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the difference in studio monitors and home stereo speakers
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dividebytube
Well-Known Member
It varies by manufacturer - but my studio monitors (Urei 813) are fused and include protective lightbulbs to protect the drivers from overload. ie - they are designed to play at high volumes and be protected from an abusive engineer. They are closer to 'PA' speakers than home systems in terms of ruggedness.
FalconEddy
Audio Mastering Engineer
A good current day studio monitor is designed to represent a mix as accurately as possible. However, there are MANY different types of studio monitors that vary in size, power handling, and different abilities in the low frequency range.
For example, a mixing engineer will hear a mix much differently on a set of large monitors with a sub than they will on a set of small nearfield monitors. Depending on how the music will be presented; mono-airplay, stereo airplay, iPod, headphones, tiny home computer speakers, external computer speakers, bookshelf, floor-standing, nightclub, or concert venue, the engineer needs to take all of these possibilities when mixing. This is why the studio monitor is designed for critical listening purposes.
I use Dynaudio Acoustics BM-15A nearfield's and they are VERY frequency accurate, highly detailed, handle fast transients very well, and have excellent dynamics. They are used with and without a twin 18" sub to give me a good overall perspective of the final product before the glass master is produced at the album manufacturer.
. . Falcon
For example, a mixing engineer will hear a mix much differently on a set of large monitors with a sub than they will on a set of small nearfield monitors. Depending on how the music will be presented; mono-airplay, stereo airplay, iPod, headphones, tiny home computer speakers, external computer speakers, bookshelf, floor-standing, nightclub, or concert venue, the engineer needs to take all of these possibilities when mixing. This is why the studio monitor is designed for critical listening purposes.
I use Dynaudio Acoustics BM-15A nearfield's and they are VERY frequency accurate, highly detailed, handle fast transients very well, and have excellent dynamics. They are used with and without a twin 18" sub to give me a good overall perspective of the final product before the glass master is produced at the album manufacturer.
. . Falcon
spkrdtr
spkrfixer
Sometimes there is very little, if any, difference between home audio and studio monitors; as is the case with some B&W speakers. Below is a link that shows an example of their 801 series used in a studio.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=1158&sc=hf
I have a few high quality recordings which reference B&W's as having been used as the mastering studio monitors.
If you've got the big bucks, these are readily available for purchase from your local dealer.
True studio monitors are designed to be highly accurate and free of coloration, to the point of sounding "dry" to many listeners accustomed to conventional home speakers, particularly "Vintage" designs.
Many contemporary consumer products strive to accomplish similar performance objectives, and thus are sometimes described as "Bland," or "Colorless."
Yup, and that's the point, largely: speakers should be transparent by this design perspective, accurately reproducing the program content, for better or worse....
Many contemporary consumer products strive to accomplish similar performance objectives, and thus are sometimes described as "Bland," or "Colorless."
Yup, and that's the point, largely: speakers should be transparent by this design perspective, accurately reproducing the program content, for better or worse....
jaymanaa
RIP 1961-2018
Would you describe the 4301B Control Monitor as acheiving this goal to a high degree? Just curious as to your thoughts. Thanks, jay
Hi, Jay.
4301B is a Control Monitor, not a Studio Monitor, if I recall correctly, and as such, incorporates an inherent and characteristic coloration. See the discussion regarding small monitors beginning on page 6 here:
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=4408
You'll note I'm using 4301B's 116H woofer in my AR4x project, but closed box rather than vented. With a tuned port in that "too small" box, it behaves more like a mini-L100/4311, a "feature" I'll be adding soon.... :thmbsp:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1398825#post1398825
Edit: 4301B shown below:
Attachments
MikeCh
Super Member
True that. I recall the time twenty some years ago when my Dad was shopping for speakers for the house and before he ultimately purchased his JBL 4313's, he was a/b-ing them against Dahlquist DQM-9's with a little push button remote from the listening spot. I preferred the DQ's as the 4313's seemed a little flat to me.
He still has them and they see daily use. They are a flat, true-to-the-music speaker for sure.
Mike
What about the 4311 control monitor?
How colored are those? They sound great to me.
How colored are those? They sound great to me.
Enormously colored, but interestingly, it's just a few dB on the response curve. Definitive "West Coast" sound -- boomy bass, forward midrange, and rolled-off highs:
They sound great because of what the Wikipedia article says: they artificially "enhance" the music. Fun, but fake.
Nothing wrong with that; just don't mistake it for accurate, which is, well, an "acquired" taste....
:
I understand. I just really like the sound, and being 15 years old, I haven't really heard "Accurate" sound. Don't think that I would like it, as i love the sound of these and the old Advents and AR's.
Oh and with the presence and brilliance controls, here is what I have them set as: Presence: MAXIMUM, brilliance: 3 O'clock or so. maybe 2:45. What would that entail? That's where I like them best.
You've further enhanced the response. (Or further "adulterated" it, depending upon perspective....)
Tonehenge
New Member
OK...I actually do this for a living....
To be honest, any quality loudspeaker, voiced within certain parameters, can be a "studio monitor". At issue is the mix engineers familiarity with them as a reference, and the room within which they are installed. The Yamaha NS10 was originally an unassuming little box placed near the bottom of Yamaha's consumer line. Famed mixmeister Bob Clearmountain purchased a pair because he was looking for a generic compact speaker as an alternative to the Urei's he was accustomed to...he found them a bit bright, so he taped some Kleenwipes across the tweeters, and proceeded to mix hit after hit on them. Having related that story, I can say that it is in the engineer's best interest to have a monitor that presents absolutely correct octave to octave balance, and extended high frequency response, to assist in making important mix decisions. Conventional superlatives that apply to mass market hi fi can't apply here...at issue is not what the speaker does, but rather, what it doesn't do. Many consumer speakers from reputable manufacturers make superb recording monitors...conversely, the recording world has suffered the existence of "studio monitors" that are voiced horribly for that application, but are intended to appeal to the recording novice. The best advice? Be informed...
To be honest, any quality loudspeaker, voiced within certain parameters, can be a "studio monitor". At issue is the mix engineers familiarity with them as a reference, and the room within which they are installed. The Yamaha NS10 was originally an unassuming little box placed near the bottom of Yamaha's consumer line. Famed mixmeister Bob Clearmountain purchased a pair because he was looking for a generic compact speaker as an alternative to the Urei's he was accustomed to...he found them a bit bright, so he taped some Kleenwipes across the tweeters, and proceeded to mix hit after hit on them. Having related that story, I can say that it is in the engineer's best interest to have a monitor that presents absolutely correct octave to octave balance, and extended high frequency response, to assist in making important mix decisions. Conventional superlatives that apply to mass market hi fi can't apply here...at issue is not what the speaker does, but rather, what it doesn't do. Many consumer speakers from reputable manufacturers make superb recording monitors...conversely, the recording world has suffered the existence of "studio monitors" that are voiced horribly for that application, but are intended to appeal to the recording novice. The best advice? Be informed...
What's the difference? Sometimes just the cabinet; Altec and JBL made monitors and home speakers that were identical except the monitors were in utility cabinets and home speakers in furniture ones. I have three sets of such "domesticated" Altec monitors.
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