Studio monitor speakers with computer display?

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironbut /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, the X10's are around $20k a pair but for nearfield listening, I've never heard anything that's in the same league. The Meyersound HD-1's are really excellent and you can find used pairs for around $1k. Be aware that studio monitors aren't for everyone. They're either designed to reveal the problems in a recording so they they can be corrected. Others can be voiced for "translation" which is how the end listener will hear the recording. Some of the most popular monitors would make awful speakers for pure enjoyment. But one thing that's consistent with them,.. they can play loud for extended periods without breaking up.

not really looking for loudness. dya have any experience with the adam a7s? i'm planning on getting those. how are they for pure listening purposes?

also, would I need an externally powered dac to go with it? or would something like Devilsound do the job?

 

[ironbut]

If you're not going to push the limit you may be better off with speakers that were designed for listening pleasure rather than "live" music levels. One thing that you can do is check with your local Guitar Center or similar store and see if they rent the Adams. Lots of places rent the more popular monitors like JBL, Dynaudio, or Adam. Check around and you may be able rent a pair for a week and see if what you think. They often sell their rentals or have a consignment shop too.
If your Dac has a volume control, you probably won't need a preamp, if not, you'd need a way to adjust volume.

 

[ironbut]

Ooops, I guess I should mention that Pro monitors will have +4dB balanced inputs (rather than consumer -10dB) with XLR or TRS connectors. You can buy adapters with transformers but they do add some coloration (any device will). Some monitors do offer both connections so check before you buy.

 

[El_Doug]

have you considered KRK?

i can vouch for the VXT series. i have the vxt4's - theyre amazingly pleasant, and their bass extension is astonishing given their 4'' woofer. the vxt6's are an absolute dream, sadly were outside of my budget

I find that Mackies tend to sound, well, "too different" between the tweeter and woofer. it's hard to explain, but they just dont mesh well

the Adams are well regarded, but feel a bit bland to me in the sound department - probably why so many people on studio central swear by them, this ultra flat response they seem to have

 

[athenaesword]

edit: see next post

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironbut /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ooops, I guess I should mention that Pro monitors will have +4dB balanced inputs (rather than consumer -10dB) with XLR or TRS connectors. You can buy adapters with transformers but they do add some coloration (any device will). Some monitors do offer both connections so check before you buy.

wow they must be really loud then. will that be a problem? The Adam A7 have a volume knob on it so would I still need the pre-amp to adjust volume? would the adam's volume be too loud even at a very low setting?

I've contacted a local retailer and will be going down to audition a pair soon. I'm not sure they'll let me rent it though, there doesn't seem to be such a practice here in Singapore, though tbh I haven't exactly bothered stepping into a highend proaudio store before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you considered KRK? i can vouch for the VXT series. i have the vxt4's - theyre amazingly pleasant, and their bass extension is astonishing given their 4'' woofer. the vxt6's are an absolute dream, sadly were outside of my budget I find that Mackies tend to sound, well, "too different" between the tweeter and woofer. it's hard to explain, but they just dont mesh well the Adams are well regarded, but feel a bit bland to me in the sound department - probably why so many people on studio central swear by them, this ultra flat response they seem to have

hmm not really haven't exactly looked at those. one reason why i decided on going for studio monitors straight away was because some have mentioned that while these smaller sized monitors may not put out huge amounts of bass, they're the most accurate in terms of mids and highs, and i personally don't need that much bass and am more concerned about the former.

bland? i guess that could be possible since they're studio monitors. will test them out and see if they suit my music listening tastes. btw would you guys suggest a BM5A over the Adams? they cost about 650usd extra over the adams locally. i'm not sure they sound that much better.

 

[athenaesword]

editted out.

 

[El_Doug]

KRK's ARE studio monitors

perhaps before you settle on something, you should go to a place like Guitar Center (or whatever equivalent you have in Singapore) and test them out? i realize the conditions arent perfect, but stores typically have all of them set up, ready to demo


realize that no monitor is perfectly flat, though some are flatter than others. but since youre not an audio engineer, a bit of color is probably desirable. just keep your mind open until you hear some of them

heck, i was set on Mackies until i heard the VXT4's

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif KRK's ARE studio monitors perhaps before you settle on something, you should go to a place like Guitar Center (or whatever equivalent you have in Singapore) and test them out? i realize the conditions arent perfect, but stores typically have all of them set up, ready to demo realize that no monitor is perfectly flat, though some are flatter than others. but since youre not an audio engineer, a bit of color is probably desirable. just keep your mind open until you hear some of them heck, i was set on Mackies until i heard the VXT4's

oh.my bad haha. like I said, not too familiar with these things. yeah i'll be trying them out. kinda busy this week though. i managed to find a dealer with adams for auditioning, but i'll have to go look for the krk

edit: the vtx and krk don't get as much love on gearslutz as the adams or the dyns. not even close.. i get the feeling the latter would be a safer buy.

what dac are yu using for your monitors? and do you think balanced is worth the extra money over unbalanced?

 

[tinseljim]

I have heard the Genelecs, Mackie's and Adams all side by side. The Adam's were my favourite by a long way! the Adam P11 was my favourite, that ribbon tweeter just makes the whole thing more realistic to my ears. Everything was better- air, sense of space, etc.

I also compared them to the KRK VXT and preferred the Adams.

I hope to pair these with a nice tube pre-amp/DAC. The Isabella with the P11s would definitely worth trying. (Can't remember if P11s have XLR only input.)

My .02.

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinseljim /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have heard the Genelecs, Mackie's and Adams all side by side. The Adam's were my favourite by a long way! the Adam P11 was my favourite, that ribbon tweeter just makes the whole thing more realistic to my ears. Everything was better- air, sense of space, etc. I also compared them to the KRK VXT and preferred the Adams. I hope to pair these with a nice tube pre-amp/DAC. The Isabella with the P11s would definitely worth trying. (Can't remember if P11s have XLR only input.) My .02.

I've bought the Adam A7 for a time now and I love em too. i'm using it with an Oritek OMZ dac,but I'm hoping to change to somehting relatively inexpensive, but with a pre-amp, since changing the volume using 2 knobs is kind of a pain in the ass.

 

[Patrick82]

I have read reviews and the new Adam A5 is better than A7 for a smaller setup?
I will plug them in with Genesis power cables and Genesis XLR interconnects! I'm so excited now!

 

[tinseljim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have read reviews and the new Adam A5 is better than A7 for a smaller setup? I will plug them in with Genesis power cables and Genesis XLR interconnects! I'm so excited now!

Interesting but makes sense. The Adam rep at the Bristol show said that all of their ranges scale really well with the space. He said the choice comes down to what space you're using them in. A larger space would demand larger cones and I could see the A7s working better in that environment. I heard the A5s at the show but it was after I heard these guys (the Betas):

::ADAM:rofessional Audio::

Compared to these the A5s were less impressive sadly.

If it's any consolation the rep has the A5s paired with the Sub7 which he believed to be an excellent combination.

The Betas below have five independent amps rated at 250W to drive the five drivers!!!

 

[nnotis]

I'd suggest taking a look at the Fujitsu 10 Eclipse single driver speakers. I’ve been really curious about them ever since I read their review in Stereophile. They were described as the most detailed and neutral speakers the reviewer had ever heard. Considering what those guys are accustomed to listening with, that’s saying a lot. And Fujitsu makes a sub you can pair them with.

 

[nnotis]

Also, don’t you already have K1000s? With the right amp, they should smoke the A7s.