Plugging directly into nearfield recording monitors for home listening?

stink said:
^^^^This! Most excellent advice! I went with a pair of these: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Opal

Yeah, I know, really pricey but in this case you DO get what you pay for and these were a superlative purchase!
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Agreed :) I see people here advocating that you buy monitors with big speakers, i.e. 8" - I agree that they give a nice oompf, but when on a budget, I would prefer linearity/quality over low-end oompf. As long as the speakers can play 80 Hz, it should be OK for (six string) guitar) - then you can always add a 'cheap' sub if you need a bit of Ooopf for other things.
 
I'd love the Opals but at $1500 a pop! OUCH! I've got 3 boys that do nothing but eat! I can't come anywhere close to that! Tannoy Reveal 802's for me. When back in stock that is.
 
I've used all of these directly with the AxeFx II and XL+.

They give better results as you move up in price but all of them were usable and sounded good (for the money).

Lowest to highest price:

1. Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 THX. If you balance the sub level these are surprisingly good. I use them on TV's too. http://www.klipsch.com/products/klipsch-promedia-2-1-computer-speakers

2. Equator D5. Really balanced midrange for the $$. http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Studio-Monitors-with-DSP-Pair-p/d5.htm

3. Atomic CLR. Nice because they are incredibly neutral in the critical band for guitar. And double as your gigging wedges too. The response of these is as good as anything out there. http://atomicamps.com/clr-reference-frfr-monitors/
 
Lots of choices, but most well beyond what I'd be willing to spend since I'm not recording at home. For the price of many of these monitors, it would make sense for me to just get something like the Atomic CLR neo that would double as the gig rig.
 
I would start with some lower priced speakers. I have been using Rokit 5's for a while, and they are not going to blow you away, but they sound good and didn't break the bank
 
For cheap active monitors, try the JBL LSR305.
For cheap passive monitors, try the ELAC B5.

Also, if you get the chance, compare the 5 inch and 8 inch versions of the same monitor, and don't assume that the 8 is better.
 
davidespinosa said:
For cheap active monitors, try the JBL LSR305.
For cheap passive monitors, try the ELAC B5.

Also, if you get the chance, compare the 5 inch and 8 inch versions of the same monitor, and don't assume that the 8 is better.
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I've got a set of LSR305s that I use at home... That's typically what I'm playing through as I have my Mac also running through them. I run my Kemper(AX8 "Soon") to my Alesis Multimix which is a mixer/recording interface and out of the mixer to the monitors. They are pretty decent (maybe embarrassingly so) for the $. Everything sounds very similar from there to my Alto TS110As, to our Yamaha DSR12s, to the bigger McCauley System we sometimes use. There are no surprises. I won't claim that they are in direct competition with the other higher end monitors mentioned here... but having no surprises when you go from home to front of house with whatever system you are faced with is the big deal.
 
DavidE said:
Anyone else like those JBLs? If they're good, that might be an option.
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I have a set of JBL LSR305. I've never seen anything but GLOWING reviews of these guys.

Not super loud, but highly recommended. Especially for the price. GC might still be letting these go for $99/ea
 
benvigil said:
I have a set of JBL LSR305. I've never seen anything but GLOWING reviews of these guys.

Not super loud, but highly recommended. Especially for the price. GC might still be letting these go for $99/ea
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Are the red ones as ugly as they look on screen? I can get a pair of black ones for $25 more from Amazon after 10% cash back....
 
jiagap said:
I know you were talking direct, but I have my Mackie 824's running through Logic Pro X and my iMac, and I was pretty frustrated with them until I upgraded my interface to the Apogee Duet. Brought them to life and they sound wonderful. So the interface is very important as well if you are not going direct. Looking forward to getting an AX8 to run through the system.
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I agree-had the same issue using m audio older stuff-upgraded, not a big jump, to Echo LAyla3G (old also, but great drivers) and the difference was unbelievable.
Really good point.......
 
DavidE said:
So, headphones didn't work for me to listen to my AX8. Very bright and harsh (tried several and really don't want to buy more).
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BTW, you can get AKG K240 Studio headphones from Sweetwater for $70. They get the overall frequency balance right, which is more than you can say for most. Not bright or harsh in the least.
 
I posted in another thread also, but just tried an older Genelec 1029 set, sounded nice on clean and mid-gain stuff. Surprising for such small speakers!
 
Focal CMS 50 for me! Those are really flat and accurate. My home studio is in a 12x10 feet room so these monitors are loud enough. They sound good at low volume too.

There are several switches in the back for room eq correction. They are not cheap but still affordable at around 1000$ a pair. I really like them!
 
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