Monitors.

[Squee]

25 minutes ago, sweepstakes said:

Never heard of APS and they seem hard to find for order online, but holy smokes did the Klasik get glowing reviews. They seem a lot more affordable than comparable options as well. I'm intrigued. With the bass ports on the back, how far from the wall should they be?

The Dynaudios are a little north of what I was looking to spend but "so fucking tight" is just the kind of bass I'm looking for, and the front ports will be handy in my small room, especially since I'm looking to cut down on the amount of clutter and bulk in there as I upgrade - for example, replacing the big ugly garage sale dining table  for my desk right now with, uh, a desk.

And more generally, what would acoustic treatment look like? Does this generally mean a bunch of foam panels? The DIY bass traps sound interesting too.

Also, my ceiling is this funky foam-looking tile. I'll try to take a pic. I don't know exactly how to describe it or what the material is (hopefully not asbestos lol), but it looks like something you might find in a retail store or office, especially in the 80s or 90s. It seems like it has dampening qualities - is there a way to objectively test this without dumping a bunch of money into test equipment I'll only use once every 10 years? I can ask around but I don't think there's a big recording community in my town that I could loan equipment from.

You could also check out Dynaudio Lyd 48. They're absolutely wonderful as well, and a tiny bit cheaper than the BM15A

[sweepstakes]

The money isn't a huge issue but I read about some build quality issues with the BM15As, like the tweeter dying. Also it sounds like they have the same transformer hum issue one of my Rokits developed. 

[xox]

If money’s no problem buy the Amphions, as Nil already said. You can’t  go wrong with them. They’re the biggest hit at gearslutz for the last 2-3 yrs, for the money, of course.

Edited August 5, 2019 by xox
Typos

[b born droid]

I'll make a customary post defending the Adams.  I have a pair of the A7x's and my mixes became so much better, particularly in the low mids, I do find them nice and clear and if you've got them in a nice sounding room then I actually don't find them too punishing, though I do try to make sure I take regular breaks.

[sweepstakes]

7 hours ago, xox said:

If money’s no problem buy the Amphions, as Nil already said. You can’t  go wrong with them. They’re the biggest hit at gearslutz for the last 2-3 yrs, for the money, of course.

They seem to be $1000 each plus another $1200 for the amp, though. I guess they punch even above that weight?

Also, what's the benefit of a separate amp? Does it just make repair/replacement easier? It seems slightly more inconvenient, but maybe it gives you more options. 

[Nil]

You're not obliged to use the Amp100, you can use another amp. I had the unexpected opportunity to afford the whole pack, was quite a luxury... and my mixing / sound-design chops have improved so much since then that I now consider it the wisest music-related investment I've ever made. I fucking love them

I believe the One series is derived from their passive, hi-fi offering so that may be the reason they kept such design. Now I personally consider the One15s + Amp100 a whole system, and the amp happens to be outside the speakers cabinet. When you go for the whole system, you get the Amphion sound as first intended.

Additionally, I can now confidently offer mastering services and customers have been quite satisfied with the result... thanks to the Amphion.

I love how useful they are : they don't sound that impressive when "simply" listening, but once you start working on them they prove to be stellar. As I said, they almost tell you what to do to make your tunes sound good (no matter if you're patching a synth or mixing). Really it's something to be experienced, once you "get" them, they're invaluable.

Ideally, if money's not an issue, grab a demo pair for a couple of weeks and spend as much time as you can producing with them. You're likely to never send them back

Now regarding APS, I used to have a pair of Coax (now RSP's) and I can 100% vouch for the quality of their product and customer service. FWIW, the Coax had a voice similar to Barefoot's monitors. 

I've recommended the Klasik as incredible bang for the bucks to several of my students, and they're all tremendously happy with those. Their mixes are way better than before (as I've mastered some of these, I can tell you they make my work much easier). They sound like they're much more expensive... and so do the Amphion.

