Monitors - sound design vs mixing…?

[Megatron]

Hey folks. I know the “which monitors should I get” question gets really old and I very much appreciate anyone taking the time to lend me their advice.

I’m choosing between Kali in8-v2 and Adam a7v. I had finally decided hey, just get the objectively better speakers. Then my trusty sales rep hit me with “the kalis are better for composing and the Adams are better for mixing…” That distinction has my head spinning a little bit.

So has anyone tried both? Does anyone agree that the sound design (I focus on neuro and dnb so lots of synth stacking, phasing is important, transients, etc) phase would be better on kalis vs Adams? How do you think about this and what would you do?

Again really appreciate anyone taking feedback!

[James Perrett]

Your sales rep is talking rubbish - good monitors are good monitors. If they are better at one thing or another then they're not good monitors.

Of course, if you want something that sounds exciting rather than accurate then go with whatever sounds most impressive - but don't expect your work to translate well to other systems without a great deal of learning.

[Hugh Robjohns]

^wot he said!

[James Perrett]

NB - I'm not saying that your choices are necessarily bad - I've not had experience of either of them - but good monitors have a fairly similar balance to each other in my experience so, if a speaker sounds vastly different to my reference, it is unlikely to be a real monitor.

In the past I've had some bad experiences when trying to use inaccurate speakers for monitoring which have resulted in wasted studio time.

[Megatron]

Thank you all for the feedback. Just a little additional color I probably should have posted. I’ve been using HS8s for about ten years now. I had a stint with Krk before that.

So I’ve demoed both the kalis and Adams. I like them both for different reasons. Honestly felt like the Kalis sounded a little better for me, but then you think, well if the Adams are just objectively better - get them. Does the old “get the best monitors you can afford” mantra still hold up?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Yes it does... but more expensive doesn't always equate with better, in my experience.

I dont know either of your shortlist choices to any great degree. They have both had good reviews, but the Kali might have an edge being a three way design which often provides more clarity across the midrange.

Purely personally, I'm not a huge fan of ADAM speakers in general — there's something about AMT tweeters that doesn't gel with my ears — but I know many get on petfectly well with them.

If you can try the speakers out in your own studio before buying, so much the better!

[ajay_m]

Do you want neutral monitors that will double as hifi speakers and be pleasant just to listen to or do you want voicing that will accentuate mix issues?
Do you want to use them nearfield or not?
Does significant bass extension matter?
Do you want a relatively wide dispersion angle so that multiple people can listen to a mix easily or will it just be you at the sweet spot in a fixed listening position?
If you are going to put them on stands near a wall, are they front ported? (If ported) Because if not, most rear ported speakers are recommended to be reasonable clear of walls.
These would be some of the practical considerations I can think of.
Also for some people the self noise of some active monitors has proven to be distracting so this is another thing to check.

[James Perrett]

I’ve been using HS8s for about ten years now.

So why not continue to use them? I doubt that the speakers that you've mentioned are significantly better. My main monitors are getting on for 50 years old - while you can certainly achieve similar performance level in a smaller size nowadays, they still hold their own when it comes to definition and stereo imaging.

[Megatron]

They have both had good reviews, but the Kali might have an edge being a three way design which often provides more clarity across the midrange.

Your comment was really helpful. Wont bore with the details but there was a particular point I was getting stuck on and what you said really helped to un-stick it. Appreciate it!

[Arpangel]

I wouldn’t do anything, stick with your HS8’s, anything up a certain price point isn’t going to make much difference.
The thing about "budget" monitors, is that they aren’t really "monitors" and the
type of person they are aimed at will "probably" be producing a type of music that relies on hearing enhanced bass, an excited type of sound, they will be hyped, especially in the bass. I got fed up with auditioning these types of speakers, they always sounded like they were trying to impress, not what you need in a studio monitor speaker.
A true monitor is going to cost a few K, but most don’t have that type of money so what do you do? Just get something that sounds fairly well balanced, in your room, use your ears!!! But I'd say that the HS8’s are fine, in fact, they have a slightly forward presentation, but that's OK, better than a muddy veiled type of sound.
If in doubt, check your mixes on phones, and play them on other peoples stereos, ear buds, to get good a good idea of where you are, and compensate for any deficiencies that may be due to your monitors.