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anonymous 13 May 2004

all this talk of how important monitors gave me the ambition to sample some of them. i went to the local sam ash and guitar center here in good old mayfield ohio and to my incredible disbelief, the workers were useless. how typical. all i wanted was to hear a few of the cheaper monitors, and so the guy played a CDr of some crappy beats and answered my detailed questions with yes or no, or of course, "i think". anyways what I'm getting at is that i really was not impressed with what i heard, compared to what i am using now which is high-endpair of book shelf sized infinity speakers (600/pair). i know a lot goes into a good speaker, but what about specs? I mean will a good monitor differ in freq response, etc... also

can anyone recommend a decent amp for these passive monitors... if i was rich i'd buy the best, but I'm just a broke college kid so ill settle for something under 200, used is fine...

ONE last thing. here's the specs on my monitors I'm using now... id like someone to compare them to a true studio monitor,

Frequency Response (±3dB): 56Hz - 22kHz
Recommended Power Amplifier Range: 15 - 150 watts
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m): 88dB
Impedance: 8 ohms
Crossover Frequency: 2800Hz; 24dB/octave
Dimensions (H x W x D): 15-5/8" x 8-1/2" x 11-1/2"
(39.7cm x 21.6cm x 29)
Weight: 18 lb each, 8.2kg each

Comments

KurtFoster Thu, 05/13/2004 - 23:18

These are the two points that are problematic with your Infinity's..
Frequency Response (±3dB): 56Hz - 22kHz
This is a 6 dB difference in volume at given points of the frequency plot ... that is quite a lot. Most studio monitors are more accurate than that. Some spec at +1 or -2 dB variance..

Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m): 88dB
Pretty insensitive. It takes a lot of amp power to push these babies to 85dB where your ear works at its flattest...

Kurt Foster

anonymous Thu, 05/13/2004 - 23:41

Cedar Flat Fats wrote: It takes a lot of amp power to push these babies to 85dB where your ear works at its flattest...

Hey Kurt, could you elaborate on this more? It sounds really interesting. Are you saying that monitors should be listened to at that level consistantly? Perhaps only mixdown? And also, whats the longest the human ear can be exposed to that level before damage will be done? Thanks.

anonymous Fri, 05/14/2004 - 05:52

jcnoernberg wrote: ONE last thing.... here's the specs on my monitors im using now... id like someone to compare them to a true studio monitor,

What do you mean by "true studio monitor" ? monitors that professionnal use or monitors that one loves ?

I do not trust technicals specs very much. I never bought my monitors (and other gears) on the basis of technical specs. When I want to buy a new gear, I first make a short list based on what I've heard and read about it : to me users' advices are more important than specs. I try gears that I want to buy : if the dealer doesn't give a damn to my request then I look for some friends or some people I know who own the gear I want to buy ... and another dealer.

KurtFoster Sat, 05/15/2004 - 00:31

Squaysh wrote: [quote=Cedar Flat Fats] It takes a lot of amp power to push these babies to 85dB where your ear works at its flattest...

Hey Kurt, could you elaborate on this more? It sounds really interesting. Are you saying that monitors should be listened to at that level consistently? Perhaps only mix down? And also, what's the longest the human ear can be exposed to that level before damage will be done? Thanks.

Due to what is known as "the Fletcher Munson effect", at levels below 85 dB the human ear rolls off the high and low end... accentuating the mids. This is so we can hear predators and mothers can hear their babies cry. It's a physiological apparatus to asset us in our survival in the wild.

So if you want your ears to hear a mix at its flattest then you should be listening at levels of about 85 dB at your listening position. I don't find that level to be uncomfortably loud but I recommend everyone take a 15 minute ear break at least every 2 hours or even more often.

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