A pair of powered CLR's or a pair of Adams?

Yngwiemalmsteen

Yngwiemalmsteen

Member
Which would offer superior sound in a 12x12 room?

Would a pair of CLR's be loud enough to be heard well at a small dive bar?

Would the CLR's be able to serve double duty and also be good for playback of music as well as mixing?

I've heard there's some debate that suggests a pair of CLR's would not be as good in a small untreated room as say a pair of small 4 1/2" Adams when it comes to nearfield monitoring (which in a 12x12 room I guess it's all nearfield isn't it?) and that the CLR's are designed more for use in a big room or even better on stage because they have more in common with PA speaker design than they do studio monitor design.

Of course I realize each product is usually meant for a specific purpose, but I am curious to how many people that go the CLR route actually prefer using them for all audio/sound applications?

My instinct tells me the smallest pair of Adams would be best in a small room.
But I am just curious as to how many people would disagree with that and say that a pair of CLRs would be better.

Which would provide one with the best Axe FX experience or are they both equal?

YJM
 
I can only speak on CLRs for live use:

Yes, plenty loud enough for a small dive bar, even enough on their own for a large dive bar!

Also fine for background music but I'd recommend a sub if you're using them to mix a band FOH.
 
For mixing music, as in a daw, studio monitors are best (my opinion of course)-clr's are not made for that - I have MAckie HR624MK II's and my room is about 10 X12 and the mackies (size 6.7" lo drvr) are perfect. I am thinking about going to 8.25" though - for the axe in the room and making presets for recording. I had some QSC K-10's and they were terrible for mixing in a daw. They did sound great playing back the mixes though.
 
I own a NEO CLR and it is PLENTY loud and sounds GREAT! That said, I'd still rather record and mix on a pair of studio monitors. If you can afford both, get both (and get Equator D8's, they are AMAZING for the money = like, a year later, I still can't believe how good they sound - but remember: they're sold direct only (with a 2 week money back guarantee) - no middleman to pay off, and so you get more for your $$$). They simply blow the Mackies out of the water - not even worth comparing, and I like 'em more than the Adams: like my Genelecs, the ADAMs 'hear' more minute details than the Equators, yet the Equators consistently give me the best tracks and mixes, mixes that sound good on all sorts of playback systems - and that's the bottom line.

If you can't afford both, the CLRs will work as studio monitors a HELL of a lot better than the ADAMs will work for performing, and are far more road worthy and robust. get NEOs if you can - your back will thank you).
 
funny_polymath said:
...the ADAMs 'hear' more minute details than the Equators, yet the Equators consistently give me the best tracks and mixes, mixes that sound good on all sorts of playback systems...
Click to expand...

That is very interesting. Any idea why that is?
 
In a 12x12 space, the most critical factor will be room treatments.

If the room is left untreated, then speaker placement and the listening position will be critical.

Then, the speaker system will come into play.

I routinely check mixes on a pair of CLR's. There is nothing inherent in the CLR design that prevents you from using them to mix.

I use mostly vintage NS10's to mix. These are nowhere near as neutral as the CLR's. But, I have learned how to mix on the NS10's. So that's what I use. The CLR's are good for me to check the low-mid bass region. 70hz-125hz. The NS10's are not good for most frequencies below 125hz or so.
 
Not sure. ADAM and Genelec are pricey. I've heard things on my Genelecs that I've never heard on any other speaker - low level RF interference on the original recording, all sorts of stuff. Their granularity is very fine and they're great for audio 'archeology' and restoration. However, my Gennies, which I've loved for years, are going on Ebay. I simply get better-sounding tracks and better sounding mixes with the Equators. And, I was using ARC software to tune the Gennies to my room (which did help), and I've never had to with the Equators!
 
Bethrecords: I agree totally! I could not afford to soundproof my 'studio' (15X15), but I did a full Auralex room treatment with absorption and diffusion. It made a MASSIVE difference! I used some of their panels, and some of their corner thingies to kill some bassy spots. Just don't overdo the absorption: mixing in a totally dead, anechoic chamber is not what you want - what you want is to control slap and kill corner and overhang bass traps. You can submit a layout of your room to them and they'll come back with a system. Ironically, I used slightly more than they suggested to get what was perfect for me. Wasn't cheap - about 2 grand. Best money I've ever spent vis a vis recording and mixing.
 
My 2 cents: I picked up a pair of used Adam A5X's a month ago from my local GC and they sound great! Somebody had used them for a week and brought them back so I ended up paying almost half price for what were more or less brand new monitors. I live in a tiny little 1 bedroom apartment and am not currently playing out so they work perfectly for my little home recording set up.
 
funny_polymath said:
I simply get better-sounding tracks and better sounding mixes with the Equators.
Click to expand...

Mind if I ask you which model you have. The reason I ask is I need a second pair of monitors and I already have the Adams A7X so I would be interested in checking these out.
 
My .02...

I have excellent monitors (Focal SOLO BE-6's) and a pair of CLR's. They are both excellent at their respective jobs. I would always choose BOTH if that's an option. That said, if it was either/or, I would probably choose the Focals as they do so much more for the recording process. That said again, I have piped program material (mixes) through the CLR's and they sound great as well. Chances are though that you wouldn't have room for two CLR's on your mixing desk.

Good luck!
 
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