Mats Nermark Posted June 18, 2001 Share Posted June 18, 2001 Dear Forum readers, My old speakers have gone to the final resting place and I need to get new ones. I have been using these for ages and have really lost touch with this part of the market. What I need is a small pair of nearfields that are really good and inexpensive. I know this is probably difficult to find but I think a lot of you have a better grip on this than I do. The music I produce is everything from jazz to techno. I appreciate any and all suggestions. If you feel like telling me why you like to product that's even better. Thanks! Mats Nermark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted June 18, 2001 Share Posted June 18, 2001 not that i've used them, but i've read some really great reviews of the event 20/20 nearfields. i plan on buying a pair myself. they're unpowered, which is fine for me. they're only $299 at most places. event also offers a biamplified version. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Poff Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 I hate to bash a speaker line, but I HATE my passive Event 20/20's. I have them because they came along with a lot of other cool stuff that I bought from a friend when I decided to become more serious about recording. Do they sound good? Mildly pleasing to the ear. Are they useful? Mildly pleasing to the ear. (If you can't say something nice... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif) My big problem with them is low mids. I'll do a mix on them that sounds well balanced, and then check the mix out at my drummer's studio on his Genelecs and be amazed at how bad it sounds. I know, I know, always reference on multiple speakers, but this was a test to see how much I could trust the Events without multiple referencing. I put a parametric on the stereo bus to find the offending frequencies and wrote them down. Back on the Events I swept in the same range of low mids and was astonished at how little difference I heard compared to the Genelecs. It seemed no matter what I did in that area, within reason, things still sound okay. Next thought was, obviously my room is screwed, so i tried out a pair of Dynaudio bm6a's in the same room in the same position. My mix sounded bad!! I was so happy. Then reality and depression set in when I took the beauties back to the dealer because of lack of funds. I clicked on this thread because I'm in the same boat, but I know I really just need to suffer and save up for the bm6's. They warmed my heart. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenElevenShadows Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 For $189 new, The Yorkville YSM-1s (passive) don't suck. For my purposes, they don't reveal as much stuff in the midrange as I would like, but they're alright. I think that those original Alesis Monitor Ones suck. I think they sound hideous. However, I did a mix a long time ago on one, and found that I could really pick apart the midrange more carefully, avoiding some of the overlapping frequencies that so often occurs in the mids. Since I am in BudgetLand, I am using YSM-1s and Radio Shack tower Optimus speakers which are shockingly good, but make lousy nearfields because of their size. ------------------ Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more! http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows Ken Lee Photography - photos and books Eleven Shadows ambient music The Mercury Seven-cool spacey music Linktree to various sites Instagram Nightaxians Video Podcast Eleven Shadows website Ken Lee Photography Pinterest Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottk184cs.com Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Some people may not agree, but I think a good bang for the buck nearfield is the Alesis M1 Active. These are powered speakers that will go for less than $500 street price. I listened to these side by side against the Events and Mackie 824s and they had pretty good imaging, tight bass and were pretty flat. The Mackies were better, but more than twice the price. The Events were mushier and about the same price... Best thing is to listen for yourself. -Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_dup1 Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 The smaller Roland digital monitors (I can't remember the model) run for about $299 each and sound very good for the price. Mmmm...24 bit digital ins... Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Well, I've got the BM6's at work, and they kick. But, at home I do my mixes (for both work and pleasure) on the Soundcraft Absolute Zero's, and they are damn good value for money. Translation is good across different high end speakers (NS10's obviously excluded http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ) You'd definately be doing yourself a disservice if you don't check 'em out. Good luck Rick http://rickwade.iuma.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rold Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 I'd go with the ysm-1's as well...I have a pair here that I A/B against the hafler trm 8's. Like Ken said, they don't translate as well as they should, but they sound good. IMHO http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Harold meh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilspeed Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 How about KRKs? Guitar Center has a package deal right now that includes a pair of KRK ROKITs with a Hafler TA1100. The KRKs look good on paper but was wondering if any of you peeps are into KRKs and what not. So, anyone here use KRK's?? Love 'em or Leave 'em?? