Please Recommend Some Nearfield Monitors

[mdlewis]

I had experience when I was younger recording, professionally mixing and mastering in high end professional studios and now record in my home primarily for fun and for the benefit of others. I've been out of that part of the music biz for a long time, but I still dabble.

I don't like to spend a lot on recording gear now as this activity is essentially a vanity project but a recent post on nearfield monitors and an itch to upgrade prompted this post. That, and no ability to play live with other people since March.

I'm working in an essentially untreated room and using crappy M-Audio AV/gaming speakers on my current system. I was given them. Moving back and forth between my Hi-Fi (Snells, large vintage loudspeakers), cans (ATH-M45s), my computer display (like TV speakers) etc. has been challenging to say the least.

I'd like to purchase a $1K or less set of nearfields that provide for the following:

1. Decent reference point to start from for mix/master for current listening channels (car, bluetooth speakers, phones etc.).
2. Decent enough bass sound to warrant playing (bass) through them on occasion. Sometimes I lay down a line in sections that I can't actually play "live" until I practice it for a bit and then re-record it whole.
3. Enough quality to last 5 - 10 years.

Any suggestions?

 

[Liko]

JBL LSR 305/308
ADAM F7/T7V
Eris E5/E8

These are all in the $500/pair range. I own the F7s, and they are excellent for both critical and casual listening. And yes, I have run my bass guitar direct into a mixer and through them, though you obviously won't get gig volumes. The T7V are the current version, can't personally vouch for them but they're the same idea. If I didnt get the F7s, it would have been the LSRs, they are a lot of speaker and remarkably good even when compared to more expensive monitors.

Ironically, in true nearfield (triangle <6ft on a side), you actually want a smaller woofer, because speakers exhibit a similar "proximity effect" as microphones do. That can save you some money on a higher-quality but smaller speaker. It all depends on how much space you have at your audio desk. 3-4', go with a 5", 5-6ft use a 7 or 8". Beyond that you're not really in nearfield, and you'll need to put some of that $1k into acoustic treatment (always a good idea, but the idea of nearfield is to minimize room acoustics in the soundfield).

 

[mdlewis]

JBL LSR 305/308
ADAM F7/T7V
Eris E5/E8

It all depends on how much space you have at your audio desk. 3-4', go with a 5", 5-6ft use a 7 or 8". Beyond that you're not really in nearfield, and you'll need to put some of that $1k into acoustic treatment (always a good idea, but the idea of nearfield is to minimize room acoustics in the soundfield).

Thank-you, Liko. That is very useful information.

 

[JRA]

there are so many great options available these days. i'd add yamaha to Liko 's list --- and there are many more. for $1000 you can great options --- the world is your oyster!

liko's advice is good. i'd caution you to abandon playing your bass through reference monitors and expecting "decent enough bass sound." you'd have to play at very low volumes, obviously, but reference monitors are not meant for that application. that said: recording (or practicing) your bass part through them is de rigueur if you can accept the low volume and the less-than-desirable, non-stage tone.

good luck with your studio monitor choices!

 

[LBS-bass]

I have a pair of these: Yamaha HS8 8 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Black

They are pretty great for basic studio stuff. Nothing this small is going to be comparable to a bass amp, though, and replacement drivers for these will run you around $200 so I would also urge caution if you're going to try that. There probably isn't a decent studio monitor that will lend itself readily to that kind of use.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I just bought a pair of KRK Rokit 7G4s, and I couldn't be happier.

What I like: They have settings to match the room. I haven't tried any yet because I love them as they are. I felt however when purchasing that the option to tweak the sound essentially made them like buying a bunch of different monitors in one. With other monitors, if I didn't like the sound I was stuck. With these I had options.

What I like more: The price. Compared to other 7" monitors, these are reasonably priced - and I got them at Musiciansfriend, where they WILL give you 15% off, provided you're willing to call and be stern about it. "I'll buy them only if I can get the 15% off." You can get an added 8% automatically also by just signing up for their loyalty points (I started a couple of threads regarding this).

What I love: I've been through lots of monitors and speakers and I've been trying endlessly to find ones that make bass lines clear (for learning covers). I am stupidly happy how these monitors accomplish that. I'm not talking hearing booming bass, but rather the ability to clearly hear whatever the bass is doing. Because of that, these have become my holy grail. I also, like you, wanted something I could play bass through - and this plus the Amplitude 5 I bought alongside the monitors sound awesome. I haven't used my practice amp since I got these about a month ago.

KRK also has a pretty good reputation in most areas. Some people have been prejudiced to them because they say the sound is too colored, but if you read reviews on these (pretty sure they're their newest monitors) you'll they've listened to their users and changed that up a bit.

I obviously couldn't recommend these highly enough .

 

[LBS-bass]

I have a pair of these: Yamaha HS8 8 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Black

They are pretty great for basic studio stuff. Nothing this small is going to be comparable to a bass amp, though, and replacement drivers for these will run you around $200 so I would also urge caution if you're going to try that. There probably isn't a decent studio monitor that will lend itself readily to that kind of use.

Sorry, I misspoke on the replacements. I have one sitting in my garage in case I need it, and just double checked the price, they run $55 plus shipping, which is a lot better but I still wouldn't make a habit of frying them

 

[silky smoove]

For my ears there are a few options in this price range that work well.

