What are you guys using for reference monitors?

[Ronin]

I use in turns

Adam F5 limited Edition
Yamaha HS 50 M
Monkey Banana Turbo 8

I use Monkey Banana Turbo 5s because I couldn't afford anything more than that, but they were by far the best speaker in that range of all the ones I tried in shops (especially KRK rokits... yucky).

I feel like the sound is great and bass is plenty, but I might get the sub in the future for more accurate mixing. (The highs are possibly a little fatiguing but there is a trim adjust on the back which I have yet to really play with.)
Overall, very satisfied.

[Kazz]

...wow, I was thinking "Monkey Banana Turbo 8" was a joke!  Great name.  Never heard them though, obviously.

[raymondh]

I don't have the experience of many of the posters here, but I am very happy with my KRK VXT-6s. 

I do wish they would go a bit deeper in bass, but the chances are I would get more room acoustic issues, so if I want to check the low/sub bass I pull out my KRK 8400 phones.

The VST-6s are ported which I believe are a "no-no" for reference monitors, but I find them extremely enjoyable to listen to. I reckon there's a balance between the most flat monitors that have the most detail, vs something that you enjoy, that you become extremely familiar with because you listen to a lot of music on it.

[tronam]

I don't have the experience of many of the posters here, but I am very happy with my KRK VXT-6s. 

I do wish they would go a bit deeper in bass, but the chances are I would get more room acoustic issues, so if I want to check the low/sub bass I pull out my KRK 8400 phones.

The VST-6s are ported which I believe are a "no-no" for reference monitors, but I find them extremely enjoyable to listen to. I reckon there's a balance between the most flat monitors that have the most detail, vs something that you enjoy, that you become extremely familiar with because you listen to a lot of music on it.

The VXT6 is the route I'll likely be going when I upgrade shortly. The low end extension of the 8s are enticing, but I'm worried about the room treatment issues I'd likely have to deal with if I got them. For headphones I've been looking into the Audio-Technica MTH-M series.

[Kazz]

The VST-6s are ported which I believe are a "no-no" for reference monitors, but I find them extremely enjoyable to listen to.

I'm not sure about that, but a lot (most?) of the monitors I tried were ported, just not all in the same place. My understanding is that this should improve the accuracy of what you're hearing, not hurt it. If it's done properly, of course.

[Kazz]

The VXT6 is the route I'll likely be going when I upgrade shortly. The low end extension of the 8s are enticing, but I'm worried about the room treatment issues I'd likely have to deal with if I got them. For headphones I've been looking into the Audio-Technica MTH-M series.

If you don't already have experience with them, see if you can listen to them (and others at the same time) before you buy to make sure you're getting what's best for you. I listened to a bunch of monitors a couple of weeks ago and the KRKs I heard were my least favorite by a good margin. Melody303 likes hers though, and she dislikes the ones I chose (Adam A7Xs).

...maybe you didn't need me to tell you that, but before I started A/Bing them myself I wouldn't have guessed how different they would all sound, or how much of a role personal preference would play in choosing. Going in I kinda' figured there would be one or a few clear "best" options within a certain price range, and that I probably wouldn't hear a lot of difference between similarly sized monitors designed to be "flat"...I was wrong.

[selig]

I don't have the experience of many of the posters here, but I am very happy with my KRK VXT-6s. 

I do wish they would go a bit deeper in bass, but the chances are I would get more room acoustic issues, so if I want to check the low/sub bass I pull out my KRK 8400 phones.

The VST-6s are ported which I believe are a "no-no" for reference monitors, but I find them extremely enjoyable to listen to. I reckon there's a balance between the most flat monitors that have the most detail, vs something that you enjoy, that you become extremely familiar with because you listen to a lot of music on it.

The VXT6 is the route I'll likely be going when I upgrade shortly. The low end extension of the 8s are enticing, but I'm worried about the room treatment issues I'd likely have to deal with if I got them. For headphones I've been looking into the Audio-Technica MTH-M series.

Not sure where this "I don't need low end in a small room" idea comes from…

The volume of a speaker is what you need to worry about in a small room, and it's based on the distance of the speaker from the listener and how much power is required to "fill" that room. There's no room I'd want to have LESS low end than necessary.

