Studio Monitors

philrister4

Member
Hey Fractal Family,
I’m just looking for some advice on studio monitors. I’m looking to go for a pair and hoping to keep the cost under $1k.
I could be having buyers’ remorse on my recent Mission Gemini 2 purchase. I’m not sure if it will sound good at home practice volumes. I think it may be overkill.
I’ve heard some good things about Yamaha HS8’s, PreSonus, etc.
Just wanted to get forum advice. I have an XL+. Mainly play hard rock/metal.
 
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I'm using the HS8s and I love them. You can crank the hell out of them and they just won't quit. Everyone that's heard them comments on their clarity and punch.
 
I have KRK RP6 g2. Can’t recommend them due to the boxy midrange and the low end hump but I kept them.
I bought some HS7s which I really liked the sound of but they have an open back where the bass port is which gave me terrible radio static interference that only wrapping them in tin foil would help dampen. I ultimately sold them a month after purchase for a big loss. Swept that one under the carpet and dusted myself off.
I sacrificed sound quality for silence by keeping the KRKs but I bought Sonarworks reference 4 to help deal with the short comings.
 
I asked Cliff a while back what he recommends, he pointed me to Event Opals. He said it’s what they use at Fractal. At the time I cringed at the cost, ~$1,500 ea. But I sucked it up and bought them anyway. They sound simply amazing!! Made all the difference.

I don’t think they make them anymore but you can get a used pair within your budget of $2k. The ones below are scratched and dinged but the case is aluminum and they are VERY heavy.

https://reverb.com/item/7325609-eve...rNuF2AIVVVgNCh1HKgNXEAQYASABEgIxFfD_BwE&pla=1

I have no regrets.
 
Go to the shop and try all of them out :)
+1 HS7/8. I bought a pair of HS7 and after a year or so I complemented it with a sub (HS8S), sounds great for the money. For the Axe alone it was enough bass, but for mixing it's too much of a guesswork on HS7. It all comes down to the dimensions and acoustic treatment of your room though. I also tried KRKs a they sucked badly ;)
+1 Sonarworks Reference, this thing makes wonders, this is a must in any home studio.

I'm using the HS8s and I love them. You can crank the hell out of them and they just won't quit. Everyone that's heard them comments on their clarity and punch.
No wonder: HS8 have got a built-in limiter, which works pretty damn hard when you crank them :) Google for it, I have seen a video of a guy who deactivated it, not without a soldering iron though ;) A limiter is not something you want from a "Reference Monitors", although "limited" sound undoubtly is much more pleasant than "distorted" one.
 
Go to the shop and try all of them out :)
+1 HS7/8. I bought a pair of HS7 and after a year or so I complemented it with a sub (HS8S), sounds great for the money. For the Axe alone it was enough bass, but for mixing it's too much of a guesswork on HS7. It all comes down to the dimensions and acoustic treatment of your room though. I also tried KRKs a they sucked badly ;)
+1 Sonarworks Reference, this thing makes wonders, this is a must in any home studio.


No wonder: HS8 have got a built-in limiter, which works pretty damn hard when you crank them :) Google for it, I have seen a video of a guy who deactivated it, not without a soldering iron though ;) A limiter is not something you want from a "Reference Monitors", although "limited" sound undoubtly is much more pleasant than "distorted" one.

Why in the world would you remove the limiter?? The monitors are designed with them built in, they protect your drivers from blowing out cus of excessive signal level or heat. If you're actually hitting the limiters and it's compressing, you need louder monitors. Limiters only kick in when you run the monitors outside of their rated spec. It's akin to removing a doorstop cus you want the door to open wider -- you'll put a hole in the wall. The doorstop is there for a reason, and it won't affect the door as long as it's functioning within range. If you want a wider opening, you need a bigger door.

Every professional monitor system has some sort of limiter built in them. It's a feature, you absolutely want it in your reference monitor to protect your investment. Monitors also usually have an indication light to let you know when you're hitting the limiter. If you don't see that light, the limiter isn't working, no compression, no effect. If you do see it working and you disable it, you'll blow out the drivers. Don't do it.


BTW, if you want freemium version of Sonarworks, Room EQ Wizard is highly recommended by many. You'll need slightly more know-how to use it, but it's not hard to learn.
 
Why in the world would you remove the limiter?? The monitors are designed with them built in, they protect your drivers from blowing out cus of excessive signal level or heat. If you're actually hitting the limiters and it's compressing, you need louder monitors. Limiters only kick in when you run the monitors outside of their rated spec. It's akin to removing a doorstop cus you want the door to open wider -- you'll put a hole in the wall. The doorstop is there for a reason, and it won't affect the door as long as it's functioning within range. If you want a wider opening, you need a bigger door.

Every professional monitor system has some sort of limiter built in them. It's a feature, you absolutely want it in your reference monitor to protect your investment. Monitors also usually have an indication light to let you know when you're hitting the limiter. If you don't see that light, the limiter isn't working, no compression, no effect. If you do see it working and you disable it, you'll blow out the drivers. Don't do it.


