Pro Speakers vs Consumer Speakers?

I have been looking around on some of the professional audio sites like Pro Gear Warehouse and others and have been noticeing how reasonably priced the Professional speakers are from company's like Nady and Gemini and others and was wondering how good or bad these kind of speakers would sound in a home audio setup?There was one in particular from Nady a Trapazoid configuration,what ever that is (Forgot the model numbers) that come with a 10 12 or 15 inch woofer and a large Horn tweeter with sensitivity ratings 98 101 102DB respectively and handle 300 400 and 500 watts respectively and are all 8 ohm.I just noticed that these Pro Grade speakers are much less expensive than there consumer grade conterparts and was wondering if anyone ever listend to these kind of speakers in a home setup?Thanks,Keith.

Usually those kinds of speakers are designed to play very loudly, sound quality is not as important as is volume. they are designed to play at large clubs and be able to be heard over everything else. you will find that such things as sound quality stereo imaging dynamic range are very limited. I work in a bowling alley and we have a pro sound system. it is very lound and thumps quite well however the sacrifice is stereo imaging you cant even get a stereo effect on them. usually you will find the horn tweeters sound colored and can be very scratchy especially if it is a piezo type speaker.

if all you want is a lot of volume and arent too concerned with the quality of sound go for it

Thanks Jamison,can these kinds of speakers sound pretty decent if a EQ is used to get a bit better frequency response out of them or to tame them a bit?Thanks Again.

Pro audio speakers would work ok in home setups, but as Jamison mentioned, they're made for different applications. It's not accurate to say they don't concern themselves with sound quality, there are pro-audio speakers that compete favorably with hi-end audiophile speakers. But they cost a pretty penny.
In exchange for the added sensitivity (loudness ability) of pro-speakers, you're probably giving up something else at a given price-point. That something else will probably affect sound quality somehow. If you're into loud, head-bangin, ball stompin' rock or hip-hop, like party speakers, you're probably better off going that route than the hi-fi route for your money. If you like a bit better sound quality at reduced levels sometimes, you're better off looking at something else.

The only time I would use pro speakers at home would be JBL, EV, Altec, and TAD. But they still have to be their higher end products. A good sounding horn wont sound colored, something lets just say like the horns on a pair of Westlakes.

Well I guess I should just get to my point there are many pro speakers out there that work very well in a home situation most of them being higher end studio monitors, but with quality comes a price and a high one at that. A good pair of horn drivers would start you around $300 each new, and good woofers in the same starting price. Then cabinets and crossover parts and the time to build it all, or just spending thousands on a good pair of lets say TAD 2404's.

If you arent willing to make that jump stay with the consumer grade stuff.

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Originally Posted by keithant

I have been looking around on some of the professional audio sites like Pro Gear Warehouse and others and have been noticeing how reasonably priced the Professional speakers are from company's like Nady and Gemini and others and was wondering how good or bad these kind of speakers would sound in a home audio setup?There was one in particular from Nady a Trapazoid configuration,what ever that is (Forgot the model numbers) that come with a 10 12 or 15 inch woofer and a large Horn tweeter with sensitivity ratings 98 101 102DB respectively and handle 300 400 and 500 watts respectively and are all 8 ohm.I just noticed that these Pro Grade speakers are much less expensive than there consumer grade conterparts and was wondering if anyone ever listend to these kind of speakers in a home setup?Thanks,Keith.

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The brands you mentioned are at the low end of the spectrum. You need to get into Community, JBL, EV, and others, to get better quality.

Indeed pro speakers are made to different requirements from home speakers as others have mentioned. They must play loud, and take physical and electrical abuse.

You will also find that they have a more focused pattern than home speakers would, making the "sweet spot" for stereo listening smaller. Some as narrow as 60 degrees and are usually referred to as "long throw." Dependng on your listening room, you might be able to use speakers with a 90 degree pattern, usually referred to as "short throw." They would certainly reduce the reflections you would see from a speaker system with a 120 degree, or wider radiation pattern.

Oh, be wary of "floor monitors" as they usually have a restricted bass response.

-Bruce

You could take a look at the the Studio Pro Monitors instead, as they are lower priced and in some cases overbuilt compared with their consumer counterparts.

http://www.tannoy.com/StudioOverview

and:

http://www.dynaudioacoustics.com/

come to mind. There are lots of other Manufacturers to choose from too.

You could pick a pair of Tannoy Reveal passive models for example for around $350.00 pr CAN. or Dynaudio BM6 passives for $250 pair cheaper than their 52 domestic version. :)

If I were to use professional monitors for my hometheater, the only ones I could think of right off the top of my head would be either SLS, Genelec, or M&K. My ultimate would be the PMC/Bryston combo. TAD and Tannoys would also be in the mix. EV, JBL, and Altec would not be on my list for any application, home or studio. Community would be a possibility, but it depends on what place in their line you would choose.

