Shadhorn said: Wow that is an awesome equipment list. I would be delighted/comfortable with almost any of the gear you listed.
It's pretty fun to hunt it down and see what all these legendary guys are working with. I learn a lot from listening to their material and trying to pay attention to what is effective.
My only point was that some Mastering Engineers do or have used Active speakers rather than none (as "forget it" sort of implied to me). I stated earlier that "I would agree that many [Mastering Engineers] use conventional speakers (passive). " , which you just proved with a long list of illustrious ME's with impressive passive speakers - so I think we are in both in agreement. This is great - we agree and no need for me to add many more Active speaker users to a list as you have done (on passives) as I am not trying to prove that everyone uses Actives...I agree that a great many do not.
And it was a good point, Shadhorne. I had not realized that Sax had switched over to ATC, and I probably should not make such blanket statements. Just that the studio circles I hang in typically also use mostly passive designs, so it influences my perpective. I'd be really curious to hear Sax' latest work on those, compared to his strong historical catalogue done on his old custom setups. That is always the 'proof' of how well the monitoring is doing.
My friend, I'd welcome any other information or lists you have about MEs using actives, I think it can only shed some light in the dark place that active designs have sort of had so far. I sure don't want to seem like a know-it-all, there is always plenty of room for me to keep learning.
I had to laugh, since Bob Olhsson uses DunTech Sovereigns ... I mean hardly an ordinary run-of-the-mill circuit city speaker.
Yeah, I think he was talking about mixing as well as mastering. Guess his point was that so many folks get caught up in the micro-details, and lose perpective of the *feel*. And they should learn to trust that really accurate equipment and just get-'er-done instead of jacking around with all the imperfections that naturally come with recordings.
And from what I know of John Dunlavy's designs and from the folks who use them, he was a master at creating realistic sounding speakers, never hyped or unnatural. I think some of that is missing in modern designs, from what I've been exposed to.
That quote got my interest because of my recent experiences with the very simple Druid design. I'd had enough of the trees, wanted to see the forest for a while. And to me, the art of music is in the realism, including the imperfections.
Well, I certainly don't run in the same circles as those particular famous folks either.... but sometimes I have the same kinds of equipment :) No guru, no teacher.... I am a music lover and performer who had set up a private studio to do some recording, and it has grown from there.
Ghasley wrote: Thanks for the list and I appreciate you taking the time to compile such a comprehensive sampling. This is a funny hobby isn't it? In examining the list the speakers on the list I have heard all have good attributes to some extent however....
You are welcome Ghasley, I enjoy talking and learning about audio systems too. And the active/passive topic is a good one.
There is so much to the room involvement in these applications. Many of those professional setups are custom designed around specific speakers, to function as a complete system. Then things like 20 dB noise floors, no nulls or peaks, no flutter echoes or modal ringing, etc. become possible.
I don't know Tetra. Do you have any experience with them? I'll check it out sometime.
in theory, the active crossover feeding a properly executed bi or tri-amped 2 or 3 way speaker seems to have a technical advantage over a passive speaker with a passive crossover with a random choice of speaker cable and a random choice of amplification. Do you see my point?
... open minded about searching for a solution that may even be wall mountable, hangable from the ceiling or something thereabouts that will yield excellent sound quality. Maybe I should have explained it better in the beginning but as close to a turn key solution is my quest and I will start with the speakers.
... not interested in building a shrine to audio reproduction ... I am interested in an excellent reproduction of the music. Any and all input is appreciated and yet, a blanket dismissal of a well executed active solution is of no use.
Sure, it's a valid point. I think many folks are like you, and I don't mean to shout down the idea. Just that the 'regular' models I tried didn't suit me. If I was to use a higher cost/class like the ATCs I might have a different opinion. But again, I've also changed directions away from the super-detailed reference monitor approach, and that seems to be all the rage for active speakers (and most passive as well, anymore).
I don't know what systems you are using now, or what your budget is. Maybe you can try some ATCs, or even something like the 'activated' models from PMC, or Lipinski with their 'powered stand' that houses their own custom amp, so no long speaker cable runs. And of course Genelec has been doing actives since their beginning, but I don't know their newer models. I think those four would be a good place to start for quality in that field. I'd definitely prefer 3-way if possible, to get some kind a midrange driver. Just be aware that the sound of many of those reference monitors can be pretty unforgiving, and might not always suit your ears for all playback material.
In places like that where you want simple *and* good, I'd just repeat that spending some money up front on acoustic treatments, in case you haven't yet, can really help all your systems perform to their capacity. Then you might find some nice speaker options that could work out. Otherwise it may be a lot more guessing.
Steve, how do you like the Hsu subs and which models do you have? I have never listened to them and was unaware they were considered musical.
I have a pair of the smallest model they make, STF-1. They are outstanding, for music or HT. They are ported, 8" drivers. Easy to move around but not flimsy. Smaller than a bulldozer which is nice for a change. And are definitely not one-noters, they are reasonably fast and can play along with the music.
Ideally, I would probably prefer sealed cabs to mate best with the Druids, but for no more than I run the subs it is not a huge issue. One STF-1 will play easily down to 28/30 Hz, at 105 dBSPL range. Two of them in a 2500 cu ft room is way plenty for me! I far prefer stereo subs, aligned properly with the speakers. So at less than $300 apiece it was a better choice for me than getting only one high-$ monster sub.
Keep them in mind (or some kind of subwoofers) if you do get some of the reference active speakers. There are experienced comments about many of those kinds of monitors having clean and usable bass, but very limited in extension. And, many pro owners have stated that some of those designs can sound very bright and harsh without balancing subwoofers covering the lower octaves.
Steve