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilspeed Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 My other considerations were the Tannoy Proto-Js which everyone rants about but now that no one is shipping Alesis products anymore I can't find a suitable amp for them so I think I might just have to save for bi-amped monitors. Grrr, I'm so confused.. I just want a monitoring system with as few surprises as possible so I can give out my mixes and people can turn them up! I guess that's what we all want. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenElevenShadows Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Devilspeed, regarding KRKs, I can only comment primarily on K-ROCKs (spelling?), which are passive. They sounded really sweet, really easy on the ears over long mixing sessions. However, for my tastes, they had a tendency to make everything sound really great, not always revealing the problems that I had in the mix. When I took my mix to other speakers, I wasn't always really happy with how they translated. Sometimes, people will refer to the YSM-1s as a "Poor Man's KRKs", and in the scenario above, there is definitely some comparison, in my opinion. The problem in giving opinions on things like monitors is that they are so subjective. One has to take into consideration personal tastes, the room, the kind of music you are mixing, the amplifier... I am doing mostly experimental rock, a little bit of hardcore, atmospheric, ethereal music, and occasionally, percussion-oriented stuff. ------------------ Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more! http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows Ken Lee Photography - photos and books Eleven Shadows ambient music The Mercury Seven-cool spacey music Linktree to various sites Instagram Nightaxians Video Podcast Eleven Shadows website Ken Lee Photography Pinterest Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 I really don't think you'll find a good answer in any one set of monitors. The key to mixing for me is bouncing off of several pairs. I've got the Yammy NS-10 Studios which are eq'ed flat for my room, a pair of 'horror tone' cubes and a large set of three ways that I built myself. They've got Eclipse 12s", Philips 4" mids, and Audax titanium tweets and a Philips designed X-over. Going between these and then taking my mix upstairs and hearing it through the hi fi speakers and the Sony Wega as well as the car stereo lets me find a mix that will work on most any system. If I were you I might check musiciansfriend.com for the Haflers they've got on sale for near fields. Then I'd go to Rat Shack and get some little Auratonish full range cheapys and then look around for some big three ways with at least 12" woofs to check bass in mixes. Amps make a difference but not nearly so much as speakers. You can power your monitors with a Kenwood receiver and achieve good results. My 2 cents... -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoeditor1 Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Truth of the matter is, any 1/2 decent set of speakers will work. Alesis, Behringer, Genelecs, ADAM's, Mackie, KRK, JBL, Tannoy.... any of these (plus more) will do the trick. Also get a decent pair of headphones while you're at it, to eliminate as much of the room when you're evaluating. I have 3 sets of near fields.. NS10M's - which I love, and I don't care who takes me seriously. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif HHB Circle 5's - Also love 'em - that's why I got em in the 1st place. Genelec's 1031. Ditto. Then there are a few pairs of AKG and SONY headpdones lying around.... Thing is, when you get intimate with a set of near fields, you know what to compensate for. Also consider this...according to my audiologist,I have a "hole" in my hearing somewhre above 2kHz. I guess that makes how I perceive sound a bit diferent from the other guy.... NYC Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenElevenShadows Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 >> Amps make a difference but not nearly so much as speakers. You can power your monitors with a Kenwood receiver and achieve good results. >> That's what I am using!!! Kenwood 110 watt/ch A/V receiver!! Seems to work fine!! I'm sure there's better, but you know, it's really not bad! ------------------ Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more! http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows Ken Lee Photography - photos and books Eleven Shadows ambient music The Mercury Seven-cool spacey music Linktree to various sites Instagram Nightaxians Video Podcast Eleven Shadows website Ken Lee Photography Pinterest Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 NYC Drew... You have THREE sets of monitors that you LOVE...?! I thought it was required that there always be at least one pair you HATED, but used them anyway because they translated a mix well...hahahaha! "...I'm a lucky dog, lucky dog..." This message has been edited by miroslav on 06-19-2001 at 12:32 PM miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Well...I wasn't gonna' do it,...but since NYC Drew already mentioned the "B" word (Behringer)...has anyone checked out their new TRUTH B2031 High-Resolution - Active Monitors? They are suppose to be extensively tested and then hand-picked to yeild a matched pair. They look/spec well, and they retail for about $650/pair...not a bad price for active monitors...BUT HOW DO THEY SOUND...anyone? (Shhhh...pssst....if you don't wan't to be caught using the "B" word on these forums...e-mail me direct at: miroslavl@yahoo.com) miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmfsc.edu Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 >has anyone checked out their new TRUTH B2031 I wrote a review for EQ of these monitors, which will hopefully be in print soon! I'd say listen to a bunch, but my impression was that there are better speakers in the same price range. If you buy on features alone, the Behringers are very attractive, being self amplified, video shielded and pretty