Hobbyist electronic musician who mixes with phones now looking for studio monitors ($400-$500 CAD) and audio interface ($150-$200 CAD) recommendations

[Derkoli]

48 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Taking a tanget, but the 8" are only $50 more per than the 5" JBL 305P MKII's... For around $300 per speaker, would you get anything other than the JBL 308P MKII's for that price range?
https://www.amazon.ca/JBL-2-Way-Powered-Studio-Monitor/dp/B077NHM2K6

I actually quite like my 308P MK2's. I would put the extra 50 into each one for the extended (not extra) bass reponse. The dip switches for EQ on the rear also work very well for fixing small issues.

 

37 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Dang, Amazon and Long & McQuade say those are no longer available. But this place is selling them for $260 CAD. It says it is backordered though.

If it were between the Presonus Eris E5 XT's, Yamaha HS5I's, and the JBL 305P MKii's, which would you get for mixing?

 

Honestly, out of those, probably the JBL's. They measure well, quite good SPL for the size, they aren't fussy about placement due to the excellent waveguide (smaller version of the waveguide that is used on the JBL M2), they also are designed to work with the LSR310S if you wanted extra bass in the future.

 

JBL drivers are also world class, and the speakers are torture tested before being shipped/sold so they're gonna last forever.

[The Flying Sloth]

4 hours ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Dang, Amazon and Long & McQuade say those are no longer available. But this place is selling them for $260 CAD. It says it is backordered though.

If it were between the Presonus Eris E5 XT's, Yamaha HS5I's, and the JBL 305P MKii's, which would you get for mixing?

If this shootout is anything to go by the answer is pretty clearly the 305P if you just want something that sounds good, for studio use where you're looking for accuracy and accuracy alone the answer is probably HS5 though I've not heard the two next to one another and am solely basing this off that video with YouTube compression and a mic that is definitely not entirely flat. Personally I'd rather spend the money on a used set a generation or two old or upgrade to the 802 but if those are your options that's my answer.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

@Derkoli @The Flying Sloth Well, as much as I hate the glossy look, I feel like most people are recommending the JBL's. Honestly, I might bite the bullet to get the 8" for $300 each rather than $250 for the 5". Just $50 for such an improvement seems worth it. Question though, would the 8" be worse than getting the 5" for some particular setup? Or should I just get the 8" and not look back?

[The Flying Sloth]

1 minute ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

@Derkoli @The Flying Sloth Well, as much as I hate the glossy look, I feel like most people are recommending the JBL's. Honestly, I might bite the bullet to get the 8" for $300 each rather than $250 for the 5". Just $50 for such an improvement seems worth it. Question though, would the 8" be worse than getting the 5" for some particular setup? Or should I just get the 8" and not look back?

8 inch will have more extended bass response (you can hear lower stuff) but they are also much much bigger so it might be harder to fit them in your setup.
Don't worry, I'm with you on the gloss black, I painted my studio monitors though (and my bookshelf speakers) and that made them a much better fit for my black and white themed room. 

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

2 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

8 inch will have more extended bass response (you can hear lower stuff) but they are also much much bigger so it might be harder to fit them in your setup.
Don't worry, I'm with you on the gloss black, I painted my studio monitors though (and my bookshelf speakers) and that made them a much better fit for my black and white themed room. 

The glossy black paint on JBL's reminds me of the unappealing tan/yellow colour of Noctua fans... Haha.

I'm becoming very tempted to get them... Seems like all roads point to JBL, at least with this price range and it seems other 8" speakers don't exist in the $300 range.

It looks like the Tannoy Reveal 802's aren't readily available. But I'm wondering if there's other 8" speakers roughly within this range that are better than the JBL's. The Yamaha HS8's are like $440 per which is quite a big jump to the 8" from the 5".

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

Hey @The Flying Sloth @emosun @Derkoli I have probably the stupidest question ever. I want to get the JBL 305P MKii's, but I don't know what cables to buy to connect them together, and then how to connect them to my PC... Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm trying to use the cablefinder on sweet water: https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/cables/finder.php

EDIT: Nvm, I figured it out. Look good?

EDIT 2: Anything else I need/you recommend?

 

[Derkoli]

12 hours ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Hey @The Flying Sloth @emosun @Derkoli I have probably the stupidest question ever. I want to get the JBL 305P MKii's, but I don't know what cables to buy to connect them together, and then how to connect them to my PC... Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm trying to use the cablefinder on sweet water: https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/cables/finder.php

EDIT: Nvm, I figured it out. Look good?

EDIT 2: Anything else I need/you recommend?

