Studio Monitor Recommendation

[cmgerner]

Hello, I come seeking advice cause I want to upgrade my studio monitors, but I’m having a hard time deciding which one will be the best one for my scenario, this is my room but I might move somewhere else maybe smaller idk:
Length: 3.16m
Width: 2.80m
Height: 2.18m

The speakers i was looking at right now are the Genelec 8010/8020, Focal Shape 40/50, DYNAUDIO LYD-5 and Eve Audio SC205.

Those are around the same price so that is my budget, any suggestions are welcome.

I want to get an audio interface as well, thinking about the Audient ID14 MKII, will that one be a good combo for this? Or should I go for another one?

I produce and mix pop, hiphop and electronic music. And the room is somehow treated with some acoustic panels on main reflecting points

Of course I’ll get sonarworks afterwards

Thoughts?

 

[NiagaraPete]

Hello, I come seeking advice cause I want to upgrade my studio monitors, but I’m having a hard time deciding which one will be the best one for my scenario, this is my room but I might move somewhere else maybe smaller idk:
Length: 3.16m
Width: 2.80m
Height: 2.18m

The speakers i was looking at right now are the Genelec 8010/8020, Focal Shape 40/50, DYNAUDIO LYD-5 and Eve Audio SC205.

Those are around the same price so that is my budget, any suggestions are welcome.

I want to get an audio interface as well, thinking about the Audient ID14 MKII, will that one be a good combo for this? Or should I go for another one?

I produce and mix pop, hiphop and electronic music. And the room is somehow treated with some acoustic panels on main reflecting points

Of course I’ll get sonarworks afterwards

Thoughts?

If you look at the used market you could probably get 8030, 40, 50

 

[AnalogSteph]

We know what the room size is now, but what's the typical listening distance? What are you upgrading from? Which country are you located in?

You're in a bit of an odd price bracket there. Around here, these options are between 329 and 499€. That's more than budget (there's a bunch of 8" monitors below this point) but not quite stretching to 8030s or KH120s.

Note that while quality can make up for size, size still matters. A good 4" can narrowly beat a cheap 5" for bass extension and level (and good 5.5" class monitors are arguably preferable to some cheap 8" jobs), but that's about where it ends. 8010s do not nearly have the kind of bass extension and low-end accuracy you need, much like other 3" class speakers. (iLoud Micros will go deeper but only at moderate levels, with the DSP increasingly dialing back the low end above that. Sounding thin still beats a distorted mess.)
Even good 4"s are only just about adequate (they've traditionally been used in vocal monitoring for video editing). I'd have no qualms using some in the office for general listening, but I'm not sure that's the standard you're going for.

If you're going to measure and EQ the hell out of it anyway, I'd suggest a decent 2.1 setup. Pick some budget 5" monitors with good dispersion and decent level handling (maybe M-Audio BX5 D3 + some heatsink stock and thermal glue, Mackie MR524, ADAM T5V or JBL LSR305 MkII, depending on the hiss level you can tolerate) plus a decent 8-10" studio sub. If you say "hey, I already have some of these!", well, there's nothing keeping you from buying two subs and going 2.2. Gives you a better chance of keeping room modes at bay, of which this smallish, almost square room is likely to supply plenty.

 

[cmgerner]

We know what the room size is now, but what's the typical listening distance? What are you upgrading from? Which country are you located in?

You're in a bit of an odd price bracket there. Around here, these options are between 329 and 499€. That's more than budget (there's a bunch of 8" monitors below this point) but not quite stretching to 8030s or KH120s.i

Note that while quality can make up for size, size still matters. A good 4" can narrowly beat a cheap 5" for bass extension and level (and good 5.5" class monitors are arguably preferable to some cheap 8" jobs), but that's about where it ends. 8010s do not nearly have the kind of bass extension and low-end accuracy you need, much like other 3" class speakers. (iLoud Micros will go deeper but only at moderate levels, with the DSP increasingly dialing back the low end above that. Sounding thin still beats a distorted mess.)
Even good 4"s are only just about adequate (they've traditionally been used in vocal monitoring for video editing). I'd have no qualms using some in the office for general listening, but I'm not sure that's the standard you're going for.

