Do you want to know something ironic about home studios?
What you listen to most, is not supposed to sound good.
You’ve heard me.
Your preamp has to be pristine. Your microphone needs to flatter your voice. But what about your studio monitors?
They’re not designed to please the discerning audiophile.
There’s a reason why experts advise against using “ordinary” Hi-Fi loudspeakers for monitoring your audio. These speakers are built to fill a living room and should be listened to at a distance. They come in fancy shapes and exotic wood finishes and are hyped for that full and rich musical sound. Hi-Fi speakers are meant to look and sound pretty.
In contrast, nearfield studio monitors are designed to be placed within a few feet of you in a small room that is close to dead, acoustically speaking. Instead of complementing the source, studio monitors need to be detailed, neutral and reveal problems to the critical listener. If something sounds off, they should let you know.
The difference between a Hi-Fi speaker and a studio monitor is like the difference between a fan and a friend. A fan will flatter you. A friend will tell you the unvarnished truth. That’s probably why most monitors look as sexy as a black brick.
Pro Audio stores will happily sell you a bunch of those bricks, but here’s the question: do you really need them in a simple voice-over setting? Most of us aren’t multi-tracking, music mixing, audio engineering, record producing geniuses.
If you’re like me, you’ll use a bare bones DAW like Twisted Wave and only record your own voice in mono. Does it really make sense to spend good money on a pair of premium-priced Genelecs from Finland, or will some decent headphones suffice?
IN THE EDITING ROOM
Closed or semi-closed cans cut out external noise and will reveal plenty of detail. That’s because you’re experiencing the sound from inside your head without room acoustics messing with it.
I precision-edit all my audio using Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones. If you’re on a tight budget, start there. Here’s a word of caution, though. It’s very easy to damage your hearing by turning them up too much. Secondly, tight-fitting closed headphones can become uncomfortable after a while. Nobody likes sweaty ears.
I always check my work on active nearfield monitors. They don’t sound too clinical, yet they are like the Spanish Inquisition: very unforgiving.
Studio monitors supplement headphones because they reveal more of the recording spectrum. They also give you another method of tracking your audio in a way that’s close to how some listeners will perceive it.
ARE YOU IN THE MARKET
Now, if you’re shopping for monitors there are a few things you should absolutely ignore:
1. Advertising materials
Every maker will call their latest model “the new standard” or “the next generation” and say that it’s “defining a new reference point in unrivaled performance.” They will tell you their black box will “reveal things you’ve never heard before with amazing clarity, accuracy and detail.” When describing smaller home studio style monitors, all manufacturers proudly proclaim they sound surprisingly similar to larger systems while carrying a smaller price tag.
2. YouTube videos
Type in the name of any model monitor, and watch how many results pop up. It’s astonishing. You’ll discover a strange universe of silly people dedicated to the new art of unboxing boxy things in front of a camera. How informative! Then there are folks who have taken videos of their new speakers playing their favorite tracks while breaking the sound barrier. What is that supposed to prove?
First off, the footage was recorded on a cheap smart phone; the sound and images are heavily compressed and it reaches you through the crappy speakers you’re hoping to replace. How could that ever give you an accurate idea of what speaker X actually sounds like?
3. Online forums populated by pompous Gearheads
You’ll discover that there are a lot of self-styled gurus suffering from gear envy. They swear by two hundred-dollar six-foot speaker cables made out of very precious metals. Anyone who isn’t willing to make that investment simply doesn’t know what he is talking about. Headphones under $1000 are utterly useless. Should you be listening to the latest Sting album on cheap $500 loudspeakers, you’re an idiot who deserves to be spanked with an electric fly swatter.
Now, if you want to have some fun with this bizarre crowd, I dare you to start a discussion about the benefits of coaxial transducers. Within the hour you’ll make weird friends you wouldn’t want to be seen with in public, and even stranger enemies.
4. Reviews in magazines geared toward audio engineers and audiophiles
Unless you’re interested in the advantages of Clas-D biamplification, DSP-based internal processing with high quality ADC, or a time-aligned waveguide that allows for a wide listening area with minimum diffraction, you better skip these articles.
These reviews are mostly written by seasoned mixologists who will assess a studio monitor in their own acoustic environment assuming you’re about to produce the next big hip-hop album. Just listen to their language:
“There’s a nice soft dip in the upper mid-range and slightly forward bass (which makes the monitors more exciting to use), with a pleasing tonality that doesn’t fatigue.”
“The affordable monitor X has a top end that’s open and clear, and there’s plenty of transient snap.”
“Hexacone woofer-cone construction has been used in previous models, and comprises a Nomex honeycomb sandwiched between layers of Kevlar.”
Now, if that doesn’t turn you on, I wonder what will?
BUYING THE BEST
So, get this. Last Cyber Monday I got myself an early Christmas present: a nice pair of studio monitors.
How did I pick them?
Of course I should have taken my favorite audio track to a listening room at a pro audio dealer where I could compare dozens of monitors on a rainy afternoon.