BTW, if you want freemium version of Sonarworks, Room EQ Wizard is highly recommended by many. You'll need slightly more know-how to use it, but it's not hard to learn.
True, but Yamahas do not have any kind of limiter indicator or LED, in fact most of the studio monitors I have seen do not have it. Well, this is the problem, since you cannot really tell when you start hitting it and the guy has measured it directly on the HS8 and they hit the limiter pretty damn soon. Well, of course I would not advise to remove the limiter but at least you could measure at which level you start hitting it and mark it somehow e.g. on your interface volume knob.
I believe that Room EQ Wizard does not provide any equalizer, it can only measure stuff, or am I wrong? With sonarworks you can equalize on a system-wide level (your music player, browser, etc.) and separately as a DAW Plugin e.g. on a master bus. With REQ you would need another equalizer and phase adjuster which can seamlessly switch between these two functions. Does anyone know some of such tools?
 
True, but Yamahas do not have any kind of limiter indicator or LED, in fact most of the studio monitors I have seen do not have it. Well, this is the problem, since you cannot really tell when you start hitting it and the guy has measured it directly on the HS8 and they hit the limiter pretty damn soon. Well, of course I would not advise to remove the limiter but at least you could measure at which level you start hitting it and mark it somehow e.g. on your interface volume knob.
Here's a quick googled result, legit, known audio industry people responding to the HS8 limiter mod. It's crap, don't do it.
http://the-audio-expert.freeforums.net/thread/284/limiter-circuit-active-monitors-case

I believe that Room EQ Wizard does not provide any equalizer, it can only measure stuff, or am I wrong? With sonarworks you can equalize on a system-wide level (your music player, browser, etc.) and separately as a DAW Plugin e.g. on a master bus. With REQ you would need another equalizer and phase adjuster which can seamlessly switch between these two functions. Does anyone know some of such tools?
That's right, measurement only, which is why I said you need a little more know-how.

For a hardware solution, a lot of home enthusiasts seem to use miniDSP.
 
It appears to be an endless wormhole when trying to decide between all of them.

I've been in this same wormhole recently, I have a similar budget. Here's some of my findings.

Short version:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/bes...ten-active-studio-monitors-under-1-000-a.html
Gearslutz is filled with monitor discussions. Hit up their forums.

Long...:
Are you trying to build a studio setup and buying for accuracy? Or buying for listening pleasure with your XL+?
- Studio setup -> consider room dimensions, room acoustic treatment, appropriate monitor size for the room (~5" for bedroom), monitor placement location, measurements for calibration, etc... A lot more than just monitors you have to consider.
- Enjoyment -> buy whatever that sounds good to you, that's all it matters. Probably 8" monitors for the thump. HS8 is very popular, LSR308 is very good for the money.

Some monitors I like in price range, and review/measurement consensus I've gathered...
Coaxial designs for huge sweet spot, best imaging:
Presonus Sceptre - new coaxial tech, very cool. But absolutely no measurement data given to back up their claims...

Non-coaxial designs, small horizontal sweet spot and smaller imaging. Some accurately measured monitors are:
Neumann KH - super accurate, may not be pleasant to listen to
Genelec 8000s or M - very accurate, some complain of too pleasant sound signature
Focal CMS - very accurate, pleasant, but has some hum at idle, QC issues.

Other popular brands:
Adams for folded ribbon (also consider Eve, or HEDD which is the company of ex- main designer for Adams) - extended highs, quick transients
KRK for urban music... Thump city.
Yamaha HS, very popular
JBL LSR, winner of cheap bang for buck high performer.
Equator D - well liked by many, coaxial
Presonus makes all kinds of monitors, all fairly well regarded
Dynaudio - dunno lol
 
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I'm an AX8 newbie, and have been researching studio monitors and appreciate these discussions greatly. Perhaps an ignorant side question, but do you run the fractal device directly to the monitors, or through some sort of mixer (virtual or physical)? With the volume (and possibly other) controls on the backside of most monitors, it would seem less than ideal to make adjustments, turn on/turn off etc.
 
I'm an AX8 newbie, and have been researching studio monitors and appreciate these discussions greatly. Perhaps an ignorant side question, but do you run the fractal device directly to the monitors, or through some sort of mixer (virtual or physical)? With the volume (and possibly other) controls on the backside of most monitors, it would seem less than ideal to make adjustments, turn on/turn off etc.
You can go either route, the manual has several options outlined.
 
Genelec The Ones :) Best monitors of the year, coaxial three-way design, built in DSP room calibration... Crazy expensive, amazing. Available in three sizes, all just as expensive, so the biggest one is the best deal.

Btw, older version of the regular 2 way design (but still with room calibration DSP) are in sale, these are quite big already and very capable of working alone without help from a sub:
https://www.thomann.de/fi/genelec_8240_a.htm
 
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@yeky83 Thanks for the good advice.
I was going to go with either the Presonus Sceptre S6 or Neumann KH 80 in the end, leaning to the Sceptres. But landed on a sweet Genelec deal on eBay, almost half their used going rate, couldn't pass them up. If I don't like them, I'll just sell them and make profit. But I mean... I don't see why I wouldn't like them, they're one of the best.

BTW, if money was no object, I'd really want to try The Ones from Genelec, really really cool speaker design there.
 
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