If you're going to measure and EQ the hell out of it anyway, I'd suggest a decent 2.1 setup. Pick some budget 5" monitors with good dispersion and decent level handling (maybe M-Audio BX5 D3 + some heatsink stock and thermal glue, Mackie MR524, ADAM T5V or JBL LSR305 MkII, depending on the hiss level you can tolerate) plus a decent 8-10" studio sub. If you say "hey, I already have some of these!", well, there's nothing keeping you from buying two subs and going 2.2. Gives you a better chance of keeping room modes at bay, of which this smallish, almost square room is likely to supply plenty.

i currently have some Yamahas HS8, which i feel are too big for my room, specially since i might move in a couple of months. Listening distance is about 1.20 meters, Im located in Mexico City.

 

[cmgerner]

If you look at the used market you could probably get 8030, 40, 50

what about some Genelec 8240A DSP used?

 

[kongwee]

All these speaker do not have that bottom end like HS8, are you sure smaller suit your current use? I am pretty sure you like down to 38hz downgrade to 60hz is not a good idea if you have to handle that bass region. I do pop and EDM.

 

[AnalogSteph]

what about some Genelec 8240A DSP used?

A pretty good match for your current HS-8, actually. (S&R review 8240A, HS-8)
Low-end response is quite comparable (maybe even a hair deeper), max peak output is like 2 dB higher (with a fair bit more upper bass and midrange output, a reflection of better midwoofer quality and higher power output - give these a sub below 100 Hz and they'll play 2-4 dB louder than the Yamahas), max bass is about the same amount lower. Even the dispersion is similar. Hiss level unfortunately seems to be about 2 dB higher, which is perhaps not the news you want to be hearing if you are planning on sitting less far away in the future.
Mind you, if they fit your budget that still would be a great deal on these. I paid more for my K+H O110s before the pandemic.

I get why you'd want to downsize in a smaller room if you're only at 1.2 m now. ~0.8 m is about the practical minimum for an 8", so you'd still have a bit of leeway.

Honestly, I'd probably just be keeping the HS-8s for now, see what things are looking like in the future room and worry about it then.

 

[cmgerner]

A pretty good match for your current HS-8, actually. (S&R review 8240A, HS-8)
Low-end response is quite comparable (maybe even a hair deeper), max peak output is like 2 dB higher (with a fair bit more upper bass and midrange output, a reflection of better midwoofer quality and higher power output - give these a sub below 100 Hz and they'll play 2-4 dB louder than the Yamahas), max bass is about the same amount lower. Even the dispersion is similar. Hiss level unfortunately seems to be about 2 dB higher, which is perhaps not the news you want to be hearing if you are planning on sitting less far away in the future.
Mind you, if they fit your budget that still would be a great deal on these. I paid more for my K+H O110s before the pandemic.

I get why you'd want to downsize in a smaller room if you're only at 1.2 m now. ~0.8 m is about the practical minimum for an 8", so you'd still have a bit of leeway.

Honestly, I'd probably just be keeping the HS-8s for now, see what things are looking like in the future room and worry about it then.

what would be the better hearing distance for this HS-8, that comparison is kinda convincing for the 8240, but not quite sure, i think i might just go with more acoustic treatment then

 

[AnalogSteph]

About 0.8 to 2.5 m is typical for the 8" class. The HS-8 is clearly optimized for the lower end, with its relatively wide radiation and minimized driver spacing and relatively modest maximum levels.

 

[DVDdoug]

i currently have some Yamahas HS8, which i feel are too big for my room

I don't think that's a problem (acoustically). To me anything less than 8-inches doesn't count as a "woofer".

Bass is usually a problem in small untreated rooms so I guess the theory is that a small speaker with no bass is better than bad bass....

But if you are producing music you need to know what the bass really sounds like. You shouldn't just ignore it. That usually means acoustic treatment and then probably some EQ. And even with 8-inch woofers you might need a subwoofer.

 

[tlkmx]

Why not kali lp-8 with the sub ? same price as the one mentioned without sub.
Just curious since they are recommanded in every other posts haha

 

[jerryfreak]

@cmgerner ive got an extra pair of dynaudio BM5A mk I which are similar to the LYD-5 you mentioned. The MK I seem to be the most popular of the MKI, II, and III in the series. DM me if interested