Active PA speaker or Reference Monitors ?

[DanL]

Is it possible that I'm an even bigger snob? I wouldn't think so, but I built my own studio monitors to match my own impossible specifications. I spent $200 just on a factory matched pair of dome tweeters. The crossover components alone cost almost as much as the speakers. I did significant woodwork to time align each driver. For recording purposes, I mic my studio monitors and run them through Roland KC amps for the best possible sound quality.

 

I'm thinking about doing this too. What kind of mic cables to you use to run to the KCs? I'm worried about signal loss as the runs will be close to 6 feet.

[ITGITC]

 

SSM, you started your sentence with "Don't want to rain on your parade here", but then proceeded to tell the OP what a crappy decision he made and how your choice, for an extra £25, would sound so much better. WTF?

 

He wasn't asking for your opinion. He posted in the hopes that we would share in his excitement. You blew it.

 

His choice was based on his research, his budget, his available space, and other factors that you aren't privy to. Telling him that he could have, what you consider to be better speakers for a few dollars more, certainly IS raining on his parade.

 

If he posts again and says that he really likes his new speakers are you going to repeat your opinion, that he made a poor decision because they aren't the speakers you would have chosen?

 

Think before you post, SSM. Consider how your words will fall on the reader's ears.

 

If you do this you will find that sometimes it's better to just keep your mouth shut.

 

Tom

 

 

 

[DulceLabs.com]

If you're an electronic musician, nothing is sound until it comes out of your monitors. I think it's worth to to get the best ones you can.

 

 

What monitors do you use, Dave? I'm not in the market right now, but I am wondering how much to sock away for that day...

[Bigmc]

The KRK, s are amazing .

Well pleased.

£239 incl Samsung MS200 stands and a pair of stereo leads, with before 10:00am next day delivery.

[Six-string-man]

 

SSM, you started your sentence with "Don't want to rain on your parade here", but then proceeded to tell the OP what a crappy decision he made and how your choice, for an extra £25, would sound so much better. WTF?

 

He wasn't asking for your opinion. He posted in the hopes that we would share in his excitement. You blew it.

 

His choice was based on his research, his budget, his available space, and other factors that you aren't privy to. Telling him that he could have, what you consider to be better speakers for a few dollars more, certainly IS raining on his parade.

 

If he posts again and says that he really likes his new speakers are you going to repeat your opinion, that he made a poor decision because they aren't the speakers you would have chosen?

 

Think before you post, SSM. Consider how your words will fall on the reader's ears.

 

If you do this you will find that sometimes it's better to just keep your mouth shut.

 

Tom

 

 

 

Tom

 

I'm not about to get into a pissing match with you here. BigMc posted "Hope I've made a good choice?"

 

NOTE THE QUESTION MARK at the end. That suggested to me that he was looking for verification. I stated my opinion - surely that's what this forum is all about. I pointed out that MAYBE there was a better choice for very little extra outlay.

 

I could say a lot more, but in the interests of keeping the peace I will leave it there.

 

The OP has posted that he loves his speakers, and I am delighted for him, his opinion is what matters most here.

 

 

SSM

[DulceLabs.com]

All's well that ends well.

 

I can only imagine the beating the OP would have taken if he posted "I just ordered the Roland KC amp... hope I made the right choice!"

 

http://www.escali.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/getty_rf_photo_of_group_beer_toast.jpg

[Six-string-man]

The KRK, s are amazing .

Well pleased.

£239 incl Samsung MS200 stands and a pair of stereo leads, with before 10:00am next day delivery.

 

 

Bigmc, I'm really glad that you love your KRK's. I hope you didn't take offence at my previous post, it was meant in the "helpful onlooker"vein, and not in the "interfering git" mode.

 

I hope you took it that way., and if you didn't, I apologise. You certainly got a good price.

 

Cheers,

 

SSM

[Six-string-man]

All's well that ends well.

 

I can only imagine the beating the OP would have taken if he posted "I just ordered the Roland KC amp... hope I made the right choice!"

 

http://www.escali.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/getty_rf_photo_of_group_beer_toast.jpg

 

 

 

 

SSM

 

 

[Dave Bryce]

What monitors do you use, Dave? I'm not in the market right now, but I am wondering how much to sock away for that day...

I was a big ADAM S3A guy for a long time - those sold for around $4k when I bought them, but they're discontinued now. I still have a set of original ADAM A7 (I think the current version of those is around $1500), but my main monitors are Amphion One18s ($3k, not including amp).

 

That may seem like a lot to spend on monitors...but we spend that on keyboards all the time. and (if you do a bunch of recording), the speakers are arguable more important.

 

Good monitors also provide a sharper lens for evaluating the work of others. It's a lot of fun for me to listen to recordings I love on monitors that let me really hear into the mix - especially the back to front "Z plane" aspects.

