[microsound] Re: Studio Monitors

[Ben Swire <btswire@xxxxxxxxx>]

I highly recommend investing in a good set of home
stereo speakers and a quality amp (or receiver or
integrated amp) from the late 70s.  Pioneer, Marantz
and Rotel made great receivers during this era, far
better than anything that can be found in today's
marketplace without purchasing separate components. 
I've got the Marantz 2385, which is overkill at 185
watts per channel, but amazingly clean and punchy and
dynamic.  I use Snell KIII monitors as my nearfields,
which have an 8" woofer, as well as an MB Quart
powered subwoofer.  I find that having a set of
nearfields with a large woofer really helps in getting
an accurate mix of the bass.  You can then set the
lowpass crossover on the subwoofer to a lower
frequency, and the response will be much more linear. 
Great deals can be found on used equipment, you just
need to do some research instead of running out to the
nearest music shop and buying whatever they have in
stock.  For some reason, there is sometimes a stigma
associated with using home stereo gear in a studio
environment.  Bob Weston and Abbey Road both use home
speakers as reference monitors, as do countless
others.  The key is to find something that has as
close to a flat response as possible.  The Snells use
a soft dome tweeter, and have a hi frequency
attenuation control.  Many of the speakers that I've
heard that utilize metal tweeters sound bright, which
is particularly fatiguing if you are working on long
sessions.

-Ben

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