Woah I wasn't ready to receive all this info so fast, many thanks to everyone!
I'll try to answer everybody
1. Flat and smooth on-axis frequency response.
1.5... make sure you'll be happy with the bass extension if you are not getting subs.
2. Smooth off-axis response.
3. Drivers aren't too large or far apart.
4. (Arguably) Not a wide dispersion pattern (think 50 degrees)
Off the top of my head no, but there are books that can get you pretty far. The Audio Expert by Winer is a good all around primer. Amir has links in many reviews on how to read the graphs also.
My advice is to take your time and pay attention to the X-axis and give yourself a minute to think about what it's telling you. If the line goes up as power goes up, what does that mean? If the line goes down as frequency goes up, what does that imply? Etc. If you feel like you have a grip on what the vertical axis is / sounds like, then you just need to take a moment and think through how the measurement is made. If you don't feel that the Y-axis is intuitive to you, start by playing with some audio software to demonstrate it to yourself. Audacity is free and a good place to start messing around.
I'll 100% have to understand the terms, I saw someone linking videos and threads by Amir and that will help for sure!
My recs are Ascilab, Neumann, Genelec, Ascend, in your price range those brands have a lot of good options and it's hard to go wrong.
Right now I don't have an exact budget per say, I saw an interesting video on youtube made by Andrew Robinson where he explained that he bought so much cheaper stuff instead of his grail and wasted twice the money it would have costed him and still didnt owned the speakers he wished for at the start.
I think I might try that, find my grail and put money asside to afford it instead of upgrading every now and then.
I'll certainly look into those companies.
Not per se. Studio monitors tend to be designed for near field listening, but other types of speaker can do the same things sonically. To a significant extent, the distinction between monitor and "home speakers" is more about aesthetics and types of connections than sound.
I have other expensive interests and having a pretty desktop is one of them. Aesthetics will also be important.
Just the usual - don't get sucked into believing that amps all have a secret character of sound that only shows up outside of blind tests and measurements. Same for DACs. Cables are pretty much all the same, don't waste money on fancy ones.
Lastly, definitely look into EQ for room correction, the improvement can be really major, as much as upgrading speakers.
Welcome to ASR!
Thanks
@kemmler3D for the warm welcome and all your tips and tricks!
Generally speaking, the weighting for "predicted in-room response" is not for nearfield (~1-1.3m) but I believe for ~2m midfield. The most crucial thing for nearfield is the axial and near-to-axial response, i.e. the Listening Window, and then below that is the off-axis behavior.
Erin from Erin's Audio Corner, another excellent reviewer, has a series.
Hey thanks you for the links
@dfuller . I cannot wait to learn, they will be very helpful!
On that note, nearfield listening means that you can get away with deeper tuning since level requirements aren't as stringent. Smaller speakers intended for hi-fi listening distances are likely to be a bit light on bass in order to conserve level handling.
I currently use a sub, plus when I bought my Q150 some were recommending to have an amp with a high pass filter, which I bought.
Active speakers can implement high-order crossovers more easily, reducing the overlap between woofer and tweeter and as such the frequency range affected by moving around. They (along with simply powered speakers = onboard amplifiers followed by passive crossovers) also permit decoupling low frequency response from level handling, extending practical bass extension on smaller speakers. That's the sole reason the 3" class of desktop speakers exists at all.
On the downside, actives are more commonly afflicted by audible hiss. No power is wasted in passive crossovers for better or worse. (Entire threads have been filled discussing studio monitors with low to no perceptible hiss.)
Interfacing studio monitors to the PC can be a bit tricky unless you already have a DAC or audio interface with balanced outputs. Do your homework or else the setup may be plagued with annoying audible ground loop issues.
I'm kinda sensitive to noises, I'd like to avoid any hissing whatsoever. To would be a deal breaker for me.
As for the DAC part, I currently own a JDS Labs Element IV for my headphones and use it as a DAC + EQ. It only has RCA output though.
Thank you for your help
@AnalogSteph
As already mentioned the biggest difference is that the direct response will be dominating vs. listening at larger distances. That means also that the stereo errors (comb filtering), e.g. the 1.8-2 kHz dip and 3-4 kHz peak will be more audible. In my personal view I would look for wide dispersion speakers, not having a dip in any direction in the same frequency region (1.8-2 kHz) and with a small dip 3-4 kHz. This is you use it for recreational purpose, if you are using the speakers for monitoring mixes, I think it matters less.
Hey
@Thomas_A , I'll only use the speakers for recreational use. I do not intend on mixing anytime soon.
As for your suggestions, I just learned today about dispersion.
I'll keep in mind what you say about frequencies. Right now it's too technical for my limited knowledge.
Thanks btw!
These are the reasonings regarding design goals of "near field" monitors from Neumann.
From:
https://www.neumann.com/en-us/serviceundsupport/file-finder
Search for: "FAQ for studio monitors: Acoustical and application answers, English"
That's very interesting, I understand a bit better the difference between nearfield and midfield now.
Images make it even easier to understand.
Thanks
@NTK
In addition to Erin's excellent videos, Amir has a collection of videos here on this site:
Collection of Amir’s instructional Videos for reference, refresher and new members: (“Behind the Curtain @ ASR University”) Welcome New and returning Members of ASR. Our Host Amir has put together a collection of comprehensive instructional videos that might help new and returning Members...
www.audiosciencereview.com
You'll notice that these videos cover a great number of topics. IMO, it's a great resource.
@kemmler3D has brought up an excellent point. If you are not yet familiar with equalization, these two posts will give you a good, basic idea how it works:
Thanks for the links
@Jim Taylor, they'll be of a great help!
