Good setup for all-round use?!

[iamwierd992]

Hey everyone! I'm new here, so sorry if I see like an amatuer or anything..

I'm really, really into all types of EDM, Dubstep, and all the other sub-genres. But also metal, and some softer music. I've recently purchased a Novation Launchpad, and I also mix my own music in Logic Pro 9. Now, all I need is the speakers. I've been looking at Audioengines, but everyone is going on about KYK studio Monitors. I want to be able to listen to my favourite types of music normally throughtout my room, but still get good enough quality to be able to mix a bit with. I know this is a small budget, but I don't want to spend more than $500.

I appreciate all comments, negative or positive!

Thanks everyone!

[forbidden]

Equator D5's

don't even hesitate, just buy them. far superior to other speakers in the same price range and you get all the cables/stuff to go with them. if you already have that stuff you can just buy the speakers alone for less. it's KRK, not KYK, but that doesn't matter because you're going to get these ones. trust me.

if you don't believe me look at reviews online. all sorts of pro engineers gush about these things for a reason. the gearslutz thread on them is full of positive experiences. i own a pair (obviously) and they have served me extremely well.

if you're looking to increase the quality of your bedroom studio beyond just a pair of new speakers down the road i'd recommend isoacoustic iso-l8r stands and some acoustic treatment

another thing you'll need to consider is the fact you'll be needing an interface (this is the one I use, a bit dated but is perfect for me as i'm just starting out) as most PC sound cards don't come with a 1/4 TRS or XLR input for your monitors. you'll want to use XLR cables to reduce noise, and plug them into an interface, which on top of providing excellent sound quality will also provide you with knobs to change the volume to your speakers and/or headphones and usually a quality pre-amp with phantom power in case you want to record vocals, or anything through a microphone.

[Nevs]

I have similar musical interests and when I upgrade I plan to go eith the Yamaha HS80M. I've read countless reviews and people seem to think they are the best speakers all around for the price (under 1000$) and you can get a pair for 500, I have heard mixed reviews on the KRKs, not bashing them, I believe they are great speakers, but I've heard a lot more positive things about the yamahas. They are a little bulky so room size may be an issue here.

[Eat Bass]

equator d5s are a very good choice. probably the best you can get for the money. just keep in mind a 5" monitor doesnt extend down to the lower frequencies. 50hz is about what you can monitor accurately down to at best. but even 6.5" monitors arent much better. just learn to mix your bass accordingly and reference on other speakers with subs.

i personally use fostex pm1 mk2 6.5" monitors and i would definately recommend them. theyre very natural, crisp. tight and accurate. i also reference with logic speakers with a sub and car speakers with a sub.

[iamwierd992]

Equator D5's

don't even hesitate, just buy them. far superior to other speakers in the same price range and you get all the cables/stuff to go with them. if you already have that stuff you can just buy the speakers alone for less. it's KRK, not KYK, but that doesn't matter because you're going to get these ones. trust me.

if you don't believe me look at reviews online. all sorts of pro engineers gush about these things for a reason. the gearslutz thread on them is full of positive experiences. i own a pair (obviously) and they have served me extremely well.

if you're looking to increase the quality of your bedroom studio beyond just a pair of new speakers down the road i'd recommend isoacoustic iso-l8r stands and some acoustic treatment

another thing you'll need to consider is the fact you'll be needing an interface (this is the one I use, a bit dated but is perfect for me as i'm just starting out, as most PC sound cards don't come with a 1/4 TRS male input for your monitors. you'll want to use XLR cables to reduce noise, and plug them into an interface, which on top of providing excellent sound quality will also provide you with knobs to change the volume to your speakers and/or headphones and usually a quality pre-amp with phantom power in case you want to record vocals, or anything through a microphone.

I just looked them up and they seemed like a very good choice. With the interface, what about a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2? It seems like a pretty good audio interface.
Thanks for your reply!

[forbidden]

I just looked them up and they seemed like a very good choice. With the interface, what about a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2? It seems like a pretty good audio interface.
Thanks for your reply!

yeah good choice. the one i have is actually discontinued, i just got a smoking deal for it because it was used. the 2i2 is essentially the same interface just with less outputs (which honestly doesn't really mean much if you're making electronic on one set of speakers)

glad i could help out ..you'll love the d5's, the stereo imaging is so good it's almost like an illusion, i find myself wanting to reach out and touch the sound in between the speakers haha.

..also something i didn't mention is make sure the cables from your monitors to the interface are balanced. i bought these with the equators not knowing this and the unbalanced cables picked up a crazy amount of noise from my computer and it drove me insane until i managed to fix the problem with these. the XLR cables that are in that bundle on the equator site will be fine.

feel free to pm me if you have any questions, i just got done with what i would deem a fairly solid bedroom studio and would be glad to help out.

[iamwierd992]

I have similar musical interests and when I upgrade I plan to go eith the Yamaha HS80M. I've read countless reviews and people seem to think they are the best speakers all around for the price (under 1000$) and you can get a pair for 500, I have heard mixed reviews on the KRKs, not bashing them, I believe they are great speakers, but I've heard a lot more positive things about the yamahas. They are a little bulky so room size may be an issue here.

I’ve heard about the HS80M’s, but with the other two reviews the Equator D5’s seem likr the way to go. I might still check out the HS80M’s though. Thank You!

