Thinking of replacing my HS80Ms

[richpjr]

I have a pair of Yamaha HS80M's in my home office/music room that I am using as the output of S-Gear when I am not using my amp and pedal board. While I like the sound out of the Yamahas, they just have a very narrow sweet spot, as you'd expect from a pair of studio monitors. This is kind of limiting as I like to stand and move around a bit while playing. Since I am doing very little recording and mixing these days, I am toying with the idea of replacing the Yamahas with something with a much wider dispersion (an added bonus would be reclaiming the desk space the Yamahas take - they aren't exactly desktop friendly).

There are a lot of threads discussing various PA speakers and while I'd love a CLR, I just can't justify it for practicing at home, so I'm looking down the food chain a bit. I have read a lot of threads, but honestly know little about PA speakers. My room is about 11x14 and whatever I get will strictly be used in this room and never moved around. I can play loud for a home, but not gigging volume loud. Is a 12" speaker overkill for that size room and volume? I'm sure a smaller speaker would do just fine volume-wise, but how much low end would I lose out on with a 10" or even 8" speaker (I use a 2x12 cabinet with my amp)? While I can't justify a CLR, I don't really want a piece of junk either. How would something like an Alto TS112A or a Mackie Thump 12A compare sound-wise with the HS80Ms? Would I need to move a little further up to something like EV ZLX12 or something else? What about stereo vs mono - would it be better to pick up one nicer speaker or two cheaper speakers if I want to keep this somewhat reasonably priced. Any recommendations?

 

[mattball826]

i dont understand why nfm's are ever used for modeling units or software modeling. particularly when jamming out.

keep in mind nfm = near field. you should be very close to the audio source and it shouldnt be cranked. monitors like that are also meant for mixing so they enhance details, especially in the mids that don't often lend too great a sound to modeling. powered speakers are meant to be opened up, but they are not at all flat response nor transparent.

try a pair of powered altos, k8's, or those thump speakers that are meant to project sound. they will have their own sweet spots and spec. makes them different to the listener.

 

[eman22]

Similar problem here so will follow this thread with interest.

Aren't the k8s also nfm?

What about the new line6 amplify, can you plug an external or computer into them. I use the Rp500 at home currently through a pair of yamahas.

Unterested in peoples take on this.

 

[richpjr]

I thought I had read before that the K series were on the noisy side. Haven't really auditioned them yet, but that could be distracting.

 

[LagunaMan]

I use single alto ts110a in a room same size as yours. I have it standing up and little to the side of me when playing. However, for best results I recommend you to have it laying down in a wedge configuration. That way it's not bassy. Also, for best results I think having two of them placed in each corner of the room and have them raised above ground or suspended from ceiling facing you would be the best way to go. The 10" speaker is louder than enough for your small room, imo. I play a gt100 thru mine and it sounds pretty good.

 

[eman22]

Line 6 amplifi would be great but the external input doesnt route to both the guitar speaker and left & right stereo outs like the internal guitar processor does. This would have been a great too for use with external processors but they dropped the ball unless you want to use the on board guitar sounds.

Somebody should make a high quality guitar oriented PA for home use. Nfm is great for mixing and works ok for home jamming but just not the perfect solution.

 

[richpjr]

I use single alto ts110a in a room same size as yours. I have it standing up and little to the side of me when playing. However, for best results I recommend you to have it laying down in a wedge configuration. That way it's not bassy. Also, for best results I think having two of them placed in each corner of the room and have them raised above ground or suspended from ceiling facing you would be the best way to go. The 10" speaker is louder than enough for your small room, imo. I play a gt100 thru mine and it sounds pretty good.

I figured a 10" would be plenty loud - it was really the bass response I was more worried about.

 

[LagunaMan]

I'm happy with the bass response I get out of that 10" speaker in a small room situation. The 15" will get you more bass but it might become boomy in a small room.

 

[shredmiyagi]

I've mentioned it before, but a small 2-speaker mini-amp for monitoring modelers/softwares would be a great product.

The Micro-cube is a good example of a tiny amp that gets a believable bass response and projection.