If memory serves correct, the NS40's are a dual woofer version of the NS10's. They are kinda like a "super NS10" if you will. Unless you are getting them for practically nothing, and don't have any money to spend, I would not recommend them. NS10's were never good, NS40's aren't any better.

I'd be willing to bet you could pick up a new pair of Event TR6's or TR8's for less than the price on those NS40's and an amp. The Event's will sound waaayyyyyy better.

thx erick for the reply, which speakers do you have and what kind of music youre doin?

i wanted a precise,neutral and clear monitor, in order to get my mix right from the start,thats why i was asking 8-)
a monitor which i can mix longer on and that wont get on my ears and nerves so fast

:wink:

wanted a precise,neutral and clear monitor, in order to get my mix right from the start

Thats not the NS10 or 40.

Get the events.. i use a pair of TR6's. Very nice.

sidhu

Sidhu wrote:

wanted a precise,neutral and clear monitor, in order to get my mix right from the start

Thats not the NS10 or 40.

I'll second that emotion.

I mix on Mackie HR824's and mainly do rock n' roll.

From this picture I found, it appears EriK is correct that the NS40m is a dual woofer version of the NS10m ... however the tweeter looks like a dome tweeter, not the kind used on the NS10m. The Yamaha website says they are a dual woofer version of the NS10. I have seen prices on these speakers range from $600 to $2000 a pair. I have never heard them though, so I can not specifically recommend them.

I disagree with his and the others posts about the usefulness of the NS10m ... there's a reason the NS10m can be found in about 90% of the worlds professional studios ... first, it's a known quantity ... they are everywhere ... but just because my neighbor likes a sh*t sandwich doesn't mean I'm going to eat one too! This leads us to the second reason these speakers have enjoyed a long service life and great popularity .. and that is they work! No they do not "sound" good ... in fact I think they sound pretty crappy ... I wouldn't listen to a Beatles or Beach Boys record on them for sure ... But the whole idea of a studio monitor isn't to sound good ... that's the provence of a stereo speaker .. A monitor is supposed to give you the ugly truth ... and at this the NS10m excels. Those who don't realize this will speak out against the NS10m, reveling in their own ignorance.

But if you can get your mixes to sound good on the NS10m's, it's almost a sure bet the mixes will sound good on almost any other speakers too ... and this is why they are used so much. If you can get the NS40m's at a good price, I say snag 'em quick, before someone else does! The woofers alone are worth something to any NS10m owner ... and the will only increase in value as they become harder to find.

As far as the Events and the Mackies .... I wouldn't even pee on them, even if they were playing a RAP song ... (well maybe an Axl Rose vocal could prompt my bladder to let go ... ) ... absolute crap IMO .. and that's my opinion, take it or leave it.

Thanks for the picture Kurt. It's been a long time, I couldn't remember exactly what they looked like. They don't really sound like NS10's from what I remember, they are very "tubby" sounding to my ear.

Kurt, for the most part, I agree with your feelings on the NS10's. They are a "benchmark". However, I don't recommend NS10's for someone's only set of monitors.

EriK,
I agree ... I don't recommend anyone use just one set of monitors in any situation ... I use a large set of 12" Tannoys as well as some 4" Auratones with my NS10m's ... but most of the time I mix through the Yamahas ...

I have tried mixing from the Tannoys to the NS10s but that didn't work ... mixing up from the Yamahas to the Tannoys does work though, and that's what I recommend.

The Yamaha NS10m is very linear ... meaning it gives you the same frequency balance regardless of what volume you are at ... The Events and the Mackies are not linear ... Try running pink noise through them while watching a spectrum analyzer hooked up to a calibrated mic in front of the speaker ... as you turn the volume up and down, you will see the response of the analyzer change ... and if you try the same thing with the Yamaha's, there will be more consistency at different volumes. This is because the NS10's have a superior crossover network when compared to the Events and Mackies. Also, Yamaha designed all the components used in the NS10, for the NS10 ... the Events and Mackies both use off the shelf components, thrown together to make the system ... not the optimal way to design a stereo speaker, much less a reference monitor.

Hey Kurt!

there is onething i dont understand. I have tried to work with NS10's. I cant. They dont sound like speakers to me. At least to what I am used to. I am comparitively young, and maybe the NS10 sound does not exist anymore, so i redicule them. But still, in your case, as with a lot of others, is there a distinct possibility that u are by now so used to the NS10's and ways of getting around that sound that it's now habbit ? I cant imagine getting a new age sound mixed through a pair of NS10's.

