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A bearable set of cheap speakers? (accurate/natural)

post #1 of 17
6/13/10 at 5:17pm
Thread Starter 

Well, money is tight and my sound system is probably the most "luxury" items that I own purely for it's pleasure, eg my expensive chair can be partly justified on ergonomics grounds. I'm thinking of downgrading from Adam A7 speakers + SVS PC12 subwoofer to just a pair of active computer speakers. In monetary terms that's would roughly like downgrading from $2000+ worth to $200+ worth.

 

What speakers in the $200-400 category doesn't "overstretch" itself, but outputs what it can, as best as it can? E.g, not a pair of cheapo speakers trying to give you a wannabe subwoofer experience, laws of physics tells me it will fail and mess up the rest of the frequency spectrum too. Presentation should be as natural and accurate as it can, but I'm not looking for miracles with the imaging. Basically, I've heard better, I can put up with hearing less, but I won't put up with hearing crap.

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post #2 of 17
6/13/10 at 8:58pm

for that price range, i'd go with KRK RP6g2.. if you can stretch a bit, i think the dynaudio bm5a is amazing, you can probably get a used pair for ~$500-600

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post #3 of 17
6/16/10 at 10:16am

1- http://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_hs80m.htm

2- http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_b2030a_truth_aktivmonitor.htm

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post #4 of 17
6/19/10 at 1:50am

Those Behringers look pretty cool. Looking at them though it would seem they connect to the source via balanced connectors. Is there any way they could be connected to my M-Audio 2496 Audiophile soundcard which only offers standard phono outputs?

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post #5 of 17
6/19/10 at 4:46pm

There are RCA to XLR adapters.  But I think they have both, bal and unbal inputs.


Edited by fjf - 6/19/10 at 4:48pm
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post #6 of 17
6/19/10 at 5:01pm

I never cared for the behringer monitors - muddy soundstage.  though ive never heard the yamaha HS80Ms, i have demoed the MSP5s, and found they had a very reduced midrange, to the point that voices sounded completely sucked-out. 

 

id vote for KRK, but would suggest the RP5 instead of 6.  unless you need the extra bass extension, the extra size of the 6's isnt something to ignore.  note that the KRK RP-series do have a bit of a metallic flavor to them (imho, of course).  however, it is a much lesser detriment than the shortcomings i found in the other models mentioned above. 

 

 

it seems your budget is already a stretch for you... but I really cant write in an active monitor recommendation thread without mentioning the KRK VXT series.  they are what I currently use, and are an absolute dream in every way.  their most apparent quality is the incredibly lifelike soundstage - must be heard to believe.    the vxt4's can be had new for $600, and floor their price bracket - the only drawback is a rather high bass rolloff starting at 50hz. 

 

 

I definitely recommend finding a place to demo any monitors, before buying them!!!  Unlike headphones, these things do not keep their value nearly as well. 


Edited by El_Doug - 6/19/10 at 5:03pm
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post #7 of 17
6/19/10 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by El_Doug View Post

I never cared for the behringer monitors - muddy soundstage.  though ive never heard the yamaha HS80Ms, i have demoed the MSP5s, and found they had a very reduced midrange, to the point that voices sounded completely sucked-out. 

 

id vote for KRK, but would suggest the RP5 instead of 6.  unless you need the extra bass extension, the extra size of the 6's isnt something to ignore.  note that the KRK RP-series do have a bit of a metallic flavor to them (imho, of course).  however, it is a much lesser detriment than the shortcomings i found in the other models mentioned above. 

 

 

it seems your budget is already a stretch for you... but I really cant write in an active monitor recommendation thread without mentioning the KRK VXT series.  they are what I currently use, and are an absolute dream in every way.  their most apparent quality is the incredibly lifelike soundstage - must be heard to believe.    the vxt4's can be had new for $600, and floor their price bracket - the only drawback is a rather high bass rolloff starting at 50hz. 

 

 

I definitely recommend finding a place to demo any monitors, before buying them!!!  Unlike headphones, these things do not keep their value nearly as well. 



The KRT's could they be driven by a standard Onlkyo AV receiver, I ask this because the monitors seem active.

 

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post #8 of 17
6/19/10 at 5:35pm

the RP series and VXT series are active.  KRK's only passive monitors are the R6 - I have never heard them, sadly

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post #9 of 17
6/20/10 at 1:25am

Most monitors are active; you need a receiver with pre-outs to feed them.  DO NOT connect them to the speaker out.  And most of those subjective impressions of muddiness and whatnot are due to the interactions between the speaker and the room.  Most of them are solved by room treatment or equalization...but that's a totally different story.

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post #10 of 17
6/20/10 at 1:44am

Would anyone explain or recommend a nice set of KRK Monitors for a mid sized room,I already have an active subwoofer.

 

I don't mind if the monitors are active or passive.

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post #11 of 17
6/20/10 at 2:16am

in near-field use, you shouldnt really be having any room interaction (unless you place the speakers 2 inches from the corner of the room, or have ridiculous reflections on the back wall)
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by fjf View Post

Most monitors are active; you need a receiver with pre-outs to feed them.  DO NOT connect them to the speaker out.  And most of those subjective impressions of muddiness and whatnot are due to the interactions between the speaker and the room.  Most of them are solved by room treatment or equalization...but that's a totally different story.

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post #12 of 17
6/20/10 at 2:20am

you can use any of them in near or mid-field configurations (though with the latter, the room comes into play).  if budget is no bother, you can always get the Expose ;)  the VXTs are far superior to the RP's, and I would recommend the vxt4 before the rp8, despite the latter's strong presence, so long as you utilize the sub
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by kunalraiker View Post

Would anyone explain or recommend a nice set of KRK Monitors for a mid sized room,I already have an active subwoofer.

 

I don't mind if the monitors are active or passive.

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post #13 of 17
6/20/10 at 2:27am

The budget will definitely be a bother, at least for me

I already have a pair of ART near field monitors, I never really understood the concept of near file d and mid-field.

Does near field mean- you have to sit in front of them for proper perception of the music output.As I sit about 3.5 mts away, since it's nort practical sitting in front of my audio system.

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post #14 of 17
6/20/10 at 2:32am

at 3.5 meters, you really ought to be looking at some hifi speakers - no studio monitor that I know of is designed for such long throws (and for good reason - ive never seen a mixing or mastering console that was 12 feet from the speakers)

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post #15 of 17
6/20/10 at 2:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by El_Doug View Post

at 3.5 meters, you really ought to be looking at some hifi speakers - no studio monitor that I know of is designed for such long throws (and for good reason - ive never seen a mixing or mastering console that was 12 feet from the speakers)



I feel it's not exactly 3.5 mts I would say more about 3 mts.What hi-fi speakers would do justice at about 200-400 dollars price range,if any.

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