Thank you all for the support and I hope my videos are helping you all out on your creative journey. These are my Best Studio Monitors 2020 & Some Honorable mentions: ► PreSonus Eris E8 XT - amzn.to/3fS6hc3 ► Adam Audio T8V - amzn.to/2DGrGIi ► JBL Professional 308P MkII - amzn.to/2DDtamD ► Mackie CR8-XBT - amzn.to/3kFfJ67 ► Yamaha HS 8 - amzn.to/31NnGgR ► KRK Rokit 8 G4 - amzn.to/335HFGH ► Avantone MixCube - amzn.to/2XU8jCr
As a owner of the JBLs, you will get every bang for your buck. They sound absolutely incredible. Since I have a small room I have the 5 inch ones and the bass is still knocking.
I've had the Presonus Eris E8's for a couple years now, and they're absolutely amazing. I tried the adam audio monitors, and they're also phenomenal. I guess I've just learned the sound of the E8's that I prefer them over most other monitors. I also have the Presonus Eris e5's when for when I need some monitors to travel with. Presonus has been my favorite over the recent years.
2 way vs 3 way... the problem with crossovers in 2-way designs is that they are typically set in the 1 kHz - 3kHz range. This area of the midrange is critical for vocals and many instruments in a mix. All crossovers create some degree of phase distortion. With 3-way systems, the two crossovers are usually set outside of this critical range. So any phase distortions introduced, are in less significant ranges.
I was looking for a pair of 6 inch monitors but this video sold me on the Yamaha HS8s. With all the cheap and varied speakers we encounter everyday the ‘training your ears’ part sold me. First one came today and they are huge, though. You warned us but I still was surprised.
The ones I have are the original...They sound like crap but tells me everything I need to know about what's going on in the mix. They are my "honest ones" lol. Yesss! I can't let the Adam A7x go, lol. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Ramona! It's great to have both. I prefer mixing on monitors along with majority of my professional colleagues. Some do mix on headphones but I find it helpful in my workflow to have both. I hope this helps.
I'm a civilian now. I've listened to and A/B'd all of these and the ROKIT G4s are next level and hold their own against monitors that are twice the price. 😁
Hey man out of the videos I have been watching your stuff is for sure the most helpful. My GF and I are fresh college grads and final in a place to afford spending on our hobbies. Her real passion is recording and producing music so we have been putting a lot more towards that. Her birthday is coming up so I wanted to get her the next “big thing” she needs to make music. I just built her a PC and a Desk and I’m thinking next should be getting studio monitors. She has a focusrite Scarlett 2i4 gen 2 sound card and cable wise I’m thinking running 1/4 inch to xlr. When it comes to a monitor I’m really feeling the adams. I think having the ability to carry her through the whole music making process is great for the fact we don’t have the space for a listening room. Before this I was going to go with the KRK rokits because I was a sound tech for a theater for 5 years and the KRK V series are what I’m familiar with. But for her the adams sound like the best fit. I was just intrigued by the rokit gen 4 tuning app. But I am just unsure. Can you help me out. Many Thanks
Hi Matt! That's awesome you and your wife can finally get to your hobbies. The Scarlett is great and that's pretty cool that you worked for a theater with the KRK V. I would say go with what you know in most cases with monitors unless you want to learn something new. That's the key to studio monitors, learning them. The Adam are a little more honest than the KRK Rokits but that's not a bad thing because if you know the KRK, mix translation isn't bad. I hope this helps and good luck with everything!
Very helpful video. Just stunning Straightforward and directly forthright. Extraordinary creation and astounding studio arrangement you have God favor Charles.
It sounds like the T7V’s are better for playback than the HS7’s but the HS7’s are better for a flat mix. Wouldn’t you want the best flat mix for studio speakers? If I’m trying to get nice sounding playback, wouldn’t I just start considering HiFi speakers? Thanks for the video!
