Which monitors to upgrade to, and proper room treatment.

[MintSpeak]

I currently own a pair of Edifer MR4s, I've been overall quite happy with them for a while, for general listening and mixing.
But lately they've been proven to be a bit problematic for me, most importantly because of the lackluster bass response.

Now I've been thinking about upgrading them to something a little more serious, and for that I hear people recommending the ADAM T5V (which I see got a stellar review by amirm!), JBL 305, Kali something, and a few others.
But they are always followed by saying that they are still budget speakers, and not actually good like the great monitors, despite already costing 580$!
Now I realize something "truly" good like a Genelec costs far more than that, but I believe I could find a deal for a used 8030c for maybe 1000$.

But I do just wonder, how important is getting a high end monitor? Cause I don't feel like I need the BEST, but if I go ahead and buy myself a ADAM T5V, and then maybe a year down the line or even less they end up not performing up to par, then well it ends up as a bit of a waste don't it? like a minor stepping stone I should've probably skipped.

And to add to that, how does one choose monitor sizes? I hear that bigger should be better, but is it really? if I'm already close to the monitors is getting a 8" or a 10" really going to help me? or can it actually make things worse too?

And lastly, I've been thinking about room treatment a lot lately, especially since I understand it can help unmuffle the bass and bring it up some, make the system sound a whole lot better, and also because unless my monitors are positioned in a very specific way then they cause excessive boominess, which I believe is related to room treatment?

But I'm just not sure how to treat my room, or where to treat it? maybe I can use room correction instead? I have no idea. but I took some pictures of it, and hopefully I could get some recommendations about what to do

 

[bachatero]

Kali LP-6 is super cheap compared to more expensive options but still good, just like the JBL 305. The reason they're "budget" is because you can go much more expensive like the Neumann KH150 which costs about 10x as much (I have these and the Kalis), but even that's cheap compared to the fanciest Genelecs which are 100x more. However, the benefits from the more expensive options are mainly in bass response and maximum loudness, which isn't needed in desk setups.

 

[DVDdoug]

Do you have room for the JBL 308? I've never heard it but from what I've read about it, it seems hard to beat for a "small monitor" and it's reasonably priced.

And to add to that, how does one choose monitor sizes? I hear that bigger should be better, but is it really? if I'm already close to the monitors is getting a 8" or a 10" really going to help me? or can it actually make things worse too?

As a general rule, bass comes from "big things". Even an 8-inch woofer is "small". You might also consider adding a subwoofer to whatever you choose.

But I'm just not sure how to treat my room, or where to treat it? maybe I can use room correction instead? I have no idea. but I took some pictures of it, and hopefully I could get some recommendations about what to do.

"Diagnosis before treatment." REW is FREE and you can get a measurement mic for about $100 USD.

Room correction may be a good option. The biggest problems are usually in the bass range and acoustic treatment requires large (and usually bulky) bass traps. Membrane traps can be thin but they still need to cover significant surface area. The good thing about bass traps is that by trapping the bass that would otherwise be reflected, they smooth-out the bumps and the dips.

Room correction EQ can smooth-out the bumps, and the bumps are usually the most annoying, but there's only so-much you can do about the dips where there is cancellation because it takes nearly infinite power and infinitely large speakers to overcome cancelation.

 

[vsch]

I'd also suggest something like Kali IN-5 or IN-8 (if you can fit them) plus a UMIK-1 for measurements with REW. You can then use Equalizer APO or some other free PEQ software to implement room correction based on the REW measurements, which makes a massive difference in such a room. Later, you could also add a subwoofer to get true full range sound. Cheers.

 

[MintSpeak]

I'm wondering, is it fine sitting pretty close to 8" speakers (as i sit close to mine), and placing them fairly close to the walls? how big a difference sound wise will i get from choosing a bigger speaker? (apart from bass extension) as they do cost a pretty penny more.

 

[vsch]

I guess it boils down to the question whether you're going to add a sub later or not. Without a sub, I'd go for 8in speakers, as they give you more bass extension. Kali IN-8 should work from 0.5 to 4m, and the coax will be beneficial in the near field, providing a larger sweet spot.

FWIW, I went the sub-sat-route for my desk setup in a similar room. It comprises a pair of Genelec 8030c and an Arendal 1961 1s, integrated and room-corrected via a miniDSP Flex. I couldn't be happier. However, without a sub, I'd have gone with 8in speakers. Again, room correction makes a massive difference, and I would never again consider a system without it.

Maybe there are more experienced members who could give more detailed advice.

 

[ShiZo]

Genelec "The Ones" or KH120/150. I've been looking into a new system too. Next seems like focal but they don't seem to exactly keep up from what I've seen