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Just want to give my input to this seemingly important topic.

I've been using a pair of :
Yamaha - MSP5 Active Studio Monitor (YMSP5)
that aproducer I work with picked up.
In a word they're great on all acounts. They sound not too far from NS10's with a little more bottom that is tight...not as harsh...and a good deal of volumn. They're small, and they're cheap (less than $500 a pair). So far everything I've mixed on them has translated very well.
Highly recommended.
They're my next speaker purchase..perfect for the mobile user (they're small).

I had to edit this addy. It was sooooo long i screwed up the page. It wasn't active anyhow. So if you want to use it, just highlight the whole thing (all 5 lines!) and insert it into your address bar and click "GO" Kurt

[ May 24, 2003, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: Kurt Foster ]

Comments

RecorderMan Sat, 05/24/2003 - 10:05

OK...I'm bumping this topic.
I'm telling you guy's...get these monitor's ......they're a hidden treat. My stuff is translating...if you've used NS10's in the past you'll "get" these guys quick.
I mean compared to some of the over-marketed and overpriced crap out their (like the MACKIES...wow...are they ever a BAD monitor) these are a steal.

anonymous Fri, 05/30/2003 - 12:42

I picked up a pair on loan from a dealer 2day.

Right on the money - these babies produce the NS-10's midrange "focus", and ease of balance.

I even found the burst of air from the front bass reflex holes 2 b a useful indication of LF energy. (The equivalent of observing the woofer movement (the "crinkle") of the NS-10).

If they translate as good as the NS-10, I'm definitely getting a pair.

The sound varies significantly with the surface the speakers r placed on, and the contact between the speaker and the surface.

Keep the speakers away from close boundaries (i.e. right @ the edge of meter-bridge, desk or shelf and away from walls), and use a rather small contact point (rubber, plastic or metal) @ the center.

Experiment, cuz YMMV.

RecorderMan, U rock.

Every tip from U works like a charm, no exceptions so far.

U must b 1 hell of an engineer.

Peace,

Zooot

golli Fri, 05/30/2003 - 14:09

Should I have one good monitor pair and know them really well, or should I have two, to switch between as a reference.
I heard these MSP-5's a little over a year ago and was amased how much low end such a small thing could produce, and of course would like to own a pair. My Event 20/20bas's of course produce much more image and raw power. But if these Yamaha's can give something my Event's dont, I of course would like to own a pair :)

RecorderMan Sat, 05/31/2003 - 13:30

Thanks for the compliment zoot.

Originally posted by Zooot:

The sound varies significantly with the surface the speakers r placed on, and the contact between the speaker and the surface.

Get some dense foam (magazines work in a pinch) to place underneath to decouple them (something you should do with pretty much any monitor).....I've recently seen some product at a friends studio & Sam Ash that does this..it's foam and hold your monitors at a slight down angle (they have a little lip in the fron to keep them in place)...

RecorderMan Sat, 05/31/2003 - 13:38

Thanks for the compliment zoot.

Originally posted by Zooot:

The sound varies significantly with the surface the speakers r placed on, and the contact between the speaker and the surface.

Get some dense foam (magazines work in a pinch) to place underneath to decouple them (something you should do with pretty much any monitor).....I've recently seen some product at a friends studio & Sam Ash that does this..it's foam and hold your monitors at a slight down angle (they have a little lip in the fron to keep them in place)...

Pez Sat, 05/31/2003 - 18:09

RM, Stik-Tak or Blue-Tak (available at most hardware stores) works great to decouple your monitors from your stands. It's made to hold posters to walls without damage and is being used a lot now in pro-audio to dampen vibrations. It's a clay like stuff that comes in strips. Just make four pea sized balls and stick them under your speakers. It's a hell of a lot easier and cheaper than spikes.
Also, I'm currently using self powered Event 20/20 bas speakers (the same one's that Golli mentioned). How do these compare to the Yamaha's?

anonymous Sun, 06/01/2003 - 15:56

Originally posted by RecorderMan:
Thanks for the compliment zoot.

...And thank U 4 sharing your knowledge.

I've tried a few products and materials, and I've noticed that the smaller the contact the better the focus gets.

It's not so much of a problem in the studios (the desks I work with r MASSIVE with high meter bridges) but @ home my system is placed on a big wooden desk.

When I placed rubber pads under the front and back the color was VERY NS-10, but the focus was gone.

The foam worked better, but still the desk vibrated, painting the sound. These boxes r HEAVY, and the bass reflex is a miniature jet engine...

The best solution I came up with were 2 plastic Ampex DAT cassette enclosures placed underneath each speaker's center.

...And that's the best use I've found 4 DAT cassettes ever ... :-)

My guess is that if the contact is only @ the center this lets the speaker rock back and forth w/o moving the surface.

I'll try the magazines trick 2, 4 sure.

Peace,

Zooot

tubedude Mon, 06/09/2003 - 04:00

I have a pair of MSP10's I bought seperatly (one used with a small ding, the other on clearance at Full Compass) and I think I have $500 in th pair and they have juicy amps in them.
These are the bigger 8 inch version.
They seem to give me good mixes and I hear things pretty much as they are. The mid range is pretty much there, not scooped sounding like some speakers.
NEver tried the smaller ones.

KurtFoster Mon, 06/09/2003 - 10:07

IMO, this thread shows why Yamaha discontinued the NS10. By eliminating the studio standard from the market, they have generated intrest in their newer products. And you can be sure that they won't make the same mistake twice. Never again will a new model be so good that no one will feel the need to replace it after having it for a while. This way they will have us all returning to the trough every now and then, hoping to find something better. I don't believe for one second that they can't figure out a source for the paper in the woofers or find a suitable replacment for it. They just got tired of selling one set of speakers to us and that was it for ten years or so.. So I think I am going to stock up on replacment parts for my NS10s and thumb my nose at Yamaha for another 20 years or so! This kind of marketing just turns me off on a company. You can be sure that I will view any new products from Yamaha Corp. with a jaundiced eye..

Davedog Mon, 06/09/2003 - 16:04

Now now Kurtster...dont be so bitter....you an I both know they're not gonna fall on their swords just because you've uncovered the TRUTH in marketing......(lol)

I personally like my little ole Genelecs for nearfields. course, I paid a lot more for em....Some people say they're too nice, I will say they dont fatigue as much as NS-10's...and they do give you confidence that your mixes are going to sound good ....sometime...they're very subtle...and small moves on fader and knob will show up quickly.They're very fast in response.I have yet to have anything not translate on em...they even translate to Kurts golden 10's..(reverse engineering???)...I guess they work for me because I track on em too..and check my mids and highs on Celestion model#3's...now there is a speaker that sounds more like an NS10...you get these right and its really right.

audiokid Wed, 04/08/2015 - 16:53

maybe. That was a while now, eh. Good old days. So many platforms have come and gone. That review software was really cool for the day. They went broke and I was forced to stop it.

I was actually reading your article on Sebs site, VMP 2000. We should put that up here sometime. I bet Seb would appreciate it too.
I'm working on our review section, part of the Resource. I've actually enabled you to upload reviews there. But, seems those days are behind us too.
I was thinking we should put Sebs in there. He's a great guy eh.

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