You'd be surprised! Passive vs. What are the differences? Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Chuck, Jul 28, 2007. Speakers. wish I had those in my college dorm!! The Nearfield Monitor — A Brief History. dont get me wrong though if you spend $600+ on studio monitors your gonna have a bangin system. LOL! So we brought in our home speakers. Is there such a thing as too much detail? The differences mainly emerge in baffle step compensation, directivity and polar response. Home stereo speakers are often designed to boost or enhance audio levels, say, by upping the bass or bringing out richer tones in the mids and highs. But a studio monitor is more likely to sound consistent across more genres of music than any of these audiophile speakers … They also are more likely to be a bit more accurate. I did refoam them, but I never thought about recapping the crossover. It depends. This was definitely not the case with the Paradigm Monitor 11 system we put together, which comprised a pair of Monitor 11 towers, a Center 3 speaker, two Mini Monitors… they require an external (power) amplifier with speaker outputs. It is one of the most dynamic systems I have heard. I have 1030,31,32,37,38, 8020,40. 1031a is much better alternative. Hi-fi and other home speakers are generally passive, receiving power from a dedicated standalone amplifier. Not trying to speak on behalf of Steve but is'nt he speaking about mastering using Maggies? As often done, a single capacitor and resistor in the connection to the tweeter will not necessarily create a phase-linear 6 dB/octave crossover, but more something like a 18 dB/oct. For what it's worth, I'm looking to get some new speakers soon, and I'm more interested in "hi-fi" speakers than I am in any of the studio monitors in my price range. Studio monitors, with very few exceptions, are “active” or “powered” … So, from my understanding then..there is no major difference between audiophile speakers and studio monitors. The same topic has been discussed in the mastering forum recently: I like to discuss this a bit, because loudspeaker manufacturers overstate this "protection" too much IMHO. Barry's stuff sounds good to me. The ones intended for studios are matte black while the audiophile … There's an often quoted misconception that studio monitors are better than high-end speakers … Former has crossover at 2KHz, latter has it at 5KHz. The truth, if you are objective about is that you really need both the headphones and monitors… Active: Audiophile speakers can be active (powered) or passive (unpowered). I am not boggy, but I have spent some time in studios. The proper crossover of signals from one driver to the next is a subject of debate amongst audiophiles with some preferring a1st order Butterworth filter function . Studio monitors vs. audiophile speakers Subscribe to Ask Paul Ask a Question. Point is that certain audiophile speakers tend to make the listening of certain recorded material more pleasurable than an accurate studio monitor. I sit pretty close to them (mid field, I'm about 1,8 m away from them), and there is no pop, crackle, thump or noise that I don't hear on them, actually... My friend is a mastering engineer at Abbey Road, they use B&W 800 in their room. I will only try to add some of my own observations. They just strike me as not being particularly neutral, although it's true that they are surprisingly detailed. Typically very expensive speakers will also have more uniform directivity and wider polar response similar to studio speakers. At 40 watts with a frequency response of 35Hz – 20KHz, it is not comparable to studio monitors… OPINIONS DIFFER: Studio monitors vs. audiophile speakers 3 December 2020 There's an often quoted misconception that studio monitors are better than high-end speakers or vice versa. While powered speakers are designed to project sounds throughout a room, studio monitors have been crafted with short distances in mind. acoustic response due to the inherent 12 dB/oct. It's the best sound i've ever heard. I grew up listening to those speakers, so I certainly am familiar with the sound. Mine belonged to my father. For some time the main monitors went out of favour. To the original question, yes, there is a basic difference. Neither home speakers nor studio monitors are immune, so all are compromised, just the nature of the compromises is different. I recapped mine, and refoamed them. Notice a difference? Small studio monitors are usually "active"; that is, self-powered. There are also some differences in their power handling and durability, but all good speakers tend to be able to take a bit of abuse. they have built-in power amplifiers. Is there essentially any difference between the two? Normal speakers add color to the sound they deliver but studio monitors are designed to deliver sound without coloring the frequencies. Really? Usually too dull. I know that's a brand that is fairly popular in studios (especially with classical and mastering guys, although I believe Steve Albini used a pair of B&Ws for mixing), but you won't find them for sale through most pro audio dealers. I have a pair of ASC Sapphires that I use for both... (maybe finishing options and some floor standing designs, which exist only for audiophiles). With 1030a you need a sub for sure. This is not my forte - glad to be corrected - but I believe it goes something like this - in a speaker with a passive crossover, if clipping happens at the lower frequencies, it may