COVER STORY: Sound Choices

Mar 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Rusty Cutchin

           
 

Now that powered monitors have taken over pro and project studio airspace, a speaker seems to be available for every room and budget. The studio owner who is shopping for a pair will find it easier to name the audio manufacturers that don't offer a powered monitor than to list all the ones that do.

In an effort to cut through the clutter, we rounded up a group of similarly equipped and priced models and gave them a listen. First, of course, we had to choose which models to compare. With the proliferation of low-priced active monitors geared to the home-studio owner, we needed to set some boundaries. The first part was easy: we wanted to examine a set from the large group of monitors priced under $1,000 per pair, but we didn't want to include speakers that are sold as desktop or personal monitors.

Next we decided to stick with stereo configurations that we felt would move enough air for monitoring hip-hop or hard-rock mixes at high volume without requiring a subwoofer. We decided to limit ourselves to monitors built around 8-inch low frequency drivers. (We allowed some latitude in diameter measurement.) We also looked for units that offered similar power specs. (See the table “Powered Monitor Specifications” for details.)

Setting those limits enabled us to whittle the list down from a group of about 35 candidates to a group of six, with components, specifications, and list prices that would appeal to any studio owner who is interested in purchasing a pair of speakers that cost between $600 and $800. Five were from manufacturers with familiar names: the Alesis ProLinear 720, the Event Tuned Reference 8XL, the Fostex PM-2, the M-Audio Studiophile BX8, and the Tapco S8. One relative newcomer, the Phonic P8A, also joined the listening party.

All the monitors are two-way, bass-reflex (ported) designs. All feature magnetic shielding, which prevents the monitors from affecting a computer display when positioned nearby. All offer at least balanced XLR and ¼-inch TRS inputs. None of them offer digital inputs or processing.

After spending time with these monitors in home and pro studio environments, we were impressed with the quality of products available in this price range. Although we had our favorites, any of the speakers we looked at may perform well in your studio with the proper adjustments. We also learned more about why some classic monitors are classics. (Hint: if you still have a pair of Yamaha NS-10Ms, don't throw them out — they still sound fantastic.)

Where We Listened

To give the monitors as extensive a workout as possible, I tested them in my home studio control room in the suburbs of New York City, and a few days later I schlepped the whole group into Bass Hit Studio, a busy commercial recording facility in Manhattan. I also enlisted the help of Bass Hit owner/engineer and EM contributor David Darlington, the composer for HBO's Oz series and a recent Grammy winner for mixing on Wayne Shorter's Alegria.

My home studio control room is in a tight 8' 5 10' space in a finished basement. Like many home studios, it's in a constant state of flux, with equipment moving in and out on a daily basis and remodeling in progress within and outside of the studio walls. The monitor setup remains constant, however, with a pair of Mackie HR824s positioned about five feet apart on a large curved computer workstation that cuts diagonally across adjoining walls. The midpriced HR824s have gained wide acceptance as an accurate mid-priced reference monitor.

Only three inches of clearance exist between the left and right rear corners of the HR824s, which are aimed about five feet away in the center of the room. The angled walls (relative to the monitors); the interplay of carpet, drywall, and natural diffusers such as bookcases and gig bags; and a little luck have combined to make the room a fairly reliable listening area with no bass build-up or stray reflections. My mixes have translated very well to other environments, which also may owe something to my having been recording and mixing as a working musician and pro engineer for more than 25 years.