Members umkcprof Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 What are the best studio monitors for about $4K per pair? I currently have Mackie HR824s, but wonder if perhaps Adams or Genelecs or whatever might sound a lot better. I will not use a sub. Any thoughts? Thanks much. Stephen Pruitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rodney Gene Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 Just curious Stephen... Have you ever lived in Mertle Beach? Or Colorado? Wonderin' cause I had an old lost friend with your name...still looking for the bro...! As for the monitors...do they HAVE to cost $4000? Or is that your budget?PCM's, ADAMS, ERMES, JBLS...all of them will be a big step up from the Mackies IME. You have got to got to got to got to got to listen first, then get them in your studio...listen some more and then mix and then smile. Respect, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 So far, the S3A by ADAM monitors is the most impressive monitor I've heard somewhere around that price range. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it might be slightly higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members umkcprof Posted November 6, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 Hi there, Rodney. . . no, never lived in Colorado nor Mirtle Beach, so I doubt if I'm your guy. . . but thanks for the tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Originally posted by UstadKhanAli So far, the S3A by ADAM monitors is the most impressive monitor I've heard somewhere around that price range. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it might be slightly higher. "Slightly", if you consider about $1,350 more "slightly" higher. IIRC, ADAM S3-A's are currently at $5,350 per pair. But IMO, they are THE monitors. I just checked... and if the websites are correct, the current ADAM prices (per pair) are as follows: S3-A = $5,350 S2.5-A = $4,250 S2-A = $3,500 There are other monitors in the ADAM lineup, but those are the three sets I've spent considerable "quality time" with in my own studio. The 2's and 3's have a similar character to them, but the 3's are definitely louder and have a bit more bass extension. Heck, they're just a bit "more better" all the way around. However, as I said, the 2's are very similar and you should be able to easily transition from one to the other with no problems. If your room is small, and your volume requirements are not too excessive, then you might be completely happy with the 2's, and that would probably be my recommendation. However, if you need that extra bass, or greater acoustical volume levels from the speakers, 3's are the way to go. What about the 2.5's? Well, I liked them, but they do have a bit different "flavor" to them than the 2's and 3's. The midrange is a bit different. I would say they are probably a little less "rock and roll" than the 2's and 3's. IMO, 3's can "do it all", while I think 2.5's are a bit better off when doing acoustical styles (think folk, classical and jazz) and not quite as good for the rock and dance stuff. Of course, monitor speaker tastes is one of THE most personal things for each individual engineer, and you have to find something that works for YOU. I have. They can have my S3-A's when they pry them from my cold dead ears. I never was much of a Genelec fan, but lots of people like 'em... you'll have to wait until a Gennie user pops in to get a different POV on those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 BTW Stephen, I'm in a session at the moment, and I've gotta run (just came in for some coffee... ) but if you have any questions, please let me know and I'll reply when I get finished in a couple / few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members robmix Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 Hands down ADAM S3a's, I won't mix without them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 For an extra grand, you could spring for a pair of ATC 20As and get a painfully transparent window into your work. -Peace, Love, and Blips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe "Slightly", if you consider about $1,350 more "slightly" higher. IIRC, ADAM S3-A's are currently at $5,350 per pair. Details, details.... I forgot that they went up in price a lot in the last year. I thought they used to be somewhere around $4400 when first introduced here, but I could be wrong. Those are amazing monitors in either case. That I do remember. They can have my S3-A's when they pry them from my cold dead ears. Coming from someone with really long green ears, this makes for a very interesting visual!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcwave Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 I'm curious, what don't you like about the Mackies?What's your DA signal path? Would better DAC make a difference? What about your room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Originally posted by UstadKhanAli Details, details.... I forgot that they went up in price a lot in the last year. I thought they used to be somewhere around $4400 when first introduced here, but I could be wrong. Those are amazing monitors in either case. That I do remember. They can have my S3-A's when they pry them from my cold dead ears. Coming from someone with really long green ears, this makes for a very interesting visual!!!! Actually Ken, when I first got into them, they were $4K per pair... the price went up twice since then IIRC... the currency fluctuations between the US dollar and the Euro probably being the reason why that had to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe Actually Ken, when I first got into them, they were $4K per pair... the price went up twice since then IIRC... the currency fluctuations between the US dollar and the Euro probably being the reason why that had to happen. Yes, that's the reason that the price on the P11As went up as well, according to Dave. The amount it went up is huuuuge. I'm really enjoying the P11As. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted November 6, 2005 Members Share Posted November 6, 2005 The "best" is what works for you better than anything else in your control room. Find a Pro Audio dealer that will let you audition monitors (referably 2 prs at a time) in your studio. Try whatever you think might be good, Adams, Genelecs, JBL's (my recommendation, the LSR's are absolutely incrediblby realistic), etc., and decide for yourself. Whatever you do, DO NOT spend 4 grand blindly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 I heard a pair of LSR28s once and was very impressed with how good they sounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Kevin, the first time I worked with them was in Long Island at Pie Studios. I had never even really ehard much about them, but after two weeks on them, I had to have a pair at any cost. (They had at that point been out of production a few months.) I finally found a seller who traded my Genelec 1030A's straight up. (By then I couldn't even stand listening to the genelecs anymore, and still can't understand why I ever bought them...) They, like any monitor, are not for everyone. I'm a diehard NS-10 fan, and that for me was the selling point, how well they matched with NS-10's. (Pie had both.). With the Genelecs, when I A/B'd, mixes on the genelecs always sounded great, but on the 10's, I could hear what needed work. On the LSR28P's, they are crystal transparant, and I can hear everything, and know immediately what I need to work on, as I do the 10's. I hear things on the LSR's in music I've been listening to for decades that I never heard before. Little subtle things blended into mixes that no other speakers have ever been able to reproduce. Sorry to sound like an infoercial, but I think they are amazing. I've recently heard the 6328P's, and hope to soon A/B the two. Best trade I ever made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.