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Buying your 1st monitors is confusing! :(
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 20:09:10
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Hey all
So, I've decided to buy my first pair of monitors for creating electronic music. I've always wondered why there are so many articles about monitors & now I think I know why... it's just way too confusing.
At first I arrived without any music to listen to... rookie mistake! They didn't have any psytrance or decent electronica, so I drove back home and fetched some albums:
Infected Mushroom - IM The Supervisor
Sirius Isness - Trance Fusion
Electric Universe - Silence In Action
Daft Punk - Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005
Listened on the following 4 monitors:
KRK VXT6
Alesis M1 Active MKII
KRK Rokit 8
Roland DS-8
VXT6:
These sounded quite good, with lots of separation in the highs & mids; felt a bit bass light though.
M1 Active MKII:
Seemed to have a generally flat response with some punchy bottom end. The bass sometimes felt a bit muddied & there could've been more separation in the upper frequencies.
Rokit 8:
A bit sharp on the top-end, but still with good separation across the tops & mids; felt extremely bass light for an 8" cone.
DS-8:
Less sharp than the Rokit 8 on the tops, with a bit more bottom-end, giving a more balanced sound, but still bass light for an 8" cone compared to the M1 Active MKII's 6.5" cone.
The sales guy said that they're getting some Yamaha HS80M at the end of the month. He's keeping the Alesis M1 Active MKII for me till then too.
I'm just feeling very confused because I've read reviews of the KRK speakers & they generally get good reviews. I even read in SoundOnSound where a reader wrote in saying that he was starting to produce house/techno... KRK Rokit 6 was one of the monitors they recommended.
Why would they recommend the KRK Rokit 6; I listened to the KRK Rokit 8 & it had no punch on the kicks compared to the Alesis M1 Active MKII.
Now I'm worried that the sales guy didn't know what he was talking about or that things weren't set up correctly.
Which (entry-level) monitors are you guys using or which ones should I be taking a look at?
What am I supposed to be listening for? The sales guy said that I should listen for a flat response. So the highs should well balanced to the mids, and the mids should sound well balanced to the bass. You should be able to accurately hear all the sounds in your song. He also said that monitors with sharp highs make your ears feel very fatigued after a while.
Going on this advice the Alesis M1 Active MKII were the clear winners.
However, I've often read that if inexpensive monitors sound too good to be true, then they probably are. I can only imagine that Alesis are doing some clever things with the porting to get such a punchy bass sound out of 6.5" cones.
I'd seriously appreciate any feedback you might have. I don't won't to throw money away & buy the wrong thing.
Thanks,
Carl |
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 20:56
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Dynaudio BM5A's are a great entry level monitor. Put it this way. If your really serious about your production. Buy a pair that will last you "forever". Or, if your not sure of your intentions, and you buy a cheaper monitor, your just going to end up buying again. I would go with the BM6A's since I feel the BM5A's are scooped in the low mids/mids. For a good pair of monitors your looking at $1200 minimum. Adam, Genelec and Mackie are good too. I've got the Focal Solo6's, and before those I had the BM5A's. As for the KRK's, imo, they are quite muddy and inaccurate. Especially the lower end models. |
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 21:08
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I was thinking about getting an entry-level pair for now & then upgrading in the future.
I'm not a professional producer - it's just my hobby. I haven't been producing for the last 4 years & now I'm getting back into things.
I just didn't want to spend too much money.
A bit like buying yourself a Ducati for your first bike or a Ferrari for your first car. I'm not great at analogies, but you get my gist.
I just want my monitors to match my current production experience level.
My fear is that I buy something expensive but lack the experience to use them to their full capacity.
I'm going to look into the models youve suggested though.
Thanks!
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On 2010-01-09 20:56, EtherealMotive wrote:
Dynaudio BM5A's are a great entry level monitor. Put it this way. If your really serious about your production. Buy a pair that will last you "forever". Or, if your not sure of your intentions, and you buy a cheaper monitor, your just going to end up buying again. I would go with the BM6A's since I feel the BM5A's are scooped in the low mids/mids. For a good pair of monitors your looking at $1200 minimum. Adam, Genelec and Mackie are good too. I've got the Focal Solo6's, and before those I had the BM5A's. As for the KRK's, imo, they are quite muddy and inaccurate. Especially the lower end models.
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:04
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Also, the KRK VXT6 is ranked very closely to the Dynaudio Acoustics BM 6A MKII.
It was a close contender in the Electronic Musician 2008 EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS:
http://emusician.com/hardware/emusic_editors_choice_awards_3/index3.html
"With a number of top-notch entries, such as the KRK VXT6 and Digidesign RM1, the Monitor Speaker category was once again an exciting one. However, when it came down to price versus performance, the Dynaudio Acoustics BM 6A MKII easily swept the votes."
I'm really wondering if I wasn't listening correctly to those VXT6 monitors...