Just to clarify, we are talking about stage monitors rather than studio monitors right? Because studio have flat response at any volume(well, they are supposed to). Stage monitors are the ones that have detail issues.
Genelec's are amazing, but so is the price. Yorkville/Traynor's are my favourite as far as cheap ones go.

Terrence why wouldnt you choose a JBL for use in a studio monitor. Not only did JBL hold its own building some of the best studio monitors in the world, the components are used to build everything from Westlakes to the most exotic Auspbergs (sp?) The older Altec stuff is highly sought after such as the 755c. And the EV stuff I guess you have to hear an EV Ndym 6 driver on the HR9040 horn to understand it. A lot of EV's designs are based off the research of Jim Long who is one of the biggest influences in audio in decades. If you get a chance find someone who has a pair of JBL 4355's and give them a listen. If I came off a little rough I apologize, I just feel that many people miss the impact that those companys had in studio monitors and hifi throughout the years.

On the Community topic, I work with their SLS 960's all the time and I will say that they are a great box but I would never take those drivers for home or studio use.

I have a big cabinet that I sometimes use for parties. Dual 10 inch with a big Altec horn. It could certainly benefit from an EQ, but that is not the point. It is LOUD.

I would only go pro if I wanted it loud.

jocko

I've been playing music for pay off and on since the Nixon Administration. There are currently a couple of "pro" outfits who's speakers are as good a some high end speaks and better than 90% of the Commercial crap out there.

EAW - Makes a wide range of speakers that can be used for home use. Not the prettiest in the world but the pump and sound great. Plus I flat out guarentee that no dog, cat or 5 year old can ruin them. Low WAF however.

Mackie - Makes a great line of powered and passive speakers that could fit a wide variety of applications. They'd be my second choice.

JBL - The old standby makes decent gear that, if refinished (hate that black carpet on em) would be servicable but not a world beater sound wise, price wise though they're great.

I wouldn't run any of these in the house save the EAW's. If I had a larger back yard and need music out there, I'd choose any of the above, mount them on the house and have at it.

Da Worfster :o

Worf not all JBL's are carpeted only their really cheap stuff now. The SRX-700 series boxes are a little ugly but sound great. Now for JBL stuff like the 4430's that I own :) beautiful rosewood cabinet with a black front baffle, nice and simple and great sounding boxes. Anyways I guess I'll stop bring up the same thing over and over again about them. Its all preference, but like Ive said before if it was good enough to record the music its sure as hell good enough to listen to it back

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Originally Posted by pelly3s

Terrence why wouldnt you choose a JBL for use in a studio monitor. Not only did JBL hold its own building some of the best studio monitors in the world, the components are used to build everything from Westlakes to the most exotic Auspbergs (sp?) The older Altec stuff is highly sought after such as the 755c. And the EV stuff I guess you have to hear an EV Ndym 6 driver on the HR9040 horn to understand it. A lot of EV's designs are based off the research of Jim Long who is one of the biggest influences in audio in decades. If you get a chance find someone who has a pair of JBL 4355's and give them a listen. If I came off a little rough I apologize, I just feel that many people miss the impact that those companys had in studio monitors and hifi throughout the years.

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JBL is pro mass market garbage. Whenever I work at a studio that has them, I ask that they be replaced. The PMC/Bryston combo is my speakers of choice, followed by Genelec and M&K. JBL, EV, and altec have all had their day. I have heard the 4355, it doesn't even come close to the PMC/Bryston combination. It also doesn't come close to the Genelecs either. I guess its a matter of what you like in a speaker.

I use Dunlavy SC V when mastering.

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Originally Posted by keithant

I have been looking around on some of the professional audio sites like Pro Gear Warehouse and others and have been noticeing how reasonably priced the Professional speakers are from company's like Nady and Gemini and others and was wondering how good or bad these kind of speakers would sound in a home audio setup?There was one in particular from Nady a Trapazoid configuration,what ever that is (Forgot the model numbers) that come with a 10 12 or 15 inch woofer and a large Horn tweeter with sensitivity ratings 98 101 102DB respectively and handle 300 400 and 500 watts respectively and are all 8 ohm.I just noticed that these Pro Grade speakers are much less expensive than there consumer grade conterparts and was wondering if anyone ever listend to these kind of speakers in a home setup?Thanks,Keith.

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If you are going to use pro speakers keep in mind that they can be a bit bright sounding.
Also pro speakers require a lot of power to drive them, (massive magnets) they do not like being underpowered so your amp needs a lot of headroom. The average Home A.V. setup will not have the punch to drive the pros properly and will most likely sound distorted and possibly overheat the amp and will clip easily when trying to party.
I built my own speakers and had the networks custom made and they sound amazing. However, I built my system for power so I can play them for hours on end at VERY high volumes. (I live in a rural area) My system does sound refined even at a low volume but that is because the amplifier has headroom to drive the speakers at low listening levels.

