Speakers vs Studio Monitors

[Eliezer]

Right and wrong IMHO

AcuDefTechGuy is wrong.

Studio monitors are designed for listening at a very close distance in a studio without any reflections from walls, floor or ceiling. That's why they are called studio monitors. They will not work well in a typical home or apartment.

lsiberian's Avatar is right - spend 500 on the best speakers you can find and not worry about a sub at this point .... unless you are running a dance hall or party palace or listen exclusively to disco (or whatever they are calling it this year).

 

[j_garcia]

AcuDefTechGuy is wrong.

Studio monitors are designed for listening at a very close distance in a studio without any reflections from walls, floor or ceiling. That's why they are called studio monitors. They will not work well in a typical home or apartment.

ADTG is not exactly wrong. I have heard active studio monitors used in a music setup in an apartment and they sounded rather good. Just because they are intended for a certain purpose does not mean they are exclusively restricted to that purpose and will not work in any other situation.

 

[Eliezer]

And you're not exactly wrong either.

But, maynardguy13 wanted to know "What is the difference between regular speakers and studio monitors?". And I told him. He then asked "Which will give me the best sound quality for listening? I like to play music on the louder side, and will be about 8ft away from speakers. " And all other things being equal, "regular speakers" will sound better 8 feet away than speakers designed to be listened to from 1-2 feet away.

What you describe CAN work, but may well not work out for maynardguy13. It's hard to say from here.


The cheapest JBL studio monitor - JBL LSR2328P - goes for $350 each. The cheapest Yamaha - Yamaha HS50M - is $200 each and is advertised as "near field reference monitors".

Then again, these are active monitors (i.e. powered). Since he was also "thinking about getting some B&W bookshelf plus sub or tower speakers", it's hard to know what amplification he already has. If he already has a "home theater" receiver he would be wasting a lot of money on extra amps. And i don't think they even MAKE non-powered monitors any more.

 

[j_garcia]

Many of the big current manufacturers make both active and passive studio monitors, in a variety of price classes.

Studio monitors tend to be neutral and very revealing, traits that may be highly desirable to some listeners for music listening even at further than near field distances. I agree though, that does not mean they are also the best choice. For a typical HT/music setup there are plenty of good "normal" speakers out there.

 

[slipperybidness]

The cheapest JBL studio monitor - JBL LSR2328P - goes for $350 each. The cheapest Yamaha - Yamaha HS50M - is $200 each and is advertised as "near field reference monitors".

I believe you made a mistake here.
JBL LSR 2325P 5" Bi-Amplified Powered Studio Monitor | GuitarCenter

 

[Eliezer]

"Many of the big current manufacturers make both active and passive studio monitors, in a variety of price classes."

You are right. I stand corrected.

"Studio monitors tend to be neutral and very revealing". When set up where they are designed to be set up. A few inches - one way or the other - can change things considerably.