 

That would be the correct cable if you want to connect them to your PC's motherboard. But if you are getting an interface, it most likely will have TRS out for the JBL's, so a TRS -> XLR cable would work best. Such as this one (You would need two):

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-6-35mm-Inch-Male/dp/B00KO8VY80/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=TRS+to+XLR+cable&qid=1591031569&sr=8-5

 

Personally, I would also recommend getting a Monitor controller, it just allows more options for mixing/mastering.

 

Something such as a Mackie Big Knob would do well. JBL also makes some. But you can always just go straight from the Interface to the speakers aslong as the interface has a volume control for its line outs.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

49 minutes ago, Derkoli said:

That would be the correct cable if you want to connect them to your PC's motherboard. But if you are getting an interface, it most likely will have TRS out for the JBL's, so a TRS -> XLR cable would work best. Such as this one (You would need two):

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-6-35mm-Inch-Male/dp/B00KO8VY80/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=TRS+to+XLR+cable&qid=1591031569&sr=8-5

 

Personally, I would also recommend getting a Monitor controller, it just allows more options for mixing/mastering.

 

Something such as a Mackie Big Knob would do well. JBL also makes some. But you can always just go straight from the Interface to the speakers aslong as the interface has a volume control for its line outs.

So all I have right now is my PC/mobo to connect to. I don't have an interface yet but I'm definitely open to some good suggestions for maybe around $300 or less. I got that Y split cable with two XLR and 1 3.5mm because I was intending on going straight to my mobo. I guess if I use an interface in the future, I can just get a 3.55mm to 0.25" adapter?

[kokakolia]

@PopsiclesInMyCellarNOOOoOOO!!!! You're in Canada for crying out loud! Why the heck didn't you drive to Visions to pick up some speakers, headphones and gear!!? WHY pay full price on Amazon??? 

 

 

 

 

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

21 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

@PopsiclesInMyCellarNOOOoOOO!!!! You're in Canada for crying out loud! Why the heck didn't you drive to Visions to pick up some speakers, headphones and gear!!? WHY pay full price on Amazon??? 

 

 

 

 

I don't know if Visions has the speakers. I ordered from Sweetwater for cheapest price online. THE JBL 305P's were only like $150 CAD per (amazon was $250 and local store Long & McQuade were $250).

[The Flying Sloth]

For an interface, cheap good option is the UMC202HD and I've used my interface volume for years in place of a monitor controller. If you really do need a monitor controller there are tonnes of cheap passive ones that work just fine (remember it's a glorified volume knob), the step up from that being the Control2USB. 

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

2 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

For an interface, cheap good option is the UMC202HD and I've used my interface volume for years in place of a monitor controller. If you really do need a monitor controller there are tonnes of cheap passive ones that work just fine (remember it's a glorified volume knob), the step up from that being the Control2USB. 

Hmm. So, as I think you mentioned and as I also heard on various other places online, the JBL 305P MKii's are known for having an audible "hum" (maybe louder than most other active monitors). I read that someone "got past this" issue by using a DAC. I also opted for using XLR cables as I know those are better at preventing unwanted noise. Would getting an external audio interface or a DAC to plug them into be a good idea?

[The Flying Sloth]

3 hours ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Hmm. So, as I think you mentioned and as I also heard on various other places online, the JBL 305P MKii's are known for having an audible "hum" (maybe louder than most other active monitors). I read that someone "got past this" issue by using a DAC. I also opted for using XLR cables as I know those are better at preventing unwanted noise. Would getting an external audio interface or a DAC to plug them into be a good idea?

Absolutely an interface is a good idea, UMC202HD is probably the sweet spot for price-performance ratio at the moment, relatively cheap too.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

1 hour ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Absolutely an interface is a good idea, UMC202HD is probably the sweet spot for price-performance ratio at the moment, relatively cheap too.

So this might sound like a silly question, but I would plug my monitors into the front headphone jack on that audio interface?

[The Flying Sloth]

1 minute ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

So this might sound like a silly question, but I would plug my monitors into the front headphone jack on that audio interface?

There are dedicated studio monitor outputs on the back, the headphone amp is entirely separate from the studio monitor outputs.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

6 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

There are dedicated studio monitor outputs on the back, the headphone amp is entirely separate from the studio monitor outputs.

So if the monitors connect to the two outputs on the back, how do I connect my computer audio to the interface? Into the headphone jack? I'm confused because the goal here is for the interface to take my computer audio and then send it to my 2 monitors?