Quote:
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On 2010-01-09 20:56, EtherealMotive wrote:
Dynaudio BM5A's are a great entry level monitor. Put it this way. If your really serious about your production. Buy a pair that will last you "forever". Or, if your not sure of your intentions, and you buy a cheaper monitor, your just going to end up buying again. I would go with the BM6A's since I feel the BM5A's are scooped in the low mids/mids. For a good pair of monitors your looking at $1200 minimum. Adam, Genelec and Mackie are good too. I've got the Focal Solo6's, and before those I had the BM5A's. As for the KRK's, imo, they are quite muddy and inaccurate. Especially the lower end models.
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Medea
Aedem/Medea
Started Topics :
127
Posts :
1132
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:11
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I use Alesis M1 Active MKII for ~ 3 years and not going to change them in recent couple of years. They are just okay, nothing really special, not super-clear or something, just good gear for their price.
About KRK Rokit series - i personally don't like how they sound. Imho, they sound a bit like Sennheiser HD 280 headphones  - pleasant for ears, but not suitable for adequate mixing - too colored highs and lows.
Don't know about KRK VXT6, but i don't believe in KRK as a monitor manufacturer, imho, they are of the same semi-professional area as M-Audio.
Can't say anything about Roland ones - haven't heard.
Also, have a nice reading - http://forum.isratrance.com/the-mother-of-all-studio-monitor-threads/
 http://soundcloud.com/aedem |
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:13
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Yet another "mother" thread... thanks!
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On 2010-01-09 22:11, Medea wrote:
I use Alesis M1 Active MKII for ~ 3 years and not going to change them in recent couple of years. They are just okay, nothing really special, not super-clear or something, just good gear for their price.
About KRK Rokit series - i personally don't like how they sound. Imho, they sound a bit like Sennheiser HD 280 headphones - pleasant for ears, but not suitable for adequate mixing - too colored highs and lows.
Don't know about KRK VXT6, but i don't believe in KRK as a monitor manufacturer, imho, they are of the same semi-professional area as M-Audio.
Can't say anything about Roland ones - haven't heard.
Also, have a nice reading - http://forum.isratrance.com/the-mother-of-all-studio-monitor-threads/
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:15
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The Alesis M1 Active MKII are very affordable; maybe they'll be a good buy in the interim.
I don't know if I'm ready to spend a lot of money at the moment... argh, this is such a difficult buying decision! 
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On 2010-01-09 22:11, Medea wrote:
I use Alesis M1 Active MKII for ~ 3 years and not going to change them in recent couple of years. They are just okay, nothing really special, not super-clear or something, just good gear for their price.
About KRK Rokit series - i personally don't like how they sound. Imho, they sound a bit like Sennheiser HD 280 headphones - pleasant for ears, but not suitable for adequate mixing - too colored highs and lows.
Don't know about KRK VXT6, but i don't believe in KRK as a monitor manufacturer, imho, they are of the same semi-professional area as M-Audio.
Can't say anything about Roland ones - haven't heard.
Also, have a nice reading - http://forum.isratrance.com/the-mother-of-all-studio-monitor-threads/
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:19
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Those Dynaudio BM 6A Mk II monitors look awesome! Amon Tobin even uses a pair and he rocks. I'm just not sure if we get Dynaudio here in South Africa... I'm seriously tempted to save for a pair of those bad boys if I could get them here.
Is any entry-level Genelec pair a consideration? Which models would I be looking at? |
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Bleja
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
84
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 22:29
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what about adam a7? have anyone tested it? |
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carl.schutte
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 9, 2010 23:02
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What about Behringer TRUTH B3031A?
$ 299.99 USD |
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Fragletrollet
Fragletrollet
Started Topics :
111
Posts :
1748
Posted : Jan 10, 2010 01:20
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Kadavr
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
88
Posted : Jan 10, 2010 01:24
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Quote:
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On 2010-01-09 22:19, carl.schutte wrote:
Those Dynaudio BM 6A Mk II monitors look awesome! Amon Tobin even uses a pair and he rocks. I'm just not sure if we get Dynaudio here in South Africa... I'm seriously tempted to save for a pair of those bad boys if I could get them here.
Is any entry-level Genelec pair a consideration? Which models would I be looking at?
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Genelec 8030a is nice monitor, it's got a 5" woofer and thus lacks a bit in the low end. Genelec, Adam and Dynaudio are on the same level, but each one has it's own characteristics and sounds different, it's a matter of preference in choosing one over the other, either one you chose you won't be disappointing, and as most people I would suggest saving up for one these. |
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Wizack Twizack
Wizack Twizack
Started Topics :
239
Posts :
3486
Posted : Jan 10, 2010 02:42
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danieLs@n
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
12
Posts :
152
Posted : Jan 10, 2010 04:07
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Take in account the size of your room, I think it's a very important fact. Big monitors on small rooms is not a good idea
0´s and 1´s |
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fractal fields
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
55
Posts :
161
Posted : Jan 10, 2010 13:59
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Quote:
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On 2010-01-10 04:07, danieLs@n wrote:
Take in account the size of your room, I think it's a very important fact. Big monitors on small rooms is not a good idea
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Is there a way to counteract this? For now i'm living in a small place, am i forced to buy 'lighter' monitors?
~thx~ |
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