Adam A7 vs Mackie MR8 vs Yamaha HS80M

[charliefoy]

Alright!
Need some help in choosing some new monitors.
I've narrowed my choices down to these three.
I'm a little stuck.
I've heard they're all brilliant but I need some advice from the Dubstep world as that's what I'll be using them for.

Ive heard the Adam's are really good, but lack a little bass and the highs are a little too, well, high. I know these are more expensive than the other three but I'd probably get them off eBay.

Mackies, heard brilliant things about these, but a few people have said that there is too much low end, and the sound can become clouded.

And the Yamahas, I haven't heard too much about these but I've heard they're good for electronic music.

My budget is about £500 so I'm not going to be investing in a sub anytime soon.
All advice welcome thanks.

[shaneynclan]

i have the hs80's, they're pretty decent.
if you're doing dubstep though you will need a sub.

[charliefoy]

i have the hs80's, they're pretty decent.
if you're doing dubstep though you will need a sub.

Yeah I know. I'll get one eventually, but I'm not in a position financially to get one when i get my monitors

[Depone]

The single most important thing is to go out and HEAR these speakers. You cant go on recommendations alone.

Personally i Love the Adam A7's. Really big sound for their price! I have never had the problem with the bass, and the treble isnt too much, its just so clear it might become 'abrasive' if your not used to them.

[charliefoy]

The single most important thing is to go out and HEAR these speakers. You cant go on recommendations alone.

Personally i Love the Adam A7's. Really big sound for their price! I have never had the problem with the bass, and the treble isnt too much, its just so clear it might become 'abrasive' if your not used to them.

Yeah I'm going soon to Dawsons to check some out, as thats the only shop round Liverpool that has active monitors.
But they don't have the Adam's only the Mackie ones and the Yamaha's

[abZ]

I like the Yams.

[charliefoy]

I like the Yams.

Just read a review on Sound on sound, and they recommend them. Think I'll go and try out the Yams and the Mackies side by side.
I may rule out the Adams because i want a brand new pair of monitors, and i can't be bothered searching for some cheaper used ones

[nowaysj]

I need some advice from the Dubstep world as that's what I'll be using them for.

Are you looking for advice from the Early, Middle or Late Dubstep era?

[charliefoy]

I need some advice from the Dubstep world as that's what I'll be using them for.

Are you looking for advice from the Early, Middle or Late Dubstep era?

Any really. I was just wondering what monitors suit producing dubstep, or any electronic music for that matter, the best out of those three.
I'll be going to listen to them soon though I suppose the main thing is a good low end response.

[wirez]

I have tried both the A7's and HS80M's, I think it's fair to say that the A7's seem to have a more honest representation of a mix (obviously depending on the room you're in), but the HS80M's have a better low frequency response... So if you're primarily making Dubstep or other bass heavy music I'd go for the Yamaha's personally.

[wirez]

Are you looking for advice from the Early, Middle or Late Dubstep era?

Even though this is somewhat humorous, it's still a pretty valid question strangely...

[charliefoy]

I have tried both the A7's and HS80M's, I think it's fair to say that the A7's seem to have a more honest representation of a mix (obviously depending on the room you're in), but the HS80M's have a better low frequency response... So if you're primarily making Dubstep or other bass heavy music I'd go for the Yamaha's personally.

Alright Think I'm leaning toward the Yamaha's now. Really excited to go and listen to them

[abZ]

I have tried both the A7's and HS80M's, I think it's fair to say that the A7's seem to have a more honest representation of a mix (obviously depending on the room you're in), but the HS80M's have a better low frequency response... So if you're primarily making Dubstep or other bass heavy music I'd go for the Yamaha's personally.

Thats about it right there. I was considering a7 but never actually got to check them out tbh. The clarity on the low end is what sold me for the yams. Even better with the sub but I wanted monitors where the sub isnt necessary. a7 you would have to use a sub I think. a7 would probably be the choice for non dance. Considered the Dynaudios too but just heard too many conflicting reviews. Never really checked the Mackies out I heard a lot of people say their responce is more hifi than reference. Maybe the new stuff is different I dunno. Yams will go toe to toe with these much more expensive speakers imo.

[lp]

I can't fault my A7's, I can listen to music all day long without getting a headache and it makes listening back to loops for hours on end a lot more bearable As far as bass response goes for making dubstep you can still feel the sub low well enough to accuratley create your specifc sound and everything above the low comes through so clear. The highs are so dreamy with the ribbon tweeters.

Best bet is to go and listen before buying and don't jump straight into a purchase. Take a cd with you with a couple of different tunes as a reference too (mastered tracks, non mastered and your production too)

[charliefoy]

I can't fault my A7's, I can listen to music all day long without getting a headache and it makes listening back to loops for hours on end a lot more bearable As far as bass response goes for making dubstep you can still feel the sub low well enough to accuratley create your specifc sound and everything above the low comes through so clear. The highs are so dreamy with the ribbon tweeters.

Best bet is to go and listen before buying and don't jump straight into a purchase. Take a cd with you with a couple of different tunes as a reference too (mastered tracks, non mastered and your production too)

Cheers
The only problem is though, i don't know anywhere that sells Adam's. The only place that sells monitors near me is Dawsons. They have the Yamahas and the Mackies so I'm gonna check them out

[staticcast]

I have tried both the A7's and HS80M's, I think it's fair to say that the A7's seem to have a more honest representation of a mix (obviously depending on the room you're in), but the HS80M's have a better low frequency response... So if you're primarily making Dubstep or other bass heavy music I'd go for the Yamaha's personally.

