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Can I somehow turn these speakers into studio monitors ?
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
- Start date
They look pretty crappy, so I personally wouldn't bother using them - unless I had no other options.
Even $50 headphones would probably be a better option for recording imho.
Even $50 headphones would probably be a better option for recording imho.
Broadly speaking, yes, you can. Studio monitors are essentially just stereo speakers anyway -- ideally designed to be full-range, flat-frequency response and capable of high volume.
What you have is neither FRFR nor capable of high volume but they'll be more effective than nothing at all. Use 'em for now and save your money for an upgrade later. Keep them at LOW VOLUME otherwise you'll need replacements sooner than you can afford them.
What you have is neither FRFR nor capable of high volume but they'll be more effective than nothing at all. Use 'em for now and save your money for an upgrade later. Keep them at LOW VOLUME otherwise you'll need replacements sooner than you can afford them.
Can I turn them into studio monitors?
Not really, no. Any kind of modification to try and improve them beyond what they are is going to be futile.
Can I use them as studio monitors?
Well you can use anything. Many would say the virtue of the legendary AuraTones was that if you managed to make the mix sound good on them it would sound good on anything. But you have to beware of optimising a mix for one set of mediocre speakers so that it's not very clever on anything else. So if these are your only option for now keep checking you mix on every different setup you can.
Not really, no. Any kind of modification to try and improve them beyond what they are is going to be futile.
Can I use them as studio monitors?
Well you can use anything. Many would say the virtue of the legendary AuraTones was that if you managed to make the mix sound good on them it would sound good on anything. But you have to beware of optimising a mix for one set of mediocre speakers so that it's not very clever on anything else. So if these are your only option for now keep checking you mix on every different setup you can.
Sure, you can use them. You need some sort of amp to drive them, whether it's the receiver that came with them or something else. Run from your recording setup's output (mixer, or A/D interface) to the amp, hook the speakers to the amp. Will it sound good and give you what you need to get a good mix? Maybe, maybe not.
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I have the focusrite scarlet 3rd G , 2 channels
I have the focusrite scarlet 3rd G , 2 channels, 1/4 outs
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I have the interface and the speakers , you mean that I also need an amp in between ? Doesn’t the interface give energy to the speakers as an amp?
Thanks
No, your Focusrite interface doesn’t have a built in amp for driving speakers.
All of the monitors you listed in your other thread are powered, so you wouldn’t need a separate amp. Any of those would be a step up from the speakers in this thread.
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Speakers like these aren't suitable at all as studio monitors. They don't have the frequency response you need from studio monitors At best they will be totally unsuitable for mixing. At worst you will blow them.
If you don't care about the quality of the sound, or about the risk of blowing the speakers and just want to know whether they can be hooked up to an audio interface and provide sound, no matter how poor and unsuitable for mixing that sound will be, then yes, you can use them. You will need an amplifier though.
You also need to be aware that professional audio equipment use +4 dBu while home stereos use -10 dBV. Theroretically this means a difference of around 12 dB, which means you risk clipping/distortion if you run a professional audio interface into a home stereo amplifier. Many audio interfaces can be switched between +4 dBu/-10 dBV output though. You can also find boxes that convert the signal. But in this case it's probably not worth it. Save up for active studio monitors instead. Even the cheapest ones you will find will be considerably better for this application than these speakers.
If you don't care about the quality of the sound, or about the risk of blowing the speakers and just want to know whether they can be hooked up to an audio interface and provide sound, no matter how poor and unsuitable for mixing that sound will be, then yes, you can use them. You will need an amplifier though.
You also need to be aware that professional audio equipment use +4 dBu while home stereos use -10 dBV. Theroretically this means a difference of around 12 dB, which means you risk clipping/distortion if you run a professional audio interface into a home stereo amplifier. Many audio interfaces can be switched between +4 dBu/-10 dBV output though. You can also find boxes that convert the signal. But in this case it's probably not worth it. Save up for active studio monitors instead. Even the cheapest ones you will find will be considerably better for this application than these speakers.
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As others have said, it would cost way more than just buying new studio monitors and you'd wind up with a worse result even when compared to some of the least expensive, bottom of the line studio monitors available on the market today. Just get a set of halfway decent used studio monitors and call it a day. 
