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Desktop speakers for mixing AND music?

It has been a long time since I posted here, but only because I have been living in audio bliss. My two channel system is perfect (for me). Refurbished HH Scott 222 (not Mapleshade), Omega speakers and an iMac with a 2 TB 7200 rpm drive serving up about 600 lossless CDs to my Schiit Bifrost. My movie/tv set up is fine too - older B&W C series all around and an older Rotel AV receiver that (knock on wood) won't die.

However, now I have a minor problem. I have a third system that is in the works. My home office desk. Yet another two Macs are set up with a Steinberg UR22 audio/midi interface I use with Logic, Final Cut and more for recording, including music, voice, interviews and for video, though not too serious. Now, I find myself wanting to listen to music here too. So, what kind of speakers should I get? Can I get monitors that also are great for casual listening? Right now I only have the iMac built in speakers (I know...) and a pair of Audio Technica M50X headphones (in effect my Steinberg UR22 audio interface is my "headphone amp").

If I am going to use this as a true studio set up, many people are recommending monitors made for this purpose and people seem to really like JBL LSR305 5" Active Studio Monitor‎s. I can get a pair at about $300. However, it really isn't a studio as much as it is a place to work, so should I be thinking of something else? Dare I go passive and try to get some kind of little power amp? Can I do this for $400ish (and I am open to used). I do have a very old (90s era) pair of passive Tannoy monitors, but they are kind of big and I don't have a spare amp. I'd hate to go buy an amp and not be happy with the Tannoys...

However, if I go the more "audiophile" route, I might I have better sound, but not a good reference source for mixing. Right? Or am I being ridiculous? Any suggestions highly appreciated. Remember, budget of, let's say, $500.
karavite
karavite OP
36 posts
 
Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice. I think active is the way to go. I was at a Guitar Center and was able to listen to quite a few of the speakers recommended here. The Adams were amazing, but way above my price... Very sad. I liked the KRK, but was a little more impressed with the JBL LR305s. However, my absolute favorite were the Tannoy 502 Reveal. They make a 4" (402 Reveal), but it is not stocked, so online is it. My only concern is there are too many online posts about the Tannoy speakers hissing. Apparently they only use a 2 prong AC cord. Sure, it could be some power/ground thing with these people and their house (and I paid a boatload to have my house rewired last year), but I just hate dealing with returns.
ddd1
261 posts
 
The Tannoys I referred to in my post above were the 502s, which I bought and returned the next day, due to "self noise". At the time I had them on my computer desk listening nearfield and found this distracting during quiet passages, in spite of them otherwise sounding excellent for their size.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
There's any number of reasons why the Tannoy's can hiss that's not the speakers fault. With pro gear, sometimes people mistake signal cable with speaker cable. They look exactly the same and use the same type of connectors. I wouldn't be too concerned because Guitar Center has a good return policy.
karavite OP
36 posts
 
Ddd1, that must be frustrating. These were by far my favorite monitors, but your story and others is a problem. You are all set now with your HS8's right? The HS5's I listened to seemed quite extreme in focusing on mids and seems designed strictly for mixing, but would be miserable for casual listening. Not at all trying to criticize your taste (who knows what each of us hear in our heads), but does this at all jibe with your experience in listening to the HS5s?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"You are all set now with your HS8's right? The HS5's I listened to seemed quite extreme in focusing on mids and seems designed strictly for mixing, but would be miserable for casual listening."

That's an interesting point. One thing you need to do when looking at products like this is to verify the setup. As audiophiles, I think we take for granted that when we demo a system, someone takes a CD player, plugs it into a preamp, to the amp and then the speakers. And aside from volume, there's not much else to adjust. Pro gear is different. There's buttons and controls everywhere. High and low pass filters, tone controls and all types of other things that will change the sound. Just out of curiosity, I looked at the Tannoy 502's. On the back of that speaker, it has controls for speaker position (I'm assuming left or right), high frequency cut and HF boost. I think it would be a good idea to look at the system from source to speakers and verify all processing is turned off, or set to neutral. People in pro audio usually have no problem with that type of processing, and wouldn't think to turn it off before a demo.
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