Event 20/20bas or KRK V8's for Electronic music?

[808st8]

Hi,
New member, great forum. I've searched and read all the posts on Event 20/20bas and KRK V8's monitors in Gearslutz. Good info and start to my decision. Just would like more input from anyone, good or bad welcome, please. Here's the down low - V8's are my top budget monitors, 20/20's my second choice (and kinder to the wallet). I produce mostly chill-out beats, downtempo, a little Jungle, Drum'N'Bass, etc. No genre has stuck with my music yet, constantly changing, but electronica is the theme. I checked out both monitors today in a 18' x 14' studio? I'm guessing on the actual size. Played one of Photek's albums (drum'n'bass), I know it well. V8's sounded super punchy on the bass, tight, and sizzling on the highs. Almost too much though. Heard a lot of reverb tails and distinct mids as well. 20/20's just didn't compare, so that leads to my question, am I hearing things thru the V8's that are extremely exaggerated? Is that how they are, or is it just the music I played? Are they hard to mix on? The salesman said the V8's are way more flat than the 20/20bas monitors. My ears say differently. Any opinions or experience out there? My last monitors were the Alesis M1 Actives, just sold 'em, after two years mixing on them. I want more bass, without a subwoofer (yet), but an accurate sound. I know you learn to mix on whatever monitors you have, just curious on peoples experience with these two monitors, or any others in my price range??? $800-1200 ballpark. Thanks :-]

[jajjguy]

As far as I can tell, the KRK V8s have a bit of a reverse smiley curve (frowny?), i.e., lots of detail in the mids and a bit light in the bass and soft in the super highs. Most speakers seem to have the opposite thing going on, big bass and not as much midrange, so yeah they sound different. I don't know which ones are more flat...

I found the V8s very easy to adjust to, however, and the somewhat expanded midrange is actually quite useful, I think, since that's such a crucial area for achieving balance. They did make me work harder to get strong bass. The music I was doing when I used them was acoustic folky stuff, so that might be very different from what you do.

[pounce]

two thoughts...

one, i like the KRK monitors much better than the event ones. much.

two, you'll be buying a sbubwoofer. the sooner the better.

believe me now or believe me later, there is no othe way to know what is happening on the low end, esp in that genre. a subwoofer will be a great additional to the clarity the krk's bring. i say you have to set that as the real goal, and find a way to make th ebudget happen. y ucan do it in stages. get the krk's now, add a nice powered subwoofer asap.

ps: i use a hafler downward firing 12 sub in the studio. very very nice. i also produce much electronic music, i need to knwo how my bottom is

[six_wax]

yep on the sub.

I've got the "full-range" Mackie HR824s, which I use largely for dance. Even with the switches, the bass response is confusing, and imbalancing to my mixes. Having a seperately tunable sub would be a better solution methinks. Your composing for crossovers on real systems anyway, right?

[pounce]

and jeez louise i need to get a spell checker too. i swear i _talk_ fine in real life. this keyboard sucks worse than my typing skills. i should have a secretary and a martini, just dictate these things ya know.. i'll get right on that.

here's to my typing skillsdfegad

heres to the subwooofer

here to a secretary and a martini
yuktyy yuktyy yuktyy yuktyy yuktyy yuktyy yuktyy

[PlugHead]

FWIW,

I own a pr. of 20/20bas, and have used them for 3+ yrs. I also have mixed on the KRK V8's as well, and can say neither of them are great boxes for getting the low-end theory right. It took awhile for me to make mixes that translated well to Genelec's, NS-10's, Studer mono 1" speaker (TV-like), boombox, etc. I would suggest removing the hype of all ad-related speil, and test out a few other options. If you really want clear bass definition, neither of your 2 choices are going to give you that without a sub. Also, they are near-field, so don't expect either of them to pin your hair back from high SPL's - they can't take it or make it...

mackie 824's are OK, but you better have a well tuned room, or get damn familiar with knowing your room, they can also be a headache for big, but nondescipt bass. Genelecs will always sound nice (mostly too nice!) but if you are into bass/sub, see if you can check out a pr of BlueSky's: I have not heard them, but would be willing to venture a guess that if you want deep bass, and a fairly impartial set of satellites, they might be in your price range, and might give some real (and often unreal) bass response.

YMMV,

[808st8]

Thanks everyone for the quality input. Yeah, the subwoofer is a must, and the sooner the better, but... for the time being, V8's or 20/20bas will have to do, as I'm living in an apartment. I do have a big M&K Sub in my Surround setup (next to the TV), so I can check mixes briefly with the volume turned up That helps a ton, I just remember how the low, lows sound, kick too, then I check the mix in the car and on the bookshelf stereo, etc. Yes, I mix electronic music for below the crossover point, so it is tricky without the sub, and it does take skill using only nearfields. Just takes a little time to figure 'em out. I could bring the woofer in the studio, but.... I'd quickly have no place to live :-( Oh yeah, house on the list too, with no immediate neighbors. Gotta dream :-]

[invisibl]

FWIW

I gota pair of the EVENTS & have not too many problems with them. They are a little tubby but tend to translate alright out of the studio. I mixed a TV series last year on a pair of genelecs & could NOT stand them. Often finding myself using the TV speakers instead.

I make electronic based music from DnB to a hiphop type of feel & although I will buy a sub in the not so distant future I still enjoy the buggers.

You are better advised (IMNSHO) to spend money tightening your room response.

Best of luck

i

[six_wax]

ooooh... good advice.

which Genelecs did you hate?

[robot gigante]

I'd have to say that I like the KRK's quite a bit better than the 20/20's, though they each have their problems.

The 20/20's seem to have this harshness in the highs that fatigues my ears really quickly. I don't know if it's just me but the softer top of the KRK's seems a bit nicer to work with, once you get used to it.

As far as Genelecs go, I didn't like the 1030's all that much when I used them for a few sessions but it seems like most of what I didn't like about them is fixed with the 1031's, which I liked quite a bit, actually.

[bleen]

I just picked up a new set of Dynaudio's and have a pair of V8's that I'm selling so, if you're interested, drop me a PM or mail me from my site linked below. Thanks!

[RKrizman]

Check out the JBL LSR28's. I'm willing to bet that for your purposes you'll like them way more than anything hat's been mentioned here.

-R

[cram]

I have both the Event 20/20bas' and JBL LSR28p's. I hate them both equally. I somehow manage to get good mixes out of the combination so I live with 'em. I also hate them a lot less than my old infamous and despised NS10's.

My mastering house has told me to "keep using whatever you are using," so, I do.

The ADAM crusaders are getting my attention lately though.

[pounce]

I also hate them a lot less than my old infamous and despised NS10's.

i probably agree about the bad things that have been said about ns10's, but i still check on them. they aren't pleasant, but dammit my mixes tranaslate pretty well if they can work on the ns10's. isn't that why they persist? that's why i have them. i also have dynaudio acoustics as mains, i just check on the ns10's before it goes out the door. works about as well as my car stereo, so it saves me a trip outside checking.

[3rdpath]

i've worked with bas20's for about 4 years and get excellent mixes off of them.

the factor no one really talks about is we all have different hearing capabilities..from age, spl exposure or just mother nature... its no wonder there are so many conflicting opinions.

i tested loads of familiar material through many monitors and the bas20's just suited my ears the best. i don't find them fatigue-ing at all and the bass response seems deep and accurate to me. i do have a well-tuned writing/mixing room which helps. i only use a sub when the material is specifically being used on a 5.1 or 7.1 system...just my preference.

my stuff ends up on tv, in theatres and in multi-media events and i'm almost always happy with the way it translates. and more importantly, my clients are happy.

good luck.