In other words, a small room doesn't need less low end, or somehow magically fill in the missing low end from small speakers in my experience. Subwoofers work in small rooms just fine, you just don't need to move as much air as you would in a big room. But in my experience, you always want at least one full range system in any production environment.

[tronam]

If you don't already have experience with them, see if you can listen to them (and others at the same time) before you buy to make sure you're getting what's best for you. I listened to a bunch of monitors a couple of weeks ago and the KRKs I heard were my least favorite by a good margin. Melody303 likes hers though, and she dislikes the ones I chose (Adam A7Xs). ...maybe you didn't need me to tell you that, but before I started A/Bing them myself I wouldn't have guessed how different they would all sound, or how much of a role personal preference would play in choosing. Going in I kinda' figured there would be one or a few clear "best" options within a certain price range, and that I probably wouldn't hear a lot of difference between similarly sized monitors designed to be "flat"...I was wrong.

Not sure where this "I don't need low end in a small room" idea comes from…

The volume of a speaker is what you need to worry about in a small room, and it's based on the distance of the speaker from the listener and how much power is required to "fill" that room. There's no room I'd want to have LESS low end than necessary.

In other words, a small room doesn't need less low end, or somehow magically fill in the missing low end from small speakers in my experience. Subwoofers work in small rooms just fine, you just don't need to move as much air as you would in a big room. But in my experience, you always want at least one full range system in any production environment.

Thanks for the thought-food guys! I was worried, maybe erroneously, that a larger studio monitor would more greatly amplify the acoustic issues I already have in this small room. I don't live in a very good area for being able to try out very many studio monitors in person, but maybe I'll take a road trip over to the big city (Seattle in my case) to do just that.

[Rook]

I'm frequently tempted to buy a different set of monitors, but I'm still using my first gen Mackie MR5's. I don't know how "good" they actually are, but when I demoed monitors at Guitar Center, they seemed more balanced to me than the KRK Rokit 5's that everyone was buying at the time.

I know it's not recommended, but honestly I usually find myself producing with my headphones and then checking the mix later on my monitors. I feel like my mixes are gradually getting better, but still suck. But, I think that's more my fault, not my monitors.

[selig]

If you don't already have experience with them, see if you can listen to them (and others at the same time) before you buy to make sure you're getting what's best for you. I listened to a bunch of monitors a couple of weeks ago and the KRKs I heard were my least favorite by a good margin. Melody303 likes hers though, and she dislikes the ones I chose (Adam A7Xs). ...maybe you didn't need me to tell you that, but before I started A/Bing them myself I wouldn't have guessed how different they would all sound, or how much of a role personal preference would play in choosing. Going in I kinda' figured there would be one or a few clear "best" options within a certain price range, and that I probably wouldn't hear a lot of difference between similarly sized monitors designed to be "flat"...I was wrong.

Not sure where this "I don't need low end in a small room" idea comes from…

The volume of a speaker is what you need to worry about in a small room, and it's based on the distance of the speaker from the listener and how much power is required to "fill" that room. There's no room I'd want to have LESS low end than necessary.

In other words, a small room doesn't need less low end, or somehow magically fill in the missing low end from small speakers in my experience. Subwoofers work in small rooms just fine, you just don't need to move as much air as you would in a big room. But in my experience, you always want at least one full range system in any production environment.

Thanks for the thought-food guys! I was worried, maybe erroneously, that a larger studio monitor would more greatly amplify the acoustic issues I already have in this small room. I don't live in a very good area for being able to try out very many studio monitors in person, but maybe I'll take a road trip over to the big city (Seattle in my case) to do just that.

It is true that a larger monitor may be overkill for a small room, but that is a different subject to whether or not you need the full frequency spectrum or not. IMO you always want the full frequency spectrum, but you need to scale the system to fit. For example, headphones drive the smallest "room" possible but they STILL need to deliver ALL the frequencies! I say this because some folks say "I only need a 5" woofer since I'm in a small room", but that would only be true if that 5" woofer can deliver down to 40 Hz in that room - if not, you need a system with more extended low end. Hopefully that makes sense. 

