Audio speakers for Final Cut Pro for $500 or less at DVinfo.net

Khashyar Darvich · April 14th, 2006, 10:40 AM

Hi Everyone,

I've appreciate the great help that I've received so far from this well organized and resourceful forum.

I am buying an ediitng suite with a G5 Quad, Sony DSR-25 DV deck, and an AJA Kona LHe and AJA KL (breakout) Box...

My question is what are the best speakers for broadcast editing that I can buy for $500 or less per pair?

I know that it is best if I can spend more money, but I believe that I can find speakers that will do the job for $500 or less.

Through researching the forum, I have assembled a list of possible choices:

1) Behringer

2) Yorkville YSMIP and perhaps also a Yorkville subwoofer

3) Tannoy Reveal Active

4) M-Audio BX-5A or the BX-8

5) Yamaha NS10

Does anyone have any advice as to which of these speakers (and specific models) would work best with the hardware that I mentioned above? (Quad G5, Kona Lhe, and Sony DSR-25).

What's the best way to hook up these speakers? Through the Mac's soundcard, or through the audio output of the Kona or Sony deck? (I believe that I will have my Sony PVM-14LS ntsc monitor connected to the output of the Kona card, and I wonder if I should connect the monitor speakers to the Kona sound card as well?)

Which speakers do you think will give the best sound quality for broadcast quality documentary film editing? (for documentaries that are also occasionally intended for theatrical release).

Thanks for your feedback and thoughts,

Khashyar

Josh Singer · April 14th, 2006, 09:57 PM

npubet !

This might be too low-end for you (I'm following the Cheap Bastard approach to film & sound equipment)... but I purchased M-Audio's Studiopro 3 speakers for $100 for audio editing on my Mac G5, and I'm very happy with them. They run through my Tascam US-122 interface, and work great in my little 3rd bedroom/makeshift studio. Although they are small (and cheap!), they are very solidly constructed and do the job just fine.

If this is too small for you, maybe the next-step-up models (the BX-5A or BX-8) might work better...

Bcero xopowero !

Greg Bellotte · April 14th, 2006, 11:10 PM

Hi Khashyar,

I have Genelec speakers in my suite, but don't think they will fit your budget. They sound most excellent however. As a rule, I like Tannoys, but am not familiar with the Reveals. I find the M-Audio's to be good, but a little bright to my ears. The NS-10s are found in a lot of studios, but I always felt they were very lacking in the bottom end. Beringer I would run away from, and the Yorkvilles I have not heard. There's my take, but it shouldn't mean anything to you. Listen to all of these yourself, preferably with the same source/material and decide for yourself. Nobody but you can say what pleases your own ears...

As for hookup, I have a small mixer in my room to feed the monitors and have everything in the system available to it. Depending on what I am doing, I can listen to anything I want, anywhere in the chain. And I never have to recable anything.

Greg Bartlett · April 15th, 2006, 04:20 PM

Hi Khashyar,

I have a G5 Dual 2.7, DSR-11, PVM-14L1, Mackie 1202, and Tapco S5 speakers.

The tapcos fit into your budget. They sound quite good to my ear although they are a bit shy in the slower octaves. In my room they are nicely detailed in the highs and seem to be free of false base. They have a solid build and several connection options. But I agree with Greg, definitely go with what sounds good to you. I picked these up for a song... Pun intended.

I have my Mac line in and out hooked to the 1202 mixer; every other audio in or out that I have plugs into the mixer including the DSR-11. My 14L1 is plugged into the DSR-11 and I use the DSR-11 as the video playback device in FCP and have the audio follow video. That way things are never out of sync with the video.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Greg

Khashyar Darvich · April 16th, 2006, 08:42 PM

Thanks very much for the feedback, Greg and Josh. (I have been moving to a new apartment in the Hollywood Hills this weekend, and my internet connection wasn't reconnected until today).

It seems like from the list that I posted, that the two of you like the Tannoys and M-Audio the most.

Greg... Will the Mac in and out jacks from the built-in soundcard produce accurate enough sound quality to evaluate audio in FCP? Or, would a seperate audio card, perhaps with an RCA or XLR output, do a better job? I have heard that the sound card on the new G5s is pretty good, but are they good enough to edit broadcast quality audio?

Is it possible to monitor audio in FCP through the Kona LHe card?

Hi Josh... Yes, my wife is from Belarus and we own a fairly popular website about Russian culture... You know more Cyrillic than I do. :)

Khashyar

Greg Boston · April 16th, 2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khashyar Darvich

Thanks very much for the feedback, Greg and Josh. (I have been moving to a new apartment in the Hollywood Hills this weekend, and my internet connection wasn't reconnected until today).

