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Need advice on budget monitors


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Hi everyone!

 

I'm setting up a small home studio (nothing fancy, mostly software-based), and I need some advice on monitors... I'm going to buy active nearfields, but I would like to get a pair for not more than 400 euros.

 

The ones I've been looking at are

 

Tapco S8

Samson Resolv 80A

Yamaha MSP5

Tannoy Reveal Active

Mackie HR624

Fostex PM1S

Alesis M1 Active MKII

 

If anyone has any experience with any of these, or any good advice really - I'd be most grateful. Any that works particularly well for psytrance?

 

Thanks a bunch!

// boom boom

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Hi everyone!

 

I'm setting up a small home studio (nothing fancy, mostly software-based), and I need some advice on monitors... I'm going to buy active nearfields, but I would like to get a pair for not more than 400 euros.

 

The ones I've been looking at are

 

Tapco S8

Samson Resolv 80A

Yamaha MSP5

Tannoy Reveal Active

Mackie HR624

Fostex PM1S

Alesis M1 Active MKII

 

If anyone has any experience with any of these, or any good advice really - I'd be most grateful. Any that works particularly well for psytrance?

 

Thanks a bunch!

// boom boom

226154[/snapback]

the truth dude i dunno about all that list

but one thing for sure dont get the Yamaha MSP5 in any way

i had a very very bad expirience with them !!! (with gnd)

at first i thaught its a problem with amplifire or my electricity plug !!!

but the speakers are the problem !!

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Same here, I got the alesis ones. They're quite cheap but they give great sound. A friend of mine has got Fostex, and he's not too happy with those. Not sure what model he has though ...

Good luck

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Quite a few of the monitors you list will put you out of your 400 euro budget... I'm looking for some myself, and after considering buying online in europe and here in the UK, I found the best price at a place in North London called KMR. I used to shop at Digital Village but I found the service went downhill. The guys at KMR are really freindly, knowledgeable and they won't try to push you into spending more than you want.

 

With this in mind I told them what my budget was, and they advised me that I should really consider either Fostex PM1s or KRK RP5/6's - the KRKs got a great review in Sound on SOund last year (August 2004 issue), so I've decided to go for them. I haven't heard them - I've seen 'reveiws' on the internet which have been both positive and negative - I don't trust everyhing I read online, but I do trust the opinions stated in Sound on Sound, a well respected pro audio magazine, and as I said their review of the monitors was very good.

 

It summed up by stating 'pros' and 'cons' as it always does:

PROS - affordable

open detailed sound with good bass extension

cosmetically attractive

 

and the cons were - NONE AT THIS PRICE..

 

incidentally, I ended getting the RP8s, at £325 - digital village are still doing them for £400.

 

hope this helps

 

markoos

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Thanks for the replies guys,

 

I've been doing a bit of research and I think it's gonna be either the alesis, tapco or tannoy ones.

A friend of mine has the alesis and they are really good... but perhaps not super-crisp. Then again a good bass response seems to be the most important thing for psytrance.

And they are cheap...

 

Anyway I've decided that I have to go and try them out before i buy so that's what I'm gonna do.

 

Markoos: regarding prices there is no cheaper place than Turnkey (www.turnkey.co.uk) in London (charing cross road)

Reason being that they will beat any genuine quote on identical goods from any UK or European dealer at the time of order... it's in their business resolution.

 

You're right about the range tho... I hadn't noticed that the Mackie's for instance was 350 pounds EACH, not for a pair... ooops

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Markoos: regarding prices there is no cheaper place than Turnkey (www.turnkey.co.uk) in London (charing cross road)

Reason being that they will beat any genuine quote on identical goods from any UK or European dealer at the time of order... it's in their business resolution.

 

1. I've shopped at Turkey before, with no problems

 

2. It is a huge store with lots of equipment to audition

 

3. HOWEVER, due to the fact that this place is so full of people, its sometimes impossible to listen to the equipment you were thinking of buying; for example, I needed a new mixer and a compressor and I wanted to audition them both through some good quality monitors to see how they would colour the sound (that is, I wanted to play sounds through them and hear the result). I was told that it wasn't possible to do this - which meant that I couldn't get a clear idea of how the mixer, for example, might colour the sound - I really wanted to hear it working through some good monitors before I took it home to my less-than-ideal set up.

 

4. I have heard some REAL horror stories about MAJOR problems with Turnkey. After reading so many problems that other users have had, I decided to find an alternative. So I did - and I find the staff at KMR Audio very helpful, very polite, very knowledgeable. You owe it to yourself to at least talk to them on the 'phone, or visit!

 

They will get you a deal thats just as good as the other shop.

 

Incidentally, Digital Village and Turnkey are currently selling the KRK RP5's for exactly the same price... why don't you ask KMR what their price is?

