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I'm looking at making some upgrades to my monitoring system to the tune of around $500. I currently use a pair of Tannoy Proto Js and an Alesis RA-100. Am I better off getting new speakers or a better amp? Are the Tannoy Reveal (passives) going to be a significant improvement over the Protos?

Or should I just ditch the whole thing and get a set of powered MSP5?

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Davedog Thu, 10/23/2003 - 15:54

Da 'Gaff makes a very IMPORTANT point here.Most of the time.....MOST!....its not so much the speakers or the amp but the listening environment.Its unfortunate that there is so much marketing hype out there that folks think they're only a purchase away from sonic nirvana.Even a modest set of monitors will sound very good and operate at a high enough level that you'll be able to achieve a decent view of a mix in a good sounding room.Placement in the room is important.Objects surrounding your monitors' make a great deal of difference.Your listening position is a factor that is grossly overlooked in a lot of cases.There are rules for these things.Physics is a real science and should be attended to with as much of a budget as the gear itself.Yet this is one of the things left to a 'maybe' on most lists.Do your research...there are many threads on here and many others groups dealing with this very thing.Move your monitors around some...change your listening position.Chances are you will save a great deal of money in the short run, and in the long run you will actually learn some truths to this engineering business that you will use as long as you're at it.

If you are deadset on spending some money, for under $20 you can purchase a db meter from Radio Shaq that will help you determine just how loud you're mixing and listening.It will REALLY help. At 85db, most monitors can faithfully reproduce all of the frequencies found in a basic mix.If ,of course, they're situated properly.