[Kazz]

It is true that a larger monitor may be overkill for a small room, but that is a different subject to whether or not you need the full frequency spectrum or not. IMO you always want the full frequency spectrum, but you need to scale the system to fit. For example, headphones drive the smallest "room" possible but they STILL need to deliver ALL the frequencies! I say this because some folks say "I only need a 5" woofer since I'm in a small room", but that would only be true if that 5" woofer can deliver down to 40 Hz in that room - if not, you need a system with more extended low end. Hopefully that makes sense. 

Yeah, it makes sense.  The A7Xs are supposed to get down to 42Hz, but a sub would probably still be useful, especially since I'm also working on film audio.

[selig]

It is true that a larger monitor may be overkill for a small room, but that is a different subject to whether or not you need the full frequency spectrum or not. IMO you always want the full frequency spectrum, but you need to scale the system to fit. For example, headphones drive the smallest "room" possible but they STILL need to deliver ALL the frequencies! I say this because some folks say "I only need a 5" woofer since I'm in a small room", but that would only be true if that 5" woofer can deliver down to 40 Hz in that room - if not, you need a system with more extended low end. Hopefully that makes sense. 

Yeah, it makes sense.  The A7Xs are supposed to get down to 42Hz, but a sub would probably still be useful, especially since I'm also working on film audio.

I also consider a sub useful because in addition to the film world you have to consider the car stereo world, (which almost always uses some sort of sub tech these days) and the home stereo world as well which also almost always have a sub.

Other than that I'd probably mix on ear buds since that's what the rest of the folks typically listen on.

[forensickbeats]

OP, mix on as many systems as possible for you, being aware of the limitations of each.

[mayzon]

I've been using a pair of KRK VXT 4's in conjunction with a KRK 10s Sub.

IMHO the sub was over powering the in my small studio at home. I found it hard to use as the bass was always too present. It did sound nice though with ample low end and it was good for showing off.

I found a new home for it now in my friends studio were we use it with a pair of HS8's, the room is treated there and is a little larger which helps. The sound is a lot tighter now and its a better overall package. I'm still not 100% sure what my final bass settings for the 10s should be, I think its going to be a bit of trial and error until we find the right balance.

I've found working with a lot of low end then a sub can prove really useful if you can get it set up properly, otherwise it can confuse things

[selig]

I've been using a pair of KRK VXT 4's in conjunction with a KRK 10s Sub.

IMHO the sub was over powering the in my small studio at home. I found it hard to use as the bass was always too present. It did sound nice though with ample low end and it was good for showing off.

I found a new home for it now in my friends studio were we use it with a pair of HS8's, the room is treated there and is a little larger which helps. The sound is a lot tighter now and its a better overall package. I'm still not 100% sure what my final bass settings for the 10s should be, I think its going to be a bit of trial and error until we find the right balance.

I've found working with a lot of low end then a sub can prove really useful if you can get it set up properly, otherwise it can confuse things

I'd say the same is true for just about any speaker…  I've seen folks put their speakers too far apart, too close together, to close to the walls - all resulting in "confusing things".

If your sub is overpowering, you definitely need to make adjustments in either placement, level, crossover, or all of the above. Subs don't just magically "work"…

Small rooms just need less level - shame you will no longer have any clue what your low bass is doing in your room though.

[Concep]

I've been using a pair of KRK VXT 4's in conjunction with a KRK 10s Sub.

IMHO the sub was over powering the in my small studio at home. I found it hard to use as the bass was always too present. It did sound nice though with ample low end and it was good for showing off.

I found a new home for it now in my friends studio were we use it with a pair of HS8's, the room is treated there and is a little larger which helps. The sound is a lot tighter now and its a better overall package. I'm still not 100% sure what my final bass settings for the 10s should be, I think its going to be a bit of trial and error until we find the right balance.

I've found working with a lot of low end then a sub can prove really useful if you can get it set up properly, otherwise it can confuse things

I have that same sub, and my solution is to turn the volume on the sub all the way down as far as it can go, so it's basically off.  I still get sound out of it, but it only gets loud when it's too loud.

[Soft Enerji]

I've a  set of M Audio BX5a speakers and a set of KRK KNS 8400 headphones. One of these days I'll upgrade the speakers but they do the job for now. The speakers could do with a bit more bottom end but I find that going between them and the headphones gets me the results I'm after.

Cheers

Mark

[mayzon]

I've been using a pair of KRK VXT 4's in conjunction with a KRK 10s Sub.

