PreSonus Sceptre S6 or S8? Studio Monitors for playing at home- mostly low volume.

F

FXFanatic1!

Inspired
Does anyone have experience with the S6 or S8? Both are 90Wx2. Being coaxial, I heard they are very good with guitar tones. I will typically sit <10 feet away. I am looking for a FRFR that allows the AxeFxIII to shine. Between the S6 and S8, which model would you recommend? I heard the S6 might be a touch more clear in the mids and highs since it's not trying to go too deep with the bass. I can always throw my real amp in the mix (via ABY switch) if I really need bass. I have a Boss Katana and a Fishman Mini Loudbox.

I mostly play at very low volumes so my priority is quality, stereo tone.

Here are the monitors I am currently considering, listed in order:

#1. PreSonus Sceptre S6 (pair is on sale for $800.) Heard many good things about these monitors. Is it worth the premium over say the Adam T7V or JBL 305?
2. Adam A7X- Sounded great at GC but pricey (~$749.99 each). I can get two S6's for $799.99.
3. Adam T7V- is another contender and very budget friendly- ~$249.99 each.
4. KH80 or KH120 were strong contenders too.
5. JBL305 sounded very good- read they might hiss at low volumes. These are an outstanding value at around $149.99 each.

Wish List:
Genelec The Ones model 8331A (~$2,250.00 each) or 8341A ~$2950.00 each.
 
I have the S6's and love them, more than enough low end for anything I'd ever do guitar related (mind you I don't play a 7 string tuned down to C or anything like that)

I also have the T10 sub I pair with them for doing synth stuff etc. Fantastic setup with the two, and I really like being able to bypass the sub with a footswitch for when its simply too much for the room (sounds awesome for not critical mixing though)

I've had 8" monitors when I had hr824's and they were a little overkill for my bedroom sized studio space.

I'd say get the 6's and add a T8 or t10 down the road with the difference you saved over the 8s
 
Thanks Axe-Master! This is really helpful and appreciated. I have a nice sub and hi quality speakers/Yamaha stereo receiever that I use to play my backing tracks in the exact same area. This will be 100% only for guitar but I want that stereo effect.

Do you think the sound will still be ok sitting as much as 10 feet away with the S6's? I'm hoping they are super clear. Besides the 824's have you had an opportunity to compare the S6 to any other monitors e.g., A7X, T7V, KH80/KH150, JBL305? Do you think they are worth about double the price of what I could get a pair of Adam T7V's or ~3x's more than JBL305?
 
I've JBL308's, KRK, HR824's and A7X's and find the Scepters the best monitors I've owned. The original HR824's with the big passive radiator in the back were my second favorite, but those sounded harsher and had almost too much low end, they felt more like midfields. The S6's just sound really sweet yet detailed, essentially no ear fatigue from them, and the stereo imaging is fantastic. Such a nice 3d soundfield effect, and being coaxial really makes a ton of sense to me in terms of nearfield usage and ear height. Another really nice thing about them is they are front ported so that helps with placement in smaller rooms too.

I think you will probably be happy with whatever as there aren't really any "bad" ones these days, even the cheap stuff sounds darn good, but I'm totally happy with my purchase and haven't looked at anything else sense.


I will add that I sometimes do use a CLR for guitar too.... sounds near identical which is a testament to both products, but being a very wide dispersion 12" coax designed for stage monitoring, it has a way bigger sweet spot, so if I'm standing up and playing, moving around, I kind of prefer that in many instances, but for sitting at my desk, nearfield work, the Scepters are amazing, as is the stereo imaging. Just keep in mind that basically no nearfield monitors are going to be ideal if your wanting mid-field or large studio main's, but then again, if your putting something like that into a typical sized den/bedroom its going to be total overkill and without going all out on treatment probably sound worse/less accurate than the cheapest nearfields on the market.

So you know, its kind of finding the best compromise between budget, use, and the space you have to work with.
 
That was perfect, thank you! A salesperson was just telling me to get the JBL305 MKII but based on what you said, the Spectre S6's will be better overall. It seems they are in a league of their own.
 
BT- I recently received a coupon via a mailing list for 20% off...and on top of that, I get about $60 in a type of bonus cash so it's almost like getting them for $740.00 + tax w/free shipping. It's a great deal.

More importantly, do you have any experience with these monitors- and how they might compare to others specifically for use with guitar only?
 
Unfortunately, no experience with the monitors but I do use Studio One if that's any consolation. I probably got the same email and just chucked it. Was it the one recently about 5.1? I'll have to check my trash. I think I saw your other thread and I have been in the market since I got my FX3 back in July. I have some Headrush FRFR's and the hiss drives me insane. Thing is, I've learned to tailor the sound of the Axe around the HR's. So I've kind of fallen off the monitor hunt. I'm looking at the same area as you though, The price point contenders like the JBL's, T7V's and the Kali's. I have some KRK Gen2 6's that I have had for 10 years. They don't sound great with the Axe to me. I have the sub too. If you play loud enough you can drown out the hiss of the HR's. I went to GC last week and stuck my ears up to about every powered monitor the had there. They probably thought I was crazy. They had some Alto powered monitors that didn't hiss bad but I don't know how flat they are. Alto and Headrush share the same platform for the FRFR's.
 
I did the same. The A7X and believe it or not the JBL MKII (5") stood way out to my ears. I was just casually listening- I am not an expert. I'm trying to avoid the hiss too. I've heard good things about the T7V's. Some monitors however have a wider soundstage like the S6.

Clearly a great value is the JBL305P MKII. I am just really curious how it will compare to the Spectre S6. I suspect it will not sound quite as great but for 1/4 the price it is what it is. You can find a used pair of JBL's for ~$150 "for the pair" which is tough to beat. I really don't think even a $1,000 monito(r) is going to sound 4 times better...especially if the application is guitar which has a very limited frequency range of about 80Hz to 1200Hz. Most monitors can easily run 50Hz to 20kHz. That said, numbers only tell part of the story though- there is quality, power, design, reliability, etc.

Bottom line: I think the S6's represent one of the best value/quality ratios currently. A close 2nd might be tied between the super affordable JBL and the T7V....followed by the Neumann KH80 or KH120. Not sure if it means anything but Neumann seems confident enough in their monitors to offer a full 24 month warranty when most others only offer 12 months. I also think getting the smaller monitor and if needed, ABY an amp or add a dedicated woofer is far preferrable vs. larger monitor only. The resulting sonic experinece of the former will be superior IMO. Also, adding a mixer before the speakers can help with tone as well while boosting the signal gain.
 
The Kali's have a better sound dispersion than the JBls. The JBLs are good for playing as they are punchy but I found them not so good for mixing. I'm sure the S6s sound great.
 
I’ve had a set of S8s in regular use since they came out. Really great sound; accurate and powerful. I also have the Temblor T10 sub, but it really isn’t needed for guitar. Best monitors in this range, in my experience.

BTW, you’ll notice in the sig that I have an affiliation with Presonus. But I paid cash out of pocket for these... they were that good!
 
I'm running an AxeFx II through a pair of S6's with the T10 sub and it sounds fantastic. In my experience the S6's need to be at least six feet away to let the low end develop a bit and with a sig gen and 33 y/o ears I get a good response out of them down to ~43Hz. I really enjoy them compared to the HR824's that preceded them.
 
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