After so many reviews i decided to buy the adam audio t5v and the t10v ,2 weeks ago iwas gonna buy the ax series not aviable in stores all this past months
Yes! My thoughts exactly. They JBLs gives a great listening/monitor projection but the Yamaha HS8 are flatter on the frequency spectrum which leads to better mixing analyzing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
So very cool that you mentioned & still utilize those classic, "Mackie HR-824's" ... I actually bought the first gen. when these were first released. I also still have & utilize those bad boys almost daily for my "near-field" work. Question, if I may... My only gripe is the accuracy of bass... Have you a suggestion for me for a more consistent [bass] playback...? Curious as to how you run those... Do you utilize a sub? I agree with you, Sir... Those HR-824's have served me well over the 23+ years I've been using them. There's not a scratch on them & I CHERISH them... I want to commend you on delivering a powerfully, informative, in-depth monitor review. I'm looking to add to my "near-field" mixing realm & this video has truly helped me in narrowing it down for excellent options. Truly. Thank you for sharing this with us. Love & Light To You All out there in RU-vid Land and Beyond! 😉 🍀 💜 🎶 👻 🐾 🤗
Hello. This is budget studio monitor video but my top high end would be genelec, focal, adams, ATC, PCM and many more. When I do a high end video for monitors, I will definitely mention these.
That's not a dumb question. "Flat" means little to none db shifts (volume) on the frequency spectrum. Meaning the nothing is jumping out at you frequency wise. I hope this helps.
As a consumer [starting out in the world of production, mixing, & mastering] looking for a speaker that can get the job done in all fields for the most part. Based on your list, which one would you recommend?
Hi Austin! Congrats on starting your journey is the audio production world. I would definitely consider the Yamaha HS8 or Adam T8V... These are the most versatile out of the bunch and they will fit your applications. Either of these. I hope this helps your decision making.
I’ve heard great things about the Focal Shape but this video is a budget monitor home studio video. Which is why I’m not mentioning my everyday main monitors in my studio, $1500 Adam A7x and my $7000 Adam S3H... Also, I’m only mentioning budget budgets that I’ve used before. I haven’t used the focal shape yet but if I do, I will be mentioning in a mid range budget monitor video if I find them helpful to my subscribers. Thank you so much for commenting and suggestion of the Focal Shape. Can’t wait to check them out 🙏🏽
Sir your reviews are always the best, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Which one is more suitable for orchestral composing in your opinion? Maybe Adam for the amazing tweeter or Yamaha for the flattest response? Thank you 🙏
I have the budget though. But I am not music engineer. I am just an audio enthusiast that loves music. Like LOVEEEEE MUSIC. NO MUSIC NO LIFE! Should I go up straight to Adam Audio A7X from my good old Presonus E5 XT? 🤔 Or should go to slightly less pricy T7V instead?
Hi, I am looking for a bit of advice. I am an aspiring dance music producer and I am planning on improving my production this year and taking it all a bit more seriously and potentially making it into a living. My current monitor is set up as follows. I have a set of Rokit 5 Rpg3 and a Focusrite 2i2. I am currently in the market for a better / second set of monitors for another reference, however, I am and not sure what to get. This is what I am looking to achieve in my studio. I want to be able to switch between 2 sets of monitors, dim the volume, mute the volume and also switch between stereo and mono and alos switch between headphones. Also, I would like the new set of monitors to complement the frequency of my rockits I currently have, as in, when I flick between the 2 sets of monitors they don't sound much the same, but rather have different curses on the spectrum, etc for mixing like a car/iPhone/studio/club, etc I have a DJ setup that I would like to channel through the same 2 sets of speakers which I am currently doing by using 1/4 jacks through the line inputs on the Focusrite 2i2. I also have a Rode NT1 but I don't use it much only when recording other Artists as I don't sing myself. My budget is about €500. And I am currently considering the following: Option 1 Keeping my current set up and buying 2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference) Mackie Big Knob Passive Option 2 Selling my Focusrite 2i2 Mackie Big Knob Studio 2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference) Option 3 Either one of the interface options above but changing the monitors to 2 x Adam T7V or similar? Thanks and looking forward to hearing what you guys think.
