Still waffling over nearfields

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lykwydchykyn
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by lykwydchykyn »

So, I was out with my son tonight and stopped by the local guitar center to listen to what they had on hand. I only listened to the 5" units because I don't want big speakers to deal with.

Here were my impressions of what they had:

- KRK Rokit 5's: I was dead set on getting these, but oh lawdy they are awful. Midrangy and dull, like a clock radio speaker compared to the others.
- JBL 305's: Would love a pair of these in my living room, but not as nearfields. They were all highs and lows, nothing to hear in the middle.
- Adam T5v: These would be my second pick; very crisp and bright, detailed in the upper mids. That's what I want from nearfields.
- Yamaha Hs5: These. Maybe it's just because I cut my teeth in the 90's when the NS10m was the nearfield that *everybody* used (with a sheet of toilet paper taped over the tweeter), but this is the sound of a nearfield monitor to me. Crispy mids that leave nothing to the imagination, good high end.

They did not have the iLouds there to test, but then again the Yamaha's are a stretch for my budget so the iLouds are kinda out for me anyway. $200/speaker is gonna take some justification, seeing as this is just a hobby for me (did I mention having 5 kids?).
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by merlyn »

White cones are cool. :) If I may offer a different perspective :

If the layout of your room is compromised you won't get the best out of good monitors. You may get more of an improvement from dealing with the room. A corner sounds problematic. I'm only suggesting this to save you a post along the lines of "My left monitor is bassy as hell and I can't hear the bass from the right monitor. My listening position is in a phase hole at 80Hz. What do I do?" That would be when you sort the room. :)
lykwydchykyn
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by lykwydchykyn »

merlyn wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 5:28 am You may get more of an improvement from dealing with the room. A corner sounds problematic. I'm only suggesting this to save you a post along the lines of "My left monitor is bassy as hell and I can't hear the bass from the right monitor. My listening position is in a phase hole at 80Hz. What do I do?" That would be when you sort the room. :)
Yeah, that just goes back to my initial dilemma. I don't really have the option to sort the room; it's really the only space I have left in the house to carve out as my own (it's about an 8"x4" piece of real estate in the bedroom, which my wife is cool enough not to mind having filled with music gear instead of potpourri and knick-knacks and other stuff normal middle-aged people put in their bedrooms). The rest of the house is filled with small people and Legos. At best I could put the speakers about 3" apart on a desk about 4" out from the corner, right up against the wall.

So, my options seem to be:

- spend $400+ on decent monitors that won't (might not?) sound good in my available space
- spend significantly less on monitors that won't sound good ever. (doesn't seem worth it)
- get a cheap powered speaker just so I can hear when I don't want headphones, and mix only on the headphones
- have only headphones.
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lilith
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by lilith »

lykwydchykyn wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:52 am So, I was out with my son tonight and stopped by the local guitar center to listen to what they had on hand. I only listened to the 5" units because I don't want big speakers to deal with.

Here were my impressions of what they had:

- KRK Rokit 5's: I was dead set on getting these, but oh lawdy they are awful. Midrangy and dull, like a clock radio speaker compared to the others.
- JBL 305's: Would love a pair of these in my living room, but not as nearfields. They were all highs and lows, nothing to hear in the middle.
- Adam T5v: These would be my second pick; very crisp and bright, detailed in the upper mids. That's what I want from nearfields.
- Yamaha Hs5: These. Maybe it's just because I cut my teeth in the 90's when the NS10m was the nearfield that *everybody* used (with a sheet of toilet paper taped over the tweeter), but this is the sound of a nearfield monitor to me. Crispy mids that leave nothing to the imagination, good high end.

They did not have the iLouds there to test, but then again the Yamaha's are a stretch for my budget so the iLouds are kinda out for me anyway. $200/speaker is gonna take some justification, seeing as this is just a hobby for me (did I mention having 5 kids?).
Check the Presonus Eris 5, order a mic for measurements (e.g. Behringer ECM-8000 for 30 bucks) and measure the frequency response of your room with REW. Then you can do corrections below ~200 Hz with the LSP parametric EQ.

The Yamaha HS 5 has very little bass (which might be good in your situation), but the Eris 5 are more balanced and they have a great mid range. They go down to 60 Hz then the bass quickly drops. The JBL are quite large for a desktop application. Rokit: no :|

The Adam TV5 sounds phasy and washy imo. I might send the MTMs back.

If you can afford it, maybe also look at these: https://www.thomann.de/de/eve_audio_sc203.htm
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by merlyn »

lykwydchykyn wrote:At best I could put the speakers about 3" apart on a desk about 4" out from the corner, right up against the wall.
Your wallet may not thank me for this but 4' from the side wall is OK. I go by the guideline of 1m from the side wall and 4' is more than 1m. Put the monitors on stands at ear height and do the equilateral triangle thing and it should be at least acceptable.
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by sysrqer »

If it helps anyone I can recommend the adam t5v. I used to have the original A7s and these T5Vs are definitely comparable standard. I'm very happy with them. The shelving filter and db attenuator are very handy for different rooms and set ups.

I think it's worth spending some money on good monitors but overall, whatever you buy, spend time learning how they sound. You can mix pretty well on anything if you know how it sounds and how it translates to other systems but it's a whole lot easier with reasonably accurate monitors to start with.
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by Shadow_7 »

I had a pair of m-audio 8" monitors once. They were useful when I first started recording. Things that you just can't tell with PC speakers or headphones like mic handling noise and wind noise, even RF interference from that one time I recorded near a radio tower / station. These days I just have a good stereo setup with some carpet scraps over a PVC frame behind the speakers to cut down on reflections and wave cancelling / standing waves. The 8" ones were too much for me, drawing 225W each for starters.
lykwydchykyn
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Re: Still waffling over nearfields

Post by lykwydchykyn »

I still haven't bought anything; had to shelve my upgrade plans with the COVID lockdowns and all. Got some book royalties this month though and I'm determined to treat myself to some monitors.

I'm kind of leaning towards the iLound micros. Not as good as the MTM or the HS5, I know, but I've come to terms with the fact that (1) I have a small studio space, which they're designed for, (2) they're light years better than what I have now (two 1980s hifi speakers on the floor and a dying power amp), and (3) $300 is about as much as I feel like I can really invest in this right now. Also, they're a lot more durable.

Realistically, I need something to tide me over for a few years (decades?) until the kids move out and I can build my REAL studio. (*cue evil laugh*).
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