Speakers for Sound Editing at DVinfo.net

Ryan Krickow · May 24th, 2008, 04:10 AM

I'm going to be the sound editor for a feature film but not the sound mixer. Are there $300 speakers that would allow me to do my job properly or is that impossible?

Josh Bass · May 24th, 2008, 04:46 AM

A friend recommended Behringer Truth b2031a's, which are what I have now. They're supposed to be unbiased (neutral EQ), and go for around your price range ($340 or so) on eBay (which might be their spanking new price as well), though I got mine for under $200.

Steve House · May 24th, 2008, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan Krickow

I'm going to be the sound editor for a feature film but not the sound mixer. Are there $300 speakers that would allow me to do my job properly or is that impossible?

$300 a pair or $300 each? <grin>

Josh's suggestion for Behringer's might not be a bad one, also Yorkville Sound monitors are a good value. Avoid typical computer "multimedia speakers" like the plague. For evaluation and editing (but NOT mixing!) a good set of headphones isn't a bad idea either.

Melvin Torrens · May 24th, 2008, 05:59 AM

I bought a pair of Tapco S8 monitors
http://www.tapcoworld.com/products/s8/index.html
I think they are the best in that price range and they are made by Mackie. My second option were the KRKs RP-8
http://www.krksys.com/rokit/index.html

You can find out more info on these sites
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Active-P...Monitors--2863
http://www.soundonsound.com/search?u...42&Summary=Yes
http://www.sweetwater.com/c405--Active_Monitors

But if you can afford a pair of Mackie 824's they are definitely worth it, you might also find them cheaper at eBay.

Ty Ford · May 24th, 2008, 06:24 AM

I'm working on a review of a pair of Samson Resolv 6 monitors now (not bad for the price, but not flat) and have been reliving my purchase a pair of JBL Century L100 many years ago. They were about $400 each back then. I still use them today and push them with a P4000 Hafler. They still make me catch my breath.

I'll echo the 824. Speaker placement is as important as the speakers themselves. You want to form an equilateral triangle with your head. Have the speakers up so they point directly at your ears. Where you have them in the room also makes a big difference. Free standing is better than wall mounted. Corner mounting increases the bass.

Warren's got a good price:
http://www.frontendaudio.com/Product...oductCode=2843

Regards,

Ty Ford

Jack Walker · May 24th, 2008, 12:43 PM

Hear are some new ones from Yamaha that people like:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-H...99-i1153006.gc

Here is a review from MixOnline:
http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_yamaha_hsm_monitor/

Here is another review, with a few details that suggest what to listen for in a speaker:
http://www.proaudioreview.com/pages/s.0037/t.8619.html

You can go to Guitar center and listen to several of the low cost near-field monitors. Take a CD with music and voice that you know the sound of and listen to it at the store in the speaker listening room.

Event also makes a nice small monitor. I have Rokit 8" monitors I bought several years ago that work well for me. However, some say the Rokit monitors have a more colored sound now. I don't know.

In any case, you're looking for a powered near-field monitor, 4-6 inches. You want the speaker placed correctly about 4 feet away. As already pointed out, the room can make a big difference in the accuracy of the sound you hear.

The cheapest you will possibly pay for something workable will be $100 each, but probably more like $150 or $200 each.

Stay away from anything made for computers or made for music listening. Exception: there is a flat panel speaker made for computers that is excellent. Unfortunately, it hasn't been made for several years.

Josh Bass · May 24th, 2008, 01:39 PM

My bad. They are $300 for THE PAIR.

Ryan Krickow · May 24th, 2008, 03:47 PM

So, this is what I'm thinking... I'm going to get the M-Audio Studiophile DX4 monitoring speakers as well as the M-Audio Firewire Solo US35030 Firewire Audio Interface or the E-MU EM8761 Professional Quality USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface (I'm leaning toward the E-MU). Does that sound like a functioning combination? Again, I'm only doing sound editing so I'm trying to keep a tight budget. By the way- the system I'm working on is a Quad Core 2.66 GHz MacPro.