Which brings me to another observtion. You can bull me for this too, but ive seen it happen over and again.

Works of some pretty reputed enginners, Go to their studio website. Bookshelf NS10's. Main mix reference. Go to the sample download section, chek out the metal/rock mp3. They make the kit sound like out of the NS10 through my speakers. It's got the same papery, middish resonance to it. I hope ure understanding what i mean.

and so Im not too sure bout u stating good mixes on the 10's translate well. They did not for me. Over numerous attempts. But then again, im still a novice. And then ive heard as many ppl (more actually) dissing them as those advocating them. Also that i do not know the NS10's that well.

I feel there is a reason the NS10's became so popular. They were the appropraite tool for the time. They sounded like what most audio systems of the day sounded like. But im very sure that does not stand true anymore. And that one big studio gets it, so does another and another and so on... not many choices those daz for the price now was there?

And what amps are you using to drive the NS10's. Very crucial i would suppose. If one has to invest in a Brysto to make them sound good, then i anywaz find it pointless.

Im sure that there are a lot many more speakers out there that sound good, and are true... but as usuall, i respect your opinion. And neither will I piss on my Events.

I worked very hard for them. :mrgreen:

I will look at the NS10's again though.

cheers.

And a very happy new year to all of you. The tsunami has now expected to have claimed over 120,000 lives with over 15000 of the dead in India.

Kurt, I'm with ya on the NS-10 debate. I've used many and the NS-10's represent the truth, the whole damned ugly truth (sometimes). Anyhoo, I have another post on here because I am looking at a set of NS-20's but for the life of me I can't find any info on them. Are you aware of these? My understanding is the speaker is virtually exact to the NS-10m but double the power handling.

NS40m

In relation to some comments posted at much earlier dates re NS40 and NS10 speakers it would seem that no-one noticed that the NS40's are a three way not two way and also capable of a lot more power handling - 100w versus 18w. This would obviously lead to the conclusion that monitoring in an intimate near field environment at low levels should be virtually impossible due to the fact that the NS40's should need to be driven much harder to achieve linearity in response. However comparing the two the mid/high disparity which tends to be a characteristic of the NS10 is nowhere near as apparent in the NS40 - in fact quite a pleasant listen for a studio monitor of earlier vintage. The crossovers are passive with no separation in amplification as with bi-amping. Today there are many more possibilities in near fields with units having the power amps built in - bi or tri amped and matched to the speakers. Dynaudio BM6a - great speaker but a little on the exy$$$. Blue Sky - Media desk or their larger brothers utilizing a sub - easy to mix on - transparent - self powered and cheap, Also ESI nEar05 and 06 with or without the additional sub make recording and mixing so much easier with a better result than the NS10 benchmark.

Im with Kurt on this the NS10's show the ugly truth for sure, the local studio I work at runs a pair there and I notice a huge difference in what I hear at home on my KrK's at home. I'll bring a mix in from home that sounds good on the KrK's but once they hit the NS10's they sound like shit. After re mixing the project on the NS10s i notice a difference when taking projects back home that the Mix sounds even more balanced and accurate.

ns40m

I have tried the KRK's of varying types and I find they are a good rock speaker but need to be sort of loud to achieve linearity as well. Therer is no doubt after spending years working with NS10s, powered by a Bryston 3B amp, I find it relatively easy to work out what is wrong with a mix or a recording on them, where I would be doubtful about doing the same on KRK's. I have been using Genelec 1038A's as big monitors - for a nice relaxed listen with the client who wants to impress the hell out of their record company rep - but still use NS10's for most of the work. Have been doing some stuff lately trying new monitors and have been quite impressed with the Blue Sky Media desks - small - great for home studio stuff and with the sub makes bottom end work so much easier - and the mixes sound good elsewhere - even on the NS10's! Have any of you guys tried them? They have an 8" sub with 4" + 1" satellites. Not woolly like some sub systems I've heard. As a small vocal recording system I'm using some ESI nEar05 powered monitors - 1st generation - and the results from these are astounding (especially for their size and cheap price) I was asked to review an album mixed in a new studio here as everyone thought there was something wrong with the mixes in every track - stuck them through the nEar05's and straight away was able to pinpoint the faults in the mixes - took only two hours to review 17 tracks with a detailed mix report. For a small bookshelf these rock.