When you did the comparison, did you place the Mackies exactly where the Genelec's were placed? Or, did you swap their locations to rule out placement error? I have some Mackie 624s and I'm not happy about their bass, either, but I believe my #1 problem is the room. Nevertheless, I'm going to fight that battle with either (1) Adam 3As or (2) PMC AML-1s, or (3) PMC GB1s.

nah, i didn't get to play around with their placement unfortunately. the sales guy (or "hi tech consultant", according to his card) seemed annoyed enough that i should want to listen to more than one pair of speakers at a time. i seriously wonder sometimes whether i'd get more help if they sold studio monitors at k-mart. the 824s seemed pretty good 2 me for the price, and i've heard the 624s are better in some ways. if you can get the adams or pmcs though you'll be totally in another league judging from what people round here say. have a listen to atcs too if you have the chance. by the way, does anyone know what a good price would be for a 2nd hand pair of gen 1031s?

To the point, the best monitor to a responsible engineer should be 'flat' in frequency response, placed in a good room. The hyped monitor pleases the client in the studio but he won't come back if he finds that the actual sound is not the same.

Many modern day small monitors (hyped as near field) are guilty of this syndrome.

Remember some of the greatest sounding records were mixed with Auratones in the '70-'80s.

Some monitors in the list are too good to be true, I think most engineers would have guessed.

BE a responsible engineer, go for the flattest response amp+monitor+rooom.

I really like the 1031A's. I own KRK V8's which do sound much less flattering than the Genelics, though they fatigue your ears quicker.

I couldn't be happier with my PMC AML1's!

I wanted to hear the Tannoy Ellipse 8's but I couldn't find a place to demo and no one had heard of them when I asked around here. So my suspicions are confirmed that they are good, yes?

I think the AML's are far better than ADAM's because the transition between the two drivers just seems so much more coherent and also the bass just rules on the AML's. You can have a thumping deep rumbling bass line going on and the vocals and guitars are still as detailed and clear as ever. In fact I have found them to be as detailed and revealing (if not more) as the BB5?s. Although obviously they are meant for different room sizes and the BB5?s have much deeper bass.

However I want you all to buy ADAMs or something else because the AML1's are my secrete weapon! :D

so RF4, in your opinion which monitors would be acceptably flat?

missilanious, i heard the v8s in a tv post suite. they were with a sub and sounded pretty good to me, but different room, different material etc. to when i heard the other stuff. are they in the same leage as genies?

Tenson, the ellipse 8 is a good monitor, but not without its faults, like anything else. i felt like i could hear the material the woofer was made from, especially on drum transients.

i'm here to dampen your spirits and sound intelligent, you can't trust a poll, it's whatever sounds "honest" to you

Which is the the only acceptable answer to the question and the poll. You can't and won't find a monitor that is acceptably flat because it can not be made. And even if it did, you would most likely not enjoy the way it sounded. And to even further complicate things, once you have choosen what you think is best for you, you will find one day that they are not the best for you or that they are no longer good enough for you to live with. This often goes for other gear besides monitors as well.

so i guess that means we should all stop trying to record and mix music then. i'll put that money i was saving towards a couple of nice suits and brief case. i know nothing is perfect, the same is true with anything. all i'm trying to do here is work out what the majority of people think are the most useable monitors around, in their own opinions. but then i can't really complain about your attitude, because all you did was choose one of the poll options i gave you and elaborate on it, which is exactly what i wanted people to do. i'm sorry for being so rude. can you forgive me?

can you forgive me?

Yes, you are forgiven my child.

Spend your money as you wish. Having great monitors won't make up for lack of talent and in many cases are not necessary. Even more so if the rest of the sonic chain is lacking or your just a part time wanker or a weekend warrior having fun.

If it is any concelation, I own, use and am very happy with my Genelec 1031's which were my second choice. 1st choice was the Meyer HD1's.

AudioGaff wrote:

....and in many cases are not necessary. Even more so if the rest of the sonic chain is lacking or your just a part time wanker or a weekend warrior having fun.

Now hang on a second, thats exactly the opposite of what you and others were saying to me when I was asking what monitors were good for me!

The general consensus was that good monitors are not good enough and only 'great' monitors will do. It was said that they were possibly the most important part of equipment and without decent ones there is no point in having other good equipment because you can't tell what you are doing with it!

..and I have to say this was correct, I bought the very very best I could afford and my mixes have improved greatly, and I had some pretty good speakers before! Although I did also condition my room so I can't put it all down to the monitors, but the monitoring system which includes the room.

well i am a working engineer, so i'm no part time wanker...actually, being paid for wanking wouldn't be half bad. and there'd be no 24 sessions without meal breaks either. but that's besides the point. i just need to figure out which pair of monitors to set in my sights. i'm actually leaning towards atcs at the moment. we have scm 50s in the studio i'm working in, though the control room isn't perfect, they do sound amazing. i'd probably be looking more at the scm 20s, with the option of adding a sub later on. i know it's a big step up financially from genies and the like, but i just get the feeling that those kind of "forward" sounding monitors would leave my mixes a little bland. tenson, what speakers did you end up with?

jimbo_baby84 wrote: tenson, what speakers did you end up with?

PMC AML1's - Which I drive from a tube pre-amp as it makes them much less harsh in the highs while keeping the crispness and the soundstageing improves no end. I just plug the desk though the pre-amp and leave the pre-amp on a high volume to have control from the desk.

Tenson wrote: [quote=AudioGaff]

....and in many cases are not necessary. Even more so if the rest of the sonic chain is lacking or your just a part time wanker or a weekend warrior having fun.

Now hang on a second, thats exactly the opposite of what you and others were saying to me when I was asking what monitors were good for me!

I stand by everything I said in both cases. If you can afford it, then ALWAYS get the great stuff and reap the rewards they offer. But if what your doing is more of a hobby, part time fun and not meant to be a serious sonic endeavour, then those folks don't need or have the same requirements as those who are serious and/or closer to being more on the professional side that have different requirements and goals.

oh yeah, sorry tenson, i forgot. i'm tossing up between pmcs and atcs. its funny, no matter how good you think a product is, there's always some git who's reviewed it and given it 0 out of 5. i hate that. it always puts just the slightest doubt in your head. does anyone here have anything bad to say about atcs or pmcs? i mean obviously they sound great but i've heard people say they are overpriced. maybe i should start a new topic on this.

I have only heard a little of ATC, but I have heard a lot about them! In my opinion from what I have heard, if you want accuracy in deep extended bass, ultra detail and 3d sound staging then go for PMC. If you want a speaker that is also very detailed and has good sound staging however, it sacrifices that last ounce of bass extension for a 'nicer sound' then ATC are good. I have heard people say that ATC sound more like older speakers... as in their tonal characteristics.

People seem to think more things sound good on ATC, which is why I would not use it for mixing.

Go and listen, you can't really buy a monitor of this price without listening unless you have a damn good reason!