NS-10m, diamond pro 8.2a, VXT4, tannoy, jbl 4208, whatever...

[jnorman]

i am still in need of some new nearfield monitors for the studio. currently using an old pair of alesis M1 actives, which work but are no fun. i want some monitors that sound good to clients listening to their mixes - i dont want lifeless, overly flat monitors anymore. my experiences with speakers and monitors over the years is that none of them are real - they are all just different flavors. genelecs do not sound like K&H, B&W dont sound like dynaudios, so its not like you will get a "flat" or "truthful" moniitor if you just spend enough money - whatever you get, you have to "learn" it's qualities/drawbacks/character to mix well on them.

so, old NS-10m's - i grew up on really large monitors at deep south, so my gut always wants to steer me toward highly efficient JBL-type speakers with big woofers (yes, i know the ns10s dont have big woofers). some people love these, while others think they suck. also prices are all over the place, some for $100/pr while others are $600/pair - what is up with that? how do they sound?

wharfedale 8.2a pro - good price, reviews on sweetwater are all glowing, some comments on GS say you can do better for the money. any good?

bluesky - all the way from "amazing imaging" to "so hyped in teh high end i couldnt listen to them for more than a couple of minutes without my ears bleeding". they look cool. any good?

jbl passives like the 4208 and 4206 - do they sound like jbl's? when you play a refernce track on them, do they sound fantastic?

i had a pair of tannoy active reveals for a few years - they were okay, but certainyl not inspiring. are the PBM's better?

KRK VX series - a fellow remotester recently bought some Vxt4's and seems to like them, and supposedly much better than the rockit series. true? i have a sub i could use with them.

small active monitors vs larger passive monitors? i want some monitors that are fun to listen to. what say guys, what to buy, eh? spend my money.

[DannyL]

Ok.... It would help to know your budget. I am a big fan of the Dynaudio active monitors, I see that you don't specifically list them, but I am quite partial to my BM15a's. And my clients LOVE them.

so, old NS-10m's - i grew up on really large monitors at deep south, so my gut always wants to steer me toward highly efficient JBL-type speakers with big woofers (yes, i know the ns10s dont have big woofers). some people love these, while others think they suck. also prices are all over the place, some for $100/pr while others are $600/pair - what is up with that? how do they sound?

I really dislike the NS-10m's. Even with a piece of tissue paper over the tweeter, I find them quite harsh and tiring (painful) to listen to. Have you looked into something ala the Electro Voice Sentry 100's? Decent sounding, didn't require an enormous power amp. Also the little JBL's Control 1's or maybe the Control 5's.

wharfedale 8.2a pro - good price, reviews on sweetwater are all glowing, some comments on GS say you can do better for the money. any good?

I have heard them, (at trade shows) thought they were nice but cannot
really offer an opinion.

bluesky - all the way from "amazing imaging" to "so hyped in teh high end i couldnt listen to them for more than a couple of minutes without my ears bleeding". they look cool. any good?

AWFUL!!!! I found the Blue Sky's to be completely unrealistic, hyped, scooped and ugly to listen to.

jbl passives like the 4208 and 4206 - do they sound like jbl's? when you play a refernce track on them, do they sound fantastic?

The 4208 was well regarded, but ugly to look at.

i had a pair of tannoy active reveals for a few years - they were okay, but certainyl not inspiring. are the PBM's better?

The Reveals never really revealed anything, the PBM's are both liked and disliked in equal proportion. If you like them, use them.

KRK VX series - a fellow remotester recently bought some Vxt4's and seems to like them, and supposedly much better than the rockit series. true? i have a sub i could use with them.

I cannot offer an opinion here.

small active monitors vs larger passive monitors? i want some monitors that are fun to listen to. what say guys, what to buy, eh? spend my money.

That would depend upon how much you want to spend on a Power Amp and how close it can be to the speakers. The Lipinskis are astoundingly good. But he system will cost you around 10K with the power amp and the sub. You need to look at your wiring and space requirements to determine whether passive or active is for you. Active monitors are easier to deal with and much more portable (a consideration if you mix in other houses)

Danny

[miro]

Looooooook iiiiiiiintooooooo myyyyy eeeyyyyyyyyeeeeeeesss...

can you resist?



BIG Yes to the NS-10's from me!

let's better not start it again with how they sound or don't...
in that case the search button will be your friend
here's a recent thread about them:
NS10's? - vs. HS50 and Auratones?

cheers
M