[The Flying Sloth]

28 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

So if the monitors connect to the two outputs on the back, how do I connect my computer audio to the interface? Into the headphone jack? I'm confused because the goal here is for the interface to take my computer audio and then send it to my 2 monitors?

USB, audio interfaces do everything with your computer over USB, that's how the interface sends microphone inputs back into your PC too.
Really, just check out the link in my signature and pictures of the interface if you want to learn a little more.

Now, I hope this doesn't come across wrong but these questions aren't something I often hear from people purchasing systems as expensive as yours, like, I'm not sure you need to spend so much money if you're dabbling a little in recording or production. The monitors you're considering are used in proper home studios with paying clients and I'm not so sure the benefits of them will mean much to you. Now, I'm in no position to tell you how much money you should or shouldn't spend and I know nothing about your financial situation but perhaps saving the money and buying cheaper or secondhand monitors is a better choice for you, personally.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

2 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

USB, audio interfaces do everything with your computer over USB, that's how the interface sends microphone inputs back into your PC too.
Really, just check out the link in my signature and pictures of the interface if you want to learn a little more.

Now, I hope this doesn't come across wrong but these questions aren't something I often hear from people purchasing systems as expensive as yours, like, I'm not sure you need to spend so much money if you're dabbling a little in recording or production. The monitors you're considering are used in proper home studios with paying clients and I'm not so sure the benefits of them will mean much to you. Now, I'm in no position to tell you how much money you should or shouldn't spend and I know nothing about your financial situation but perhaps saving the money and buying cheaper or secondhand monitors is a better choice for you, personally.

I appreciate your comment, no worries. I have been producing electronic music as a hobby for ten years now and have never wanted to use mics or live instruments, so it wasn't clear to me exactly how hooking up a piece of hardware to record them would be used. I'm also not used to the idea of having audio travel through a USB cable (that still seems weird to me but hey, data is data). I also must admit I tend to unconsciously play dumb when asking for advice on things I am not so sure about (on the internet). I will definitely love the monitors a lot and appreciate them. I've loved my ATH-M40X's and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros for a long time and am looking forward to some good studio monitors. I appreciate all your help and advice so far!

[The Flying Sloth]

1 minute ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

I appreciate your comment, no worries. I have been producing electronic music as a hobby for ten years now and have never wanted to use mics or live instruments, so it wasn't clear to me exactly how hooking up a piece of hardware to record them would be used. I'm also not used to the idea of having audio travel through a USB cable (that still seems weird to me but hey, data is data). I also must admit I tend to unconsciously play dumb when asking for advice on things I am not so sure about (on the internet). I will definitely love the monitors a lot and appreciate them. I've loved my ATH-M40X's and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros for a long time and am looking forward to some good studio monitors. I appreciate all your help and advice so far!

Okay, cool, good to see I was wrong.

So, to try and make sense of the USB audio thing, audio when inside a computer is all ones and zeroes until it goes through something called a Digital to Analogue Converter or DAC for short, not computers have DACs built in but they're not exactly the highest quality so some people choose to send those ones and zeroes out of their computer and into an external DAC whether it be standalone or inside an audio interface. Now, the same thing goes in reverse for microphones, your computer has things called Analogue to Digital Converters or ADCs for short that turn the analogue waveform from a mic into ones and zeroes. You guessed it, the ones inside a computer are steaming piles of monkey doo doo (without any preamp or 48V phantom) so studios and many people recording at home use the mic preamps, 48v phantom power and ADCs in an interface instead. Now, those ones and zeroes are sent to and from the interface on a USB cable and since digital signals don't degrade nearly as much as Analogue ones do you don't have to worry so much about all sorts of things like shielding and interference.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

4 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Okay, cool, good to see I was wrong.

So, to try and make sense of the USB audio thing, audio when inside a computer is all ones and zeroes until it goes through something called a Digital to Analogue Converter or DAC for short, not computers have DACs built in but they're not exactly the highest quality so some people choose to send those ones and zeroes out of their computer and into an external DAC whether it be standalone or inside an audio interface. Now, the same thing goes in reverse for microphones, your computer has things called Analogue to Digital Converters or ADCs for short that turn the analogue waveform from a mic into ones and zeroes. You guessed it, the ones inside a computer are steaming piles of monkey doo doo (without any preamp or 48V phantom) so studios and many people recording at home use the mic preamps, 48v phantom power and ADCs in an interface instead. Now, those ones and zeroes are sent to and from the interface on a USB cable and since digital signals don't degrade nearly as much as Analogue ones do you don't have to worry so much about all sorts of things like shielding and interference.

