Studio Monitors for Mixing

[crazyjorgito]

Hello everyone,

I am currently looking to update my home studio monitors where I mix my music and I listen to music too.

Currently I have the KRK ROKIT 6 (I think that they are the 2nd generation, they are nearly 15 years old), so I im looking to keep the woofer size up to 6" as a maximum as these even sound too loud for my needs. The music that I mix is mainly rock/funk/soul/acoustic instrumental music (here you have my Spotify bio https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/4aAiHRHNxXpSPL5YeQrHto?si=hR9SITamSbSdbssjIp4-fA ).

I use LUNA to mix all my tunes. My budget would be a max of 300€ per monitor.

Lets see if you can help me out.

Thanks, take care!

 

[LesBrown]

Knowing what I know now: I would have purchased VSX headphones and software before buying my $600/each monitors and then upgrading to $1200/each monitors. I use VSX for mixing, monitors for the occasional listen.

 

[wglotz]

I too have the VSX headphones and software which allow you to listen in different emulated studio environments. But I also have the Focal Alpha 65 powered monitors; ~ $400/each, spec'ed down to 40 Hz, +/- 3dB.

 

[UA_User]

... im looking to keep the woofer size up to 6" as a maximum as these even sound too loud for my needs.

I feel like I can monitor at lower levels with larger woofers.

YMMV

 

[wglotz]

I feel like I can monitor at lower levels with larger woofers.

I'm not sure I understand that statement?

 

[UA_User]

I'm not sure I understand that statement?

The OP says that their 6" woofers are "too loud" for their needs. That implies that their speakers sound bad at lower volume, otherwise they could simply turn them down.

FWIW, I'm familiar with the specific speakers the OP has, and they do indeed sound a heck of a lot better when cranked up.

I personally find that I can keep larger speakers at a lower overall volume.

There are of course a lot of design variables that change what volume level a speaker "wakes up" at.

 

[crazyjorgito]

Knowing what I know now: I would have purchased VSX headphones and software before buying my $600/each monitors and then upgrading to $1200/each monitors. I use VSX for mixing, monitors for the occasional listen.

Hello eveyone!

Thanks so much for you answers! I didn't know about the VSX, it seems like a really interesting way to go! Apart from that, I think that I should still update my monitors. Any more ideas on which pair of monitors could be OK?

Thanks so much!

 

[Gary D]

I have a pair of Adam A77H's arriving early next week, I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do, assuming that a complete studio make over goes to plan over the next few days. Having said that, the headphone mixing options now are great for critical mix checks.

 

[Alexxon]

Guess if 300 euro per monitor won’t actually bring you significant improvement in terms of sound compared to your set up right now. Even your KRK is from decades ago, they actually didn’t change that much from past to present. Audio technology is always progressing but all these will reflect on the flagship products from those companies, and then to the cheaper ones.

My suggestion is to add a bit more to your budget or keep saving some money and get yourself a pair of really good ones. Neumann KH120 would be a great choice, or even some 3-way monitors if you are looking for the most precise and clear monitoring experience.

On the other hand you could do some improvement to your room acoustic, since this is the basis to make your monitor showcase the performance they should have. I personally abandoned my monitors and mix 100% with headphones is because my room has awful acoustics and I can’t install those panels or sub traps in a condo I rented…

 

[crazyjorgito]

Guess if 300 euro per monitor won’t actually bring you significant improvement in terms of sound compared to your set up right now. Even your KRK is from decades ago, they actually didn’t change that much from past to present. Audio technology is always progressing but all these will reflect on the flagship products from those companies, and then to the cheaper ones.

My suggestion is to add a bit more to your budget or keep saving some money and get yourself a pair of really good ones. Neumann KH120 would be a great choice, or even some 3-way monitors if you are looking for the most precise and clear monitoring experience.

On the other hand you could do some improvement to your room acoustic, since this is the basis to make your monitor showcase the performance they should have. I personally abandoned my monitors and mix 100% with headphones is because my room has awful acoustics and I can’t install those panels or sub traps in a condo I rented…

Thanks for the answer!! If I want to spend more budget I was thinking of the Focal Shape 40, which would seem like a big step up and the dimensions of the monitor are perfect for my setup. What do you think?

Thanks for the help!

 

[UA_User]

Guess if 300 euro per monitor won’t actually bring you significant improvement in terms of sound compared to your set up right now. Even your KRK is from decades ago, they actually didn’t change that much from past to present.

