Can anyone recommend a set of studio monitors?

On a budget:

Yamaha HS8

High-end but still incredible bang-for-buck performance:

Event (Rode) Opal

I second and third the recommendation for the Yammy HS8s.

Quote from Tedcaliban

I hear an 8 inch woofer is a bare minimum so it's closest to a cab. I'm looking for suggestions and figure this is the best place to ask this question. I'm exhausted from google searches with no clear answer. Cheers.

Of course there is no clear answer. First it might be thoughtful to give an estimated budget. Second, and maybe most important, it's a matter of taste. Some prefer (budget wise) KRK, some prefer Yamaha, some prefer Adam, some prefer Alesis. And so on.
Best thing to do is go to a musicshop and listen to some different monitors within your budget. And then choose the ones you like best.

The Yamaha HS8s are a great starting point because the amplifiers are built in and matched. Also they are more balanced than the NS10 predecessor, which was quite mid heavy.

Quote from Tedcaliban

Thanks for your advice! I was looking at the HS8's or maybe the HS7's. I got the HS5s but will exchange them.

Did you take a look at the Subwoofer HS8s?
I got a pair of HS5s and the Subwoofer and I can't complain. Now finally the low end is here.

HS7 owner here , greatly satisfied , I recommend the HS8 for amplike low end as the HS7 are not enough bassy vs tube amps .

I also have the HS80, really neat stuff.

HS5 + Sub also a great solution IMO.

weeell

i use the Genelec 8050 with a 7070 sub + avantone mixcubes and i really recomment them even the smaller genelec sound amazing just go with a sub and it blows everything away imo ... but monitors are a very personal thing so i guess in the long run you have to try them for yourself

BUT

last year my tannoy precision (+ sub) speakers stopped working (when it comes to the sound i have to say they are amazing ) so i got behringer truth monitors + the behringer subwoofer and i have to say they are simply amazing, i had also the hs80 by yamaha and i really do not like that they do not have proper low mids ... that makes no fun when playing with the kemper imo ...

before i bought the genelec i was at the music store in cologne and i tried also the fluid audio stuff and that was great ... they have a bit of a noise floor but soundwise they are great

and when you only play the kemper and tweak the sound the avantone mixcubes are amazing ... they simply sound great with the kemper and if it sounds good on them it sounds good everywhere ...

I like Yamaha, I tested H5 + Sub vs HS8. I prefered the solution with Sub and still have it, but it is more expensive and not huge difference between them plus more cables at your workstation.
Treat your room for acoustic if you can, that will improve your sound much more than different brands in same budget area.

Quote from MonkeyPeanutButter

Did you take a look at the Subwoofer HS8s?I got a pair of HS5s and the Subwoofer and I can't complain. Now finally the low end is here.

Personally i would not use the yamaha speakers without a subwoofer ...

the thing is if you cut too much lows the sound will be lifeless and if you got to many the drummer and the bass player will hate you so ... dialing in the right amout of bass is simply easier with a sub ...

So many albums have been mixed on NS10s that have less bass end than HS8s and engineers use other speakers to check the bottom end. I think most prefer not to use sub woofers as a solution too. Better not to have very low end when working on the all important mid frequencies for foreground and then check the bass separately. I guess if the Sub is switchable it would be a good solution.

Quote from Tedcaliban

My budget is about as expensive as a Yamaha HS8 would cost. The problem I have is the music shop in my city only has 5 types of monitors on display. The only option is to buy a set of monitors and return them if I don't like them which is inconvenient. I want a set of studio monitors that will be a clear canvas to show the true sounds of profiles from the Kemper rigs. A great musician youtuber (lambchopper678) once told me that if I don't plan on giging then don't buy a cab and instead buy a set of studio monitors that have a woofer at least 8 inches big since its the closest thing to a live cab. Otherwise a 5 inch is ok for practicing. So it looks like buy and return are my only options at this stage. But at least I can narrow it down.

Ted,

Are you planning on using the monitors for mixing/recording? If not, and your primary goal is to simply use the monitor to play your KPA through, AND you don't really care about a stereo image...why don't you consider a single Yamaha DXR10?

If your previous experience has been playing your guitar/amp through a traditional guitar cabinet, then there should be no issue with switching to a single FRFR monitor. I can't speak for you, but in my case, I could care less about having a stereo image when I am playing guitar. All of my prior guitar amps have been connected to single guitar cabinets, even when I had a stereo-based FX rack in the amp's effects loop. While hearing a stereo image is important when recording and playback/mixing/mastering...it is not something I have ever felt the need for, either when gigging live or simply just jamming and playing guitar at home.

Furthermore, If at sometime in the future, you decide you want stereo, then you could add another Yammy DXR10.

Anyways, something to consider.

P.S. -- just for the record, I use a passive XiTone FRFR 1x12 wedge with my KPA, because I have the powered Rack.

Cheers,
John

Quote from Bommel

and when you only play the kemper and tweak the sound the avantone mixcubes are amazing ... they simply sound great with the kemper and if it sounds good on them it sounds good everywhere ...

Interesting!! Are you saying you tweak your tones on the mixcubes??

Quote from karlic

So many albums have been mixed on NS10s that have less bass end than HS8s and engineers use other speakers to check the bottom end. I think most prefer not to use sub woofers as a solution too. Better not to have very low end when working on the all important mid frequencies for foreground and then check the bass separately. I guess if the Sub is switchable it would be a good solution.

Be aware that the NS10s were most often NOT used as the main set of speakers, but rather reference speakers to zero in on the mids as only a part of the larger picture.

Presonus Sceptre S8s. Second best purchase I've made next to the Kemper...

Quote from Michael_dk

Interesting!! Are you saying you tweak your tones on the mixcubes??

not exclusively, so i check check low mids core mids and highs on the avantones and sub, lows and the upper midrange on the genelecs ... the problem i see with only using the genelecs is that they sounds simply to good and the resolution is so high that muddy sounds sometimes sound okay on them but when changing to the avantones it is often very clear were the sound is lacking something ...

well but to be honest sometime i forget to do this nobodys perfect i guess, especially when i'm in a hurry, but my most important profiles are eqed on both

Quote from Bommel

not exclusively, so i check check low mids core mids and highs on the avantones and sub, lows and the upper midrange on the genelecs ... the problem i see with only using the genelecs is that they sounds simply to good and the resolution is so high that muddy sounds sometimes sound okay on them but when changing to the avantones it is often very clear were the sound is lacking something ...
well but to be honest sometime i forget to do this nobodys perfect i guess, especially when i'm in a hurry, but my most important profiles are eqed on both

I gotta try this