Thank you, that was a great explanation.  
Since I'm not really focused on (although it would be cool to have the ability to) recording live instruments or audio via mics, would it be better to focus on getting a DAC instead? I created a topic the other day (which you commented in) which asked if it would be worth getting an external DAC since my mobo has a "good one" built in. But, I think the DAC is only activated for the front-panel audio... I'm still confused about that one. Maybe it'd just be better if I plugged my studio monitors into my front-panel headphone jack port.
 

[The Flying Sloth]

1 minute ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Thank you, that was a great explanation.  
Since I'm not really focused on (although it would be cool to have the ability to) recording live instruments or audio via mics, would it be better to focus on getting a DAC instead? I created a topic the other day (which you commented in) which asked if it would be worth getting an external DAC since my mobo has a "good one" built in. But, I think the DAC is only activated for the front-panel audio... I'm still confused about that one. Maybe it'd just be better if I plugged my studio monitors into my front-panel headphone jack port.
 

No, see, studio monitors use balanced analogue audio cables, basically there are three contacts instead of two per speaker and your onboard audio can't produce that signal. 
The DAC in an interface is crystal clear and imho just as good if not better than consumer DACs double or triple the price. Besides, the difference is so small you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Now, you may not be focused on recording with a mic but an interface will allow you to use studio mics for voice chats and whatnot which is always appreciated over a sh**ty headset mic and who knows, doing electronic production you may want to get a hardware synthesizer and an interface would be very helpful in getting that signal into your PC.

Now, I've got an appointment to go to but I'll be back in an hour or so to answer whatever query you may have,

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

14 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

No, see, studio monitors use balanced analogue audio cables, basically there are three contacts instead of two per speaker and your onboard audio can't produce that signal. 
The DAC in an interface is crystal clear and imho just as good if not better than consumer DACs double or triple the price. Besides, the difference is so small you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Now, you may not be focused on recording with a mic but an interface will allow you to use studio mics for voice chats and whatnot which is always appreciated over a sh**ty headset mic and who knows, doing electronic production you may want to get a hardware synthesizer and an interface would be very helpful in getting that signal into your PC.

Now, I've got an appointment to go to but I'll be back in an hour or so to answer whatever query you may have,

I agree, I think an audio interface provides more possibilities for the future. I would maybe be able to tell the difference though... at least on headphones.
I'll start thinking and asking around for a good interface to get. I think a 2 channel should be reasonable and can hopefully find one within my budget. The cable I got for my monitors was a Y split XLR to 3.5mm by the way. Is that audio interface you recommended the best one you can recommend for this price range?

[The Flying Sloth]

49 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Is that audio interface you recommended the best one you can recommend for this price range?

Short answer : Yes

Long Answer : The 202 shares component with my interface, the UMC1820, so I'm quite familiar with how that series performs and they truly do perform. Granted there are cheaper options but they all lack a dedicated headphone amplifier, have poor driver support and use an inferior mic preamp. Nothing I am aware of can match the 202 for the price. 

 

As for cables you will want to use TRS cables to connect from the rear of the interface to each speaker, as the guide in my sig says, you have to be careful what connectors your components utilise.

[kasugatei]

9 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

The DAC in an interface is crystal clear and imho just as good if not better than consumer DACs double or triple the price.

Don't forget that lots of consumer "audiophile DACs" are sprinkled with unicorn dust

 

Yeah, I completely agree on this point. Audio interfaces are DACs, they are also ADCs and current technology can give you superb sound for peanuts. They also come with some other nice features too.

 

The difference in price between audiophile stuff and prosumer stuff (like recommended Behringer here) is that the first is intended for people who can "hear" the difference when you use 1000+ USD USB cable and puny 100 USD USB cable between their PCs and DACs, while later is for the people with usually trained hearing and which don't fall for BS audiophile marketing because they are using ears to hear, not their eyes. Also balanced DAC will probably cost several times more without noticeable sound difference or it might sound a bit better, but certainly not several times better than any decent audio interface.

[PopsiclesInMyCellar]

21 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Short answer : Yes

Long Answer : The 202 shares component with my interface, the UMC1820, so I'm quite familiar with how that series performs and they truly do perform. Granted there are cheaper options but they all lack a dedicated headphone amplifier, have poor driver support and use an inferior mic preamp. Nothing I am aware of can match the 202 for the price. 

 

As for cables you will want to use TRS cables to connect from the rear of the interface to each speaker, as the guide in my sig says, you have to be careful what connectors your components utilise.

The UMC404HD is within my budget too and has more inputs/outputs. Any reason to not get that one over the UMC202HD?