That's a good advice, Thomann will be my best friend, I'm gonna try at least 2-3 different sets.
The last time I bought speakers, I think I bought & returned 6 sets. It's exciting to get a new set, but I
hate shopping for speakers.
What would you do? one set or two? and what? the ones I'd like to try are: Kali lp6 v2 and neumann kh120 ii, then for something bigger adam a7v/t7v, genelec (i'd like the 8050 but they're expensive! 8040 are the max I can get). anything else available in EU in the same ballpark I should consider?
All of those are "small nearfields", even the 8050. It's more than just a couple inches of driver size that determines that.
If you
want multiple sets of nearfields for your desk, that's when you should consider multiple sets of that type of speaker. If you want a separate set of speakers for the "band", I would do something else.
FWIW, I know I'm in the minority, but I've never really understood the point of having multiple sets of speakers for mixing/producing. Yes, I learned that way...with big soffit-mounted mains and usually 1-2 sets of nearfields on the meter bridge. But, I don't like it. Either one set of speakers is in the way of another set or at least one set creates a compromised stereo image.
Just about the only way to get around that is if one set is soffit mains mounted up towards the wall/ceiling edge. But, that excites more room modes than putting speakers at ear height. And, you have to figure out your ideal speaker/listening position before you start building the room...it's a very expensive proposition.
Anyway...what I would do...
It kind of depends on how you're treating the space and the kind of sound you want for the band. "Ideal" would be to have separate live and control rooms - but I'm well aware that that isn't always possible in a home studio.
I'd focus the treatment/layout on the "mix" position and then see about some kind of decent PA speaker that I could have set up wider at the front of the room.
E.g.,
Start with figuring out the ideal listening position for the room. That's where your chair goes. Put the desk in front of it and the speakers on or in front of that based on minimizing SBIR (which will depend on how you're treating the front wall). Assuming you have traps in the front corners, I'd probably look into something like line-array/column PA speakers (mostly because of size) set up "too wide" either as far forward on the side wall or as far to the sides of the front wall as possible.
At least in my head, that would make the "band" speakers interfere with the "mixing" speakers the least. The band speakers might also sound more exciting/lively from being so close to a corner - not at all ideal if you want a neutral sound, but possibly more engaging for band practice.
The other good alternative would be to run the Fractal through an FRFR (or just another speaker) and let the rest of the band make their own sound. I've used an old set of KRK Rokits for that (and literally placed them in the room where I would put a guitar amp), and the hyped sound that makes them bad for mixing actually makes them pretty awesome for a relatively low-volume guitar monitor. The sound changes as you move around, but the same thing is true for stage wedges or actual guitar amps.
(ETA: Forgot a couple things. I'm kind of hesitant to make speaker recommendations - it's a really personal choice. For nearfields, I do like Neumann and Genelec, and on the more budget side, I still think the JBL LSRs win. I also really dislike Kali and Adam. But, you really do have to try them yourself. The room is a huge part of the equation, as well as what you want to hear. The other side of it is that headphones and IEMs have come such a long way in the last few years that if you can find a set that actually works for you and figure out a bunch of little details - correction, your preferred target curve, crossfeed, etc. - there's a decent choice in gear that sounds more accurate/neutral/revealing than just about any speakers in most rooms until you're talking about a 5-figure investment. It's nowhere near as simple as just putting on headphones, and I don't like
any of the all-in-one packages like VSX, NX, etc.. But, that doesn't solve the problem of band sound. If you like the idea of working that way and are willing to put in the time to figure it out, it
could mean that you only need "big" speakers for the band and when you want to shake the room and just use the headphones/IEMs for the actual "work".)
Nearfield listening is a very specific use where the location of the listener and treating in that area are critical to optimal results. Compromising the position of the listener or spec’ing components that focus at three times the distance isn’t likely to produce reliable mixing at the desk. I won’t say impossible, because I’m sure someone uses crazy speaker configs and gets great results. But on average, it’s hard enough just to get a reliable tonality in one position!
One approach would be to just not make any compromises for the sound on the other side of the room. You'll still hear the nearfields - you just won't get the volume or stereo image that you would from a more dedicated solution. But, you're not going to give correct stereo image to the whole band no matter what you do....so it really just depends on how loud the band plays and what the back of the room sounds like.
If the focus of your space is recording and personal work, I’d start with the NFs that sound best to you, making do with how it sounds for the band until you can add additional speakers (or ask them to bring something). As it often is with music, “do it all” solutions are just a positive spin on “does a mediocre job on each thing.”
Agreed.
high value there lol