New to Fractal - What studio monitors are people using for home use?

chris5150 said:
I pushed the boat out , have a pretty large room I play in and play standing , moving about etc, so wanted something that spread the sound well...these KS audio monitors are absolutley fantastic, the clarity & sound field are awesome, yes not cheap but blimey very impressed
https://www.thomann.de/gb/ks_audio_cpd_14.htm
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Wow! You sure did push the boat out!! Those look like they would be killer at stripping the wallpaper off your house!...but well above my skill level or pay grade...one day maybe...(which is what I once told myself about getting an Axe Fx...)...
 
Adam S2-A
They have newer models/versions now. These are clear & fast with silky highs that go on forever and front-of-speaker controls for EQ below 150hz above 6k hz, high gain and input gain. It wasn't hard to dial them to preference and they translate well. You'll need a sub to dial in kick drums, bass guitar, and to prevent your axe rig from encroaching on those low and mudding up your mix (a common mistake).
 
Keep in mind most decent monitors have some controls for slightly tweaking to taste. My Scepters for example have the ability to cut 1.5dB off the highs. It’s slightly less flat, but can a little more pleasing. It’s a compromise between comfortable listening and as accurate response as possible. I’m not mixing commercial work so I don’t care as much about accuracy as I do simply sounding “best” for my listening and playing enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write off a model if you find it’s maybe a bit harsh or “revealing”, as that can be a useful feature to have and you can usually tailor it a bit to taste as well.

I leave the bass full and cut the highs for daily listening, sounds “best” and when doing real work, I cut the bass and leave the highs flat for better reference to the mix. I also have a second set I use to compare relative differences as well.
 
solo-act said:
... You'll need a sub to dial in kick drums, bass guitar, and to prevent your axe rig from encroaching on those low and mudding up your mix (a common mistake).
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Which is why I prefer the HS8 to the Adam A7s. I can dial in the lows much better now. Money permitting I'd have the matching sub, too, but more for my listening pleasure than dialing in guitar tones.
 
jakel said:
Which is why I prefer the HS8 to the Adam A7s. I can dial in the lows much better now. Money permitting I'd have the matching sub, too, but more for my listening pleasure than dialing in guitar tones.
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Agreed

Subs are cool for listening enjoyment, but in my experience they lead to worse mixes in the typical home studio, where there isn’t proper treatment, positioning etc.

I really like my T10 becasue it has a foot switch, which bypasses the sub and sends the desktop monitors the full signal. Step on the pedal and the sub kicks it, with dialed in low and high pass, so I can hear what my mix sounds like with the sub and without, on the fly.

I do most critical work with it off, and usually just turn it on when I’m listening to music for enjoyment. Some Run the Jewels with a 500watt sub sounds pretty cool lol
 
lqdsnddist said:
Agreed
I really like my T10 becasue it has a foot switch, which bypasses the sub and sends the desktop monitors the full signal. Step on the pedal and the sub kicks it, with dialed in low and high pass, so I can hear what my mix sounds like with the sub and without, on the fly.
I do most critical work with it off...
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I use Metric Halo digital mixing gear and they have a monitoring interface that lets you engage/disengage the sub. I agree it's great to have that!
I use a sub to get the 50hz-250hz range dialed in. Otherwise I tend to get great top mix sitting on a loose/muddy/rumbling/inconsistent foundation.
 
Currently using a pair of Equator D8s that I got back in 2015. Great for mixing, but I'm really not gelling with them for the Axe-Fx.

I find them to be extremely directional, possibly due to the coaxial design, making the listening 'sweet spot' very small. Moving your head/ears 1 inch in any direction can change the perceived sound completely, not good when playing guitar! So I would recommend against getting a pair of these.

I have a very high opinion of the Event Opals, however I've never used these with an Axe-Fx and they are quite pricey (possibly discontinued?).
 
I use an Adam sub with my Adam S2s in a room treated by Ready Acoustics. I tune it for a very specific listening position. I would not want to be without it. It has revealed some ugliness that needed to be dealt with. Remember... that club or your listener is often going to do unholy things in terms of low end hype. Be prepared.
 
Adam A5Xs with the Adam 7’sub under the desk. Sounds good, thinking about the Focal Shape 50’s- just because......
 
By recommendation I got a pair of passive Nubert speakers (German company) together with an old but very neutral Yamaha amplifier and was happy with that.
After Nubert introduced their active speakers, I got a pair of "nuPro A-300" and have been even happier.
To be honest, most of the time playing my III is spent at the rehearsal room. My Nord Stage 2 does sound great, too, playing through the Nuberts. Makes me really feel like sitting in front of an upright piano.
 
Adam A7x with Adam sub under the desk for me too. Quite simply amazing. Sold all of my amps. XL+ user here and with the Adam's I have better tone than I have ever had from over 30 tube amps.
 
hippietim said:
I have a pair of Genelec 8040As hooked up to my main recording rig.and a pair of Genelec M030s for my practice mixer setup. For rehearsal and live use - Atomic CLRs and RCF ART-708.
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Hi @hippietim , sorry to reopen this late 2018 talk. I am also considering some home and small gig options and I was just wondering if you could somehow describe the sound from RCF ART-708? Looking into rcf's own measured freq. response graph the 708 is pretty much the flattest loud speaker out there but am I going to miss something from a bigger size 10"-12" speaker considering cutting everything below 80Hz?
Also how 708 is different than the CLR? answer would be much appreciated!
 
mi$ho said:
Hi @hippietim , sorry to reopen this late 2018 talk. I am also considering some home and small gig options and I was just wondering if you could somehow describe the sound from RCF ART-708? Looking into rcf's own measured freq. response graph the 708 is pretty much the flattest loud speaker out there but am I going to miss something from a bigger size 10"-12" speaker considering cutting everything below 80Hz?
Also how 708 is different than the CLR? answer would be much appreciated!
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The 708 gets hilariously loud and I can get more low end thump than I will ever get to use with it. If you need more low end than the 708 delivers then maybe you should consider the 710 or 712. I will never need more than what the 708 can deliver for playing bars.

The CLR sounds better than the 708. I have yet to play through a FRFR cab that sounds as good as the CLR that wasn't way, way more expensive. I could use all sorts of goofy terms that people use to try and describe the differences in these sorts of things but it won't mean anything really. I can tell you that the CLR is worth the added expense to me. But there are times when I want to travel lighter and that's when the 708 gets used. They are both excellent speakers.
 
hippietim said:
The 708 gets hilariously loud and I can get more low end thump than I will ever get to use with it. If you need more low end than the 708 delivers then maybe you should consider the 710 or 712. I will never need more than what the 708 can deliver for playing bars.

The CLR sounds better than the 708. I have yet to play through a FRFR cab that sounds as good as the CLR that wasn't way, way more expensive. I could use all sorts of goofy terms that people use to try and describe the differences in these sorts of things but it won't mean anything really. I can tell you that the CLR is worth the added expense to me. But there are times when I want to travel lighter and that's when the 708 gets used. They are both excellent speakers.
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THANK YOU! This is massively helpful! I need a light and compact amplification for mostly mid-sized closed room situations. Do you use the 708 as a floor monitor or on a stick? What is your preferred axeFx distorted amp and cab combination you play the most?
 
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