Common stereo speakers for studio monitors?

[phangeaux]

I cannot afford studio monitors for a long while but I need some speakers for monitoring and playback.? There are all kinds of stereo speaker cabinets large and small available in thrift stores, sometimes very good quality ones ($5-$20) and in pawn shops.

I don't want to spend another two months researching speakers, and another 4-5 months saving money for studio monitors.? I just want to get something together here that is functional so I can get on with making some music!

I would appreciate any short-cut advice in this regard, I have seen 8 ohm and 4 ohm speakers, I assume 8 ohm is pretty standard.

Another option is to buy a stereo/CD player with nice speakers from a pawn shop (since all I have to play CDs besides my computer is an old Sony boom box radio/CD player) and then use the speakers interchangeably.? That way I could solve two needs with one purchase.

Any advice on using common stereo speakers for monitors would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I am using a BOSS BR864 and I didn't find any specs in the manual about monitoring speakers but I'll look again.

Thanks

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by phangeaux

I cannot afford studio monitors for a long while but I need some speakers for monitoring and playback. There are all kinds of stereo speaker cabinets large and small available in thrift stores, sometimes very good quality ones ($5-$20) and in pawn shops.

I don't want to spend another two months researching speakers, and another 4-5 months saving money for studio monitors. I just want to get something together here that is functional so I can get on with making some music!

I would appreciate any short-cut advice in this regard, I have seen 8 ohm and 4 ohm speakers, I assume 8 ohm is pretty standard.

Another option is to buy a stereo/CD player with nice speakers from a pawn shop (since all I have to play CDs besides my computer is an old Sony boom box radio/CD player) and then use the speakers interchangeably. That way I could solve two needs with one purchase.

Any advice on using common stereo speakers for monitors would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I am using a BOSS BR864 and I didn't find any specs in the manual about monitoring speakers but I'll look again.

Thanks

I used to use JPW mini monitors with a Yamaha amplifier that kicked ass . I don't know whether their S-320 speakers are today's equivalent.

My home stereo speakers are Athena AS-B1's which I also think were excellent value and definitely have some punch to them. I would use them as "studio monitors" if I was on a really tight budget. I use them with a Technics receiver which was about 1/4 the price of a Yamaha which I'd have liked. I still think this system is pretty good, especially for the money I paid for it. I found these to be way more true to life than Polk and Quest, were better suited to two channel work than Bose and were better than similarly price bracketed JBL's...

I think the resistance rating is dependent on your amplifier... 4 or 8 doesn't matter as long as its matched to the amp. I could be wrong on that though - I'm not really up with all that stuff.




Rich

[CorporateMustache]

4 ohm speakers are more commonly used with car audio situations, and 8 ohm for home audio, due to amplifier styles. You will most likely looking for 8 ohm speakers if you are considering a reciever/amp and speaker setup. I had a buddy that mixed an entire album with Infinity bookshelf speakers as monitors. It came out really well. You could probably pick up a pair of those on ebay for 150-200 bucks.

[brandondrury]

While I never recommend a person deliberately choosing stereo speakers vs studio monitors, if the budget doesn't allow it, then there is no reason why you can't make a great record with stereo speakers.

I wrote an article about this.

http://www.recordingreview.com/artic...tudio-Monitors

Brandon

[phangeaux]

Thank you all for the good advice. I went out window shopping in some local music stores in nearby towns and studio monitors were really the last thing on my mind. I had lots of fun and saw all kinds of really amazing stuff!!

In fact on my way home I found an awesome full set of new Sony surround sound speakers for a home entertainment center, for cheap and was thinking about how cool it would be just to be able to play CDs with those speakers. I was wondering about figuring out a way to use them for monitors but since then I have learned quite a bit and decided pretty much against using stereo speakers as follows:

My next stop was another little hole in the wall, and there I found a used set of high quality KEF Reference Series Studio Monitors. They aere nice, even have gold connector terminals. I wrote down all the specs and came home to research those (and the sony surround sounds).

I have learned alot about studio monitors tonight, and a bit about speakers in general. I haven't done any mixing yet so I am in the dark still about mixing, but so far here is my understanding:

In simple terms studio monitors are a sensitive quality control instrument that allows for a very close or magnified examination of a product (Recording) while it is being created, mixed and getting refined and finished. These speakers are designed for that purpose. Does that sound right? Good studio monitors would be something like having a crystal clear magnifying glass to make refinements during the 'manufacture' and painting of details on a little tiger figurine for example, whereas, other speakers either would not have the same magnification clarity or would be a different type of lense, so manufacturing and painting those details on that little tiger would not be as refined or accurate. The casual observer (listener) is going to just see the tiger at first, and maybe upon closer inspection they will say, oh my, look at the fine work and detail on this, it's impressive! It is the over-all quality of the piece that led them to look closer in the first place. On the other hand without that sort of quality control (good monitors) there may not be that overall sense of quality that leads them to look (listen) closer and have a better appreciation for the work.

I am going to try to get those studio monitors. They are a bit more than I can afford, I can hope to talk the price down a bit, but if all pans out and they are as good as my research thus far is indicating then I may make the sacrifice to get them. I am in the process of trying to verify when they were made so I can be sure that they include alot of the key technical innovations that make KEF studio monitors really good. This is easier said than done, it is not so simple as cross referencing model numbers. I may have to write to the company. This series first began in 1979 and I have reason to believe these were made in 1995 which would be great. all of the good innovations would be present in these.

