Which studio monitors are the best value for dollars? Adam, Yamaha, Krk?

Tonto83

Tonto83

Member
Was leaning towards purchasing a pair of Adam Ax7 studio monitors for home use with the Axe Fx3, does anyone in here have information on them or other high quality monitors?
 
When I was looking to purchase some monitors, I did a lot of research, including reviews in numerous threads on this forum, reviews on youtube, and articles elsewhere; and for me, the "best value for the dollar" was the Yamaha HS8's, which I bought a little over a year ago now. One of my major criteria was low end support, and everything I read suggested to me that the HS8's would provide that, and that the overall sound would be very good for the price. I love playing through them and have no complaints; and I'm happy with how they sound when I'm working on recordings. Note however that I've never been in a room with the Adam Ax7's and thus can't speak to how they compare.
 
I have HS8s - very happy - one aspect that swayed my decision when buying monitors was that some monitors now have DSP in them which creates another point of AD-DA conversion which I am trying to keep to a minimum.
 
You really need to listen to them for yourself with music that you are familiar with.

If you are happy with how they sound wherever you get a chance to listen to them, then you are ready for the next big hurdle: How do they sound in YOUR room?

Unless your playing/listening room reduces or eliminates standing waves, flutter echo, early reflections, and parallel wall frequency cancellations, then the monitors that sound good in another environment to you or someone else may sound totally different in your environment.

Monitoring is one of those gear situations where you need to try things out and see what works for you with your ears and your room. Nobody else probably has those two things that are unique to you.
 
I guess some of this depends on what you are mostly going to use the monitors for. Do you plan on doing any mixing?

If you plan on using these monitors for studio work, I would stay away from the KRK Rokit series. They are the most hyped speakers of the bunch. Instead of being flat they have a hyped low end. They sound ok, don't get me wrong, but that is not really what we look for in monitors.

I had a pair of Rokits, but recently upgraded to the HS8s. I also added a whole lot of room treatment. My mixes translate a lot better now, but because I did both at the same time, I can't really answer what had the biggest effect.
 
I've owned HS8s for several years, but replaced them with Adam A7Xs a few months ago.

In my opinion, if you're looking for best value, I suggest the HS8s. A pair costs somewhere $650 or $700 and they sound great. I had no complaints whatsoever. On the other hand, the A7Xs costs about twice as much but the sound quality is just extraordinary. If you're budget allows, the Adam A7Xs are the way to go. But if the HS8s are a better fit for your budget, I think you'll be completely satisfied.
 
I continue to hear good things about the Kali Audio monitors. Especially bang for buck. I have a pair of JBL 308's that I really like, but if I were to get a 2nd set of them, I'd give the Kali's a try.
 
I have a pair of the jbl308s which are okay for listening to but not so great for mixing I have found. Also thinking about the HS8s
 
Ended up getting the Hs8's, already made a big difference in every area. The clean tones are crystal clear, bottom end is there and they pointed to some harsh frequencies that I never noticed on previous cube (gt 100 patch set up). Still got to prop them up to ear height, then will wait patiently for the Axe to rock up!
 
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