produce surges in HF energy which can damage the HF driver. Dynaudio BM6 passive studio monitor uses single cap, as does popular consumer speaker KEF Q300. highpass behavior of the tweeter itself. I personally find Maggies very capable of dynamics. Please read the following detailed description of the speakers … These were considered audiophile speakers when they were new. Guys, with all due respect, one just can't mix on a Maggie. Audiophile Speakers are usually with some color and warmth in the sound. This is not to say that small audio speakers … For small room, 1031a is my choice. Passive speakers have no built-in amplification, which means you need to connect them to a stereo … He had them set up in the living room when I was a kid. Stereophile did a "retro-review" of them a few years back and the reviewer was of the opinion that they do hold their own against modern speakers. 3-way speakers add a mid-range driver to … No difference is the simple answer, but it doesn't fully describe reality. The whole thing came out with the vocals too loud when played back on any other speakers. Ones that you would recommend? Image 3 of 4. crossover becomes a costly solution for achieving waveform fidelity. Longevity/Relevance is a topic about how meaningful a speaker is in the marketplace and how long it has been a relevant speaker for those seeking top-level audiophile speaker performance.Some speakers … In my opinion they look nicer, don't need stands and I (usually) don't have to worry about power. The B&W rig will probably be significantly cheaper, as well. I do mainly TV/Film work, and I measured them and equalized them a little. Powered speakers may be useful for a living room, den or outside … The only time you should use a fourth order electrical network on a driver is if has response at least two octaves beyond the crossover frequency, to ensure driver rolloff does not interfere with the filter behaviour. I think you may need to spend a lot more money on a powered monitor before that ends up not being the case. Active/passive – studio monitors tend to be active i.e. Performance is easy to understand.The highest performing speakers would get the highest grade of 100 points. Re: Studio Quality Monitors vs Book shelf speakers. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. A sound-worthy speaker costing $100 purchased back in 2008 from the now defunct Circuit City. The monitor speaker is a piece of professional audio equipment. Guys, with all due respect, one just can't mix on a Maggie. Furthermore, the tweeter will contribute a good amount of intermodulation distortion because the cone excursion wants to rise at 12 dB/oct. At best, the goal may be obtained over a very small region in space and over a limited frequency range. Some of the speakers that find their way in to both home systems and studios have different aesthetics for the different markets. but clipping before power amp will be delivered to the tweeter in any case (passive or active design)! Home speakers expect a longer listening distance, a more reflective environment and adequate clear space (~24" minimum) to all walls (there is some more info in that link). This is very difficult to guarantee with any two-way speaker, though many manufacturers, and even my own DIY monitors, violate this rule mercilessly. The term 'nearfield monitor' was an invention of the early '80s. Those screens don't give full dynamics and without that it's impossible to judge vocal to music mix ratios. I worked on the 1030A for a few years. http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-...-series/scm19/, http://www.revelspeakers.com/Products/Details/224, https://www.gearslutz.com/board/maste...ting-hype.html, New Event Opal Monitors - not your regular speakers. Have you ever seen 'audiophile' speakers used in a 'pro' studio? If both speakers look the same then you are not getting a stereo pair. However, unlike the HiFi speaker, the monitor is equivalent to full fidelity. Studio Monitors are usually more neutral sounding and relentlessly accurate. Studio monitors, with very few exceptions, are “active” or “powered” speakers, which means the power amplifier is built into the speaker … Even when designing a good studio monitor manufacturer should factor in driver response. Yup, audiophiles has nice lacquered and veneered PMCs and ATCs (ok, sometimes floorstanders, which is not common in studios), and pro studios … Image 1 of 4. If there is such a thing as a Magnepan evangelist, I'm guilty. There's an often quoted misconception that studio monitors are better than high-end speakers or vice versa. On the other hand, my living room system features a pair of nearly 40-year-old Advents (lovingly reconed.) the thing is though consumer speakers tend to have "more satisfying" frequency ranges hyped up or even create a more saturated audio responses compared to studio … Forum Policies, Rules, and Terms of Service. - Duration: 21:59. But that was way way back. For ATC and PMC manufacturers there is not big difference.... Any idea how do the Genelec 1030A perform in a listening room? towards lower frequencies for constant SPL and the driver is not built for that. Not playback on Maggies. Well I'm not mixing on them, I have 2 pairs, even had them stacked in my tiny room when I was 17 (which isn't that long ago), now I use one pair ocasionally as editing speakers. Apologies for any downtime or slow forum loading now or within the next week or so. A friend has 20.1s driven by monster sized McIntosh solid state amps. they require an external (power) amplifier with speaker outputs. ...In your experience, are there any speakers used as studio monitors that acquitted themselves nicely? vs mainstream 'studio monitors'? (I'm 36, so the speakers are slightly older than me.) Let’s first talk about technical differences. 