Has anyone compared DIY to Studio Monitors?

[jamikkim]

I've been looking around at some studio monitors, eg. Event Opal, Neumann kh300/310, Amphion one 15/18.
I can't help but wonder with some of those if there are comparable DIY designs, especially the Amphions; the Opals a bit harder to make with the aluminium box, and woofer with ring array neo, XBL and a static voice coil!.

Any producers here that have tried both commercial monitors ($1-3k) and DIY designs?

[Millstonemike]

You might have better luck posting your question in the "Pro - Live Sound Reinforcement Forum". Click "forum" above left, after home. That forum will be on the list near the bottom.

[billfitzmaurice]

You might have better luck posting your question in the "Pro - Live Sound Reinforcement Forum". Click "forum" above left, after home. That forum will be on the list near the bottom.

Not necessarily. Studio monitors aren't all that different from hi-fi designs. For that matter many are hi-fi designs. Some of the most popular are bone stock JBL, Legend and Genelec. The best selling nearfield monitor of all time was the Yamaha NS-10, which wasn't marketed as a nearfield monitor.

[dld]

I think a lot of powered studio monitors offer good value in the $300-1500 range. I don't diy to save money, just for fun. Having said that, the Kairos and Continuum and many other designs plus a reasonable dac and amp also offer very good value and excellent sound. For my desktop I'm using the Continuums right now and they sound great but I'm sick of the clutter of amps and cables on my desk so I will probably go back to the powered monitors even though I prefer the Continuums and Ncore combo.

[ani_101]

Add the DSP icepwr plate amp, and do a LT transform on the bass... Active and bass boat and you get to keep the continuum sound. The I down amp can be used in stereo mode..., So you only need to operate on one box and keep the passive crossover.

[dld]

Add the DSP icepwr plate amp, and do a LT transform on the bass... Active and bass boat and you get to keep the continuum sound. The I down amp can be used in stereo mode..., So you only need to operate on one box and keep the passive crossover.

That's not a terrible idea, but the real drawback with the Continuum is that they run out of steam on the low end quickly so I don't think an LT would help.

[ErikSquires]

Someone on another forum pointed me to the limited edition Scanspeak 15W/4524T-02 In a 0.25cubic foot enclosure can go down to 56 Hz! It's being sold with a matching tweeter. I have not heard it, but I am a Scanspeak fan. It would go well with the smallest Dayton enclosures, alas, I have enough speakers in this house!

[billfitzmaurice]

That's not a terrible idea, but the real drawback with the Continuum is that they run out of steam on the low end quickly....

Studios use subs for the low end. The sub was invented for studio use. In the mixing process producers will listen on nearfields alone to hear what it will sound like on typical home speakers, on large formats without subs to hear how they work, and on both nearfields and large formats with subs to cover all their bases before settling on the final mix.

[Millstonemike]

Not necessarily. Studio monitors aren't all that different from hi-fi designs. For that matter many are hi-fi designs. Some of the most popular are bone stock JBL, Legend and Genelec. The best selling nearfield monitor of all time was the Yamaha NS-10, which wasn't marketed as a nearfield monitor.

My bad. I was thinking stage monitor.

[JimHRB]

Some interesting discussion about studio monitors (and Paul C's Hitmakers) in this thread.
http://techtalk.parts-express.com/fo...x-ii-completed

[fpitas]

Some interesting discussion about studio monitors (and Paul C's Hitmakers) in this thread.
http://techtalk.parts-express.com/fo...x-ii-completed

An important take-away from that thread is that many speakers sold as "studio monitors" are sub-par at best. Well-executed DIY can indeed compete. Caveat emptor, and all that.

[donradick]

Alright class - who has actually worked in a professional music studio?
Anyone? Bueller?

Since megabuck producers and prima donna artists want only the best studio monitor, "mains"
cover 45Hz or so up to 18K as flat as possible, as time aligned as possible, up to about 120 dB without compression.
Subs used if the musicians need < 40Hz.

Not a whole lot of DIY can match that, but we are talking seriously custom designs and installation for $$$$.

Note, this isn't near field monitors. - pretty much the difference between listening at your computer versus
a Dayton DIY torture test.

[wogg]

Alright class - who has actually worked in a professional music studio?
Anyone? Bueller?

Since megabuck producers and prima donna artists want only the best studio monitor, "mains"
cover 45Hz or so up to 18K as flat as possible, as time aligned as possible, up to about 120 dB without compression.
Subs used if the musicians need < 40Hz.

Not a whole lot of DIY can match that, but we are talking seriously custom designs and installation for $$$$.

Note, this isn't near field monitors. - pretty much the difference between listening at your computer versus
a Dayton DIY torture test.

Yes... but not that much. IMO... Large studios with soffit mounted far field monitoring are harder and harder to come by, granted I've never been near Nashville and the Columbus scene is relatively tiny. Mostly what I see in project studios are mid sized near field monitors with 6-8" woofers. In that class a DIY design can objectively compete. If you're going way up the scale like you're talking about, I agree with you that you're talking big bucks, but at that point you should be dumping an equivalent or higher amount of cash on your control room acoustics and design.

Also, those prima donna artists and producers are very brand aware, even when it's completely unfounded. They may just go elsewhere if you have some generic or DIY stuff in the studio.

[dst]

Check this design out. Looks very good.

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/MW19P-8.htm

[johnnyrichards]

One of the engineers I know uses powered because he can take them anywhere and plug them in - reducing one part of the chain of unfamiliarity in different studios. There is no other real benefit to having integrated power - unless it is accompanied by properly implemented DSP.

...and Wogg is right. Brand recognition is huge. I have several pairs of my own design installed in a few studios in the area, and musicians always insist their music is mastered on a pair of "name brand" monitors. It is what it is - at least most of the guys around here have thrown the Yammy NS away.