• ADAM Audio TV5 or TV7 models are excellent. A little light on the low end as most ADAM products tend to be voiced pretty mid-forward, but this is a benefit in untreated rooms.
• JBL 305 models are shockingly good and can be found for an insanely low price. Combine your cost savings with some acoustic treatments and you'll see a great benefit.
• Kali LP6 monitors are a new one to me, but having recently heard them I was blown away by the sound quality for the price. A little different flavor than the JBLs, but in the same super low price range. Another one to combine with acoustic treatments and still come out below your budget.
• Output Frontier monitors are a new offering from Output, which were done in conjunction with Barefoot. I think these were Barefoot's attempt at breaking into the prosumer equipment tier without having to do it using their own brand name, which is currently only synonymous with incredibly high end professional tier monitors. I believe these sell for $1,400 for the pair, but they sound incredible. They remind me of the older Equator Audio D5s, but they appear to fix all of the problems I and many others had with the D5s. These are a good bit over your budget, but if you're looking to stretch your money and get higher end speakers, these are an incredible sounding set.

You could combine any of the low priced models with a single mono active Avantone MixCube as an alternate speaker for checking your mixes.

 

[Highroler79]

I have a pair of these: Yamaha HS8 8 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Black

They are pretty great for basic studio stuff. Nothing this small is going to be comparable to a bass amp, though, and replacement drivers for these will run you around $200 so I would also urge caution if you're going to try that. There probably isn't a decent studio monitor that will lend itself readily to that kind of use.

These are what I upgraded to from KRK rockets. The HS8's are very flat and your mix will translate well, if you do start doing more mixing you could add some acoustic room treatment with the left over funds. The room treatment/placement and set up of the room is almost as important as the monitors

 

[silky smoove]

The room treatment/placement and set up of the room is almost as important as the monitors

This cannot be overstated.

 

[RickyRocknRoll]

You should take some time and go listen to as many as you can. I know it ain't the "right" time to do that because of obvious reasons but when I bought mine, I brought one of my mix with me and did listen to it through all the speakers they had in store.

I went home with a pair of Yamaha HS8. To me, they were the flattest in that price range and that's what I was looking for.

And yeah, room treatment is a must.

I run my Rega turntable through them and I just think they are a fantastic value for the money spent.

 

[gnergaard]

I have heard that there is a substantial difference between the original JBL 305 and the current version. Can anyone confirm this?

For my ears there are a few options in this price range that work well.

• ADAM Audio TV5 or TV7 models are excellent. A little light on the low end as most ADAM products tend to be voiced pretty mid-forward, but this is a benefit in untreated rooms.
• JBL 305 models are shockingly good and can be found for an insanely low price. Combine your cost savings with some acoustic treatments and you'll see a great benefit.
• Kali LP6 monitors are a new one to me, but having recently heard them I was blown away by the sound quality for the price. A little different flavor than the JBLs, but in the same super low price range. Another one to combine with acoustic treatments and still come out below your budget.
• Output Frontier monitors are a new offering from Output, which were done in conjunction with Barefoot. I think these were Barefoot's attempt at breaking into the prosumer equipment tier without having to do it using their own brand name, which is currently only synonymous with incredibly high end professional tier monitors. I believe these sell for $1,400 for the pair, but they sound incredible. They remind me of the older Equator Audio D5s, but they appear to fix all of the problems I and many others had with the D5s. These are a good bit over your budget, but if you're looking to stretch your money and get higher end speakers, these are an incredible sounding set.

You could combine any of the low priced models with a single mono active Avantone MixCube as an alternate speaker for checking your mixes.

 

[silky smoove]

I have heard that there is a substantial difference between the original JBL 305 and the current version. Can anyone confirm this?

I recommended the older ones to a buddy and he ended up with the newer ones. His new record sounds good, but that’s about all I know at this point.

 

[BluesyCat]

I have the Focal Shape 40’s and Adam A3x. Both are excellent. I wanted the bigger Focals or Adam’s but don’t have the space.

 

[LBS-bass]

These are what I upgraded to from KRK rockets. The HS8's are very flat and your mix will translate well, if you do start doing more mixing you could add some acoustic room treatment with the left over funds. The room treatment/placement and set up of the room is almost as important as the monitors

They are pretty flat and I find that, in my room, it works well to mix with them in the usual position but then also check my mixes in a central position about 6 or 7 feet back from where I normally sit. If it sounds good in both spots I'm generally happy with how it sounds on other systems and through the earbuds.

 

[Highroler79]

They are pretty flat and I find that, in my room, it works well to mix with them in the usual position but then also check my mixes in a central position about 6 or 7 feet back from where I normally sit. If it sounds good in both spots I'm generally happy with how it sounds on other systems and through the earbuds.

nice I do the same thing,

 

[monsterthompson]

I've been running Adam A7X for about 9 months. They are above the target price, but based on these I'd certainly look at their lower priced offerings.

I looked at a few options closer to the target budget before I decided to splurge. I know KRK is a common "standard" but I couldn't bring myself to appreciate them. I don't really have much of a lasting impression of anything else. I do recall that some brands seemed noticeably different based on woofer size (say comparing Yamaha HS 5/7/8). The low end difference was influential to the overall voicing.

 

[Real Soon]

I've got Yamaha HS7s in what I'd call a medium room... it has kinda a boxy shape, with a couple of DIY bass traps and wall pads mounted. Treatment could be better, esp since I still have a standing wave I need to deal with (using REAL bass traps to start with), but since I just resolved a phase issue with monitor placement today, I've turned a decent-sounding reference mix into an excellent one.

From what I gleaned in researching and checking references, reviews, etc, I'm confident that the HS8s would have overpowered the space, and the HS5s might have struggled to fill the room. So this goldilocks size is truly golden zone here.

Using them for bass... I do that exact thing when writing parts. Come up with riffs & work them into decent lines that I then track a piece at a time. Works great!

 

[SunByrne]

With my own money in an untreated room, I spend $200 on a pair of JBL 305Ps and $800 on room treatments. Great monitors in a "live" room will not sound even close to as good as very good monitors in a well-treated room.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Yamaha monitors are in every major recording studios.