I'd normally agree with this general sentiment. But I think one can outdo crazyjorg's old speakers within your example budget.

I have a pair of inexpensive Kali LP8's, and they frankly blow those old Rokits out of the water. Adjusting for 15 years of inflation, they were in the same budget range. Lot's of good options from many brands, in many sizes and/or configurations.

Having said that, I've mixed on that exact old KRK model, and they sound good and get the job done just fine.

You are absolutely right that speaker technology has been good for a long time... I have a pair of 70's hifi speakers that sound better than anything we are discussing here. I have a buddy with a pair of movie theater horns that are truly ancient (originally ran mono in the theater) and they sound excellent. Go figure!

 

[Bruce_Sokolovic]

If you want to stay with KRK, get a set of used VXT8 monitors. Totally different and way better than rockits

 

[crazyjorgito]

If you want to stay with KRK, get a set of used VXT8 monitors. Totally different and way better than rockits

What do you think about the Focal Shape 40? They seem like a step up.

 

[crazyjorgito]

I'd normally agree with this general sentiment. But I think one can outdo crazyjorg's old speakers within your example budget.

I have a pair of inexpensive Kali LP8's, and they frankly blow those old Rokits out of the water. Adjusting for 15 years of inflation, they were in the same budget range. Lot's of good options from many brands, in many sizes and/or configurations.

Having said that, I've mixed on that exact old KRK model, and they sound good and get the job done just fine.

You are absolutely right that speaker technology has been good for a long time... I have a pair of 70's hifi speakers that sound better than anything we are discussing here. I have a buddy with a pair of movie theater horns that are truly ancient (originally ran mono in the theater) and they sound excellent. Go figure!

What do you think about the Focal Shape 40? They seem like a step up.

 

[UA_User]

What do you think about the Focal Shape 40? They seem like a step up.

I would have no way to hear these, as I don't know anyone who owns them.

Are you planning to combine these with a subwoofer? They are very tiny.

 

[Bruce_Sokolovic]

What do you think about the Focal Shape 40? They seem like a step up.

Im sorry, I have no experience with them.

 

[Alexxon]

Focal Shape 40, which would seem like a big step up and the dimensions of the monitor are perfect for my setup. What do you think?

Focal is a trustworthy brand, really solid speakers as well as their headphones. They’ve been making those for years so it would be your best mixing partner if you like them.

 

[Alexxon]

I'd normally agree with this general sentiment. But I think one can outdo crazyjorg's old speakers within your example budget.

Yeah man I totally agree with you. What I basically means is that I’d prefer to do something that’s one step forward and end all the hassle (or at least for five years no need to think about this). It actually really depends on what you want, like if the balance between budget and performance is the goal then look for the mid end range; if you only want the best performance then go for the flagship stuffs.

I personally think, if I have a stable place to live for years without moving stuff here and there, I’d go for a Genelec 8351 or something like that, and do tons of acoustic treatment to my room. These could be a crazy expenditure for me, but if my vision is for 5 to 10 years instead of using it for two years and drop it, I’d go for the best option I could possibly afford.

 

[UA_User]

Yeah man I totally agree with you. What I basically means is that I’d prefer to do something that’s one step forward and end all the hassle (or at least for five years no need to think about this). It actually really depends on what you want, like if the balance between budget and performance is the goal then look for the mid end range; if you only want the best performance then go for the flagship stuffs.

I personally think, if I have a stable place to live for years without moving stuff here and there, I’d go for a Genelec 8351 or something like that, and do tons of acoustic treatment to my room. These could be a crazy expenditure for me, but if my vision is for 5 to 10 years instead of using it for two years and drop it, I’d go for the best option I could possibly afford.

Good monitoring is always money well spent, as far as studio gear goes.

Weird thing about mixing is that whether the speakers sound good or not is different than how well they translate. And then any reasonably good speaker can be "learned" and mixed on even with it's flaws. Like the famous NS10's, which really aren't great speakers, but mixers a heck of a lot better than me mixed on them.

I hear ya on treating the room and "stable place to live". Unfortunately, my stable place to live vanished in recent history, so It'll be awhile or never before I have studio space again, let alone somewhere I can rip up and treat acoustically again!

 

[Gary D]

Just installed some Adam A77H's today, only touched the surface ( no tweaking yet ) but straight out of the box, just great ! I know that the OP was looking at a different spec / budget, but if this kind of brand performance extends through the range, it's got to be worth a look. I would also recommend a look at the Neumann KH120's. they are very impressive.