It seems like from the list that I posted, that the two of you like the Tannoys and M-Audio the most.

Greg... Will the Mac in and out jacks from the built-in soundcard produce accurate enough sound quality to evaluate audio in FCP? Or, would a seperate audio card, perhaps with an RCA or XLR output, do a better job? I have heard that the sound card on the new G5s is pretty good, but are they good enough to edit broadcast quality audio?

Is it possible to monitor audio in FCP through the Kona LHe card?

Hi Josh... Yes, my wife is from Belarus and we own a fairly popular website about Russian culture... You know more Cyrillic than I do. :)

Khashyar

The audio out on the Mac (at least my Imac) is adjustable in System Preferences. It can be set as high as 24bit/96khz which isn't to shabby. FWIW, I use a set of Yamaha MSP4 nearfield reference monitors here. Got them on clearance at Guitar Center.

If you are going to hook a monitor to the Kona card, then it's best to monitor your audio out from it. Otherwise the audio and video playback will be out of sync. Just saw this very thing last Thursday at our monthly FCPUG meeting.

-gb-

Khashyar Darvich · April 16th, 2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Boston

The audio out on the Mac (at least my Imac) is adjustable in System Preferences. It can be set as high as 24bit/96khz which isn't to shabby. FWIW, I use a set of Yamaha MSP4 nearfield reference monitors here. Got them on clearance at Guitar Center.

If you are going to hook a monitor to the Kona card, then it's best to monitor your audio out from it. Otherwise the audio and video playback will be out of sync. Just saw this very thing last Thursday at our monthly FCPUG meeting.

-gb-

Thanks for the great feedback, GB...

Did you find that the Yamaha MSP4 has pretty accurate audio for you?

Am I able to monitor audio and video from the Kona (using Final Cut Pro), while at the same time digitizing footage through the firewired DV deck? (i.e., digitizing DV footage through DSR-25 deck, and monitoring what I am digitizing through the audio and video outs on the Kona?

Is FCP set up for digitizing from one firewire source, and then outputting audio and video through the Kona card?

Thanks,

Khashyar

Khashyar Darvich · April 16th, 2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khashyar Darvich

Is FCP set up for digitizing from one firewire source, and then outputting audio and video through the Kona card?

I just read in a Post Production forum that Apple's audio and video output is disabled by default during video capture because the quality of the digitized footage might produce defects... Have others found this to be true?

I also read that in FCP5, that you can switch in "Preview" in the Record Tool under clip Settings near the audio buttons... Will this allow the Kona card to output audio to production monitor speakers while digitizing?

Thanks,

Khashyar

Greg Bartlett · April 17th, 2006, 07:32 AM

I haven't had any problems monitoring audio from the built in sound card on my G5, but that's only active when I'm not previewing through the DSR-11. When previewing video from the timeline the DSR-11 it handles the D/A conversion. I still find the audio acceptable to me. However, I have gone to a local recording studio on a couple occasions to finish the audio on a project using a sound engineer on the mix.

When capturing from the DSR-11 I monitor audio and video from the DSR-11 outputs and capture in FCP from the firewire device preset.

I've got a Kona on my wish list because it has superior XLR connections plus the preview and downconversion abilities. If I had a Kona now, I would run all of my analog sources through it and continue to use the mixer for the flexibility.

Regards,

Greg

Khashyar Darvich · April 17th, 2006, 10:45 AM

Thanks, Greg.

Since I need to digitize some BetaSp for the project that I am currently working on, I need the Kona LHe, so I will first set up the speakers and video monitoring through the Kona card.

It's good to know that you feel that the Mac's sound card produces high quality audio for monitoring.

Back to the question about the best speakers for broadcast documentary editing....

Should I go to the Guitar Center and listen to different speakers and make a decision? I probably am going to buy the speakers I choose through B&H video in NYC.

I think that any of speakers that I listed in the first post might be good to TV Broadcast monitoring. If I feel that a particular documentary project might go theatrical, I can give it to a sound mixer with very top notch speakers to do the best sound mix.

I welcome other feedback about the best audio speakers to choose.

Does the Guitar Center have most of the speakers that are listed above? Or, is there another store in Los Angeles that I can go to listen to the widest selection of speakers for editing?

Thanks,

Khashyar

Matt Ludwig · April 17th, 2006, 11:30 AM

Check out http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=52279

I ended up going with the KRK RP8's. I've been pretty happy with them. (Sounded better to my ears than the Event's)

Khashyar Darvich · April 18th, 2006, 11:53 AM

Thanks Matt... Yes, I read that thread, which helped me decide on the top speakers to consider.