[iamwierd992]

equator d5s are a very good choice. probably the best you can get for the money. just keep in mind a 5" monitor doesnt extend down to the lower frequencies. 50hz is about what you can monitor accurately down to at best. but even 6.5" monitors arent much better. just learn to mix your bass accordingly and reference on other speakers with subs.

i personally use fostex pm1 mk2 6.5" monitors and i would definately recommend them. theyre very natural, crisp. tight and accurate. i also reference with logic speakers with a sub and car speakers with a sub.

I think I might go for the Equator D5’s, and maybe look into the Fostex’s for later use as they are a bit out of my price range. Thank you heaps!

[iamwierd992]

I just looked them up and they seemed like a very good choice. With the interface, what about a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2? It seems like a pretty good audio interface.
Thanks for your reply!

yeah good choice. the one i have is actually discontinued, i just got a smoking deal for it because it was used. the 2i2 is essentially the same interface just with less inputs (which honestly doesn't really mean much if you aren't trying to record multiple instruments at once)

glad i could help out you'll love the d5's, the stereo imaging is so good it's almost like an illusion, i find myself wanting to reach out and touch the sound in between the speakers haha.

Sweet! I’m not thinking of recording a few instruments at once, so I think it’ll do!

Wow, sounds amazing! haha.

[SunkLo]

The D5s are probably a safe bet. Without decent room treatment you wouldn't get an even response below 50hz anyway, so better to have it rolled off than spiking all over the place and resonating your room.

One thing to consider on the interface is if you ever plan to do digital DJing. You'd need a cue channel to monitor in your headphones, so it might be wise to pick up an interface with 4 output channels instead of two. The Scarlett 2i4 is essentially the same thing but with the extra 2 channels, and there's a nice little switch beside the headphone jack that lets you toggle between channels 1-2 and 3-4.

[fragments]

I've been mixing on my D5s in an untreated room for over six months now. Massive improvement over the KRK Rokit 6s I was using before. They pretty much beat the shit out of the Rokits in every way. The D5s are very unforgiving. Having less bass in my room was actually a huge improvement as I lost ~10hz of lowend response when I switched to the D5s.

[subfect]

I still produce at times on iphone headphones. Last few tracks were done on them (on holidays). You be the judge.

[iamwierd992]

The D5s are probably a safe bet. Without decent room treatment you wouldn't get an even response below 50hz anyway, so better to have it rolled off than spiking all over the place and resonating your room.

One thing to consider on the interface is if you ever plan to do digital DJing. You'd need a cue channel to monitor in your headphones, so it might be wise to pick up an interface with 4 output channels instead of two. The Scarlett 2i4 is essentially the same thing but with the extra 2 channels, and there's a nice little switch beside the headphone jack that lets you toggle between channels 1-2 and 3-4.

Scarlett 2i4 seems like the go then.. It’ll cover my back incase I do ever do digital DJing, thank you for your advice!

[iamwierd992]

I've been mixing on my D5s in an untreated room for over six months now. Massive improvement over the KRK Rokit 6s I was using before. They pretty much beat the shit out of the Rokits in every way. The D5s are very unforgiving. Having less bass in my room was actually a huge improvement as I lost ~10hz of lowend response when I switched to the D5s.

The Rokits are getting beaten up in this topic, I love it! Hahaha!

[fragments]

I've been mixing on my D5s in an untreated room for over six months now. Massive improvement over the KRK Rokit 6s I was using before. They pretty much beat the shit out of the Rokits in every way. The D5s are very unforgiving. Having less bass in my room was actually a huge improvement as I lost ~10hz of lowend response when I switched to the D5s.

The Rokits are getting beaten up in this topic, I love it! Hahaha!

cost vs. sound quality is way off in my opinion I wouldn't even call them good listening speakers as I find them really fatiguing...

[iamwierd992]

cost vs. sound quality is way off in my opinion I wouldn't even call them good listening speakers as I find them really fatiguing...[/quote]

How have they managed to become so popular with artists? :/

[fragments]

cost vs. sound quality is way off in my opinion I wouldn't even call them good listening speakers as I find them really fatiguing...

How have they managed to become so popular with artists? :/[/quote]



Popular doesn't = good. The price is a big factor, I think. Also, the KRK brand is easily recognizable even to beginners. Most monitors are just black speakers on stands to newbies, but the KRK's have all that yellow going on.

I'm not saying you can't get a good mix on them, I was able to. I just far prefer my Equator D5s. The mids on Rokits are really, really "meh" and there stereo image is pretty poor. The low end is boomy/exaggerated. The highs are a bit fatiguing.

[SunkLo]

Pretty brilliant move on their part though. People see the yellow cones in studios and recognize them when it's time to buy monitors. It was smart to make the Rokits look like their higher end line. It's a lot easier to just go with the popular choice instead of doing a bunch of research and listening tests. So people remember seeing them everywhere and figure they must be good. Or at least good enough.

[fragments]

Pretty brilliant move on their part though. People see the yellow cones in studios and recognize them when it's time to buy monitors. It was smart to make the Rokits look like their higher end line. It's a lot easier to just go with the popular choice instead of doing a bunch of research and listening tests. So people remember seeing them everywhere and figure they must be good. Or at least good enough.

Yea. I really think this has a ton to do with it. Most people that are at this less than a year (longer even) aren't likely to be total gear heads and recognize a lot of monitor models in MC videos and what not. But they KRKs stick out. And then the thinking is well, "producer X uses it so..."

[subfect]

I'll produce on iphone headphones half the time, and people tell me my mixdowns are good.

Learn the tools you got, imho.