ChipMusic.org - Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2018-03-10T16:36:31Z

In terms of headphones, +1 for KOSS UR20. I have an older pair that are still going strong. Flat frequency response, no emphasis in any given area. REALLY helps with determining which ranges need what.
I have a pair of M-audio BX8as. They are expensive, and good, and all that jazz, but I would trade them for monitors with a flatter response/curve. They are far too bass-y to be consistently accurate, and consistency in your headphones/monitors is key.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2018-03-10T15:27:29Z

Acoustic room treatment is more important thing. I had to make big fibreglass bass traps because my room is only 9ftx9ft. Standing wave is a massive issue and I get just one big muddy bass without treatment. Used to rokits 4's for a while cheap and sound good.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2018-03-09T19:03:50Z

I have two pairs of AKGs currently and some monitors.

I first bought an AKG K712 (which is their current flagship model) because they're open and have really good sound stage and transparency. They're not the flattest headphones ever but they do expose quite a bit of detail. I did a short mix test on them and they do translate quite well on speakers. The advantage of headphones is that you can really hear subtle EQ changes and details that you often can't hear on speakers (especially when it comes to reverb). These have a surprising amount of bass (perhaps a bit warm above 100 Hz but well extended below that; probably usable all the way down to 40-50 Hz but audible in the low 30s as well).

I also have the K550 (which is the same as the K553) which is a closed back pair but it sounds really close to an actual pair of speakers. Very even sound signature with great extended bass (quite a bit better than the K712) and excellent detail all throughout. Perhaps a bit lacking in terms of sound stage but still accurate and wide enough to be able to mix decently. They are excellent value for the money in my opinion. One of the best headphones under $200 (sometimes under $150).

My monitors are a pair of FX8s from Fluid Audio. They are 8" coaxial speakers meaning that the tweeter is in the center of the woofer which gives you a more accurate soundstage. They really do a great job of that. The sound fills the space in front your face quite well and there's a very clear center image for vocals for instance (but performance may vary due to room acoustics). Overall they sound quite balanced and transparent. Great deal for $450. Just make sure to get balanced cables and a decent audio interface (I have a Roland Rubix22). I had a USB ground loop issue (it's common with some monitors and interfaces) that bugged me but I seemed to have managed to get rid of it by connecting my PC to a different power strip and enabling the ground lift switch on the interface. Amplifier hum is pretty minimal with these speakers.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-04-07T00:05:58Z

Personally I use a pair of Sennhieser HD280 Pro headphones for arranging my stuff, then I do my mixing on a pair of M-Audio BX-5 Studio Monitors with a Yamaha subwoofer. The cans are good, and so are the BX5s. The sub leaves a bit to be desired in the frequency range department. Anything above like 130-150 hz isn't so great. All in all it's not a bad setup by any means. Everything is fed by my Yamaha MG12XU via USB 2.0 from my Alienware Area51 R2. Expensive, yes, but it does the job. Is also why I'm broke ;D

Just my 2 cents.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-22T12:08:01Z

Pads will make some difference. It's not night and day but it will help to mitigate vibrations making weird low frequencies in whatever material you set your speakers on. Especially useful if your speakers are on any kind of box-ish thing, like some desks or furniture. My own monitors are set up on big oldschool wooden PA speakers so I definitely need pads to avoid the PA speakers resonating with the monitors. However you don't really need to buy the space-age stuff manufactured under a full moon by naked virgin ninjas. Just get yourself some foam tiles and cut them to size. This stuff:

As far as warranty goes. Monitors aren't especially prone to break for no reason. Just make sure they're plugged into a surge protector of some kind. In fact all of your computer/studio stuff should be on a surge protector anyways.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-21T23:38:07Z

I went with a pair of LSR305's. After comparing it to the Rokit 5's, I found that the Rokits exaggerate the bass too much. The good thing is that all my music so far sounds like it was mixed well (I guess 'cause it's chip ).

I heard that speaker pads also make a difference, and I haven't bought those (yet). Thoughts?

By the way, I didn't purchase a warranty (don't have any pets or babies in the house), and I don't plan on moving these around, so is it really necessary?