I saw you recommended the Eris E8 XT, but about 1.5 years ago I bought the Eris 4.5 with the tremblor 10in subwoofers, is that good or should I try to upgrade to those E8s?
What's up Anthony? Do you like the sound of the Eris 4.5? If so, the Eris E8 VT are going to blow you away. When listening to vocals will mixing, 300Hz-8K, they give a rare accuracy than most monitors in this price range. I would say go for it. Thanks for dropping by and I hope this helps.
You are welcome and thank you for asking. It's all about what you are looking to do, your budget and what are your listening standards. For me, I approached it as wanting the highest fidelity monitors with a budget of $1,500.. I wanted some that would project clarity and I could also mix with. I went with the Adam A7x after all the research. Also, I added classic Yamaha NS10 and few other music production monitors. I hope this helps in some way.
Any thoughts on the m-audios bx8 carbon? I have them myself and really enjoy them and read great reviews about them, but rarely hear them mentioned as top pick. Thoughts? Thanks for all the great content you put out and am very impressed with all your knowledge. Long time viewer, new subscriber! Thanks in advance for answering my question!
I purchased a pair a few years ago to tested them but they lacked the detail I need for mixing and film composing. It’s all opinion and preference you know.
Hey Archie Beatz, thanks for doing all these great videos!! Any plans to do a subwoofer recommendation? Or can you recommend some to consider for use with Yamaha NS10’s? I was looking at the Neumann KH750 but would be very interested to hear your opinion main considerations are that it is sealed box, 10” woofer . Thanks in advance😄
Either or.. It's pretty much preference. The HS8 are flatter but the Adam T8V has nice highs (8k-20k) due to the ribbon tweeter. I hope this helps Palak.
@@palakchaudhary562 I have listened to them and they are okay but the Yamaha is more natural sounding and detailed. You cant go wrong with either its just the Yamaha are a touch better.
Archie Thanks for this. I have a Prism Titan and I am about to ditch my old Mac Pro. What are your imac specs? I run Logic, Pro-Tools, East West and Waves. All the best. Geoff
My thoughts are, as long as the room isn't 6ft x 6ft, you will be fine with 8 inch woofers and the corners are close. That proximity will kick your butt, lol. I hope this helps.
Hi Archie, thanks for the video, it's really helpful. Can I ask, would you recommend using 8" monitors instead of 5" even if your room's size is small? Thanks in advance!
Hi Archie, how youre doing? You got me hugely confused on the T7v/T8v. Which one do you use and which one do you recommend the most for home studio use? Thanks.
Great! do recommend a budget DAC for replacing the on-board computer sound card (Realtek) i read alot but can't understand at all. iFi Zen DAC, FiiO K5 Pro and Topping D10s or others. Currently i use only Mackei CR5XBT. Thanks
Yes, the Genelec 8030C are amazing. When I do a high end monitor video, Genelec 8030C are definitely going to be mentioned in that video. I think it's a great idea. I hope this helps.
@@archiebeatz thanks, need to figure out the subwoofer connection. The one I have only has unbalanced (I think, I only remember rca in there, svs pb 1000)
Hello Archie, if we only 1 pair speaker, should we get a hifi speaker like Swans D300 for movie, listening music, and recording as well? Or get monitor speaker for all of those things?
"don't get one monitor you have two ears, you need two monitors" me: well well well maybe for once in my life it pays of only having one working ear. half the price tho archie what do you recomment i do hear hahahah
I just bought Focal Alpha 80s after a fair amount of research and frankly, I couldn't be more confused. It seems no matter what you buy, the price point steadily increases. You can spend hundreds or thousands and still read a review calling your equipment crap. Bottom line, if it works for you then it's perfect. I tried the 2 way Adams that retail for 150.00 each. I thought they sucked, so I returned them and got the much more expensive 550.00 each Focals. While I like them a lot, I keep Wondering if I could have paid less for more sound or should I spend more for even better sound? I had first gen rocket 8s & a 12 inch sub. They got the job done, but didn't seem very precise.