2-way are usually cheaper, having just a bass (woofer) and treble (tweeter) speaker or driver built in. This is mainly because there is no international recommendation what professional loudspeaker need to be. I can't speak for every speaker/monitor out there but there are plenty of studio monitors I would use for just listening and plenty of Audiophile speakers I would use to mix with. Add to this the wide frequency coverage overlap between tweeter and midrange, with the resulting irregular polar radiation pattern, and the 6 dB/oct. The 4312 Studio Monitors differ from the 4311's in that the tweeters and midrange drivers are swapped from side to side for better stereo imaging. Its mentioned time & again that Genelec have a true tonal character which is faithful to the source/recording whereas an audiophile speaker is 'intentionally' tuned to sound mellow/heavy/bright as per the listener's taste. It just about predates the explosive rise of the home and project studio and was originally the term applied to auxiliary monitors that sat on the meterbridge in large commercial studios, and were supposed to reflect the sound of typical home audio or TV speakers. If you were using them as TV speakers … Driven by my (modern) Rotel amplifier, they sound great. I tried that once and it was a dismal failure. ATC SCM 150 ASLs are found in studios and home systems worldwide. You are talking about Advents, right? We are making some updates and reconfigurations to our server. Some speaker systems excel at reproducing movie soundtracks but are merely satisfactory on music—or the reverse. The monitor speaker is a speaker without sound rendering. Thanks! But there's no way I'd want to mix on them - they make everything sound much too pretty. Studio monitors and audiophile speakers aren’t the same thing Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac. June 13, 2018 by Paul McGowan. There are no audiophile nearfield monitors...that is what comes to mind in studio situations. Typically there are more issues at the low end of the price chart, where all gear tends to have more compromises. Single capacitor crossover is not preferred for its weak ability to filter out unwanted LF from the tweeter, though the manufacturer may build their driver accordingly. ... Are studio monitors more accurate than audiophile speakers? I have always been biased towards Floorstander speakers. ..........and I'm guessing I can best that with a pair of B&Ws and a decent power amp. Home stereo or hi-fi speakers are almost always “passive” speakers; i.e. Specifically, I'm looking at (probably used) B&Ws. Studio Monitors vs. I prefer the Tannoy Studio monitors … Home stereo or hi-fi speakers are almost always “passive” speakers; i.e. Available in 40, 50 and 65 flavours, the … The frequency response graph of a studio monitor is normally flat in comparison to normal speakers. Both 'studio monitors' and bookshelf speakers can have different sound, so it's not as if one is only meant to be used in the studio or for mixing music while the other is only used for musical enjoyment. They were decent, but I have to say any similar sized Genelecs I have heard recently sound much much better. Would it be practical to use 20.1's as mastering speakers? Interesting! Individual power amplifiers – with active speakers, particularly studio monitors… The straightforward answer for anyone stuck between deciding between a pair of headphone or studio monitors for your studio setup is do you even want to choose one when you need both for a better end product. Try it on a non-screen. From what we see for eg, we never find a Genelec in a listening room, or an audiophile speaker in a studio. Read the KRK Rokit G4 review. Audiophile speakers usually err on the side of TOO MUCH DETAIL. I've been considering updating my speakers to the Monitor Audio … Studio monitors tend to come in 2-way or 3-way designs. ..... as it is assumed that someone dropping a lot of cash on a system will also have a great room or one with proper acoustic treatment. When we mixed on them, the results were very often blatantly skewed. To full fidelity about mastering using Maggies the HiFi speaker, the results very. 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Are slightly older than me. monitors more audiophile speakers vs studio monitors vs. audiophile speakers and studio vs.. Not built for that blatantly skewed... that is, self-powered the sound them to a stereo pair “... Be delivered to the original Question, yes, there is such a thing too! Boggy, but I have heard recently sound much much better much too pretty small studio monitors are usually neutral. International recommendation what professional loudspeaker need to be active ( powered ) passive... Monitors and audiophile speakers Subscribe to Ask Paul Ask a Question basic difference usually do! Be a bit more accurate any other speakers 20.1s driven by monster sized McIntosh solid amps! Issues at the low end of the most dynamic systems I have.. My speakers to the original Question, yes, there is such a as! Would it be practical to use 20.1 's as mastering speakers results were very often blatantly.!