Best Studio Monitors

[Arpangel]

I suggest the OP comes along to Gearfest, where he can witness various forum members holding my hand and soothing my fevered brow while my wallet comes out to buy a pair of Neumann 310’s, a Hydrasynth, and an RME interface.



"But seriously" I’ll be checking out some monitor stalls, and I advise the OP to try and get a listen to a few things if he can.

[Philbo King]

A very useful site for comparing tech specs of speakers. It might help narrow down which speakers you want to audition. It gets quite 'techy' but has quite complete test data.

The page loads slow, give it a little time.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/foru ... rTestData/

[Arpangel]

A couple of times over the last few years I've tried setting up a studio in the house in addition to the main studio. Both times I've tried a variety of speakers that I've had around here ranging from NS10s, KEF Celeste IIIs and Wharfedale Unit 5s. None of these gave me the insight into the music that I can get with my usual Tannoys which are really good at pulling mixes apart. NS10s have a reputation for being good for vocal balancing but I find that they don't give me a convincing sound stage and the balance is very skewed towards the midrange. The KEFs were an improvement but I was still missing something. The Wharfedales had more of the weight of the Tannoys thanks to their 12" bass driver but they sounded nice rather than convincing.

The first time I tried a home setup I was able to bring the Tannoys into the house and use them while I finished building the studio but more recently I've had to settle for using the LS3/5a's in the house. They are much better than any of the other alternatives that I've tried and probably more suitable for use now that I have close neighbours but still don't give me quite the same insight as I get from the Tannoys. That's why I use them in combination with decent headphones.

James, just wondering what Tannoys you’ve got? I used to have Cheviots, and Little Reds, I can remember the first time I heard Tannoys, it was like I couldn’t use anything else, ever again.

[James Perrett]

James, just wondering what Tannoys you’ve got? I used to have Cheviots, and Little Reds, I can remember the first time I heard Tannoys, it was like I couldn’t use anything else, ever again.

I've got a pair of Tannoy Berkeleys which use 15" HPD drivers. They're the bigger brothers of the Cheviots. I only found out recently that they used to belong to Tony Arnold and were used at Arny's Shack for a while.

When I first bought them I tried them with an old Leak Stereo 70 amp and found out that the amp was actually singing along to the music - there was a slight high frequency tone present that I hadn't heard with any other speakers.

[Arpangel]

James, just wondering what Tannoys you’ve got? I used to have Cheviots, and Little Reds, I can remember the first time I heard Tannoys, it was like I couldn’t use anything else, ever again.

I've got a pair of Tannoy Berkeleys which use 15" HPD drivers. They're the bigger brothers of the Cheviots. I only found out recently that they used to belong to Tony Arnold and were used at Arny's Shack for a while.

When I first bought them I tried them with an old Leak Stereo 70 amp and found out that the amp was actually singing along to the music - there was a slight high frequency tone present that I hadn't heard with any other speakers.

OH MY GOD!
Not Arny's Shack!
That was an amazing place, I bought my Bel delay from him, many years ago, Fripp recorded there, with Andy Summers, a magical place.

[James Perrett]

OH MY GOD!
Not Arny's Shack!
That was an amazing place, I bought my Bel delay from him, many years ago, Fripp recorded there, with Andy Summers, a magical place.

Yes, it was mentioned that my monitors had been used to mix a Fripp album. Ironically they have recently been used on some mixes of his wife's material too though I don't know if any of my mixes will see the light of day.

[Arpangel]

OH MY GOD!
Not Arny's Shack!
That was an amazing place, I bought my Bel delay from him, many years ago, Fripp recorded there, with Andy Summers, a magical place.

Yes, it was mentioned that my monitors had been used to mix a Fripp album. Ironically they have recently been used on some mixes of his wife's material too though I don't know if any of my mixes will see the light of day.

I hope they do use them James,
Toyah?

[James Perrett]

Toyah?

Yes - the reissue of Toyah Toyah Toyah has just been released and the deluxe reissue of Anthem is coming out later this year after a long wait for the vinyl to be pressed. If the reissues of her previous albums are anything to go by, the CD version will have quite a bit of bonus material.

[Arpangel]

Toyah?

Yes - the reissue of Toyah Toyah Toyah has just been released and the deluxe reissue of Anthem is coming out later this year after a long wait for the vinyl to be pressed. If the reissues of her previous albums are anything to go by, the CD version will have quite a bit of bonus material.

It’s great when you see older artists releasing new material, rather than continuing to play old hits.