Hey Archie, great video! How do you feel about the iLoud mircro monitors? I have almost no space on my desk and they are the perfect size to replace my dooky desktop speakers
Pretty good, been making some music for about a year now and decided to give my signal chain a full remodel 😁 And yeah man Warren and some other trusted names have given big props to the little monitors. Maybe check them out as a mobile pair of monitors? I'd love to hear your take. Hope you have a "marvelous" weekend 😂
I've got the hs8 but i think for casual listening they sound very clean but littlebit boring. Would you recommend a subwoofer or do you have any other monitor recommondation?
@ Archie Beatz @ALL I have some question to You. I read your discusion about sound, equipment etc. I,m intresting djing, have some setup: Pioneer DJM-T1, 2x Technics SL1200, 2x Shure Whitelabel, some very old and tired sennheiser HD 205.. I also start to use Traktor Scratch 2 pro with integrated interface in mixer. Now I'm looking for monitors and headphones. Monitors need to be 8'. First I thined about Krk rockit 8 cause I heard its ok. But my more experiend friend told me about Eris8. He suggests that is corret way for me. But now when I started to looking and reading, I started to thinking about Yamaha HS8. My "falings" (if I can name this..) are quite similar with this what I read and hear on this YT channel. So: krk is the most "powerfull" but dont hear some parts of mid tones of spectrum, I'm I correct? Presonus: some "half way" between krk and yamacha? To be honest, I don't heard any of this 3 monitors. Basicly to my using (djing, maybe some easy electronic music production) all of this monitors can be correct. Or Im wrong? This week I want to visit some music shops to check sound of this devices. So, can You give me some constructive advice in this case? Second thing is headphones. I check market and it looks not so good for me now ;) I have some big head and U want to have "full separated" ear from environment (this is how I mix my music ;) I started thinking about Technics RP DJ 1200 (I need to check also but I gues that earmuffs can be to small.. this is how I remember this headphoned and what I see on technics site. Another tyoe was RP DH 1200 (big silver). But I read some test and its not so special. So heavy, sound average and I dont like this fancy silver design. But this model has bigger earmuffs. I also saw on market a lot of AudioTehnica types. Prices are also not so bad in medium range. This what I like is Audio technica ATH M50x. Design looks very ok (I also look on desing, not important but in this case is), earmuffs are ok (full closed, need to check personally), price also is ok, also vendor and quality (I gues) and parameters (frequency response etc, if You can use this.. so I have less expextation. So, can you (ANYONE on this YT channel) a little to support me in this music equipment case? Another important condition is quality of manufacturing, durability, performance-level. BR Janusz
Hey Archie, thanks for a super informative video. Based on what you said I'm torn between the PreSonus and the Adam Audio. I produce vocal r&b/pop so vocals are really important for me (hence PreSonus) but I recently started dabbling with mixing so I do want some versatility (hence Adam). Which would you recommend? Also My room is 10x12 ft and my desk is 4 ft wide against a wall with a corner. would 8 inch monitors be overkill? thanks in advance
I’ve really been looking at the Mackie Cr8’s, but those Jbl’s are looking pretty nice as well. Which would you pick between these two? Also, are either of these viable for actually mixing, or just primarily playback?
Hello boss, great content, first time listener here...what do you think about Pioneer pro dj DM40 and Edifier R1700BT? I am mostly into house and techno, trying to produce a bit in Ableton. Thanks
Would love any feedback, so I mix drum and bass as a hobby and for small after parties at my uni flat, I need a new pair of speakers for a good price being a uni student and all. Iv been recommend the JBL 104s. Any suggestions or feedback appreciated again, thanks
I had the first gen jbls. They have been serving me well for close to 15 years. Only pair i've bought. I'm looking to upgrade to a pair of genelecs. What is your budget?