Thats about it right there. I was considering a7 but never actually got to check them out tbh. The clarity on the low end is what sold me for the yams. Even better with the sub but I wanted monitors where the sub isnt necessary. a7 you would have to use a sub I think. a7 would probably be the choice for non dance. Considered the Dynaudios too but just heard too many conflicting reviews. Never really checked the Mackies out I heard a lot of people say their responce is more hifi than reference. Maybe the new stuff is different I dunno. Yams will go toe to toe with these much more expensive speakers imo.

With all the usual disclaimers about not taking anyone else's advice on monitors and speakers being a totally personal choice etc, here's what I felt when I tried out a few of these:

- A7s: really nice mids and highs, but kinda boxy low-mids and no sub
- HS80s: hated them - like NS10s, unpleasant to listen to, all top-mid, no bass. If you like NS10s then you'll probably dig these
- KRK Rokit 6/8: quite a lot like the VXT8s, but not quite as clear. Fairly strong midrange. The 8s had more sub than the A7s, obviously.

In the end I didn't want to buy a sub and spent the extra money for a bigger pair, going for KRK VXT8s, after A/Bing them with some Dynaudio BM5s (very nice but no low end), Mackie HR824s (way too scooped mids, sounded too flattering), Genelec something-or-others (I've yet to hear a pair of small Genelecs that I liked) and a couple of others I can't remember.

My only complaints about the VXT8s are hat they're physically huge so they take up a lot of desk space, and that they're a tiny bit fatiguing after several hours. Apart from that, I really like them.

Again, within a specific price range, it totally doesn't matter what other people think about your monitors. For 500 quid, give or take 50 either side, you can pick one of half a dozen decent contenders which will be of more or less equivalent quality but with different sonic characteristics. The main tradeoff is buying a sub on top, where obviously you'd have to compromise on the quality of the whole setup if you don't raise your budget.

[charliefoy]

With all the usual disclaimers about not taking anyone else's advice on monitors and speakers being a totally personal choice etc, here's what I felt when I tried out a few of these:

- A7s: really nice mids and highs, but kinda boxy low-mids and no sub
- HS80s: hated them - like NS10s, unpleasant to listen to, all top-mid, no bass. If you like NS10s then you'll probably dig these
- KRK Rokit 6/8: quite a lot like the VXT8s, but not quite as clear. Fairly strong midrange. The 8s had more sub than the A7s, obviously.

In the end I didn't want to buy a sub and spent the extra money for a bigger pair, going for KRK VXT8s, after A/Bing them with some Dynaudio BM5s (very nice but no low end), Mackie HR824s (way too scooped mids, sounded too flattering), Genelec something-or-others (I've yet to hear a pair of small Genelecs that I liked) and a couple of others I can't remember.

My only complaints about the VXT8s are hat they're physically huge so they take up a lot of desk space, and that they're a tiny bit fatiguing after several hours. Apart from that, I really like them.

Again, within a specific price range, it totally doesn't matter what other people think about your monitors. For 500 quid, give or take 50 either side, you can pick one of half a dozen decent contenders which will be of more or less equivalent quality but with different sonic characteristics. The main tradeoff is buying a sub on top, where obviously you'd have to compromise on the quality of the whole setup if you don't raise your budget.

Thanks for your input I've heard mixed things about the KRK's. Apparently they're more like HIFI speakers, and arent accurate at all.
I suppose it all comes down to personal opinion, and the only way for me to make a choice is to listen to them

[wirez]

I have tried both the A7's and HS80M's, I think it's fair to say that the A7's seem to have a more honest representation of a mix (obviously depending on the room you're in), but the HS80M's have a better low frequency response... So if you're primarily making Dubstep or other bass heavy music I'd go for the Yamaha's personally.

Thats about it right there. I was considering a7 but never actually got to check them out tbh. The clarity on the low end is what sold me for the yams. Even better with the sub but I wanted monitors where the sub isnt necessary. a7 you would have to use a sub I think. a7 would probably be the choice for non dance. Considered the Dynaudios too but just heard too many conflicting reviews. Never really checked the Mackies out I heard a lot of people say their responce is more hifi than reference. Maybe the new stuff is different I dunno. Yams will go toe to toe with these much more expensive speakers imo.

Damn man, I have had some brilliant mixes out of Dynaudio's and they're wicked for recording referencing... They're really decent monitors, try using them alongside NS10's and you'll get a headache though... It's near enough impossible to get a mix that suits both

[staticcast]

try using NS10's and you'll get a headache

fixed

[staticcast]

Thanks for your input I've heard mixed things about the KRK's. Apparently they're more like HIFI speakers, and arent accurate at all.
I suppose it all comes down to personal opinion, and the only way for me to make a choice is to listen to them

I didn't find that at all. They've got quite a prominent midrange, but I learned on passive Reveals so I liked that. I certainly don't find they're lacking in detail, which is the important thing, and one of the things you're paying extra for. Almost everything else (frequency response curve, etc) is down to personal taste.