If I Wanted To Step Up From KRK Rokit 5's...

Hi Dave

I used to own the rokit 8's and I changed these for the yamaha's HS80's which I found to be quite an improvements, so maybe these are something you could look in to.

I went from Rokit 5s to Rokit 8s to KRK VXT6s - the VXTs are much better in my opinion. I liked the 5s and 8s though.

Quote from Raoul23

Hi Dave

I used to own the rokit 8's and I changed these for the yamaha's HS80's which I found to be quite an improvements, so maybe these are something you could look in to.

+1.
Please note that Yamaha renamed their production line though HS-80 is HS-8 now.

If you can stretch your budget, try out a pair of Dynaudio BM5s. They are accurate.

I upgraded from Rokit 5s to Equator D5s. No regrets here. They sound great.

Try JBL LSR 308 and thank me later

+1 for the Equator 5. I've not heard them in person, but every single buyer I've heard from has said they are a steal, and offer an exceptional P/Q ratio.
They used to cost 2-3x their price before the manufacturer decided to start selling them directly to customers.
Weird enough, the 8" version doesn't seem to have got such a positive outcome

Can I just ask - why do you want new studio monitors?

Definitely consider the Yamaha HS8's.
I have a pair of these sitting on my desk and they are excellent! Plus, they are dead quiet - no hissing (something that was really important to me - a lot of *great* sounding monitors have a hissing tweeter which annoys the heck out of me)

I got a pair of Behringer B3031A's 3 years ago. The speakers were intended as a cheap alternative for a family audio "work/play-station", but I've ended up using them for my home studio. I've A/Bd them to Adam speakers with a similar ribbon tweeter and they stack up very well to those that cost 5 times more. I never had a problem with the audio reproduced on any high-end PA-rig after I've used these to set up my KPA. A pair of new B3031A's can be had for about $500 these days.

OTOH, why skimp on speakers after handing over thousands for a high-end profiler/modeller.

This

Quote from cudbucket

Good question. It took me a long time to get a direct tone, that I thought was usable, with any modeler till this point. But the KPA through the KRKs sounds great. The odds that this set of monitors are the best sounding to me, are small as these are only the 2nd pair I've ever owned. The probability that another pair will sound better to me is high. So I figure I'd at least look into it. But sure, I could be happy by just keeping these.

Dave

My advice (as always) is: keep them until you're UNhappy

I am guessing you do some mixing apart from just playing the Kemper. If your mixes translate well to other systems you're golden, no need to switch to other monitors
You COULD consider adding a sub at some point, which might be cheaper and might be a better option for you - who knows.

Or, if your main purpose is listening to the Kemper rather than mixing, you could consider an active cabinet instead.

But still - you say you're happy now. So I'd say the probability of another pair sounding better to you is probably low rather than high

Maybe the people who have chimed in so far with monitor suggestions would care to share what they use the monitors for, and how much they use them? i.e. Paid mixing, leisure mixing, 10 hours a week, 40 hours a week, blah blah blah... Just to understand where everyone is coming from. These points are NEVER discussed in threads like these, and I do think they are EXTREMELY important when asking for advice on the internet - or from anyone, really. But we all tend to forget that part of it, both when we ask and when we answer. I know I do often enough

Are you able to take the Kemper to a store and a/b some monitors? See how that works out for you -

The only pair I have used since 2008 for all production work and with my Eleven Rack and Kemper are KRK VXT4's - they are my first pair of monitors, which I got for a steal as a place was closing down - so I got the pair for the price of a single monitor!

Some people say KRK's can be bass heavy, which is true of the rokit's but the VXT's sound great for all types of music, and with the profiler also. Just my 2 cents.

There's also the matter of the room you're in. What sounds great at the store (which is not, let's be honest, the ideal setting for trying out stuff) may not be so great once you bring them back home.

Then there's also yourself in the equation. Like, if your natural inclination is to mix a bit bass heavy, then a set of monitors that is a bit hyped in the lows might actually be to your benefit, etc.

Quote from lbarrington

I upgraded from Rokit 5s to Equator D5s. No regrets here. They sound great.

I upgraded YAMAHAS HS80 to EQUATORS D5. Bought them after hearing reviews and I am very very pleased. I never knew what is stereo imaging aka "sweet spot", until i played some Sting with Symphonic Orchestra, WOW. Anyway for guitar they are stellar. So much clarity, not overhyped in lows. I work in small untreated room and they work for me well.

And believe me they can scream big wall of sound although being 5.25" - as big as you would expect from nearfields.

Hate the sound of my Kemper going through studio monitors definitely prefer FRFR solution.