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Can real studio monitors be used as hi fi speakers ?

bob412

bob412

Active Member
There's a pair of JBL LSR6332L passive studio monitor speakers for sale locally . The seller uses them in home studio and is asking $900.00 for the speakers and a Bryston 100 watt amp . He wants to get rid of them because he's moving . I went over to audition them today and was blown away by the clarity and stereo imaging , they're the cleanest sounding speakers I've ever heard . I realize that they are designed for use in a studio but I want to use them as home speakers . Can these type speakers be used in a home listening environment ? I'm also wondering if they'll sound the same way they did in the studio . Comments appreciated , what do you think ? Anyone here using real studio monitors for home listening ?
 
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Yes - many, many people have done this with excellent results. No reason to hesitate - go for it !

jblnut
 
Yep yep - my UREI 809as sound great as surround sound speakers - and worked well as a 2 channel system before.
Just be aware that some Monitors can be very critical -sounding and may show you all the flaws in some recordings -
its what they were designed to do ... but it can be annoying with bad recordings you may otherwise enjoy.
 
Good pro gear is, IMHO, much better than home gear. The real difference is the look at style. Home speakers have a high WAF, but give me pro gear any day.
 
Personally, I seek out studio monitors for their accuracy, generally high and good specs, and overall great build quality. Most of my listening is done on studio monitors, or derivatives thereof, such as Altec model 19's, JBL 4315B's, and JBL L300 Summits (simply a consumer-home oriented version of their 4333 monitors). I've had some very nice "home" speakers, but these monitor types are consistently my favorites. I've heard the JBL speakers you mentioned, I personally think they would make for excellent home stereo speakers because they ARE mirror imaged professional studio monitors. What better to listen to music on than what it was mixed and mastered on?
 
i spent much time just listening in my home recording studio, many of the small monitors sold today from JBL to KRK etc. make excellent 'hifi' systems when you add a sub or two (or three!).
 
Similar to the Horrortone, er, Auratone cubes.

BTW, having been in quite a few recording studios myself, I'd gladly take the sound of a studio monitor over anything else I've heard, warts and all.
 
After living with the KRK Expose E8B monitors for the last 3 years I'd be more inclined to look at active studio monitors than any other type of speaker. These KRKs are the best and most insightful speakers I've ever owned and on balance the best speakers I've heard in over 35 years. Throw in the fact that the amps in them must be superlative, then it is fair to say that their high price is simply a bargain.

Don't bother if your Source and preamp aren't up to scratch. They are amazing if they are but they aren't capable of flattering poor upstream components.
 
Some studio monitors are designed to sound their best when used for near field, or mid field listening. As such, they may not perform as well in a larger room, as a typical speaker designed for home use. But, studio monitors are still speakers, regardless, and will usually perform to a high standard. I know my Meyer Sound HD-1's are very fine sounding monitor speakers, that made most of the mega high dollar systems that I heard at CES sound like garbage. IMHO. ;)
 
You are asking a similar question to the one I asked in the process of acquiring my L300s. If they blew you away, and you loved them when you heard them, why have you not purchased them already? If you cannot afford them, don't buy of course. We must keep our priorities straight.

If they sound half as good as my L300s, you surely will not regret getting them. Sounds like they may keep you listening with a smile for a very long time. If you buy them, let us know how you like them after a week or two. :) :lurk:
 
Regarding whether they'll sound the same as in the studio:
I'm assuming the studio is treated to deal with the acoustics of the room. That makes a big difference.
 
bob412 said:
There's a pair of JBL LSR6332L passive studio monitor speakers for sale locally . The seller uses them in home studio and is asking $900.00 for the speakers and a Bryston 100 watt amp . He wants to get rid of them because he's moving . I went over to audition them today and was blown away by the clarity and stereo imaging , they're the cleanest sounding speakers I've ever heard . I realize that they are designed for use in a studio but I want to use them as home speakers . Can these type speakers be used in a home listening environment ? I'm also wondering if they'll sound the same way they did in the studio . Comments appreciated , what do you think ? Anyone here using real studio monitors for home listening ?
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Geeze, 3,100 for a new pair, this price seems like a no brainier!
 
GD70 said:
Geeze, 3,100 for a new pair, this price seems like a no brainier!
Click to expand...

This is the reason I acquired my Expose E8B monitors. They are usually sold brand new for over $5000 for the pair. Mine were a year old. The fellow who was selling them has set up a recording studio downstairs under his house and gotten no customers. Thus he was selling the KRKs. They'd hardly been used. It was an eBay listing and he was asking $1700 for the pair. I was the only bidder. The bonus was that he lived 15 miles away from where I live. I drove there and picked them up.

I've said many times that the Yamaha GT 2000 turntable is the best hi-fi component that I've heard in 35 years. The KRK Expose E8Bs are there right along side of it. I was shocked when I hooked them up. I had no idea of how they'd sound. What a surprise I got! I have waited a lifetime to hear this sound and it has been worth the wait.
 
There are monitors and there are Monitors. Even Altec and JBL known for building studio monitors can stretch the use of the term. But if you go to JBL's website and check their archives it will become apparent enough which are professional monitors and which our not. The same goes for Altec. Urei only built professional studio monitors using either Altec or JBL drivers. Big Red is another name that is associated with building studio monitors. Unless you listen in a dead room or very close to the speakers JBLs without horns for mids and highs will be undesirable, because of lack of clarity and definition in normal rooms. JBL's with acoustic lenses don't impress me either. I know the L300 was a great speaker, but there are better models. A 4430 or 4435 for instance.

Some folks might consider some of Klipsch speakers capable of being monitors, Cornwalls, and La Scala, but restricted bass response can be a weak point. We used Bozak 302's in slanted cabinets in the Stations two recording booths. Playback in the studio were modified Altec speakers. RCA built supposed monitors as did Electro-voice.

I would say a monitor speaker has to reach peak levels approaching 115 db, with a response from 30 to 18,000 hz within +/- 2db after installation. Distortion should be less than 5% and closer to 2%. Off axis response should be very uniform in the horizontal and curtail quickly vertically to prevent un wanted reflections off the floor or ceiling.
 
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My main system uses JBL 4345 Studio Monitors. I also have several other monitor pairs or their home equivalents from 4412A, L112, L96, to the more current LSR305s. They all sound fantastic in a home environment.
 
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