Studio Monitors Compared to Headphones

  • I am currently listening tot he KPA through headphones and like the sound quit a bit. I have a DX-10 and I don't think it sounds near as good as the headphones.
    Will a good set of studio monitor speakers like the Adam AX-3 or 5 sound as good as the headphones?

    The Kemper Profiling Amp is the best musical invention since the Electric Guitar and the Marshall Amp .

  • I m using a pair of S3XH with my Kemper ..... and waouh it sounds much better than on headphones .... The thing is that , on small speakers like adam s7 all high gain profiles ( for exemple) sounds quiet the same ... but with S3XH , you can really hear the difference and forge a real precise sound ... Now, my pair of S3XH broke down 3 times already ( they under garanty ..) but 3 times in 3 month !!! Always the same speaker ... the other one is working fine !!! Anyway those speakers are absolutely amazing ..... for me , the best i ever heard .... and i worked in many big A studios like real world or digital factory !!

  • Laker, IMO there's a basic issue you have to be aware of. Hope this is of help.


    Unless you use test-grade equipment, you don't have any means to determine how faithful a sound is to the original profile. There might be several reasons why you like the HP sound better, including them hyping some freqs you like better or hiding others you don't.


    Another reason might be the cab's placement in the room, sound can change a lot depending on where the cab is located (in a corner - on the ground - on a wooden table and so on).


    Last, but not least, there's a fundamental relationship between how HP sound and the device driving them (it's called coupling). Every audio device sounds different depending on what is driving it or what it is driving (think of an amp for example).


    Basically, when you say "I like this" you're giving no absolute reference point. And it's very hard to analyse the situation and find the reasons why. Too many variables, including your personal taste and your guitar(s).