Popular main monitors?

[Steamy Williams]

I'm considering getting some main monitors eventually as a client pleaser, and I would be interested to know what the most common main monitors in commercial studios have been throughout the decades. I'd imagine manufacturers like Urei, Tannoy, Westlake, Quested, Genelec, JBL, Dynaudio & Augspurger/TAD could be among them, but I don't know which, if any, are the most popular models. If you know of any main monitors that you think have been more or less an "industry standard" at one time or another, please post here with answers to the following questions:

1.) Are they active or passive?
2.) If they're passive, are they commonly mated with any particular manufacturer/model of amp?
3.) Do they require soffit-mounting?
4.) Are they popular with producers of any particular genre?
5.) If they were particularly common at some point in the past, what period was it?

Thanks in advance.

[plexisys]

I am completely biased toward the Westlakes. Love em!
They are soffit mounted for the larger ones but I have also seen the larger BBSM series on stands.

They have been good for 25-30 years and are just as good and relevant today as they were 30 years ago.

If you use the large Westlake soffit mounted systems for mains then the BBSM for near fields they translate extremely well.

I've used the Augspurger/TAD systems only a few times. I thought it and the Westlakes could be interchangeable at any point.

For a more vintage system you can look at the Urei 813s. I have a pair of the 813c with Bryston 4Bs. They are a love/hate type of monitor but there were probably more hits mixed on 813s then any other monitor out there.

* I have worked for Westlake in the past, this was many years ago. I no longer work there and don't have any business relationship with them. I have always thought they had superior monitors and were an excellent company to deal with.

[lpkyer]

I always found mains super-expensive...even passives you know.
There must be a way to build some passive main easily..?!

[plexisys]

Originally Posted by lpkyer

I always found mains super-expensive...even passives you know.
There must be a way to build some passive main easily..?!

Not really, it's not just the cabinet and speakers, which on their own are very complex, but you also have to look at crossover and how the system will respond to different amps. Real monitors are very complex.

[Steamy Williams]

Originally Posted by mgphoto

For a more vintage system you can look at the Urei 813s. I have a pair of the 813c with Bryston 4Bs. They are a love/hate type of monitor but there were probably more hits mixed on 813s then any other monitor out there.

Do these require soffit-mounting?

[Dan]

I've seen UREI's both ways, although it was kind of odd to see them out of the wall on huge concrete blocks. Kinda cool though.

It seems like the old Time aligns were around quite a bit, but it also seems like many of the older studios in L.A. I've walked into have some sort of Augsberger in them. However, not many had them set up to be pleasing to listen to though... I never got that.

One studio in town (Dallas) swapped out Genelecs (1038's?) for Augspergers. Seemed like a sonic step up to me, but I'm more accustomed/like the sound of that type of box.

[Steamy Williams]

Originally Posted by Dan

It seems like the old Time aligns were around quite a bit

What are the 'old Time aligns'?

[Dan]

UREI's


http://mixonline.com/TECnology-Hall-...nitors-090106/

That article claims they were the "most succesful" monitors ever. Maybe that means most popular.

[plexisys]

I have seen the 813s on stands but I can tell you that is a mistake. They were orginally designed and developed for soffit mounting. There can also be quite a bit of reflection issue off of the front wall.

With double 15" speakers you really don't want to risk them getting knocked over on to someone :)

[Dan]

Originally Posted by mgphoto

I have seen the 813s on stands but I can tell you that is a mistake. They were orginally designed and developed for soffit mounting. There can also be quite a bit of reflection issue off of the front wall.

With double 15" speakers you really don't want to risk them getting knocked over on to someone :)

The stands I saw were 7'x4'x3' concrete blocks, they weren't going anywhere.