But what did I do instead?
I read as many brochures as I could get my hands on. Once I had narrowed my choice down, I watched every video on YouTube, and I visited the main gearhead forums. Then I studied every online review meticulously. And when Paul White of the British Sound-On-Sound magazine wrote the following, I knew I had found a winner:
“Everything came over smoothly yet with plenty of detail; vocals sounded absolutely pristine, and though the bass lacked the depth of a larger monitor it still managed to sound tight and solid. (…) I’ve heard speakers costing twice as much that don’t deliver such ‘adult’ results.”
He was referring to the Presonus Eris 5.
Then I unboxed my treasures without a camera in sight, and put them on the monitor stands in my studio.
And what do they sound like, you may ask…
Well, how shall I put it?
“They reveal things you’ve never heard before with amazing clarity, accuracy and detail. They sound surprisingly similar to larger systems while carrying a smaller price tag. Presonus is definitely defining a new reference point in unrivaled performance…”
Okay, you may spank me with an electric fly swatter!
Paul Strikwerda ©nethervoice
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Always love your posts Paul. I use the Rokit5 monitors myself which like Presonus, many seem to use in our industry. I do find though that when editing, specifically with a focus on eliminating plosives, monitors work better than cans. Just depends on what you’re trying to do I guess. Cheers!
Thanks for commenting, Monty. Presonus is a new player in the monitor market. The Eris series is a new line of products for this company, known for preamps, mixers and software.
Alan, I appreciate your kind words. It’s always been my aim to present information in a more or less entertaining way. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Paul,
As always, informative, entertaining, honest, articulate and unpretentious. The benchmark in blogs imho. Thank you. 🙂
A.
Great article as always Paul. I’ll be sure to share.
There are so many great choices in the small near field sector these days. I mixed for years in radio on a pair of Genelec’s, but these days I’m extremely happy with a set of KRK’s that were a fraction of the cost. Lot’s of fully produced audio for TV, radio and the web come from my studio every week.
Seriously, Paul.
How many of us do you think simply stopped reading half way through and went right over to a “gear-head” site to start f@#$%ing with people about coaxial transducers without even taking the time to look them up? Count me in!
I agree Chuck. There are many great choices and if you’re only doing single track VO recording, I don’t see the need to keep up with the Joneses and spend a lot of money on exotic nearfields. Most of the time, this money is better spent improving room acoustics.
Bob, wouldn’t that be fun? On a serious note, I did consider getting a pair of coaxial Equator D5 monitors. I can’t find one review that isn’t speaking highly of these babies. But at twice the price of the Eris 5, this frugal Dutchman decided to save some money.
As we used to say at ABC News in the editing rooms in the 80s, “Can you hear it? Then it’s just fine.”
Great fun this time Paul.
In my studio in Poland I’ve got a pair of inexpensive Adam A3X which I have used not only for my own VO editing, but for radio and TV productions.
I have moved to the Netherlands some months ago and since my temporary studio isn’t big enough for me to install monitors, I bought Bayerdynamic DT 150 headphones (250 ohm). Well… although I look like a Soviet Army helicopter pilot, they really are great piece of gear which I use also for some basic broadcast mixes. As Paul said, the important issue is not to turn your volume too high and for VO purposes good headphones will be as good as monitors.
Hey Karol, glad you like your new helicopter pilot look. Should someone complain, just blame it on the Dutch.
Thanks for the tip, Bruce. We all have our favorite pair of cans that don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
Matt, since you’re recovering, this is a perfect time to do some homework. Presonus compiled a list of Eris 5 & 8 reviews: http://www.presonus.com/news/reviews/Eris Come on over to my studio and have a listen!
I do all my editing and hyper-critical listening using my killer ATH-M50 cans. After completing that, just review on a small, relatively cheap, desktop speaker system. Works out great. Thx Paul!
I need new cans AND monitors – and I’ve heard a little about Presonus, and it’s been positive. So I’m glad you’re happy with them, as well! They may just be my next purchase.
Thanks Paul!
All we need to be able to hear with our monitors is:
1.) Mouth noise to edit it out.
2.) That rumbling truck that accidently backed up into the driveway.
3.) Annoying high pitched buzz that suddenly came into the feed because something’s busted.
Otherwise, if you have pro gear and a well-tuned room, we don’t need audiophile speakers. Nice flat, tight sounding speakers (such as the Eris 5) do the trick. I use Yamaha HS 50M monitors.
Hi Lance, thank you for putting your three cents in! I like alternating between speakers and headphones. It prevents ear fatigue and it gives me a new auditory perspective. I’ve had the Presonus speakers for few days now and I am very pleased with how they sound. Of course the space I’m in influences the tonal characteristics, and that’s what makes it so hard to come up with a generalized opinion. I agree that, because of the nature of our work, we don’t need to spend big bucks on a pair of premium studio monitors. I’d rather invest in good headphones and save on speakers.
Ok, whack… whack…whack!