 

ps KMR also agreed to send everything shipping free, and with free cables thrown in on top of a very competitve price.

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Ok thanks for the tip bro, I was going to visit turnkey on friday, might as well pop by KMR also... the KRK's seem really interesting.. gonna see if I can have a listen to them!

 

Not that its of any importance, but true enough they also look the most stylish of any of the budget monitors I've seen.

I will have a listen if I can, but SOS magazine is as you say pretty much as trustworthy as they come...

 

They're surprisingly cheap too!

So what's your experience with the RP8's so far? Or have you not gotten them yet?

 

I just hope KMR ships internationally as I'm not going to have them here in the UK...

 

Thanks again for the advice, it was very useful!

 

/boom boom

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I'm still waiting for them to arrive; but I know for sure they'll be a fantastic improvement over what I'm using now - Tannoy 605/2 hi fi speakers!

 

When the RP8s arrive, I'll play my last two tracks through them once they're run in, and I'll post what I find. I'm hoping that I'll be able to hear mistakes, glitches, and a more accurate low end....

 

cheers

 

markoos

 

& good luck on your quest for The Sound

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1. I've shopped at Turkey before, with no problems

230791[/snapback]

How the hell did u manage that!!!! I've had nothing but trouble from them and I buy from GAK now www.gak.co.uk and a guy who works there used to work at Turnkey and he says they are shite. I glad u had some good fortune with them coz they sure as hell fucked around with me.

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Ranting on about how bad Turnkey are, I nearly forgot....

 

I have the Tapco S8's I paid £400 for them but u can get them for £300 now, and I'M ultra impressed with them, only theY are absolutly huge, (IF SPACE IS MINIMAL DO NOT GET THEM)

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You're forgetting about the Berhinger B2031A Truths. I got them from Thomann Cyberstore for a good price. E400 including delivery from Germany I think. I've had no complaints with them, infact I'm really impressed. They're loud, great sound reproduction, quite a bit of bass and they're fitted with a lot of safety electronics. They're 225W RMS. Pretty huge and heavy though (which is a good thing) :P

 

http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/index.html

There's the link for Thomann. They have a few stores in Europe I think and supply loads of equipment.

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obeah! I know of loads of people who have had some terrible service from turnkey, I think I'm one of the lucky ones! There was big discussion going on, on another music tech forum a year or two ago - it got to such a size that the manager of the store had to step in and apologise and sort things out for people, coz it was so bad... sorry to hear you were one of them.

 

Incidentally, the KRK RP8s go down to 45Hz, which I think is pretty handy for people like us :P (bassheads!)

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Hey guys, thanks for all the answers!

 

You can stop discussing now ;) because my KRK RP6's are on their way as we speak.

 

Markoos: can't thank you enough, the guys at KMR were fantastic!!

 

I also shopped some other stuff at Turnkey and true enough their customer service was poor to say the least. Not that they've messed up my order or anything (yet) (cross my fingers) but they were plain not very nice to deal with.

 

Anyway.. can't wait 'til those babies arrive!!

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Ohh...Turnkey...I worked there for a year.

It's a very bad company indeed I can tell you.

I normally tried to give the customers good advice, even if it would mean that they would have saved a few pound.

But the bosses complained about it, even though I was the top selling out of their 30 or so salesmen.

I also worked for DV and they had a much nicer attitude and seemed to understand that good service could actually make people come back for more.

 

But I heard they don't have the same commision system any more so things might have become a bit better.

Bu tmost UK shops have a policy to beat any price, at least they used to a few years ago.

So I would probably haggle with another shop, or what I have been doing last times I bought gear, order from germany.

For example http://www.musicians-friend.com used to have very good prices on a lot of stuff.

 

Ok, now you made you order already, so I should shut up.

But i did try a lot of monitors and tried a lot of material on different monitors in the test room at turnkey.

And Tannoy Reveal is the best budget monitor I have ever used.

Really clear and defined sound, but not as sharp as many other monitors and hence less tiering for the ears.

If I would spend more I would go for dynaudio, but considering how good the reveals are I don't think it's really worthwhile unless we are talking a huge full range system for a properly treated room.

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Well, I didn't buy the monitors at Turnkey if that makes you feel any better Spindrift ;)

Got them from KMR Audio, an excellent shop in north London, really nice people and good service - they even agreed to send the monitors to Sweden free of shipping charge + they threw in cables as well. Worked mah magic there ;)

 

Haven't tried the Tannoy's but I hear they're supposed to be good.. however, people I've spoken to say the KRK's are right up there with them, also SOS magazine liked them and they know their shit..

Anyway, I am sure they will be good enough for my purposes.. it's not like I do this for a living but you can always hope hehe :)

 

boom boom

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