Studio Monitors vs. FRFR Speaker for Home Use

  • Hi guys,


    I use my KPA PowerHead for band rehersals and the odd live gig (for rehersals I currently play the KPA through my Engl 2x12 cabinet, in live situations I would run the Kemper direct into FOH and use my Engl Cab as "stage monitor", knowing that it will not sound like what's coming out of FOH).


    Most of the time though I play the KPA at home through headphones and I would like to get the possibility to hear what I am playing through some sort of speakers (mostly practice and playalong to backing tracks). I am wondering which of the two alternatives would be better for this purpose:


    1) A pair of Studio Monitors (like the Yamaha HS series or the KRK RP Rokit series)
    2) A FRFR Speaker (like the Yamaha DXR series or the Atomic CLR)


    I may also use whichever of the two I am going to get to listen to music / playback some practice recordings, but those use cases are not really a priority for me.


    Can anyone give me some advice on what the pros and cons of either option would be / how you may have already solved the same challenge?


    Cheers


    Paul

  • Hi Paul,


    I am fortunate in that the PA frequently is setup at my home.


    As a result, I can see how the FOH sounds on different rigs compared to how my headphones sound, or how my FRFR monitor sounds.


    The monitor has a separate eq from the main L/R. I use the L/R eq to make my FOH sound the way I want, then I use the monitor eq to make my monitor sound the same.


    For the headphones, since they use the same output eq as my feed to the FOH, I got several headphones and used the ones that were most closely matched to what I heard at FOH (Audix ATH M50x is what I settled on). Still, this isn't the same as my 5K FOH speaker system.


    I take the output from my L/R output at home and put it through a little mixer (A&H ZED 10fx). I tweak the channel eq for the headphones to achieve what I hear from the FOH. I use this PEQ setting when I am playing through headphones. When I play live, I have the eq straight up (no adjustments) since all my rigs are originally created to sound best through the FOH PA.


    Anyway .... that was my solution to the problem.


    Maybe someday the nice folks at Kemper will give us an output eq library ;) Then you could just switch between "Headphone eq" and "FOH eq". Of course, you can also just make your own settings and write them down ;)

  • Thanks a lot for your swift replies. So getting anything that is capable of producing a stereo signal makes sense.
    Peter, would being anywhere in a 20m2 still classify as close or do you mean right in front of the speakers?

  • I have a pair of Adam A5X and a yamaha DXR10.
    I find the sound from the yamaha more "guitar like", and I think it's probably due to the size of the speaker , 10" vs 5".
    I might also just be not good enough at tweaking the Adam...

  • Yamaha HS8's are perfect in a smaller room, they adjust for the room, they also work really well with a DAW setup, for drum tracks and VST's. They get a great range of sound without having to be too loud, but can rattle the windows if you want them to.


    For the home, I'd vote studio monitors.

    Kemper Powerhead w/remote & Kabinet
    Focusrite 18i8 (2nd Gen) - Windows 10 - Ableton Live - Yamaha HS-8's - DT770 80 ohms

  • Yamaha HS8's are perfect in a smaller room, they adjust for the room, they also work really well with a DAW setup, for drum tracks and VST's. They get a great range of sound without having to be too loud, but can rattle the windows if you want them to.


    For the home, I'd vote studio monitors.

    Sounds like the HS8 are a good choice for studio monitors for the KPA. Have read good things on this forum about them. Thanks JSB!

  • Hey lef38, that's interesting. Do you feel you need more volume for the DXR10 than for the A5X to get a decent feel/response (disregarding that the DXR10 sounds generally better to you)?

    Edited once, last by candyman ().

  • I have a pair of Adam A5X and a yamaha DXR10.
    I find the sound from the yamaha more "guitar like", and I think it's probably due to the size of the speaker , 10" vs 5".
    I might also just be not good enough at tweaking the Adam...

    Hey lef38, that's interesting. Do you feel you need more volume for the DXR10 than for the A5X to get a decent feel/response (disregarding that the DXR10 sounds generally better to you)?

  • I think oneng1 is onto something, but it's costly...
    I have dxr10 , JBL monitors , akg phones and a 1 X 12 cab.
    phones sound the best, but I prefer the 1 X 12 Celestion as it has the feel of areal amp.
    the monitors and dxr 10 sound tinny....I don't like tweeters for guitar.

  • I think oneng1 is onto something, but it's costly...
    I have dxr10 , JBL monitors , akg phones and a 1 X 12 cab.
    phones sound the best, but I prefer the 1 X 12 Celestion as it has the feel of areal amp.
    the monitors and dxr 10 sound tinny....I don't like tweeters for guitar.

    A less costly way to do it would be to create a set of eq settings, or even use one of the output efx slots for a PEQ, to adjust your headphones, or monitor to sound like your FOH.


    The real key is to always make your FOH sound good first..... then resist the urge to tweak your rigs based on what you hear only in the monitor or headphones ..... but sometimes we just can't help ourselves ;)

  • I use Yamaha HS7s, I've used them as close as 4 feet in a very small room and as far away as 12 feet in a larger room and was pleased with the results. I haven't compared the HS7 to the HS8 but I don't feel there is a lack of bass response with the HS7s, anyone who has listened to them has been blown away when them hear them.


    All I need to do is play those famous four notes from "Shine on you crazy diamond" using Gundys Gilmore signature tone and it gets peoples attention!. Play the power chords from F to G and the room is filled with fantastic stereo bass goodness. :thumbup:


    P.

  • I have a small Behringer mixer (Ultralink Pro), connected to a pair of Studiospares SN4A active monitors. I play the Kemper, PC and Roland drums through them. Sounds great and very cheap. Also portable for rehearsal.

  • I use Yamaha HS7s, I've used them as close as 4 feet in a very small room and as far away as 12 feet in a larger room and was pleased with the results. I haven't compared the HS7 to the HS8 but I don't feel there is a lack of bass response with the HS7s, anyone who has listened to them has been blown away when them hear them.


    All I need to do is play those famous four notes from "Shine on you crazy diamond" using Gundys Gilmore signature tone and it gets peoples attention!. Play the power chords from F to G and the room is filled with fantastic stereo bass goodness. :thumbup:


    P.

    Thanks Peter. i will see if I can find a music store that has the HS7 and the HS8 and compare them. Based on your experience, the HS7 could be an interesting option as they are a slightly cheaper.

  • Once you decide on the HS7 or HS8 at a local store, look for bundle deals on Amazon and Ebay, you can get free stands, isolation pads and cables, for the same price. Sweetwater may match deals found online too.


    I bought my setup from Pitbull Audio on Ebay, but it looks like they don't include the isolation pads anymore, cables might not be right for your interface too, make sure to figure that all out first:
    Hs8
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha…-XLR-Cables-/271667456995


    HS7
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha…ksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

    Kemper Powerhead w/remote & Kabinet
    Focusrite 18i8 (2nd Gen) - Windows 10 - Ableton Live - Yamaha HS-8's - DT770 80 ohms