IMHO the sub was over powering the in my small studio at home. I found it hard to use as the bass was always too present. It did sound nice though with ample low end and it was good for showing off.

I found a new home for it now in my friends studio were we use it with a pair of HS8's, the room is treated there and is a little larger which helps. The sound is a lot tighter now and its a better overall package. I'm still not 100% sure what my final bass settings for the 10s should be, I think its going to be a bit of trial and error until we find the right balance.

I've found working with a lot of low end then a sub can prove really useful if you can get it set up properly, otherwise it can confuse things

I'd say the same is true for just about any speaker…  I've seen folks put their speakers too far apart, too close together, to close to the walls - all resulting in "confusing things".

If your sub is overpowering, you definitely need to make adjustments in either placement, level, crossover, or all of the above. Subs don't just magically "work"…

Small rooms just need less level - shame you will no longer have any clue what your low bass is doing in your room though.

What would you suggest in terms of placement? From the research I did it seemed that the sub placement was of less importance than the position of the monitors as the bass moves out in all directions?

[mayzon]

I've been using a pair of KRK VXT 4's in conjunction with a KRK 10s Sub.

IMHO the sub was over powering the in my small studio at home. I found it hard to use as the bass was always too present. It did sound nice though with ample low end and it was good for showing off.

I found a new home for it now in my friends studio were we use it with a pair of HS8's, the room is treated there and is a little larger which helps. The sound is a lot tighter now and its a better overall package. I'm still not 100% sure what my final bass settings for the 10s should be, I think its going to be a bit of trial and error until we find the right balance.

I've found working with a lot of low end then a sub can prove really useful if you can get it set up properly, otherwise it can confuse things

I have that same sub, and my solution is to turn the volume on the sub all the way down as far as it can go, so it's basically off.  I still get sound out of it, but it only gets loud when it's too loud.

That is pretty much where I have ended up. I keep it on 80hz with the volume all the way down. It work's much better that way.

[Kazz]

What would you suggest in terms of placement? From the research I did it seemed that the sub placement was of less importance than the position of the monitors as the bass moves out in all directions?

There isn't an exact placement you want to go for with a sub (that I know of) like there is with the main monitors, but you still want to find the place it sounds best.

I haven't tried it yet, but one tip I've heard a few times is to put the sub in your listening position, then move around to different potential places it could go and see how it sounds that way. Supposedly it will sound similar to what you'll hear if you reverse your positions.

[moofi]

I got a pair Adam F7´s. Very satisfied here. I can imagine the AX7 being even better, though I didn´t feel the difference in soundquality I heard from an onlineaudiocomparison to be worth double the price.
Any KRKs I heard in a shop where I got the Adams from sounded like plasticboxes in my ears. Truely cannot tell soundwise why they are so popular.

The Adam´s go quite into an almost Hi-Fi direction, well balanced, no listening-fatigue, still very capable of displaying the mix omnisoundwise. Eventually going for an additional sub aswell.

[selig]

I got a pair Adam F7´s. Very satisfied here. I can imagine the AX7 being even better, though I didn´t feel the difference in soundquality I heard from an onlineaudiocomparison to be worth double the price.
Any KRKs I heard in a shop where I got the Adams from sounded like plasticboxes in my ears. Truely cannot tell soundwise why they are so popular.

The Adam´s go quite into an almost Hi-Fi direction, well balanced, no listening-fatigue, still very capable of displaying the mix omnisoundwise. Eventually going for an additional sub aswell.

It's pointless to try to understand why someone else likes one monitor and you like another. I don't like Adams myself, but ONE KRK speaker (no others) is among my all time favorites (E8s). It's almost like picking a favorite color and and not understanding why others are so popular!

[TheMiles]

I am using Yamaha HS80M... like them a lot, to be honest those are my first 'real' studio monitors, I have been using HIFI-Speakers instead for many years...

[Olivier]

I just ordered a set of Adam A7X and a single Avantone to replace/add to my dying M-Audio BX5a's.
All i'm looking for now is a monitor controller. Any advice on that ?

[EntityMusicEnt]

I've been using Samson Rubicon R6a Studio Monitors for the past 8yrs. These were my first set of monitors ever. (currently discontinued) I'm in the market for some new ones and I've got my eye on the JBL LSR305 with the matching sub and or the Focal Alpha 80's