Studio Monitors - heeeeeelllllpp

[bruno]

After some proper monitor speakers for a small space. Was thinking of the KRK Rokit 5's (£250), however did an AB test with the KRK VXT4 (smaller speaker - 3 inch but loads more expensive at £480). Was expecting the more expensive ones to be a bit better - and compromise on the Rokit ones - however, I was completely blown away by the VXT's - the Rokit's were mush in comparison. You can hear everything on the VXT, even the reverb trailing away - the detail was missing on the Rokits. So, here's the issue - £480 for a set of small speakers (although as brilliant as they are) is a lot of dosh for my hobbie. £250 is okay - however hearing the VXT's has ruined it for me - bollux! Have seen some Roland DS7 for a reasonable price - also seen some KRK studio headphones for £85. HELP - what do I do?

Blubber, blubber.
B

[Hilary]

go for it Bruno - if you can afford it!

[peterp]

I had the same issue when hunting for mine, the VXT are much cleaner sounding but cost almost double.
I ended up settling on the KrK Rokit 5's for budgetary reasons.

Neither of these small monitors, Rokit's or the VXT's has a decent low end (actually none of the small monitors I looked at), KrK makes a subwoofer unit for them, quite expensive too.

And whatever you get will sound very different in your home, the room environment has a lot to do with how they sound.

I also use Sony MRD-7506 headphones to help with listening to a source without the room acoustics getting involved.

[Farrell Jackson]

I've had the first generation KRK Rockit 5's for about 5 years now. As you've noticed they are not the best of monitors but they are as good as most in that price range and they work for me. I use them to do my first rough mix to get an "in the ball park" mix if you will. I then switch to a set of cheapo Yamaha stereo speakers (three ways with 8" woofers) for the final mix. I find having the mid-range speaker in there helps zero in on the vocal levels easier. Also with the 8" woofers I can hear if the bass levels are right or not. The KRKs are set near my mixing desk and the Yamahas hang from the ceiling about 7' up, 8'  out, and 8' apart. I find having a second set of monitors for reference a crucial part of my mixing process.

So back to the KRKs and the purpose of my long explanation lol. Once you get used to most any monitors and discover their deficiencies you can work with them to get a good mix. But it all comes down to the available funds you have to spend. Having good monitors can make mixing life so much easier. My advice is to get the best you can afford.

Farrell

[bruno]

Thanks for the comments all. Had a trip down to Nevada in Portsmouth (and a nice little detour as the M27 was rammed) I opted for the Roland DS7's in the end - and they do sounds great. Shop display pair in excellent condition, reduced from £500 to £350 - so quite a bit off - they are end of line, but hey, speaker technology is slow to change!

Am listing to my previous recordings, hearing all the mistakes . Nice to hear the sound clearly. Not quite the same definition as the VXT's, but very close - so a reasonable compromise. Much better bass though as compared to the VXT's!
B.

[Bluesberry]

I think you did very good bruno.  I like the roland monitors, and for that price, excellent purchase.

[peterp]

Nice choice and you found them at a great discount!

Just fyi if you like the low end thump.
For the smaller Rokit and VXT (and other brand) speakers up to 8",  KrK has the KrK-12s 240 watt sub
http://www.zzounds.com/item--KRKKRK12S

For the VXT-8 they have the KrK-12sho 400watt ultra high performance sub
http://www.zzounds.com/item--KRKKRK12SHO
mouth watering specs until you look at the attached price tag 

and for those of us who are "budget restricted" the KrK 10s 150 watt sub
http://www.zzounds.com/item--KRKK10S

Some day gonna get me one of those, don't really need them for voice or guitar, but they really make some instruments come alive   

[peterp]

* Don't do this * Don't do this * Don't do this *

If you really want to ruin yourself for other monitor speakers fine a shop that can let you listen to a pair of
"KRK EXPOSE e8b" top of the line monitors. They run around 2525$cdn each.
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/5489/Pro_Audio_Recording/Studio_Monitors/KRK/E8B_-_Expose_Studio_Monitor.htm

Even the VXT-8's  begin to sound muddy when being a/b with these, oh for my lottery #'s to come in  

[bruno]

Haha - thanks for the comments all. As always, its a compromise of cash versus quality. How much do you spend on your hobby! I think this is a reasonable compromise - you can always spend less, or a lot, lot more - you pays your money and you take your choice :-)

Still .... one day ....Expose mmm!

:-)

[Yer]

Have you got your mind set on Rokit's ? The Yamaha HS50M for instance is a great monitor for small spaces and can be complimented with the HS10W subwoofer. I'm using a pair of HS80M's without the sub in a medium size room, they sound great for the price. Make sure you invest in set of Mopads they work surprisingly well.