 

As I mentioned previously: there really is no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to buying monitors. There are plenty of choices to suit just about any taste at just about every price point...and just because someone else may not like speakers that sound good to you is no reason to question your judgment.

 

dB

[ITGITC]

The KRK, s are amazing .

Well pleased.

£239 incl Samsung MS200 stands and a pair of stereo leads, with before 10:00am next day delivery.

 

 

Bigmc, I'm really glad that you love your KRK's. I hope you didn't take offence at my previous post, it was meant in the "helpful onlooker"vein, and not in the "interfering git" mode.

 

I hope you took it that way., and if you didn't, I apologise. You certainly got a good price.

 

Cheers,

 

SSM

 

 

SSM, I understand.

 

And I believe you were trying to be helpful, but what you wrote didn't communicate it clearly.

 

Bigmc was excited and wanted us to get excited with him. That's it. Full stop.

 

No need to go further into details here. I was defending his right to be excited and wanting us to be excited too.

 

...and I appreciate your reply to help clear the air.

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

 

 

[Six-string-man]

Tom, that's very gracious.

 

 

SSM

[Bigmc]

The KRK, s are amazing .

Well pleased.

£239 incl Samsung MS200 stands and a pair of stereo leads, with before 10:00am next day delivery.

 

 

Bigmc, I'm really glad that you love your KRK's. I hope you didn't take offence at my previous post, it was meant in the "helpful onlooker"vein, and not in the "interfering git" mode.

 

I hope you took it that way., and if you didn't, I apologise. You certainly got a good price.

 

Cheers,

 

SSM

 

Aye..No offence taken at all.

And baring in mind I purchased them for playing my Roland RD300NX through not for studio or recording.

 

 

[RABid]

Having just purchased a Roland RD300NX I want to get some kind of speaker system for use at home rather than always using headphones.

I use an old Peavey KB60 for gigging and love it but I keep it in the car ( its a heavy old beast to keep lumping in and out of my house ! )

I recently saw that a lot of keyboard players use a powered PA speaker alongside a small mixer and say that the sound is the best out there.

I can get a Mackie SRM350v2 for £199 delivered in the UK , what do you think ? Get the Mackie sit it in the corner and also use it for gigging or go for a set of Studio Reference Monitors ?

 

I see nothing in this post about accurately mixing a recording session or finalizing the latest hit. What I see is a desire to play keyboard at home at low volume. For that I think you make a good choice with the KRK's. At some point you might want to add a sub to smooth out the low end of an 88, but for now you are good to go.

[JeffLearman]

Two different tasks: live sound & near field monitoring.

 

Use the speaker for the task it was intended to do.

 

You'll be happier in the end.

Nailed it in the first post.

 

What's the difference?

 

Studio monitors are designed to be accurate. They don't need to be efficient, because they don't need to be very loud.

 

Live speakers are designed to be loud. They sacrifice audio perfection for efficiency, so that you don't need 10 times the power.

 

Really: 10 times the power. A typical studio monitor is about 10 dB quieter at the same power level as a typical live speaker, and it takes 10 times the power to get 10dB more volume! If I used studio monitors live, I'd need 7500 watts rather than 750. But wow, would they sound great!

 

Of course, that's assuming the studio monitor can handle that much power. Generally, they can't, except for "soffet monsters".

 

Also, as mentioned above, the dispersion can vary, but that varies a lot even among live speakers. I don't know how focused most nearfield monitors are, but it makes sense that they'd be focused, if you can do it without sacrificing accuracy. Still, I doubt they're as focused as many speakers designed for mains. Speakers designed for use as monitors should have wider dispersion.

[Chris26]

There are a lot of studio monitors in the market and it can be daunting to choose. https://homestudiomaven.com/studio-monitors/best-studio-monitors helped me choose my jbl lsr305 and I've been using it for months now. They listed some of the best studio monitors

[Ken Beaumont]

Get a [proper PA system...] sit it in the corner and also use it for gigging or go for a set of Studio Reference Monitors ?

I would recommending doing both of these (if financially possible). Get a stereo PA system for gigging, and a good pair of studio monitors for home use. This will most likely get you the best sound.

 

I have a set of 8 inch JBL308's my friend has the 305's. I should have bought the 5 inch. The 308's are way too big. In fact I keep my gigging setup at home attached to a Roland CM-220 system, two 4.5 inch speakers and a 10 inch sub. I play that setup way more. Unless I'm recording or using a plugin, I don't play through the 8's much. So my recommendation is buy a smaller set and if after playing through it a while with careful consideration you can always get a sub and since the sub placement isn't critical, placement of the smaller monitors is way easier.

My 308's are on stands on either side of my FA-08, I have set them back a ways from the wall and angle them just right. They are so big it just looks stupid.