Melvin Torrens · May 24th, 2008, 04:22 PM

I haven't heard the DX4 or any M-Audio monitors but I do have a Firewire 410 audio interface from them and while now it's working great I've had to wait more than a year for M-audio to fix a couple of (small but annoying) issues with the drivers for my Mac G5. Thus I wont be buying anything from them again.
For what I've read the DX4 have a good value for price/quality and plenty of reviews speak well of them. I guess they would be the minimum for sound editing. But do be aware that the connections for the speakers are 1/8 jack input and the audio interfaces are 1/4. The DX4 include a converter for that.
Then about the audio interfaces I would prefer the E-MU also because it has 2 balanced 1/4 outputs while in the M-audio they are unbalanced.

Actually I looked more carefully at the specs of the M-Audio interface and they do have 2 1/4" TRS balanced outputs. Whatever you buy be sure to look around forums to see if the drivers are working properly on macs for the audio interfaces.

Brooks Harrington · May 24th, 2008, 10:56 PM

More importantly, you haven't said what software you will be using, and this may dictate which hardware, if any, you will need.

For under $300 a pair for speakers, how about these?
$99 each.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...tor?sku=602312

Ken Steadman · May 25th, 2008, 12:30 AM

take a look at Mackie MR5s they are about 150 a piece. I used to have nicer mackie monitors and they produced such good reference sound I would be surprised if the lower priced models were bad.

Mark Keck · May 25th, 2008, 04:50 AM

Have a listen to the m-audio bx5a's. $190/pair. I just got a pair last week. Very nice.. but then a tin can would sound nice compared to what I had. They were recommended to me by an acoustic engineer where I work for this price range. He's going to sweep them out for me next week just to see how flat (or un-flat) they are.

Oh yeah... They are quite a bit better than the dx4's... at least to my ear, for just a few dollars more. But then I also thought that the mackie mr5's were better than the bx5a's for just a few dollars more as well.

May 24th, 2008, 04:10 AM	#1
Ryan Krickow Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hawaii Posts: 41	Speakers for Sound Editing I'm going to be the sound editor for a feature film but not the sound mixer. Are there $300 speakers that would allow me to do my job properly or is that impossible?

May 24th, 2008, 04:46 AM	#2
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	A friend recommended Behringer Truth b2031a's, which are what I have now. They're supposed to be unbiased (neutral EQ), and go for around your price range ($340 or so) on eBay (which might be their spanking new price as well), though I got mine for under $200. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

May 24th, 2008, 06:24 AM	#5
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	I'm working on a review of a pair of Samson Resolv 6 monitors now (not bad for the price, but not flat) and have been reliving my purchase a pair of JBL Century L100 many years ago. They were about $400 each back then. I still use them today and push them with a P4000 Hafler. They still make me catch my breath. I'll echo the 824. Speaker placement is as important as the speakers themselves. You want to form an equilateral triangle with your head. Have the speakers up so they point directly at your ears. Where you have them in the room also makes a big difference. Free standing is better than wall mounted. Corner mounting increases the bass. Warren's got a good price: http://www.frontendaudio.com/Product...oductCode=2843 Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

May 24th, 2008, 12:43 PM	#6
Jack Walker Trustee Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Burbank Posts: 1,811	Hear are some new ones from Yamaha that people like: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-H...99-i1153006.gc Here is a review from MixOnline: http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_yamaha_hsm_monitor/ Here is another review, with a few details that suggest what to listen for in a speaker: http://www.proaudioreview.com/pages/s.0037/t.8619.html You can go to Guitar center and listen to several of the low cost near-field monitors. Take a CD with music and voice that you know the sound of and listen to it at the store in the speaker listening room. Event also makes a nice small monitor. I have Rokit 8" monitors I bought several years ago that work well for me. However, some say the Rokit monitors have a more colored sound now. I don't know. In any case, you're looking for a powered near-field monitor, 4-6 inches. You want the speaker placed correctly about 4 feet away. As already pointed out, the room can make a big difference in the accuracy of the sound you hear. The cheapest you will possibly pay for something workable will be $100 each, but probably more like $150 or $200 each. Stay away from anything made for computers or made for music listening. Exception: there is a flat panel speaker made for computers that is excellent. Unfortunately, it hasn't been made for several years. Last edited by Jack Walker; May 24th, 2008 at 01:04 PM. Reason: Reviews Added

