Studio monitors - streaming music

duotone

Looking on the Studiospares website at the moment, there is so much choice, Adam, Genelec, Yamaha etc.

Its a bit of a minefield, I will have to pay them a visit on a Thurday when they have late night opening until 8pm.

Anyone have any experience with the Fostex  PM841 monitors? https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Studio-Monitors/Fostex-PM841-Studio-Monitors_229310.htm

ToneControl

duotone said:

Looking on the Studiospares website at the moment, there is so much choice, Adam, Genelec, Yamaha etc.

Its a bit of a minefield, I will have to pay them a visit on a Thurday when they have late night opening until 8pm.

Anyone have any experience with the Fostex  PM841 monitors? https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Studio-Monitors/Fostex-PM841-Studio-Monitors_229310.htm

you need to look at like for like,  work out how each brand's range compares
when I bought, Genelec was stupidly expensive compared to Focal, and the reviews were the same 

duotone

Cheers @ToneControl I will get a list together of what companies models are in my £500 price range & see what sizes the woofer/tweeter/midranges are.  Then try and audition a selection of them.

Cirrus

duotone said:

Anyone have any experience with the Fostex  PM841 monitors? https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Studio-Monitors/Fostex-PM841-Studio-Monitors_229310.htm

If they're anything like the PM1s I used to have they'll be robust and vaguely genelec-like in sound - powerful bass, slightly hyped treble and a bit pinched in the mids.

Snap

I tend to listen to hi res audio files on my monitors. E.g. the last Nine Inch Nails album, as a bonus you could get the (as labelled) audiophile master version. I listen to that through my monitors and it is subtly different, in a good way. Normal audio through spotify goes into my hifi.

Rocker

Just as there is no guitar to suit everyone all the time, it is the same with sound. Horses for courses and all that.

ToneControl

try to avoid the smallest drivers

Cirrus

ToneControl said:

try to avoid the smallest drivers

duotone

cheers for all the advice, will let you know what modelw I narrow it down to.  

lasermonkey

I'm mostly listening to music in the home studio, through an Audiolab 8000A amp and PMC TB-2 monitors.
 It sounds f**king glorious!

thomasross20

Genelecs - small and great quality and have in-built iso-pods (rubber feet!).

Heartfeltdawn

Rocker said:

I agree @ToneControl that it is strange that speakers that render the sound more accurately are less enjoyable to listen to than conventional hi-fi speakers. You call it voodoo, but to me, it shows that monitors are designed for recording/mixing engineers to hear everything on the recording. This spotlighting of detail can sound overwhelming if you only want to listen to music purely for enjoyment.

So you don't want speakers that have more clarity and detail but you're happy to pay for a power cable from Russ Andrews that claims to reduce audio distortion (therefore giving greater clarity and detail)? 

Ben

I'd recommend a set of JBL LSR308, just under the £400 mark!

Rocker

Heartfeltdawn said:

Rocker said:

I agree @ToneControl that it is strange that speakers that render the sound more accurately are less enjoyable to listen to than conventional hi-fi speakers. You call it voodoo, but to me, it shows that monitors are designed for recording/mixing engineers to hear everything on the recording. This spotlighting of detail can sound overwhelming if you only want to listen to music purely for enjoyment.

So you don't want speakers that have more clarity and detail but you're happy to pay for a power cable from Russ Andrews that claims to reduce audio distortion (therefore giving greater clarity and detail)? 



You are missing something here @heartfeltdawn , the presentation of the music from monitors is too much in your face and usually a very modern hi-fi edgy sound, a sound I do not like. And the use of cables etc all help remove the hi-fi edge from the sound without removing the music. You can have clarity without excessive detail forced upon you. But monitors are designed to reveal failings in recording studios, which they do. I like my music to be more relaxing to listen to.

Fretwired

I thought the point of monitors was to allow an producer/engineer to create a mix and as such they are designed to be flat and detailed. The track will then be mastered to make it suitable for domestic audio systems via CD or via downloads like iTunes or Spotify. If you listen to music via a streaming service then monitors can sound harsh.

I picked up a pair of iLoud Micro Monitors for my work PC - I can record and mix as well as listen to music. They are not as detailed as my Yamaha monitors but they handle CDs, wav files and streamed music very well and don't break the bank. They are also Bluetooth enabled so I can use my iPad to jam on my guitar or stream Spotify.

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/

Heartfeltdawn

Rocker said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Rocker said:

I agree @ToneControl that it is strange that speakers that render the sound more accurately are less enjoyable to listen to than conventional hi-fi speakers. You call it voodoo, but to me, it shows that monitors are designed for recording/mixing engineers to hear everything on the recording. This spotlighting of detail can sound overwhelming if you only want to listen to music purely for enjoyment.

So you don't want speakers that have more clarity and detail but you're happy to pay for a power cable from Russ Andrews that claims to reduce audio distortion (therefore giving greater clarity and detail)? 



You are missing something here @heartfeltdawn , the presentation of the music from monitors is too much in your face and usually a very modern hi-fi edgy sound, a sound I do not like. And the use of cables etc all help remove the hi-fi edge from the sound without removing the music. You can have clarity without excessive detail forced upon you. But monitors are designed to reveal failings in recording studios, which they do. I like my music to be more relaxing to listen to.

Then it depends on what monitors you have. Some are in your face, others aren't. 

Rocker

Limited experience of monitors @heartfeltdawn, models from PMC and ATC only. You will hear everything on the CD if you use these......

ToneControl

Rocker said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Rocker said:

I agree @ToneControl that it is strange that speakers that render the sound more accurately are less enjoyable to listen to than conventional hi-fi speakers. You call it voodoo, but to me, it shows that monitors are designed for recording/mixing engineers to hear everything on the recording. This spotlighting of detail can sound overwhelming if you only want to listen to music purely for enjoyment.

So you don't want speakers that have more clarity and detail but you're happy to pay for a power cable from Russ Andrews that claims to reduce audio distortion (therefore giving greater clarity and detail)? 



You are missing something here @heartfeltdawn , the presentation of the music from monitors is too much in your face and usually a very modern hi-fi edgy sound, a sound I do not like. And the use of cables etc all help remove the hi-fi edge from the sound without removing the music. You can have clarity without excessive detail forced upon you. But monitors are designed to reveal failings in recording studios, which they do. I like my music to be more relaxing to listen to.

no, monitors are not "designed to reveal failings", they are designed to be transparent, and free from coloration
In addition, they are intended to NOT be harsh, because someone has to sit in front of them for 8+ hours a day as part of their job, so they are typically going to be less fatiguing than domestic speakers

"excessive detail being forced upon you"  what sense does this make? So if a studio was miked up with excellent mics, mixed well, and  with an ace acoustic band playing, you 'd prefer not to listen to a live feed through transparent studio monitors, but instead listen through  less transparent domestic speakers, with more colouration (i.e. less like standing in the studio with the band). WHy would anyone want that?

Rocker

As I understand and have heard this myself, monitors are voiced to allow the recording engineer hear every note and mistake on a recording. The only monitors I could listen to for a length of time are Wilson Watt/Puppies. And I do have sympathy for someone who has to listen to music (on any speakers) for upwards of eight hours

Heartfeltdawn

Hopefully as much sympathy as I have for anyone who reads your words here.