Studio Monitors for audio work

[gtonesine]

working with laptop speakers or earbuds and would like to get studio monitors
to connect to my laptop:
after some research Yamaha HS7 looked good , not cheap , I did consider the
KRK Rokit 5's but saw a reviews that they have reliability problems

I saw this from Front End Audio:
http://www.frontendaudio.com/Yamaha-...5w&click=18920

(1) need to connect to a laptop , so far just using the apogee jam(with gband) , so was looking at a Hosa CMP 159 Stero Breakout 3.5 mm TRS to Dual 1/4 TS 10 ft , will this work ?

(2) Per Yamaha marketing these have flat and accurate response , what do you experts out there think of
these studio monitors ?

[rick-slo]

Unless your room is acoustically treated you may be better off with a good set of headphones.

[el_kabong]

Though you don't mention it, I assume that your interest is recording acoustic guitar? Assuming you might want or need to include other instruments or vocals, I'd consider sharing some of your monitor budget on a better interface and microphones. Nice monitors are great, but you almost certainly should consider the whole system before dumping a big pile on just a single component. Good luck.

[gtonesine]

I realize the cart and the horse aspect .
Original question: interested to know what experienced audio folks think
of the the Yamaha HS7's , would they consider them for their studio work if the budget for monitors was 600 dollars

[GuitarsFromMars]

I got some Equator D5s that are amazing, so far. in the $400 range.

[ChuckS]

I got a pair of monitors early this year; I went with the Equator D5's.

My need is for acoustic guitar only, and I don't have a treated space at this time. In general, I found that I like smaller (5") monitors placed in the very near field (2' to 4') for my space and the recordings I work with. I did consider the KRK, Alesis, Yamaha, JBL, etc, in my price range ($400) and the Equators seemed to satisfy me much better.

Sorry, can't help with direct experience with the Yamaha HS7's or direct comparisons in the $600 price bracket.

[MikeBmusic]

How large is your mixing room?
With the 'cart before the horse' statement, I have to agree - a better interface that lets you plug the monitors into it is the first step. Spending $600 (or even much less) on monitors is almost useless unless you have done some acoustic treatment (bass traps!) in your room.
I just upgraded to JBL LS305s - $225 for a set (on sale) - but didn't do that until I had added 6 2'x4'x4" bass traps, 2 2'x4'x3" thick ceiling clouds and a few corner superchunks into my (small) room.

[gtonesine]

thanks all for the responses , I looked up the equators , Attack magazine
has a good review of them . I have a room approx 8 x 12 , Roger Miller specs .
need to get some Owens 703 , anyone have a cheap source like a insulation distributor / building supply co in Los Angeles , preferably on the west side?

[MikeBmusic]

If you can find ANY local distributor for the rockwool, you'll be saving money. I had to havemine shipped to me which added 20% to that cost alone.
I bought from http://www.atsacoustics.com/ - they also have posted some good reference specs for the various materials.

With a small room like yours, I would not go with anything larger than 5" monitors - check out the JBLs, they are great (but you do need to have bass traps behind them due to the rear ports).

[gtonesine]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

If you can find ANY local distributor for the rockwool, you'll be saving money. I had to havemine shipped to me which added 20% to that cost alone.
I bought from http://www.atsacoustics.com/ - they also have posted some good reference specs for the various materials.

With a small room like yours, I would not go with anything larger than 5" monitors - check out the JBLs, they are great (but you do need to have bass traps behind them due to the rear ports).

getting a 5" would cost considerably less , thanks

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

If you can find ANY local distributor for the rockwool, you'll be saving money. I had to havemine shipped to me which added 20% to that cost alone.
I bought from http://www.atsacoustics.com/ - they also have posted some good reference specs for the various materials.

With a small room like yours, I would not go with anything larger than 5" monitors - check out the JBLs, they are great (but you do need to have bass traps behind them due to the rear ports).

Originally Posted by gtonesine

getting a 5" would cost considerably less , thanks

If you're working with just the acoustic guitar, the low end limitations of a 5" monitor shouldn't be an issue. I really like the 5" size. Also, the Equator D5's are ported out the front.

I checked with local lumber companies and found one that would order in Roxul rockboard at a price similar to the online sources, and there would be no shipping charges. I'm most likely going to use Roxul Rockboard 80.

[Sage97]

What about the foam panels offered by ATS? Would that work for a small room like the OPs 8 x 12?

[YamaYairi]

The studio monitor speakers I have heard aren't all that accurate and some are fatiguing to listen to. Consider a set of small audiophile speakers, like B&W, Celestions, or KEF's. These companies excel at making small speakers that have uncolored sound. You will get a much more accurate representation of what your recording sounds like and they will be more enjoyable to listen to.

[GuitarsFromMars]

Originally Posted by YamaYairi

The studio monitor speakers I have heard aren't all that accurate and some are fatiguing to listen to. Consider a set of small audiophile speakers, like B&W, Celestions, or KEF's. These companies excel at making small speakers that have uncolored sound. You will get a much more accurate representation of what your recording sounds like and they will be more enjoyable to listen to.

The fella who design and arranged the build for the Equators, is Ted KEFalo. The guy who designed and built KEF loudspeakers. The Equators do not fatigue or lose sonic quality. I have passive Tannoys with an amp as backup for the D5s.

[gtonesine]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

If you're working with just the acoustic guitar, the low end limitations of a 5" monitor shouldn't be an issue. I really like the 5" size. Also, the Equator D5's are ported out the front.

I checked with local lumber companies and found one that would order in Roxul rockboard at a price similar to the online sources, and there would be no shipping charges. I'm most likely going to use Roxul Rockboard 80.

I found this on cotton batting:

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopag...ural_fiber.htm

I have always disliked glass insulation,don't know if it is a good substitute for glass
and no one that has used or is using Yamaha HS series monitor's 5,7,8 ?