Studio Monitors - What Do You Use?

Kevbo · Post by **Kevbo** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 2:48 am

Just looking to see what a lot of you use for "speakers" when playing at home. Do you use a keyboard stage amp? Studio monitors? If so, what brand and model?

I'm torn between purchasing Yamaha HS7 or Adam Audio T7V, and then an additional subwoofer, which I'm still not sure of which one.

EDIT: I'm not worried about mixing down, but rather just enjoy playing. So with a Kronos, would I still want my monitors to be as flat as can be, or do you find a warmer monitor compliments the Kronos better?

benny ray · Post by **benny ray** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:33 am

I use studio monitors I think they are JBL 305 they sound very good. Good monitors for the money. Sure they are some that are better but these are best bang for the buck value IMO.

I also use headphones alot depends on my situation at home.

Poseidon · Post by **Poseidon** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:11 am

Kevbo wrote:I'm torn between purchasing Yamaha HS7 or Adam Audio T7V, and then an additional subwoofer, which I'm still not sure of which one.

Put on Hold !!!
And save for Adam A8X 8.5".

I have Mackie HR824 (1st Gen.) and KRK 12sHO subwoofer.
The subwoofer is bypassed most of the time, I use it only in certain situations.
The HR824 monitors are superb, however I am going to replace them with Adam A8X 8.5" in very near future. I had them in the house the other day for testing purpose (thanks to my friend), and I must say they are worth every penny you pay. Yes, they are better than HR824.

Gunnar · Post by **Gunnar** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:31 am

I picked up a pair of ESI nEAR 05 some 15 years ago and I've been using those ever since. Nothing fancy, but they sound ok.

When I got the Kronos a few years back I considered upgrading to something a bit more fashionable, but I've since concluded that a much bigger problem than the speakers is the fact that my "studio" is in the corner of a medium sized room covered with mostly empty plaster walls and no acoustic treatment. As an example, the decay of a hand-clap is about a second

So to circumvent that problem, I tend to also listen through headphones and also take the mix into living room, the car, etc..

(We'll be moving in a few months though, and I plan to get some level of acoustic treatment to my new music room / office. Once the acoustics are under control, I might decide I need a new pair of speakers and then I'll return to this thread and others like it for recommendations)

bobmusic · Post by **bobmusic** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 9:00 am

Since 4 years I use Yamaha MSP7 - Studiomonitors with Yamaha SW10 - Subwoofer. I bought the system second hand for a reasonable price and enjoying every second of using it.

Broadwave · Post by **Broadwave** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 9:14 am

I just have a simple pair of M-Audio BX8-D3's. Very comfortable to listen to, but most importantly, they suit the dimensions of my room.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:21 pm

bobmusic wrote:Since 4 years I use Yamaha MSP7 - Studiomonitors with Yamaha SW10 - Subwoofer. I bought the system second hand for a reasonable price and enjoying every second of using it.

yeah, I forgot to mention investing in a sub. I have a 12" Cervin Vega in my home studio. Love the warmth a decent sub adds to my system. Drums + bass are monster with a sub

DeltaJockey · Post by **DeltaJockey** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:24 pm

My main monitors are Adam A7X's, and they are in my opinion as good as their reputation implies. I do also have a pair of A3X's for which I move around as portable.
I find however, that the Adam monitors while the quality of the sound is noticeably finer than most other monitors I've listened to, there are a couple of things about them to note....
the stereo image is not as well defined, or as wide as compared to some other monitors particularly those with dome tweeters. I think the ribbon drivers play a part in this. I also find the frequency response to be a little weaker comparatively, in the midrange, though I treat that as a positive, due to my taste and hearing. (I don't do very much mixing of late).

I've also recently had some satisfaction with iLoud Micromonitors paired up with a cheapish 8 inch KRK Subwoofer. I get an incredible and powerful sound in a very compact portable setup, and the Kronos does sound very impressive when playing through this when out and about.

I'll be very interested in these new iLoud MTM's with the mic calibration, when they are released. If the current micromonitors are anything to go by, they should be very impressive for portable monitors.

DJCobbSalad · Post by **DJCobbSalad** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 2:40 pm

The JBL 3 series are very very good for the price. I have several of the 308 and 305 monitors (I have two 7.1 setups), they outperform anything in their price range and most things above it. I work in film music and they also translate great to dub stages. Personally not a fan of Adam's, the tweeter is way too aggressive and overhyped for mixing and they don't translate well to other rooms/speakers, but if you're just using them for playback they can sound great.

For gigs I'm using a QSC K10.2 loudspeaker. It's ok, kind of a big bump in the 90-100hz range that I try to EQ out, but otherwise pretty solid and very loud.

Drummond · Post by **Drummond** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:13 pm

Yamaha HS80

Kevbo · Post by **Kevbo** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:27 pm

Poseidon wrote:
Kevbo wrote:I'm torn between purchasing Yamaha HS7 or Adam Audio T7V, and then an additional subwoofer, which I'm still not sure of which one.
Put on Hold !!!
And save for Adam A8X 8.5".

I have Mackie HR824 (1st Gen.) and KRK 12sHO subwoofer.
The subwoofer is bypassed most of the time, I use it only in certain situations.
The HR824 monitors are superb, however I am going to replace them with Adam A8X 8.5" in very near future. I had them in the house the other day for testing purpose (thanks to my friend), and I must say they are worth every penny you pay. Yes, they are better than HR824.

You have me intrigued, but man.....$1,000 per speaker. That's a bit for me to swallow, especially seeing that I will be dropping $4,000 on the Kronos SE in the near future whenever Guitar Center gets them in (10% military discount). I was hoping to spend no more than $800 max on TWO studio monitors, then another $500 on a sub. Again, that is max price on both. If I can find quality for less, I will go for it.

Thank you though. I'll have to try and give these speakers a listen if I can find them anywhere.

ponkine · Post by **ponkine** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:02 pm

JBL 308

Great sound. And they're unexpensive
Best bang for the buck!

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:09 am

Focal Twin 6be , but they're not exactly cheap.

Poseidon · Post by **Poseidon** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 4:44 am

Kevbo wrote: You have me intrigued, but man.....$1,000 per speaker...

The Monitors are long term investment, they usually outlive keyboards.
You have some serious gear (incl Kronos 88 ), therefore you need some serious monitors.
You didn’t mention the size of your studio, however my guess is that 8” is minimum for you.(My room is 3x4 m semi-treated)
Anything less is worthless and waste of money, and your gear might not sound what supposed to be.

I recommended Adam Audio A8X,only because you mentioned Adam Audio brand.
But there are other brands that would serve you well.
I would never buy monitors that cost less than $900-1000, because I am serious about music.
Instead rushing, save, and get better ones. You’ll be glad, and satisfied each and every day.

I am satisfied with my HR824, however I am planning to buy Adam Audio A8X for 2 reasons:

- I can mix/monitor at lower levels than HR824 ( trying to take care for my hearing )
- Adam Audio A8X is PERFECT for orchestral patches.

StephenKay · Post by **StephenKay** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:08 am

Genelec.

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Studio Monitors - What Do You Use?

Studio Monitors - What Do You Use?

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