DJing Studio Monitors

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Hey all,

Looking to get a pair of Monitors but when it comes to them i am clueless. What should i be looking for in regards to spec? Also what brands and models should i look at? My budget is max 600 bucks Australian which is around 400 US i think.

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Re: Studio Monitors

oh and i will be using it for home use only for djing, my room is smallish and i want clarity more than loudness (although having a bit of loudness will be good too). Thanks for any help

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

KRK Rokit 6 v2's.

http://www.krksys.com/product_rokit.php

since your budget is so low, you will be missing some low end frequencies that you could hear with 8" monitors but for your budget constraints IMHO their "best bang for the buck".
I've owned these in the past and they did me well until I replaced them with some 8" Genelec's.

some reviews....

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/KRK-RP6-Rokit-Powered-Reference-Studio-Monitor?sku=602313#new

I would definitely down the road buy a 8" or 10" powered sub to enhance the sound or spend a littel extra and get the 8" KRK Rokit. Huge difference in sound between the 6". I heard them side by side and bought them for a friend. You might find the v1 of the 8" Rokit at the same price of the new v2 Rokit. Spend the extra $100 and get the 8".

Also, heard them side by side against, Alesis, Mackie, Tascam, M-Audio, Yamaha, Tannoy and the highend expensive JBL LSR's. It beat out the Alesis, Mackies, Tascam, Yamaha and some of the M-Audio's hands down. The higher end Tannoy, M-Audio's and JBL LSR's sounded quite a bit better but completely out of your budget.

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Re: Studio Monitors

I have heard bad things on KRK monitors

what about this

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-SAMSON-STUDIODOCK-3I-STUDIO-MONITORS-GREAT-DEAL_W0QQitemZ120438945635QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Pr o_Audio?hash=item1c0ab87763&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_ trkparms=65%3A1|66%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|2 93%3A1|294%3A50


Or this

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/cat/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=&product_id=684248

Or these

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/cat/index.cgi/shopfront/view_by_category?category_id=15670

or these

http://www.storedj.com.au/products/category.php?id=21

or this

http://www.storedj.com.au/products/product.php?id=769

Remember i wanna spend max 600. Thanks for the reply by the way mate

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

What did you hear? Did you actually "listen" with your own ears? Wouldn't it be smart to actually go to your local music retailer and listen for yourself.

I have many friends that use KRK's for DJing and for studio production and have no issues. They are not road worthy so don't expect them to handle moving around for house parties without getting dinged and scratched.

Out of the whole list, I would still choose KRK's based on price and personal experience. Again, I had a pari for a year but could afford to move up to larger and better monitors. I wouldn't get near any Samson product. Total garbage IMO. Never heard of ESI. Tascam, Fostex, and Edirol you will find in vocal broadcast studio's. The work fine under vocal only conditions but have no low end or mid to low end. Very punchy sounding. You might like the M-Audio speakers but IMO very limited low frequency, you will need a sub for DJing and EDM music.

My honest advice is to burn an audio CD of your favorite tracks and take it with you and demo the speakers yourself and then buy online and save some $$$. Hearing them for yourself should be priority. Listening can be subjective. For myself, I'm anal as hell about sound and the products that I use, install and set-up but also prefer to spend a little extra on better speakers where those can be replaced but not my ears, ear drums and hearing.

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

wow...KRK's are more expensive in AU. I guess you get charged for shipping them over there. Here in the US, you can get the 8" Rockit v2'a for $250 each with Free Shipping.

Checked the 2 online stores you listed...due to your low budget - your stuck getting 5" or less monitors which reduces your chances of getting anything with some decent low end.

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/multimedia/esi-near05.html

Review from a technical Sound Lab - circa 2005

"On the whole, nEar 05 eXperience monitors sound well enough, but there are no revelations. In our opinion, there are more pros than cons in the audio quality, but these monitors have some peculiarities that we should mention.

Unfortunately, high-precision control over vocal recording is out of the question, as these monitors do not provide enough details at high frequencies and there is a small trough in upper-mid frequencies. These drawbacks hide various record defects and may distort timbres, when mixing records down. But as we know, not all users possess high-quality devices. If you have to solve the same tasks, but the required precision level is a tad lower, nEar 05 eXperience monitors will suit you.

Comparing nEar 05 eXperience to its closest competitors Roland DS-5 and KRK Systems V4 Series2, it's hard to tell which monitors are better. But we can note the following. KRK takes up the lead in sound saturation with low frequencies, but its MF and HF quality is worse than in both competitors. Roland DS-5 monitors are the best at high and medium frequencies, being slightly inferior to nEar 05 eXperience in low frequencies."

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

The TASCAM 8" might do. = http://www.storedj.com.au/products/product.php?id=2369

I personally haven't heard the 8" but have on the 5.25" of the same brand and series. Being they were 5", didn't have any lowend and midrange was muddy but then again they were 5.25". The extra 2.75" in the 8" might have help them sound better. I would still take the time to go listen to them in person so you hear the difference at least between the sizes that are available. TASCAM is a solid company and they make sturdy professional products. I've used and installed many of their rack mounted recording gear.

[Life on Other Planets AKA Johns]

Re: Studio Monitors

WOW it looks like u know your stuff So i should get more than a 5 inch cone then. Thanks for your advice mate

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

WOW it looks like u know your stuff So i should get more than a 5 inch cone then. Thanks for your advice mate

Yes, if you want to hear some decent low end frequency aka bass. You'll be missing out on a ton of sounds that exist in EDM tracks.

[superchibisan]

Re: Studio Monitors

http://abluesky.com/asp/catalogue/products.asp?linkid=178&prodcode=00062

can be found for 200-300 us dollars. you want a sub. trust me.

i use them. im getting responses like "your stuff sounds better than anything else being sent to me". that comes from knowing how to make music, but also, having accurate monitors. if i can make my music sound *GOOD* on my exos, the music sounds good on anything.

[scifi pi]

Re: Studio Monitors

http://abluesky.com/asp/catalogue/pr...prodcode=00062

can be found for 200-300 us dollars. you want a sub. trust me.

i use them. im getting responses like "your stuff sounds better than anything else being sent to me". that comes from knowing how to make music, but also, having accurate monitors. if i can make my music sound *GOOD* on my exos, the music sounds good on anything.

Looked at the specs on those lil boogers, pretty impressive. Like I said before, you will want a sub to hear and feel proper low end. I might buy one of these for desktop system myself. Great reviews. It just goes to show that you can't know everything about anything. Great find.

FYI - you may want to move up into the MediaDesk version for wider dynamic range.

//mixonline.com/mag/audio_blue_sky_mediadesk/

what impressed me is this option of the ability to upgrade to 5.1 -

"GET SURROUNDED
The 5.1 upgrade adds a 3-channel amplifier module to the back of the subwoofer, three additional SATs, a wired remote calibration and volume control, and three sets of speaker wire for $599. Anyone whose sights are set on mixing in surround should not make their speaker decision — in this price range — until they hear the Blue Sky MediaDesk. Definitely a must-listen."

[superchibisan]

Re: Studio Monitors

dude, im going for a sky system1 next. lol.

[herre]

Re: Studio Monitors

KRK rokit 6 g2 are sublime!!! got my new pair some months ago.