Correct, the interface doesn't do that and those are not powered speakers(no amp built in), so you need an amp in between.
while I would not reco them as your only or primary monitors, there is nothing wrong with using them as reference
fwiw, I have Tannoy 6.5 PBMII's as my mains, but usually start off with Auratones to mix, having used some crossoverless 5" Monoprice stereo speakers that I modded (easy stuff, stuff the ports, change the woofers) to track on and do preliminaries
I also check mixes at times on Rat Shack Optimus, and use my car and my other household stereos (Edifiers, Klipsch, Yama subs, etc.)
I even have a Kloss Model One I sometimes use (mono)
and headphones (currently preferring Sony 7506's for tracking and preliminaries, as well)
fwiw, I have Tannoy 6.5 PBMII's as my mains, but usually start off with Auratones to mix, having used some crossoverless 5" Monoprice stereo speakers that I modded (easy stuff, stuff the ports, change the woofers) to track on and do preliminaries
I also check mixes at times on Rat Shack Optimus, and use my car and my other household stereos (Edifiers, Klipsch, Yama subs, etc.)
I even have a Kloss Model One I sometimes use (mono)
and headphones (currently preferring Sony 7506's for tracking and preliminaries, as well)
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Did a quick search. They're rated for 15 watts "music power" each, which means that they would be prone to failing if subjected to much more than 7.5 watts RMS (if that). That's a very low power level.
That said, you could always buy a cheap stereo microamp for between $20 and $30 or so. The specs on those microamps are impressively good---low power, but low distortion. I actually use one for my main stereo system, and it sounds great. Gets quite loud in my small living room, too.
And though those speakers are probably pretty inaccurate in terms of frequency response, you could always use them to listen to commercially released recordings as a benchmark. If you can get your recordings to sound similar to the professionally mastered mixes over the same speakers, they should sound good on a better set of speakers, too.
That said, you could always buy a cheap stereo microamp for between $20 and $30 or so. The specs on those microamps are impressively good---low power, but low distortion. I actually use one for my main stereo system, and it sounds great. Gets quite loud in my small living room, too.
And though those speakers are probably pretty inaccurate in terms of frequency response, you could always use them to listen to commercially released recordings as a benchmark. If you can get your recordings to sound similar to the professionally mastered mixes over the same speakers, they should sound good on a better set of speakers, too.
Think is that what you buy in USA for 300 usd , in my country ( Argentina ) that costs 700, the amount of the minimum wage . So I am trying to spareAs others have said, it would cost way more than just buying new studio monitors and you'd wind up with a worse result even when compared to some of the least expensive, bottom of the line studio monitors available on the market today. Just get a set of halfway decent used studio monitors and call it a day.
Please, Don't do it. Get actual studio monitors. As an aside, Yamaha NS10s were designed for home hi fi use but they sounded so good they became one of the best studio monitors ever made!
It's very rarely anyone says NS10's sound, "good" 
, but they are useful.
, but they are useful.
OK, so resetting a bit, am I right in thinking the situation at the moment is that you have a Focusright interface, presumably plumbed into your PC and appropriate software, but nothing to playback from whatever software you are using.
So you either need powered speakers, or else an amplifier and speakers. Bearing in mind your budget situation you are probably not immediately in the market for a decent pair of powered studio monitors. So you need an amplifier.
The first questions is what were those speakers connected to? Do you still have it? Does it have an Aux input with a pair of phono sockets? If so that should function at a basic level until you are ready for better. You'll then need a couple of TRS (1/4in stereo jack) to phono cables.
If you haven't already got something then at the budget end of the game any half decent stereo amplifier with an input for a separate tape player, cd player or "Aux", using phono sockets will do. You can usually get something operational very cheap and secondhand. If it comes with reasonable speakers so much the better, or you can use these Aiwas. You'll need the same cables, then you should be able to make sounds.
Obviously the better the gear you can find the better it will be, but a half decent old school stereo system will be usable and beat the hell out of nothing.
So you either need powered speakers, or else an amplifier and speakers. Bearing in mind your budget situation you are probably not immediately in the market for a decent pair of powered studio monitors. So you need an amplifier.
The first questions is what were those speakers connected to? Do you still have it? Does it have an Aux input with a pair of phono sockets? If so that should function at a basic level until you are ready for better. You'll then need a couple of TRS (1/4in stereo jack) to phono cables.
If you haven't already got something then at the budget end of the game any half decent stereo amplifier with an input for a separate tape player, cd player or "Aux", using phono sockets will do. You can usually get something operational very cheap and secondhand. If it comes with reasonable speakers so much the better, or you can use these Aiwas. You'll need the same cables, then you should be able to make sounds.
Obviously the better the gear you can find the better it will be, but a half decent old school stereo system will be usable and beat the hell out of nothing.