[thawkins]

I am about to move to a new apt next week, and I sold my Yamaha HS8's back in Japan because the voltages here in Europe are different. So now I guess I am also in the market for new monitors.

Originally I was going to get the same old HS8's, because I have used HS80M and HS8 for the last 6 or so years and I hope I have gotten used to it. However in the new place there is a tiny glimmer of hope that I can get a dedicated music space and maybe some "better" monitors as well.

Still not sure how far I can go with all this acoustic treatment stuff and also how much money I can justify spending on the actual monitors. The Dynaudio BM15A seem really nice but they are also like 6x the cost of the HS8 and I am just wondering whether I will even notice it significantly and if I have the opportunity to treat the room well enough to make it worthwhile.

One thing I definitely know is that I want a fairly good bass response, but I am not going to get a subwoofer. Getting a sub sounds like planning for not so nice discussion with my neighbors and I really am not making bass heavy music anyway. I am used to checking bass on my headphones too.

Also my laptop screen broke and I am due a cool 600 euro repair bill damnit.

[thawkins]

On 8/5/2019 at 3:34 PM, xox said:

All the previous suggestions are good!

i own neumann kh120a and imo they’re best buy under $2k and for a general work they’re good-enough like in ‘if you can’t produce and mix music with them it’s something else that you have problem with’

yes, the one15 are better but are also much more expensive 

Went to a shop today and whoa the KH120A are so small compared to Yamaha HS8. Do you also use a sub or is it enough just to have the Neumanns?

There's got to be a shop in Paris that has the APS Klasik, Neumann KH120A and Yamaha HS8 for comparing, right?

Edited August 10, 2019 by thawkins

[xox]

On 8/10/2019 at 7:57 PM, thawkins said:

Went to a shop today and whoa the KH120A are so small compared to Yamaha HS8. Do you also use a sub or is it enough just to have the Neumanns?

There's got to be a shop in Paris that has the APS Klasik, Neumann KH120A and Yamaha HS8 for comparing, right?

The 120a are really fabulous little speakers! Yes, they’re small in size but they sound big, the low end is deep and powerful; so much that I had to attenuate the low end by 7 db in my small room, there’s no need for a sub! For the money I really doubt you can find better speakers! But it’s not just the sound but also quality of construction, details and overall engineering. I mean - Germans! 

[kakapo]

I'm weighing up the Amphion15 vs PSI Audio A17m at the moment, would love a chance to hear them against each other, but doesn't look possible.  In any case if you're looking at that price range should probably include the A17m as a possibility.

Edit: Actually KMR in London look to have both on demo.

Edited August 13, 2019 by kakapo

[Nil]

I drooled over PSI before hearing about Amphion.

As far as I know (just heard PSI’s ancestors (by Studer) a decade ago), PSIs are way too detailed (and consequently nitpicking inducing) and not as usefully voiced (if that makes any sense).

Fantastic monitors nevertheless, but I can’t emphasize enough how Amphion monitors are useful, invaluable production tools. Once again, do yourself a favor and test them for a couple weeks (most dealers will lend you a demo pair) in your studio with your tracks.

I bet PSI are stunning to listen to and would win a listening session, but the Amphion are certainly a wiser investment to significantly improve your output sonics. That’s what I’ve been experiencing here, and I’ve never been that confident in my production/engineering skills : my current sketches sound 100x better than my previous, mastered LP. Hopefully my next release(s) will speak volume on that matter.

I’ll add that it’s a bliss to patch a synth, or mix or master on monitors you can 100% rely on.

You can’t go wrong with any of them anyway.

[Nil]

@thawkins FunkyJunk Paris has the APS. Pretty sure they can lend you a demo pair.

[thawkins]

4 hours ago, Nil said:

@thawkins FunkyJunk Paris has the APS. Pretty sure they can lend you a demo pair.

Yeah I found those guys too. Will check out in the coming weeks once I get to move properly. Thanks!

