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Another "what active monitors" question, but with some specifics

J.Wolf

J.Wolf

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Commercial User
Apr 29, 2003
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Asheville, NC
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Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
#1
I know there are lots of these threads, but I thought I'd ask this question for my specific circumstances.

  • The room I am in is far from ideal, and I am not in a place to do much to it right now in terms of treatment. My work/studio desk is set up against the wall in one side of an open 30x20 finished basement. Carpet floor, wood paneling, drop (tile) ceiling. I would like to close in a room in the future, but thats a post-covid project. The room eats up my bass rigs like crazy, and rigs sound MUCH louder in other rooms/spaces.
  • My ratio of casual listening to mixing is about 20:1. So I mainly am looking for the most enjoyable listening experience with the option to do some basic mixing/tracking
  • My budget is around $5-600 for a pair of active monitors
I've considered some iLoud MTM's, Adam TV7, Rokit 5 G4, JBL 308, Eve SC203, but am open to whatever best meets this criteria. thanks all and happy holidays!
 
#2
From your list I would go with the ADAM TV7s first and the JBL 308s second. That's based entirely on personal preference and experience with those monitors, as well as the KRKs. The other two might be good, but I've not used them and can't weigh-in on their performance.

You should make it a point to set the monitors up "correctly" to get the most out of them if you can. Put them on stands off of your mix desk if possible. Get them as close to the front wall as possible without actually touching. Get the high frequency drivers up to the same level as your ear. Set them up in terms of width and angle to form an equilateral triangle that converges ~14" behind your head at the listening position. Following these steps will greatly improve any monitors performance in a space like the one you're describing. The stands off the desk and the width aren't always possible, but they make a huge difference, so it's worth doing if you can.
 
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#3
silky smoove said:
From your list I would go with the ADAM TV7s first and the JBL 308s second. That's based entirely on personal preference and experience with those monitors, as well as the KRKs. The other two might be good, but I've not used them and can't weigh-in on their performance.

You should make it a point to set the monitors up "correctly" to get the most out of them if you can. Put them on stands off of your mix desk if possible. Get them as close to the front wall as possible without actually touching. Get the high frequency drivers up to the same level as your ear. Set them up in terms of width and angle to form an equilateral triangle that converges ~14" behind your head at the listening position. Following these steps will greatly improve any monitors performance in a space like the one you're describing. The stands off the desk and the width aren't always possible, but they make a huge difference, so it's worth doing if you can.
Click to expand...

excellent, thanks Silky!
 
#5
J.Wolf said:
An engineer friend recommended some Kali LP8’s over all of these, wondering if you’ve tried these Silky or anyone else?
Click to expand...
Briefly auditioned them in a space that I wasn’t totally familiar with. My impression was that they were a great value for the money. My guess is the TV7s would be nicer monitors, but the LP8s were definitely impressive and a good bit less expensive.
 
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#6
good to know. Based on my room and preferences, I opted for the Kalis front porting. Sounds like theyre pretty exceptional at that price point. I need to get my room in order, hopefully put up some walls this spring. Really appreciate your advice, especially re: placement
 
#7
I know you already decided, but I thought I would mention Focal. I haven’t tried the Kalis, but I am super happy with my Focal Solo 6’s. Not a huge amount of bass extension, but so clear and defined that I can hear everything that’s happening throughout the spectrum. Their lower end “shape” models are supposed to be very nice as well, and maybe better for pleasure listening.
 
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#8
J.Wolf said:
I opted for the Kalis front porting
Click to expand...
Front-ported monitors are critical for small spaces. I was disappointed when ADAM moved the ports to the rear when they introduced the TV series compared to the older F series, which is what I'm currently using. The A7X still has them front-ported, thankfully.

Here's something to consider: Per your OP you can't do much for acoustic treatments. Since your ratio of casual listening to mixing is 20:1 (per your OP) then what about just getting a decent little 2.1 computer speaker system for your casual listening (i.e. not studio monitors), and then grab Slate VSX and an iLok for the times you want to mix or listen to something analytically. At that point you have to wear headphones while mixing, but the reviews for the system are absolutely stellar. It addresses the "lack of phantom center" issue that creates a binaural listening environment when using headphones, and by all accounts the accuracy is impossible to beat in an untreated space. I have a heavily treated space with nice monitors that are setup (nearly) correctly, and I'm still thinking about picking it up to see what all the fuss is about. Just another option, and at $400-500 for the VSX it's not a crazy expensive thing to buy.

EDIT: I just decided to buy the VSX. I'm too curious not to give them a shot. Will report back. Probably create a dedicated thread to discuss.
 
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#9
silky smoove said:
Front-ported monitors are critical for small spaces. I was disappointed when ADAM moved the ports to the rear when they introduced the TV series compared to the older F series, which is what I'm currently using. The A7X still has them front-ported, thankfully.

Here's something to consider: Per your OP you can't do much for acoustic treatments. Since your ratio of casual listening to mixing is 20:1 (per your OP) then what about just getting a decent little 2.1 computer speaker system for your casual listening (i.e. not studio monitors), and then grab Slate VSX and an iLok for the times you want to mix or listen to something analytically. At that point you have to wear headphones while mixing, but the reviews for the system are absolutely stellar. It addresses the "lack of phantom center" issue that creates a binaural listening environment when using headphones, and by all accounts the accuracy is impossible to beat in an untreated space. I have a heavily treated space with nice monitors that are setup (nearly) correctly, and I'm still thinking about picking it up to see what all the fuss is about. Just another option, and at $400-500 for the VSX it's not a crazy expensive thing to buy.

EDIT: I just decided to buy the VSX. I'm too curious not to give them a shot. Will report back. Probably create a dedicated thread to discuss.
Click to expand...

Interesting option, let me know how the VSX works out!
 
#10
J.Wolf said:
Interesting option, let me know how the VSX works out!
Click to expand...
I just learned that the VSX can use a software iLok authorization as opposed to needing the USB dongle version. This is a huge improvement for me. I use software iLok for a lot of Softube plugins and I've always hated the physical USB version. I have an iLok 2 USB dongle sitting in a drawer in my studio that will hopefully never get plugged into my computer again. That was my only hesitation in picking up the VSX and the fact that it was unfounded makes me very happy. I'm always happy when I'm wrong about something :smug:
 
#11
smeet said:
I know you already decided, but I thought I would mention Focal. I haven’t tried the Kalis, but I am super happy with my Focal Solo 6’s. Not a huge amount of bass extension, but so clear and defined that I can hear everything that’s happening throughout the spectrum. Their lower end “shape” models are supposed to be very nice as well, and maybe better for pleasure listening.
Click to expand...

I had thought all the focals were out of my price range will have to revisit those
 

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