no trouble mixing a good low end on them.

Sorry, but not true. subs (and this has been discussed so many times on here) should rarely ever be necessary, especially when being used in a space that is not properly acoustically treated. There is so much to be considered with subs (placement/size of room/etc.) that it's usually not worth it and most speakers in this price range have good enough bass response to be used perfectly well for monitoring.

While the dynaudios are flat, they really don't have much presence and for some reason JBL's have always fallen a bit short of my taste. My vote goes with the Gene's or the Mackies, but derivative is right, the focals seem to be making people go nuts....

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Sorry, but not true. subs (and this has been discussed so many times on here) should rarely ever be necessary, especially when being used in a space that is not properly acoustically treated. There is so much to be considered with subs (placement/size of room/etc.) that it's usually not worth it and most speakers in this price range have good enough bass response to be used perfectly well for monitoring.

I didn't mean that a sub is necessary. I don't have a sub and my mixes turn out fine in the bass department. So I agree with what you're saying.
However, If you look at the original post he says he wants an "extended" low end. I just meant it's impossible with some of the monitors he listed.

I managed to listen to the BM6A and HR824 yesterday. I was quite a bit surprised to find out that dynaudio seems to have a similar character to my alesis monitors. ofcourse, the details were uncomparable, but they were easy to "figure out", so to speak.
Mackie's, on the other hand, had a sound I've never heard before. Very wide stereo image, and, although I love their sound, I was unable to pinpoint the problem areas in my mixes. I guess it will take some getting used to.
Will try the yamaha MSP7 tommorow, and hopefully make a choice then.
Thanks for your help everyone

quote:

Originally posted by LfmC Mackie's, on the other hand, had a sound I've never heard before. Very wide stereo image, and, although I love their sound, I was unable to pinpoint the problem areas in my mixes.

Yeah, I got the same impression from them. They sound good, but they don't sound "honest". They don't reveal problem areas in a mix.

Few things I've learned while working at _______(Certain studio monitor company, I'll talk more in August )...

Passive Radiators, great for listening, but I don't like it for production. I'll be using 2 21" passive radiators for a 21" sub that I did a fair bit of design work on. As a result it'll be flat, in room, to some rediculous number in the teens (and xMech = 60mm... that's one way mechanical excursion limit). Why? It'll extend the low end, at what cost? Boominess. Also, I'm not a fan of rear ports, especially with high Q. It loads the back wall/corners too easily...

...Case in point being the Genelec 8050. Damn that sucker goes low, but it's muddy and boomy and loads the front wall. SUPER high Q on the port that faces rearward. I did a waterfall of the 8050 and it's dirtier than my ex. (badum-ching!) They do this to control the excursion of the woofer at low frequencies. At box resonance the excursion of the cone is reduced as it is the driving force of the oscillator (mass on a spring: air in port is the mass, air in box is the spring). I've pulled apart an 8050 and run more tests on it than I would have liked.... or maybe I did like it since I got to pull apart one of the ugliest monitors EVAR!

Adam's don't use ribbon tweeters. They use Heil tweeters. If you think I'm splitting hairs.. I'm not. It's a stiff material. You have magnets front and rear that block most of the sound. 4:1 ratio in 'excursion' to air displacement? Eh... not buying that it's linear. It's wide, which hurts dispersion considerably. They have their port in the right place, though. Does it work? Sure. Does it create good marketing? Yeah, because it's referred to as a ribbon when it isn't a ribbon at all. Ribbon's are great, but they can be MUCH better. I have two patents being written up right now and one is for a ribbon tweeter. The other is for an ultra shallow sub. I'm outdoing the JL thin sub by a longshot. I digress... dome tweeters can be better than Heils anyday....

Which brings us to dome tweeter materials. Silk dome, great for listening, not great for producing. They're flabby and don't translate those highs well. Metallic domes are better for monitoring, but can be harsh to your ears if you don't use the right type of alloys. As a result tweeters are not something to skimp on when it comes to a monitor speaker. Dome materials/alloys can get costly, but worth it. Unfortunately, companies would rather save a buck here and there and not do it right. My knowledge breaks down here... breaks down worse than a silk dome tweeter. Katching!

Just as sub placement is critical.. .so is monitor placement. The room dominates the low end. A common room will lift the bottom of a speaker's response by as much as 15dB. Of course this all lends towards speaker placement and even moreso YOUR placement.

My biggest advice... wait until the end of the summer.

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