Les Adams
02-17-2008, 06:30 AM
As somebody who has owned and operated a professional recording studio and a bit of a hi-fi enthusiast, I was wondering how many people have tried using studio monitor loudspeakers or professional audio equipment at home and with what degree of success?
Now, I realise the the term "studio monitor" is open to misuse so I will be more specific. I am referring to the likes of Genelec, PMC, Westlake, JBL professional series and at the bottom end of the pro market Fostex and KRK. These are all designed purely for recording studios as monitors. This means that the producer and / or recording engineer uses them to balance and eq the final mix. Therefore, is it not the case that using these speakers at home is likely to give the closest reproduction to how the original master was mixed?
In the 1970's rock music fans bought JBL L100's to listen at home as they were the domestic version of the popular and widely used 4311 studio monitor. Is this not a valid point today and has anybody tried a pair of Genelec speakers at home?
I used to own a 32 track recording studio and I still have the Westlake BBSM-8 speakers that were used for recording and final mixdown, but now they are in my home studio which is used for radio production. They sound awesome, but they are not exactly pleasing to the eye, so I have a pair of Audio Vector M2 domestic speakers in the lounge for hi-fi stereo.
Also, the amplifier used to drive the Weslake's is a C-Audio SR-606, an amplifier that was widely used to drive studio monitors and in big PA systems and delivers 650wpc RMS. It is a beast! However, I have hooked it up to my Audiovector speakers to see how it performed against the Quad 909 I normally use. No comparison, the Quad left it standing in terms of sound quality, imaging, clarity and all areas except brute power! I have also tried pro power amps from Amcron and JBL with the same results.
Given that amps like these are used widely to drive the speakers the engineer is using to balance and eq the mix, it seems surprising and a bit worrying that they lack the finess and musicality of domestic amps like the Quad in favour of massive power.
Has anyone else tried or experimented with pro audio at home and with what results?
Now, I realise the the term "studio monitor" is open to misuse so I will be more specific. I am referring to the likes of Genelec, PMC, Westlake, JBL professional series and at the bottom end of the pro market Fostex and KRK. These are all designed purely for recording studios as monitors. This means that the producer and / or recording engineer uses them to balance and eq the final mix. Therefore, is it not the case that using these speakers at home is likely to give the closest reproduction to how the original master was mixed?
In the 1970's rock music fans bought JBL L100's to listen at home as they were the domestic version of the popular and widely used 4311 studio monitor. Is this not a valid point today and has anybody tried a pair of Genelec speakers at home?
I used to own a 32 track recording studio and I still have the Westlake BBSM-8 speakers that were used for recording and final mixdown, but now they are in my home studio which is used for radio production. They sound awesome, but they are not exactly pleasing to the eye, so I have a pair of Audio Vector M2 domestic speakers in the lounge for hi-fi stereo.
Also, the amplifier used to drive the Weslake's is a C-Audio SR-606, an amplifier that was widely used to drive studio monitors and in big PA systems and delivers 650wpc RMS. It is a beast! However, I have hooked it up to my Audiovector speakers to see how it performed against the Quad 909 I normally use. No comparison, the Quad left it standing in terms of sound quality, imaging, clarity and all areas except brute power! I have also tried pro power amps from Amcron and JBL with the same results.
Given that amps like these are used widely to drive the speakers the engineer is using to balance and eq the mix, it seems surprising and a bit worrying that they lack the finess and musicality of domestic amps like the Quad in favour of massive power.
Has anyone else tried or experimented with pro audio at home and with what results?