Monitor shortlist

[ocnor]

I use a pair of JBL 305 monitors. They are clear sounding and get plenty loud. I was surprised by the amount of bass produced by the 5" woofer.

These things?
https://www.andertons.co.uk/jbl-305p-mk ... or-jbl1853

Cheers Ocnor

Mine are the LSR305 which is the older version.

[WhiskeyJack]

This looks like a tidy deal too
https://www.thediscdjstore.com/krk-roki ... undle.html

Re: tuning monitors to the room. I'm assuming this just means putting on a few reference mixes that I like and then toggling the knobs and switches until they sound how I like.

Great deal i think.

not sure how the tuning works exactly. the review i watched yesterday was for the newer G4's not the classic 5's. But it showed that there was an LCD screen on the back with an EQ of some sort on it and also an app for tuning? I was only listening with half an ear and missed if there were any particulars.

[Lt. Bob]

These things?
https://www.andertons.co.uk/jbl-305p-mk ... or-jbl1853

Cheers Ocnor

Mine are the LSR305 which is the older version.

Mine are 4208's ..... I have two pair

[einstein magoo]

I have Tannoy Reveal 502.

I don't do the same quantity or quality of mixing you guys do, but these are really nice speakers for my needs.
Plenty of bass for a 5" and smooth across the whole spectrum. Even in my fairly large 18 1/2' x 21' room, they fill out nicely.
Front port unlike the JBL 305 which I think are ported in the back, maybe giving some false bass response depending on where they are positioned near the back wall.

Just something else to look at in the shop, if they still make them? I got mine at Guitar Center about three years ago for a buy one get one free deal at if I remember, just over a couple hundy bucks.

[Lt. Bob]

I feel like almost anything can be used to get at least decent mixes ..... you've just got to learn how they sound compared to other speakers that you know are good.
You play music you're familiar with on the good stuff and then on yours ..... you'll quickly learn where yours are boosted or deficient and you mix to that.
The JBL? ..... KRK? ..... 5"? ..... 8" ? ..... meh, like everything else in music it comes down to 1. Personal preference and 2. Learning to use what you have to its' best .
It really always comes down to that ..... someone with limited recording gear but with talent will make better stuff than a poser with great gear but no ability .... youtube's full of both.

Hell, those old white cone Yammies .... the NS-10's?
Man, I remember when they were suddenly in every freakin' studio. They're still common today.
Maybe the new ones are better but back then every single studio guy I talked to commented on how 'blah' they were ..... not very good sounding at all.
But the same guys shrugged their shoulders and said, "Everyone's using them ...... they're the standard".
And some great recordings have been done on the crappy little things.

Some of my best stuff was done on a 3340 4-track and had 11-12 parts in it meaning you had to 'ping' 4 tracks to 1 and then you had 3 left so you could ping those down and then you had 2 left and so on.
It was extremely limited ..... really, once you mixed your drums down to one channel and then recorded on the other 2 or 3 you were done with the drums because you've recorded over the original tracks.
Or if you wanted the drums in stereo then you'd only had 2 other tracks left. The 'pings' were something you had to plan out in advance because there was no tweaking of the sub-mixes ..... no doing parts over ... no adjusting volumes .... nothing. You might bring the kick up by turning up the bass but it affected everything on that track ...... turn the treble up to get a bit more ride cymbal and maybe now the snare or hi-hat jumps out at you ......... so it was super important to get those submixes (pings) right ..... you had to anticipate if one instrument was gonna cut thru the final mix more than another and mix it a bit too soft to compensate. And if you judged wrong too bad ... you were stuck with it.
Like I said, really limited.

But I was having a ball and that's actually one of the most important things.

So get what you like .... get the ones that makes you go "I want those".
Wifey and I call it the 'ooh factor'.
If it doesn't make you go 'ooh' then it's not what you want.

Even at budget prices there's bound to be one that, more than the others, makes you want it.
Get those.

[teknomike]

I bought a pair of Adam a5's back when they were being discontinued.
Have been really pleased with them, particularly in my untreated space.
Bass response is surprisingly accurate for 5" although they can be a bit boomy right now. In my previous space, it was much better.
I have found that the mixes on these translate really well to other listening spaces (earbuds, headphones, stereo, etc) so it has really helped my judgement.


Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

[rayc]

I used a pair of AR4xs for yonks along with a nice Sansui then Yamaha amp.
I knew them well so I could mix happily on them. Now I use that gear for far field monitoring/turntable/Cassette & CD.

[JD01]

OK,
Final shortlist (this is as much for my benefit, so I can keep all my links on one place)
HS5
https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/yamaha-hs5- ... io-monitor - Single £129

Adam T5V
https://www.getinthemix.com/studio-equi ... onitor.htm - Single £129
https://www.thediscdjstore.com/adam-aud ... undle.html bundle with leads and pads £299

Rokit 5s
https://www.thediscdjstore.com/krk-roki ... undle.html bundle with leads and pads - £279

JBL
https://www.andertons.co.uk/jbl-305p-mk ... or-jbl1853 single - £109

I've been reading a few reviews... not always ideal I know.
Most reviews tend to be comparing things against the HS5, it seems to be that HS5 has become the standard home-project-studio monitor of choice.
The JBL tends to lose these comparisons but its also the cheapest.