Most Pro speakers have a pretty high sensitivity, which means they will go loud with little power. They don't need a lot of power unless you're talking about DJ'ing hours on end.

The original question was sort of the "free luch" question. Is there a cheaper way to get a speaker that has good sound?

My experience is that there is a fair correlation between cost and sound quality; good speakers cost more. Really good speakers cost a lot more.

I only know two ways to save real money on a speaker:
1. Buy used.
2. Build your own.

Number 2 assumes that you have plenty of spare time. The task is not small but much of the time is spent in woodwork and assembly. Many sites on the web will give you free plans. If you only consider component costs you can build a speaker that competes with a given commercial model for around 1/4 th the money or less.

What kind of situation is that? Who usually has to face the dilema of choosing between a consumer type and professional type speaker? Who ever heard of a diofference?

Go to the store thatg has the best deal and you don't have nothing to worry about!

Have any of you heard of Truth monitors? I'm looking at the B2031P-TRUTH model on page 3 of this link.

http://www.fullcompass.com/Catalog/c...speakers01.pdf

They sure seem like they would be a good bang for the buck.

I just bought two MACKIE 824 studio monitors for home stereo use this last weekend. The are perfectly flat 39->20k speakers, actively powered w/ balanced XLR ins (actually they have RCA ins as well). I find them remarkably clean and detailed , somewhat brighter (as someone else mentioned) than i am used to. Some what oddly I was expecting the bass to be much more pronounced w/ the 39 hz range. Again I think this is due to the flat response rather than the punchiness of standard speakers. I've actually ordered a DEQ 2496 to act as an equalizer to examine what the response is and what it is that I consider "good". I went the studio monitor route because (1) I like having "honest" speakers (2) the flat response is what people mix down to (3) I trust the pro-audio people more than home audio people :!

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Originally Posted by This Guy

Most Pro speakers have a pretty high sensitivity, which means they will go loud with little power. They don't need a lot of power unless you're talking about DJ'ing hours on end.

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I say this things from experience because I have pro speakers.
Trust me you need real power to drive them properly.
I first used my Pioneer Elite which has a good 125 wats per channel. It sounded OK but did not have the headroom to really drive them well.
Then I got an ATI 1504 bridged it to 450 watts 8 ohm per channel, sounded better but became fatigued and very hot after servral hours of hard playing.
Then I put a PRO amp in front of them not bridged at 725 watts 8 ohm per channel, awesome never gets fatigued and never gets hot.

Brandon

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Originally Posted by hermanv

The original question was sort of the "free luch" question. Is there a cheaper way to get a speaker that has good sound?

My experience is that there is a fair correlation between cost and sound quality; good speakers cost more. Really good speakers cost a lot more.

I only know two ways to save real money on a speaker:
1. Buy used.
2. Build your own.

Number 2 assumes that you have plenty of spare time. The task is not small but much of the time is spent in woodwork and assembly. Many sites on the web will give you free plans. If you only consider component costs you can build a speaker that competes with a given commercial model for around 1/4 th the money or less.

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If you buy them used be sure you get them from a reputable company:
http://www.soundbroker.com/

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Originally Posted by BRANDONH

If you buy them used be sure you get them from a reputable company:
http://www.soundbroker.com/

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I usually use the internet classifieds.

The Audiogon site has a long list of used speakers. Because many are very large you might look for used speakers for sale within driving distance of your home. 1. It saves the shipping cost. 2. You get to see and hear them. 3. You get a chance to hear someone elses system. 4. You might make a new audiophile friend.

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Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible

JBL is pro mass market garbage. Whenever I work at a studio that has them, I ask that they be replaced. The PMC/Bryston combo is my speakers of choice, followed by Genelec and M&K. JBL, EV, and altec have all had their day. I have heard the 4355, it doesn't even come close to the PMC/Bryston combination. It also doesn't come close to the Genelecs either. I guess its a matter of what you like in a speaker.

I use Dunlavy SC V when mastering.

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Terrence your prejudices and opinions are your own, and I won't debate them with you here.

What I will react to is your characterization of any product as garbage and your implied insult to pellys3 when you carry the title of "moderator." When you want to spew insults, please don't do it under the guise of a moderator, as it's in direct opposition to the whole concept and role of moderation.

If I were in the market for budget speakers, I would certainly take a hard look at DIY. The amount of skilled work required is not so great. If you do not have proper tools, there are enough prefab cabinets available. You can go with a proven design and layout, some of the driver manufacturers even have designs and kits available. The DIY community knows what it is doing and is more that willing to help a newbie. I am into it now, planning to get my hands on any quality cabinets and/or classic old designs that I can mess with.

One could even find a damaged unit of a model he really wanted, make the required repairs or even make improvements. The knowlegde is out there. It is a lot fun, too.

Is it a different mindset, that these are merely boxes that play music, not a brand name, image, or object with a lot of emotional attachment? What matters is that the sound is good.

These guys were great for me: www.madisound.com

Good Luck.

jocko