Monitors

[Owen]

I would love a pair of ATCs. That is not going to happen. 

 

I am a tragic fantasist embarking on his very own vanity project. I am looking at a pair of Yamaha NS8 as my monitors (HS8 really, thanks Dad - see below). I have borrowed a pair and they are in situ. I am struggling to think of a reason not to go with them. I am running Sonor Works which can deal with the less than epic placement. Does the £500ish have anything else that I REALLY should be considering as well?

 

I am not hugely into buying 2nd hand for speakers like this, unless someone I know and trust is cutting me an extraordinary deal on a pair of ATC SCM25A boxes.

 

TIA

Edited 3 hours ago by Owen

[Dad3353]

28 minutes ago, Owen said:

...a pair of Yamaha NS8 as my monitors...

 

Are you sure you don't mean 'HS8'..? 'NS8' existed, long ago, as mid-range HiFi, but are not at all 'bookshelf'...

 

 

 

...compared to Yamaha HS8 ...

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by Dad3353

[Owen]

You are, of course, correct. 

[Owen]

Awkward!!!!

[Dad3353]

Have a look here for some choices..?

 

Best value bookshelf speakers 2025 ...

 

Hope this helps. 

[Owen]

Thanks. I am looking for active boxes. My 1982 B&W DM110i + Mission Cyrus 1 amp have been doing sterling service, but it is time for an upgrade.  

[Dad3353]

43 minutes ago, Owen said:

Thanks. I am looking for active boxes...

 

Ah, OK. Well then ...

 

Klipsch 'The Fives' ...

 

... or ...

 

M-Audio Forty-Eighty ...

[simisker]

I'd suggest taking a look/listen at the Kali IN-5 (£500 a pair) or IN-8 v2 (£600 a pair) 3-way active monitors, depending on your room size/requirements.

 

And acoustic room treatment, of course.

 

Edited December 31, 2025 by simisker

[Leonard Smalls]

Or look at Adam's offerings... Had mine for a few years and they're very neutral.

This bundle is £509:

https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/Adam-T8V-Studio-Monitors-with-Stands-Pair/526L

[BigRedX]

The synth player in my band mixes all our recordings on a pair of KRK Rokit speakers which allow him to get some excellent sounding mixes and which to me seem reasonably small - although my last set of studio monitors were Tannoy Gold 10" dual-concentrics so my idea of sizes might be a bit skewed.

 

As I said in the recent headphones thread, the most important thing about whatever speakers you choose is that you spend a serious amount of time listening to recordings you know and like through them so you get to know their strengths and weaknesses and then can use them to make objective decisions about your own recordings.

[Wolfram]

It may be worth auditioning the Mackie XR824 and MR824 monitors too - I don't have any direct experience with them but they seem to be well-regarded. I used the Presonus Eris E8 for many years - they're ok, kinda got the job done, but were quite warm and 'hi-fi' sounding, so didn't really have that clinical detail I like for mixing and translating to other systems, so don't think I could recommend those over any of the other monitors discussed here. I was finally able to upgrade to a pair of Focal Solo ST6 last year and absolutely love them - different league entirely! (unfortunately a different budget entirely also...)

@BigRedX is absolutely right - whatever monitors you're using you need to get to know them and the room acoustic. Most of us are restricted to untreated/lightly-treated rooms so have to compensate: listen to lots of reference tracks.

 

[Owen]

Thanks everyone. I keep looking at the 66J on my wall that I have not played in anger for 30+ years and wondering what shaped monitors it could turn into. And acoustic treatment, obv. Only an idiot would have lush speakers in a bare room!

[Wolfram]

8 hours ago, Owen said:

Only an idiot would have lush speakers in a bare room!

*ducks*

Lots of guitars in their cases count, right? 😊

[BigRedX]

It might be worth getting the acoustic treatment done before you consider spending serious money on new speakers.

[WHUFC BASS]

Another endorsement for either Adam or Kali monitors. I have a set of Adam AX7s which, you may be able to pick up second hand. I use them with a matching sub woofer as my near field setup and they're superb. 

 

I've also heard great things about the Kali 8" offerings too. 

[80Hz]

I'll throw in my £0.02.

 

If the Yamahas are doing what you need them to do, great. There's nothing that beats auditioning something in your own space.

 

Otherwise the marketplace is pretty crowded around your budget level, so options abound. I'd throw Focal into the mix if you're looking for brands to consider - I just switched away from Genelecs to a used pair of Solo6 Be's (a model from few years ago). I'm impressed enough that I'd consider what Focal have to offer in their less expensive models.

 

My dream is to own something from the PSI Audio lineup, so I don't have as expensive taste as your ATCs 😆

[Owen]

The concept of buying 2nd hand basses does not phase me at all. 2nd hand monitors from an unknown source are just slightly too exciting for me. 

 

I shall go and listen to some options later on in the month. The interesting bit is that once the Yamahas were Sonor Works'd in place they were not a significant step up from my 1983 B&W DM110i + my Mission Cyrus 1 amp. Different, yes, but not "oh wow!!!" better. 

[Ramirez]

I recently picked up a pair of ATC SCM7 for around £500 for Hi-Fi use - they'd make great little monitors with a suitable amp, but they're very small and don't go very deep (though what bass there is is wonderful)

 

We have huge ATC SCM100a at the studio, which you've heard, so I'm very spoilt! But at home I have Neumann KH150, which are also absolutely superb. I have the smaller Neumann KH80 as surround speakers, and when one of the KH150 went down last year, I had to work on the KH80 for a while - for their size they are absolutely remarkable, and apart from bass extension and max volume, it's not as much a step down from the KH150 as you might think.

 

Moving back and forth between the Neumanns at home and the ATC at the studio don't reveal any big surprises, and you certainly don't hear a £15,000 price difference! Neumann monitors are really very good, with an unhyped polite character that's not far removed from ATC.

 

A new pair of KH80 are over budget, but I don't think you'll find anything else that's truly worthy of being called a 'monitor' for cheaper - they really are that good. And of course, if you want more bass down the line, save up and get a KH750 subwoofer ☺️! On their own, the bass is impressive for the size, but they ARE very small!

 

I'm smitten with the small SCM7 too - I don't need more low end in my lounge, they're perfect.

 

Let me know if you'd like to borrow the KH80 to try out - I don't use them much for work.

Edited 5 hours ago by Ramirez

[Owen]

Diolch! I have sent you a message. 

 

Yep those ATC SCM100 boxes have spoilt anything else for me. 

 

We have a pair of SCM45 where I used to work and they have made me consider doing something really rash!

[Owen]

2 hours ago, Ramirez said:

 

I'm smitten with the small SCM7 too - I don't need more low end in my lounge, they're perfect.

I don't understand! Everyone needs more low end, surely. 

[Ramirez]

56 minutes ago, Owen said:

I don't understand! Everyone needs more low end, surely. 

Well, personally I prefer limited but accurate bass to washes of flabby mush when listening!

[Owen]

Washes of flabby mush FTW!

[paul_5]

45 minutes ago, Owen said:

Washes of flabby mush FTW!

That’s what my GP recommended!