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T15:41:52Z

i have a pair of mackie MR5's that are absolutely wonderful. you really don't need anything bigger than a 5" speaker for proper bass response if the monitors are designed well, these things can shake pretty much the whole house if i wanted them too (i actually have the volume trim on the speakers themselves almost all the way down so i won't do this on accident)
edit: also, +1 on Sennheisers.. i have a pair of HD202's that sound great (not monitor quality, but pretty close. they exaggerate the bass a tiny bit, but less than skullcandy headphones or KRK monitors from my experience).. can't beat the price on them, apparently only $25 at this point

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T15:23:25Z

Lastly, this never gets stressed enough, but proper placement and room treatment will make a huge difference. There's plenty of youtube vids out there that can explain the scientifics of this for you better than I can

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T15:18:56Z

I got a pair of 8" monitors to avoid getting an additional subwoofer. Try to get at least a 6" monitor or larger if it's within your budget. That's the advice I've always been given when this topic comes up.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T04:33:51Z

subwoofers are rarely involved when it comes to mixing and mastering since their whole point is to boost the bass (and pretty much only put out bass).. studio monitors are designed to have as flat a frequency response as possible, meaning that they neither add nor remove from any frequencies within the standard human hearing range (~20Hz-22kHz), so adding a subwoofer to the equation is only going to make it difficult to properly EQ the mix, i honestly would recommend against involving a subwoofer in the setup

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T04:00:00Z

Seeing as most of these are in the $100-200, I'll go ahead and look around for both a pair of monitors and headphones.

As for the subwoofer, how do you get a flat frequency? Move all the dials to the center? I assume not all subwoofers are the same?

By the way, my room is about 12x20 feet, for whatever that's worth.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-06T01:03:31Z

There are two important points with this:

You should know your listening setup very well, and take the time to learn it if necessary. That way, if you know there is an exaggerated frequency, or a missing range, you can compensate.

It is good to have many listening targets available to make sure.

If you can do this, brands and prices aren't important.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-05T22:40:40Z

I'll go ahead and play devil's advocate. My favorite headphones are "KOSS UR20"
You can find these over-the-ear headphones on Amazon for around 14-17 USD.

They are remarkably comfortable and have a very wide frequency response. No, they are not high-end or top-tier, whatever but they work well and probably reflect the average phone your audience is going to be using. They don't exaggerate bass, or filter noise; you get nothing but honest sound.

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-05T21:55:32Z

I think it's important to bear your audience in mind when making these kinds of choices. For example, some producers will insist on mixing with iPod earbuds because they figure their audience is most likely to listen to their work with those and they want to get the best sound out of it in that specific application. Maybe you're mixing for a car stereo. Maybe you're mixing for a top-notch home stereo setup. These are all things to consider.

Personally, I feel like good music should sound good on any setup and that the best way to guarantee that is working with good hardware first--a little bit like starting with a super high quality master track and compressing that to MP3 or AIFF for an album release.

That being said, I'm going to toss my opinion in the hat as far as gear goes. I used to mix on KRK Rokit 5s and those did the job for a while. I have since upgraded to the Yamaha HS7s and I personally really like them. Whatever you do, though, I can't stress how much of a difference having a subwoofer can make. I kept my KRK S10 from when I was rocking the KRK monitors and that thing has served me well over the years.

Basically everything n00bstar has said is spot on by the way!

Re: Quality Audio-Speaker Recommendations?

2017-03-05T02:44:41Z

Sonically, most chipmusic is pretty simple and easy to mix in my opinion, and could be done well with even cheaper headphones if you really know what you're hearing.

From my experience, you can get better analytic, studio quality sound for cheaper with headphones than you can monitors, but you should have both. There's so much variety of "studio" branded sound out their though, make sure to check frequency response graphs for the flattest sound signature you can get.

I'm using a pair of KAM-HP1's I picked up on a sale for around $100 and, to my ears, they're the flattest headphones I think I've ever used. They have a very revealing, deep and detailed sound that sounds higher tier than their price.

I used ath-m30's for a long time and I'd easily recommend those for chip if you're not looking to spend much. they're pretty close to neutral, and also sound a bit better than their price.

If you go for monitors, also try to soundproof your room as much as possible.
I haven't heard many monitors but KRK's have a warm colored and kinda muddy sound IMO. I'm using yamaha hs8's right now and I wouldn't completely recommend them because of some deep, weird scoops in the low mids and the 70-90Hz range. My roommate is using Alesis elevate-5's and I think they sound true and great for the low price.