I have a friend who actually has KRK speakers, and he likes them (He is a sound engineer, and uses his KRK's to do a basic sound mix, and then uses a pair of $4,000 speakers (forgot the brand) for the fine mixing.

I have read from others in this forum that KRKs may not give the best sound compared to some of the other speakers that I listed in this thread.

Perhaps I should go to the Guitar Center in Hollywood and listen to a variety of speakers (in their LOUD speaker room) :)

Khashyar

Khashyar Darvich · April 18th, 2006, 12:06 PM

I was reading reviews on the Guitar Center's website, and the Yamaha HS80M 8" Powered Studio Monitor has received very good user ratings.

Has anyone had any experience with them?

They are about $700 per pair, but if the sound quality is that much better, then I don't kind spending a couple of hundred extra dollars.

Khashyar

Khashyar Darvich · April 18th, 2006, 12:09 PM

The KRK RP-8 Rokit also received very good reviews, and are on sale at the Guitar Center for $250 each.

Khashyar

Shawn Kessler · April 18th, 2006, 12:11 PM

I use edirol i think i paid 350 for them im very happy with there sound
6.1 channel in and out.

April 14th, 2006, 10:40 AM	#1
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	Audio speakers for Final Cut Pro for $500 or less Hi Everyone, I've appreciate the great help that I've received so far from this well organized and resourceful forum. I am buying an ediitng suite with a G5 Quad, Sony DSR-25 DV deck, and an AJA Kona LHe and AJA KL (breakout) Box... My question is what are the best speakers for broadcast editing that I can buy for $500 or less per pair? I know that it is best if I can spend more money, but I believe that I can find speakers that will do the job for $500 or less. Through researching the forum, I have assembled a list of possible choices: 1) Behringer 2) Yorkville YSMIP and perhaps also a Yorkville subwoofer 3) Tannoy Reveal Active 4) M-Audio BX-5A or the BX-8 5) Yamaha NS10 Does anyone have any advice as to which of these speakers (and specific models) would work best with the hardware that I mentioned above? (Quad G5, Kona Lhe, and Sony DSR-25). What's the best way to hook up these speakers? Through the Mac's soundcard, or through the audio output of the Kona or Sony deck? (I believe that I will have my Sony PVM-14LS ntsc monitor connected to the output of the Kona card, and I wonder if I should connect the monitor speakers to the Kona sound card as well?) Which speakers do you think will give the best sound quality for broadcast quality documentary film editing? (for documentaries that are also occasionally intended for theatrical release). Thanks for your feedback and thoughts, Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com Last edited by Khashyar Darvich; April 14th, 2006 at 11:16 AM.

April 16th, 2006, 08:42 PM	#5
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	Thanks very much for the feedback, Greg and Josh. (I have been moving to a new apartment in the Hollywood Hills this weekend, and my internet connection wasn't reconnected until today). It seems like from the list that I posted, that the two of you like the Tannoys and M-Audio the most. Greg... Will the Mac in and out jacks from the built-in soundcard produce accurate enough sound quality to evaluate audio in FCP? Or, would a seperate audio card, perhaps with an RCA or XLR output, do a better job? I have heard that the sound card on the new G5s is pretty good, but are they good enough to edit broadcast quality audio? Is it possible to monitor audio in FCP through the Kona LHe card? Hi Josh... Yes, my wife is from Belarus and we own a fairly popular website about Russian culture... You know more Cyrillic than I do. :) Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com

April 17th, 2006, 10:45 AM	#10
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	Thanks, Greg. Since I need to digitize some BetaSp for the project that I am currently working on, I need the Kona LHe, so I will first set up the speakers and video monitoring through the Kona card. It's good to know that you feel that the Mac's sound card produces high quality audio for monitoring. Back to the question about the best speakers for broadcast documentary editing.... Should I go to the Guitar Center and listen to different speakers and make a decision? I probably am going to buy the speakers I choose through B&H video in NYC. I think that any of speakers that I listed in the first post might be good to TV Broadcast monitoring. If I feel that a particular documentary project might go theatrical, I can give it to a sound mixer with very top notch speakers to do the best sound mix. I welcome other feedback about the best audio speakers to choose. Does the Guitar Center have most of the speakers that are listed above? Or, is there another store in Los Angeles that I can go to listen to the widest selection of speakers for editing? Thanks, Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com