adjustable. I got good broadcast translation out of the mixes I did on them, and the mixes translated pretty well everywhere, although I tended to wallop FX, because they're not too open sounding. When I listened to my Behringer mixes back on the Mackie HR824's I noticed that I had the FX and the bass stuff set to "stun" and I had rolled off the highs because the Behringers seem to have inherited some NS-10 DNA in the tweeters..ow. It's all about knowing your speakers anyway, hell I've mixed films on the little Roland MA-10 or whatever they are for multimedia systems.. Dan Roth Otitis Media Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 Originally posted by film@fsc.edu: ...which will hopefully be in print soon! Waiting...bait on my breath! miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoeditor1 Posted June 20, 2001 Share Posted June 20, 2001 Miroslav, I guess I broke the dam on the Behringer groundswell. I have a high degree of confidence in my ability to create good and even great mixes. None coming to a store near you anytime soon, but that's all right. We should constantly remind ourselves from whence we came. For me, today, ANY of the Mackie or Behringer consoles can't swing it for me. I'm using the YAMAHA PM3.5k & 4.0k a lot, or a Midas or something. However, there was a time when all I could get my hands on was a Peavey console, and then later, the Mackie stuff. Fact is, I still have a Peavey 701R rack mount mixer (circa 1980's) and a old heavy CS 800 amp that both gather dust, but I like to fire em up ever so often. It really is (today) hardly NEVER about the gear, compared to the early 70's, most stuff will run for months on end without breaking, and even while there is still proliferation of "crappy" stuff, the threshold has been raised significantly on the quality and reliability of mass produced stuff. (Hey, a lot of vintage stuff still KICKS MAJOR ASS today, don't get me wrong). Also take into account that all of these companies...SONY...Mackie, EV, JBL, Roland, etc etc, are all trying to survive, all trying to corner a bigger share of the market. Nobody's having monthly meetings to say... "Let's flood the market with some crappy shit today..". I'm sure many are sensitive to competition, and cost of manufacturing etc, and make poor decisions on WHERE to cut costs, but over the long run, most institutions will deliver better products and services. I dislike Mackie products because their Marketing Juggernauts spend such a fucking disproportionate amount of...energy in trying to convince the unsuspecting that their stuff is like Snapple ("the best stuff on earth"), and their information is also often sloppy - case in point, on these very forums (Roger's), I pointed out that the HDR2496 page has a incorrect spec for Ethernet speed (100kb/sec). I also sent their Webmaster and the feedback guys info on the discrepancy. As of this writing...nothing. These guys have mastered the art of announcing vaporware. For Mackie, a "few weeks" really means 5-8 months, and they keep doing it over and over. Don't get me wrong, there are some great guys and gals that work there, I happen to know a few, but, shit still in this day and age rolls downhill, so somebody up top must be approving these persistent misinformation campaigns, or they are completely blinded by their belief in themselves, the realities arent obvious. Mark, My apologies for changing the direction of your post. I hope your questions have been answered. NYC Drew, Long winded as usual, Out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masternfool Posted June 20, 2001 Share Posted June 20, 2001 Best bang for the size and bucks, ALESIS monitor 1's with the alesis amp. I have compared to a lot of bigger and more expensive monitors.They sound very much the same as the "M1" powered monitors. I also have a pair of GENELEC 1031A, I wont say they compare to them....But for the bucks..$$$ Best Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Posted June 20, 2001 Share Posted June 20, 2001 I'd also recommend the M1's. The Monitor one's with a power amp and 2 speaker cables might end up costing the same as th M1's, so I'd probably just go for the M1's as there are less components to deal with. The Alesis Point 7's also sound fantastic for the money. I sold my pair (cause I'm a dumbass) and I wouldn't mind having them back now after mixing on my fatiging NS-10's. -Dylan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Nermark Posted June 20, 2001 Author Share Posted June 20, 2001 Originally posted by NYC Drew: Truth of the matter is, any 1/2 decent set of speakers will work. Alesis, Behringer, Genelecs, ADAM's, Mackie, KRK, JBL, Tannoy.... any of these (plus more) will do the trick. Also get a decent pair of headphones while you're at it, to eliminate as much of the room when you're evaluating. Then there are a few pairs of AKG and SONY headpdones lying around... Hi NC Drew, Please tell what models and how you use them for mixing? Thanks! Mats N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Nermark Posted June 20, 2001 Author Share Posted June 20, 2001 Hi all posters, Just a quick note of thanks for all your suggestions. Please feel free to keep them coming as I'm determined to make an informed purchase hare. Best regards, Mats Nermark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoeditor1 Posted June 20, 2001 Share Posted June 20, 2001 Originally posted by Mats Nermark: Hi NC Drew, Please tell what models and how you use them for mixing? Thanks! Mats N Mats, I use the HHB's Circle 5 and the NS10M primarily. I also use a pair of 7502's (SONY Headphones) when I'm mixing. When I'm tracking, I prefer the Genelec's over the others.... I have an older QSC amp on the Yamaha's.... NYC Drew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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