I remember you also have a pair of Alesis M1 Active 320 USBs. I have a pair too. Good monitors for a $100.00. So you must like your new Presonus more, yes? How do they compare?
Just curious. My preferred monitors are actually ones I’ve had for a while… Behringer Truth B2031P… and they are pretty too.
Your memory serves you well, Rick! My trusted compact Alesis monitors became unreliable because the signal kept dropping, weakening and disappearing. The day I got the Eris 5, the right Alesis speaker stopped working altogether. That was great timing!
The Alesis pair produced a strange shrill sound in certain high frequencies. It was almost as if something was resonating inside. The Presonus speakers are bigger and sound much fuller and richer. No shrillness there. The Eris 5 are not plugged into my computer via usb, but into my Audient iD22 monitor controller. Each speaker has its own amplifier and can be fine-tuned to the acoustics of the space it’s in (the Alesis only had a bass boost which I never used).
When I’m not working on voice-overs, I use my monitors to listen to music. One of the first albums I played on my new speakers was by the King’s Singers. The first song sent shivers through my spine. It was as if the English group was standing all around me, singing an arrangement of the Beatle’s “Michelle.” I live for those moments!
Great post, Paul. Signed up subscriber now 🙂
I read this the week after my active monitors arrived and which I’m enjoying right now. Not an audiophile but one who claims to be advised me to go for the Adams. In my instance A3X, the smallest, but very powerful and crystal clear – very very unforgiving just as you describe, Paul. They boast something called a ribbon tweeter (excited anyone?) so that was the basis of the recommendation I gather.
Just passing on his wisdom, since it has served me well. To date anyway 😉
Hi Colin, I did look into a pair of Adam monitors as well. In my case, I looked at the Adam F5, but when I saw the price tag, I went back to Presonus.
I also considered buying the Equator D5’s because they have received rave reviews.
At the top end of the spectrum I looked into the KEF LS 50. That’s another monitor that has won many prizes. At the end of the day, simple voice-over monitoring doesn’t require premium-priced speakers. It’s much wiser to invest in soundproofing or in good cans.
Enjoy your Adam monitors!
This is a good article. However, I did everything this suggested. I checked a wide range of reviews, checked out the Youtube reviews (for what they are worth), and scanned all the opinions in various forums. before going back to do it all again. Consequently I recently ended up buying pair of JBL LSR305s that everyone was raving about.
They were crap. Boomy and bass heavy, lacking clarity and detail, giving me nothing but a headache and ear-ache, as well as always managing to put me in a bad mood. Even my Logitech Z4 (2.1) computer speakers sounded better than the JBLs.
I fed all my findings into a Gearslutz forum where plenty of people gave me plenty of advice regarding positioning and setup, but to no avail. The bemused retailer offered to replace them, but they were just as bad. They would likely be okay for hip-hop, but definitely not for music. My search continues.
Thank you for sharing your experience, “Cranky.” I’m sorry to hear that the JBL speakers didn’t live up to your expectations. The Sound-on-Sound review of these speakers does mention the Presonis Eris monitors as an alternative, as well as the Equator brand. Good luck finding the perfect pair for your studio!
I’ve spent the last 40 years in radio studios and control rooms, audio production studios and control rooms, video editing suites and more.
My hearing happens to be especially acute in the low-end. With no exaggeration, I used to be called “Radar” [as in M*A*S*H’s Radar O’Reilly, who could hear approaching helicopters before anyone else] because I’m able to similarly hear things no one else can. Until my high-frequency recognition began to wane (as it does when we get older), I would have to leave stores that used ultrasonic motion detectors because I could hear them and it was irritating.
So, I’m surprised to read that Cranky finds his JBL LSR-305 monitors to be “bass heavy, lacking clarity and detail.” The LSR-305s are my near-field monitors, and I think they sound superb. Apart from the fact the JBL (and its founder, before the name JBL was used) has been making loudspeakers since the mid-1940s (those early speakers were designed for and used in movie theaters), the perceived response of speakers can be – and are – greatly affected by room acoustics, how they are mounted and placed, etc.
If the speakers are, for example, uninsulated from a surface they are sitting on, it’s entirely possible that at some frequencies, that surface will begin to vibrate, accentuating those frequencies. If the listener is sitting too close to the speakers, and their ears are somewhat higher or lower than the high-frequency drivers, those frequencies can escape the ears.
Unless Cranky somehow received a defective pair, there is nothing at all wrong with the JBL LSR-305s. 😉
Great article…But isn’t a mixologist some who mixes cocktails? 🙂 .
But of course, Gavin. I’m a big fan of puns and other ways to play with words. This was purely intentional.
Hey Paul. I also heard a lot of good commentary of Equator D5s. Particularly being a good bang for the buck. Haven’t checked out Presonus, which I should, since there US headquarters are literally less than a mile from my home here in Baton Rouge 🙂
When I researched studio monitors, the Equators were on my list. However, a pair costs $399.99, and my PreSonus speakers sell for $112.50 a piece right now.