Anyhow, I'm tired and have alot to do yet tonight on this topic. (when do ya ever get time to play music?) I'll be glad whjen it's over with and I can start playing and recording.

I will be studying common stereo and 'audiophile' speakers too so I can make a legitimate and fair comparison, as well as the best decision.

Thanks again, I am takin' a break :-)

[phangeaux]

Oh yeah, I shouldn't have left without leaving something informative. Here is a quote from a page I am reading right now, followed by the URL:

Unlike a hi-fi speaker, which is designed, hopefully, to make all audio material sound pleasing to the ear, the studio monitor has as it's main objective to paint an accurate audio image of the material, with no unnatural emphasis or de-emphasis of particular frequencies. This is what it means when a monitor is said to be "flat".? and "uncolored" or "transparent".? That's the theory at least.? Reality sometimes paints a different picture. And this is where the arguing typically begins.

On Edit: I just finished the whole article (surfing the web on thses questions) and didn't find this article very helpful, pretty vague but here is the URL anyway


http://www.tweakheadz.com/studio_monitors.htm

[phangeaux]

When I started this topic I had only seen studio monitors at Guitar Center in Seattle and the ones I liked started at $500. and prices went up from there.? For that reason I didn't think I could afford them and decided to look into other options.

I have seen alot of Studio Monitors new on the web in the $250. range.? This,? I could probably pull off, HOWEVER after reading some of the technical aspects of studio monitors and the engineering that goes into good monitors, I find it hard to accept that $250 is going to buy a really? good set of studio monitors.? Maybe they are good enough and no doubt better than common? Hi-Fi speakers for mixing, but I think I am going to try to find a used set of higher quality studio monitors in the same price range.

I? may opt out to use? ?Hi-Fi speakers (second hand thrift store/pawn shop brands)? and instead buy a new VOX "Vox Valve Reactor" practice amp.? Those are SO COOL!? I was looking at the 30 Watt Valvetronix, also the 50 Watt model.? I was very tempted to buy one.? It is hard to pass up a nice little amp like that when my present practice amp (Crate GX20-M)? leaves much to be desired.? Those little Vox amps sounded very good.

I'll have to think this one over.? One advantage about not having alot of money to spend, I tend not to buy impulsively, window shop and research things so I can mnake the best decisions.

Oooops- No vox amp- I just remembered I have a vintage Standell Custom amp that would be great for a recording studio amp and that needs to be fixed, may cost as much as a Vox amp to fix but that is a priority.

Back to studio monitors: I think that alot of the problems people talk about with regard to getting good quality 'Mixing'? may be due to low quality studio monitors.? I just don't see how you can go wrong and mess up a mix with high quality ones, but they are very expensive.?

I have more to learn and somewhere along the way? the little ball on the Roullette wheel falls into the winning number or color.? I just wait until everything seems right before I put? my chips down.

Here is a VERY GOOD ARTICLE:

'STUDIO MONITOR MADNESS'

http://www.johnvestman.com/studio_monitor_madness.htm

[phangeaux]

Do I sound CoNfUsEd?? ?WELL, YES, I HAVE BEEN! This whole realm of recording can get quite deep and technical which is something I had wanted to avoid.? ?I have a technical background and I am easily drawn into this stuff BUT,? I did NOT want to do that.? I want to spend my time on creating music, and not spend my time on studying to become a recording technician. ALL I want to do is write and compose music. In order to do that? I have to have a recording system so I can make separate tracks, play them back make more tracks? and put them together into a finished piece.

ANYhow, I have still been spending all of my time for a week or two looking for and learning about affordable monitors. I don't have the $ income to just BUY a nice set after routine comparisons. I really have to dig and spend alot of time to find good quality at an affordable price. This is my final edit on this topic and my final conclusion is that Studio Monitors are the way to go for mixing and mastering and there are LOTS of used monitors around- ebay for example, and if one can find good quality ones for 1/2 the price of new ones,(more or less) then that's the way to go, I think.



You should be glad you are not in this very limited financial situation (medical disability= $599.08 per month) I have to save money and shop like a starving hawk with a broken wing, but my vision is pretty sharp and I catch some very good items now and then that the other hawks miss. I just have to spend alot more time hunting than they do. I have done pretty well I think, but it is very time consuming. Of course I have more time than money. In the process I learn alot obout these items.

In my foraging I found some monitors which I am quite sure cost over $1k new and I am going to go and negotiate a price with the owner this afternoon to see if I can add these to my 'stuff'

Later,

[phangeaux]

STILL studying studio monitors, in fact I have been online? about 12 hours today doing that almost exclusively. I'll be glad when it's over with and I have some.

Here is some relevent information for a start. I don't endorse any sales pitches from Sweetwater and in fact I find the occasional sales pitches annoying, but there is some good information there :

Studio Monitors: Buying Guide

http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/studi...ying-guide.php

Studio Monitors: Tech Tips

http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/studi...s/tech-tip.php

[brandondrury]

12 hours of studio monitor research without actually listening to a studio monitor?? Ouch.

Their guides did not mention that the room and placement are far more important than the speaker itself. Obviously, these guides are geared at selling more expensive monitors and not so geared to actually helping you sound better.

Brandon