[sheatheman]

Maybe I’m in wrong thread, but I want some dirt cheap monitors for a hardware jamming setup on the other side of my studio.

just enough to jam and record stuff to be transferred over to the DAW side of my studio. 

My main monitors are HS5’s, and I’ve learned them well enough that people say my mixes sound professional and done.

 

thats all to say, something even cheaper than those. Would even consider going passive with a little lepai amp. 

[Nil]

What about a 2nd (second-hand) pair ? If you know them well and get great mixes with them already then it might worth it. So that you don’t have weird surprises when you switch from one set to another.

[sheatheman]

What about a pair of ADS l400s?

[Squee]

1 hour ago, Nil said:

What about a 2nd (second-hand) pair ? If you know them well and get great mixes with them already then it might worth it. So that you don’t have weird surprises when you switch from one set to another.

This!

[sheatheman]

I agree but right now I’m using a guitar amp so anything is an upgrade. Also need to keep it under $200. Got my current hs5 pair for $250

[b born droid]

I bought a pair of the JBL LSR 305's for my DJ set up after some recommendations on here and I'm pretty impressed with them, I wouldn't really have any objection to making tunes with them.  Think there's a new model now so you might be able to pick these up cheap.  Not sure of the exact exchange rate but I bought mine new for under €250.

[xox]

The 305 are, according to many ppl, best buy in that price range. I was thinking about buying them just for listening purposes in one of my rooms.

[YEK]

^they're great, but I'm poor. Good enough for a hobbyist.

Edited August 14, 2019 by yekker

[xox]

4 hours ago, yekker said:

^they're great, but I'm poor. Good enough for a hobbyist.

they are definitely good enough for a hobbyist! even more, for a lower level pro even imo.

but i'm really sad to hear you that you can't afford them but living in croatia is even worse;

 

 

 

 

2

Spoiler

average monthly salary in canada after taxes is 3000 euros and in croatia is 700 euros. so, if an average croat can afford a pair of these speakers it's same as if an average canadian would buy 4 pairs + padding + shipping 

 

[YEK]

No, I own a pair. Just saying, if I had more money I would have splurged for something else. But I'm very happy with the jbl's.

[xox]

Just now, yekker said:

No, I own a pair. Just saying, if I had more money I would have splurged for something else. But I'm very happy with the jbl's.

ah ok good!  lol and sorry! 

[thawkins]

I am finally moving into my new apartment this week so it's time to get my monitors. I have some savings so my budget is not super limited, but on the other hand I do not know if I can justify blowing significantly more than 1000 EUR on speakers if I probably can not do any serious acoustic treatment in my room anyway. Music is mostly for me having fun at home and releasing my stuff to the void of bandcamp/soundcloud so even though I wish it got a bit more "serious", I am not sure about piling a bunch of expensive pro equipment at home and eventually turning into an old dude with more gear than substance.

Currently deciding between:

• Yamaha HS8 - I have been using these for the past 5-6 years and I guess they are good. I like that the driver is huge so I get my bass response without a sub. If all else fails I will just go get a pair and repeat to myself "if you know the speakers then it'll be good enough, no need to get high end stuff".
• Neumann KH120 - seems like a step up in terms of quality without getting into 1k EUR per speaker levels. I like that the sub ports are up in front so I don't have to worry so much about the speakers being close to the back wall.
• APS Klasik - same as the Neumanns except the sub ports. Also worried about it being a relatively random brand.
• Dynaudio BM15A - seems like a definite step up from HS8-s and they also have a nice big driver. The only issue is the price really. There seem to be some deals on Reverb though.
• Amphion One15 + Amp100 - same as above, except slightly worried about the bass response since the driver is not so big. Also reading the Gearslutz thread it seems a lot depends on placement and acoustic treatment (which applies to all monitors).

Obviously this list excludes a lot of brands and otherwise good candidates, but I figured I had to start from somewhere.