May 24th, 2008, 01:39 PM	#7
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	My bad. They are $300 for THE PAIR. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

May 24th, 2008, 05:59 AM	#4
Melvin Torrens Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Spain Posts: 46	I bought a pair of Tapco S8 monitors http://www.tapcoworld.com/products/s8/index.html I think they are the best in that price range and they are made by Mackie. My second option were the KRKs RP-8 http://www.krksys.com/rokit/index.html You can find out more info on these sites http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Active-P...Monitors--2863 http://www.soundonsound.com/search?u...42&Summary=Yes http://www.sweetwater.com/c405--Active_Monitors But if you can afford a pair of Mackie 824's they are definitely worth it, you might also find them cheaper at eBay.

May 24th, 2008, 03:47 PM	#8
Ryan Krickow Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hawaii Posts: 41	So, this is what I'm thinking... I'm going to get the M-Audio Studiophile DX4 monitoring speakers as well as the M-Audio Firewire Solo US35030 Firewire Audio Interface or the E-MU EM8761 Professional Quality USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface (I'm leaning toward the E-MU). Does that sound like a functioning combination? Again, I'm only doing sound editing so I'm trying to keep a tight budget. By the way- the system I'm working on is a Quad Core 2.66 GHz MacPro.

May 24th, 2008, 04:22 PM	#9
Melvin Torrens Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Spain Posts: 46	I haven't heard the DX4 or any M-Audio monitors but I do have a Firewire 410 audio interface from them and while now it's working great I've had to wait more than a year for M-audio to fix a couple of (small but annoying) issues with the drivers for my Mac G5. Thus I wont be buying anything from them again. For what I've read the DX4 have a good value for price/quality and plenty of reviews speak well of them. I guess they would be the minimum for sound editing. But do be aware that the connections for the speakers are 1/8 jack input and the audio interfaces are 1/4. The DX4 include a converter for that. Then about the audio interfaces I would prefer the E-MU also because it has 2 balanced 1/4 outputs while in the M-audio they are unbalanced. Actually I looked more carefully at the specs of the M-Audio interface and they do have 2 1/4" TRS balanced outputs. Whatever you buy be sure to look around forums to see if the drivers are working properly on macs for the audio interfaces.

May 24th, 2008, 10:56 PM	#10
Brooks Harrington Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 152	More importantly, you haven't said what software you will be using, and this may dictate which hardware, if any, you will need. For under $300 a pair for speakers, how about these? $99 each. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...tor?sku=602312

May 25th, 2008, 12:30 AM	#11
Ken Steadman Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: DC Suburbs Posts: 86	take a look at Mackie MR5s they are about 150 a piece. I used to have nicer mackie monitors and they produced such good reference sound I would be surprised if the lower priced models were bad.

May 25th, 2008, 04:50 AM	#12
Mark Keck Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Penang, Malaysia Posts: 123	Have a listen to the m-audio bx5a's. $190/pair. I just got a pair last week. Very nice.. but then a tin can would sound nice compared to what I had. They were recommended to me by an acoustic engineer where I work for this price range. He's going to sweep them out for me next week just to see how flat (or un-flat) they are. Oh yeah... They are quite a bit better than the dx4's... at least to my ear, for just a few dollars more. But then I also thought that the mackie mr5's were better than the bx5a's for just a few dollars more as well.