Yamaha NS-10 Monitors------------from what Ive been reading,they seem to fit the bill.
Any users out there that are currently using them?
Give me the good---and the bad.
Thnks in advance

Well they kind of suck! Not kind of....they do suck. I guess that is what makes them so cool. In comparision to a pair of dynaudio BM6a's well there is no compairison. NS10's have a real mid range honk/bump to them. Maybe 1200hz or so, and pretty wide. If you want that sound, just grab an EQ and give a boost. They are not very detailed either. So getting exact eq'ing or panning is quite difficult compared to the Dyna's or other more safiscticated designs. What they are good for is getting a listen to what the average home stereo might do to a mix. That said, I would buy a nice pair of real monitors, and a cheap pair of radio shack or simular home stereo speakers, for that application. I have a hard time spending $4-600 on a pair of NS10's for them just to be used to give a sanity check on a mix.

The fact is, a good mix on a good set of speakers will sound good everywhere. A good mix on a shitty pair of speakers, may not sound good on a good pair of speakers. Many engineers like to mix on NS10's because they are use to there tone and forward mids. But they almost always have to check on other speakers too. The NS10's are everywhere, therefore they tone is well known. In a studio that does not cater to outside engineers does not need a pair of NS10's. They just need a good pair of monitors that give them the truth about thier mix.

JD

Not sure that made any sense.

They are not accurate, not detailed, have a large midrange bump, lack bottom end and have a harsh top end that needs to be covered with tissue paper to cut the hiss. Your ears will fatigue from moderate volumes over a short period of time.

On the other hand, they are in every major studio that has visiting engineers. This is because other engineers are familiar with thier shitty tone, and know what to expect. These were cool about 20 years ago, but so much better is on the market, and is the reason they stopped making them.

For the most part, they became popular as a replacement for the "original" crappy sounding speakers, Auratones (a.k.a. "Awful Tones"). We can thank Bob Clearmountain for their unbridled and undeserved popularity...

They weren't made to sound great - And they did a great job at that, as I agree - They're awful.

For checking mixes "on the small speakers" they're fantastic. As a main system, they've been weighed, they've been measured, and they've been found wanting.

(EDIT: Just making sure we're in the right forum for a minute - I hope he doesn't want them for mastering... )

From what I've heard you should avoid those...

For starters, you could read
http://www.recordingreview.com/articles/blogs/10/Yamaha...o-Monitors-YUCK.html

so they definitely don't give out a neutral sound, don't buy would be my advice.

quote:

Originally posted by Markus V:
From what I've heard you should avoid those...

Ditto! I don't know what your budget is but the Yorkville YSM1p's cost around $420. I did a lot of research before getting these and from what I found these are the best you can get in this price range.

Also, from what I've heard the Dynaudios would be the top dog at around the $1,000 price mark.

-tkr

quote:

Originally posted by Tekker:
Also, from what I've heard the Dynaudios would be the top dog at around the $1,000 price mark.

yep, everyone's raving about Dynaudio's BM5-A so in case you can afford them, you probably should buy 'em...

quote:

Auratones (a.k.a. "Awful Tones").

LOL

i remember an engineer i worked with in florida, called them 'horror tones'.

LOL

and of course, he used them as well....

I just bought a pair of bm5's and love them then a couple of days ago I was reading BOB Katz book on mastering that was recomended to me by a couple of forum members and he says it is impossable to get a good mix on any nearfield monitors I just cant see that these monitors are so good Jeff

Jeff, heh that's one of the things I hate about Bob Katz - some of his comments can make you doubt your ears... nonetheless, he has a lot of good advices on his book as well. I think that if you learn to use your nearfield monitors, you'll gain knowledge over them and can do great mixes and masters that translate well to other systems as well. I've learned to use my behringer b2031a truths and AKG271S headphones so that when I audition my mixes and masters on other systems they sound as I intended

So trust your ears, and use Katz's book as a reference and advice, but remember to believe in yourself all the time - Katz is one famed mastering engineer, but it doesn't mean you have to take everything he says as a law... just take 'em as advice from industry professional while trusting your own opinions (critical thinking is the key).

The thing with NS-10's is that if you get a mix to sound good on them, it will sound good on anything. They do suck, but have been a standard for years. I myself would like a pair to add that SUCK factor to my studio. ha!

I can also recommend the Blue Sky's. I own the inexpensive Media desk ones along side my Machie's and LOVE them. Very detailed and accurate. I will eventually get the system ones aa I really like those, but the price range was not in the budget. The Media desk setup is great though. Worth looking at.

Doc

How about JBL LSR 4326 Powered Monitor speakers?

quote:

Originally posted by IntelDoc:
The thing with NS-10's is that if you get a mix to sound good on them, it will sound good on anything. They do suck, but have been a standard for years. I myself would like a pair to add that SUCK factor to my studio. ha!

I can also recommend the Blue Sky's. I own the inexpensive Media desk ones along side my Machie's and LOVE them. Very detailed and accurate. I will eventually get the system ones aa I really like those, but the price range was not in the budget. The Media desk setup is great though. Worth looking at.

Doc

Ah,,,,,AK-47,,,,why yes,,,I have a couple,,,,I sure would hate to be on the other side of the barrel!

quote:

Originally posted by IntelDoc:
The thing with NS-10's is that if you get a mix to sound good on them, it will sound good on anything.

I've always thought that if you got something to sound good on NS10's, someone stole your NS10's and replaced them with something else.

quote:

Originally posted by John Scrip:

quote:

Originally posted by IntelDoc:
The thing with NS-10's is that if you get a mix to sound good on them, it will sound good on anything.

I've always thought that if you got something to sound good on NS10's, someone stole your NS10's and replaced them with something else.

I guess Ive come to the conclusion htat there not worth looking into.No wonder I see a slew of them on e-bay.

I "poke" the NS10's a lot -

They're usefull to the point that they were designed for - A small, dull, inexpensive box to check the "real-world" application of a mix on a "home bookshelf" speaker (which is what they actually were before they put the "STUDIO MONITOR" sticker on the box).

I just wouldn't suggest using them as your "mains" - You'd find them lacking quickly.

There are a lot of them on e-bay recently (at riduclous prices) because of the goofy demand for a third-rate speaker at ridiculous prices.

If I still had a pair (that I paid $300 for new), hell yeah I'd put them up on e-bay for $5-600 (I've seen them go as high as around $900 shortly after they were discontinued).

What's your budget, what are you looking to accomplish, and what are you using now?

quote:

Originally posted by Contrast Recording:
What's your budget, what are you looking to accomplish, and what are you using now?

Price range is at about 2k,Im looking for mastering speakers

A pair of (used) B&W 800 Series Matrix 802's can be found for under $2k... Pair them up with a "worthy" amplifier and you've got something.

A new set of DM-604-S3's wouldn't be out of the question there either...

quote:

Originally posted by John Scrip:
A pair of (used) B&W 800 Series Matrix 802's can be found for under $2k... Pair them up with a "worthy" amplifier and you've got something.

A new set of DM-604-S3's wouldn't be out of the question there either...

I really would like something in the active range as far as monitors.
According to various threads either here or at recording.org,the Dynaudio BM5a are something to look into.
Have you heard these John?