April 17th, 2006, 11:30 AM	#11
Matt Ludwig Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 51	Check out http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=52279 I ended up going with the KRK RP8's. I've been pretty happy with them. (Sounded better to my ears than the Event's) __________________ Matt Ludwig MSL Productions - www.freewebs.com/mslpro

April 18th, 2006, 11:53 AM	#12
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	Thanks Matt... Yes, I read that thread, which helped me decide on the top speakers to consider. I have a friend who actually has KRK speakers, and he likes them (He is a sound engineer, and uses his KRK's to do a basic sound mix, and then uses a pair of $4,000 speakers (forgot the brand) for the fine mixing. I have read from others in this forum that KRKs may not give the best sound compared to some of the other speakers that I listed in this thread. Perhaps I should go to the Guitar Center in Hollywood and listen to a variety of speakers (in their LOUD speaker room) :) Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com

April 14th, 2006, 09:57 PM	#2
Josh Singer Tourist Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3	npubet ! This might be too low-end for you (I'm following the Cheap Bastard approach to film & sound equipment)... but I purchased M-Audio's Studiopro 3 speakers for $100 for audio editing on my Mac G5, and I'm very happy with them. They run through my Tascam US-122 interface, and work great in my little 3rd bedroom/makeshift studio. Although they are small (and cheap!), they are very solidly constructed and do the job just fine. If this is too small for you, maybe the next-step-up models (the BX-5A or BX-8) might work better... Bcero xopowero !

April 14th, 2006, 11:10 PM	#3
Greg Bellotte Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 291	Hi Khashyar, I have Genelec speakers in my suite, but don't think they will fit your budget. They sound most excellent however. As a rule, I like Tannoys, but am not familiar with the Reveals. I find the M-Audio's to be good, but a little bright to my ears. The NS-10s are found in a lot of studios, but I always felt they were very lacking in the bottom end. Beringer I would run away from, and the Yorkvilles I have not heard. There's my take, but it shouldn't mean anything to you. Listen to all of these yourself, preferably with the same source/material and decide for yourself. Nobody but you can say what pleases your own ears... As for hookup, I have a small mixer in my room to feed the monitors and have everything in the system available to it. Depending on what I am doing, I can listen to anything I want, anywhere in the chain. And I never have to recable anything.

April 15th, 2006, 04:20 PM	#4
Greg Bartlett Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 25	Hi Khashyar, I have a G5 Dual 2.7, DSR-11, PVM-14L1, Mackie 1202, and Tapco S5 speakers. The tapcos fit into your budget. They sound quite good to my ear although they are a bit shy in the slower octaves. In my room they are nicely detailed in the highs and seem to be free of false base. They have a solid build and several connection options. But I agree with Greg, definitely go with what sounds good to you. I picked these up for a song... Pun intended. I have my Mac line in and out hooked to the 1202 mixer; every other audio in or out that I have plugs into the mixer including the DSR-11. My 14L1 is plugged into the DSR-11 and I use the DSR-11 as the video playback device in FCP and have the audio follow video. That way things are never out of sync with the video. Hope this helps. Regards, Greg

April 17th, 2006, 07:32 AM	#9
Greg Bartlett Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 25	I haven't had any problems monitoring audio from the built in sound card on my G5, but that's only active when I'm not previewing through the DSR-11. When previewing video from the timeline the DSR-11 it handles the D/A conversion. I still find the audio acceptable to me. However, I have gone to a local recording studio on a couple occasions to finish the audio on a project using a sound engineer on the mix. When capturing from the DSR-11 I monitor audio and video from the DSR-11 outputs and capture in FCP from the firewire device preset. I've got a Kona on my wish list because it has superior XLR connections plus the preview and downconversion abilities. If I had a Kona now, I would run all of my analog sources through it and continue to use the mixer for the flexibility. Regards, Greg

April 18th, 2006, 12:06 PM	#13
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	Yamaha HS80M 8" Powered Studio Monitor I was reading reviews on the Guitar Center's website, and the Yamaha HS80M 8" Powered Studio Monitor has received very good user ratings. Has anyone had any experience with them? They are about $700 per pair, but if the sound quality is that much better, then I don't kind spending a couple of hundred extra dollars. Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com

April 18th, 2006, 12:09 PM	#14
Khashyar Darvich Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	KRK RP-8 Rokit The KRK RP-8 Rokit also received very good reviews, and are on sale at the Guitar Center for $250 each. Khashyar __________________ www.wakan.com www.russianmeetingplace.com www.russianinternetguide.com

April 18th, 2006, 12:11 PM	#15
Shawn Kessler Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ofallon missouri Posts: 123	G5 speakers I use edirol i think i paid 350 for them im very happy with there sound 6.1 channel in and out.