Pretty much a draw between the Adam and the HS5
http://digitalstereophony.blogspot.com/ ... short.html
Rokits are slightly favoured due to the features
https://produceralternatives.com/compar ... okit-5-g4/

I think I'll mull this over for a couple of days and then order next week.

[WhiskeyJack]

I forgot about Adams! Beauty of a list though JD.

[Bubba]

For a few dollars more JD, if you were tending towards Rokit, you could have the G5 bundle.

[Lt. Bob]

I dunno how your finances are and I dunno what the exchange rate is so I'm not sure how much this is eating into your finances but there's not that huge a difference in price so I would say get the ones that make you want them.
This is something you'll use for years so you actually can think in terms of price per year of use ..... when you do that the price differences are negligable.

EDIT: so if our prices are similar to what you're gonna pay that makes the HS5 $200 apiece and the JBLs at $150 .... that's 100 bucks difference ..... there are times in our financial history when $100 was a big deal so if that's the case go cheap ...... I'm positive you can get good mixes out of every single one of these monitors.

But currently we're doing well enough that 100 bucks isn't much ..... so in that case I'd get the ones that appeal to you regardless of cost.
After all, it's not like you're looking at spending a couple thou

[JD01]

I dunno how your finances are and I dunno what the exchange rate is so I'm not sure how much this is eating into your finances but there's not that huge a difference in price so I would say get the ones that make you want them.
This is something you'll use for years so you actually can think in terms of price per year of use ..... when you do that the price differences are negligable.

EDIT: so if our prices are similar to what you're gonna pay that makes the HS5 $200 apiece and the JBLs at $150 .... that's 100 bucks difference ..... there are times in our financial history when $100 was a big deal so if that's the case go cheap ...... I'm positive you can get good mixes out of every single one of these monitors.

But currently we're doing well enough that 100 bucks isn't much ..... so in that case I'd get the ones that appeal to you regardless of cost.
After all, it's not like you're looking at spending a couple thou

I think you're probably right there, Bob. Once I've done a few mixes and worked out how things are supposed to sound it probably doesn't matter that much.

One thing that may be of practical importance - front or back ported? They'll be sitting on my monitor stands facing out from the corners of my small room.

[Lt. Bob]

that's a conundrum isn't it?
In Baton Rouge I had the JBLs, which are rear ported set in the corners and it sounded great!
Plenty of bottom end but not bloated ..... just great.
here I also have them set like that but the bass isn't nearly as much .... maybe because I have record shelves right next to one corner and a pile of stained glass and art crap in the other.

It's often said that a rear port in a corner is bad but in BR it was good ... depending on your room it could be either ..... little 5"ers could use a bit of bass reinforcement so maybe good ..... but maybe bloated.

I'm sure others will help with their experiences but personally, I don't believe it can be predicted and what happened in someone else's room can't necessarily be what you'll get.

Like I said ..... based on my home in Baton Rouge I would have said, "Always have a rear ported speaker in a corner."

Here not so much although I haven't noticed any bad effects.
Sometimes with small woofers you're looking for a bit of help in the bottom end.

[Bluesman52]

I guess I'm wondering how both monitors could be set in corners if they're being used as near fields at a desk or table of some sort. I can see one speaker in a corner....but both? Unless you have a VERY narrow room.

As an aside.....I use the JBL305's in a 10x12 room with the rear port about 3 inches from a wall. They're fine and I'm familiar with my room enough to know how they sound from different positions in the room. They are a good value and you can get excellent mixes from them once you know them. That said though.....I feel that they aren't great for mids. The low side of the output seems to cause some mids to be a bit more bassy then they are.....especially vocals.

[JD01]

Yeah. It's a very small, but dry, room

[JD01]

For a few dollars more JD, if you were tending towards Rokit, you could have the G5 bundle.

The Rokits are actually the only ones on my short list that are front ported. Have you got a link to the G5 bundle?

[Bubba]

The Rokits are actually the only ones on my short list that are front ported. Have you got a link to the G5 bundle?

Sorry, I meant the G4 bundle, you're looking at the G3, yes?

https://www.thediscdjstore.com/krk-roki ... undle.html

It seems strange to me that speakers created for small bedroom producers would even bother with rear-ported enclosures at all, if the issue were so cut-and-dried. But you're saying the majority of the most highly-rated small monitors go with rear-ported designs?

[JD01]

I've no idea if the issue is that cut and dried. My Focals were front ported and I didn't have any problems there.

The rear of my monitors will be facing the 90 degree corners of the room.

[JD01]

This guy seems impressed by the G4 over the G3
http://digitalstereophony.blogspot.com/ ... eally.html

Got to admit though, I'm pretty sceptical at the idea of tuning them to the room using an app.

[musicturtle]

This guy seems impressed by the G4 over the G3
http://digitalstereophony.blogspot.com/ ... eally.html

Got to admit though, I'm pretty sceptical at the idea of tuning them to the room using an app.

Yeah I am a bit skeptical about tuning a room using an app, but what do I know.

I do use Sonarworks to help with headphone mixing but that is a much more controlled environment.

I am along the same line as Greg above, get some good speakers that you like the sound of and start mixing with them.

Learn how the sound compares to other systems, e.g. car, home stereo, etc.

Mixing/mastering is strange art, especially nowadays. Most of the people I send recordings to listen to them on their phones with or without ear buds.