djdiggla Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Ok, I got this sweet classic Crown PS-200 amp that I've been very happy with for my home studio... I bought some KRK ST6 passive monitors because they match the amp specks (8 ohms @ 100 watts per channel). I'm basically happy with them... not blown away, but pretty happy. The other day I saw some Alesis monitors that looked pretty tight. The Frequency Response for em is: 45 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 3dBOn my ST6s it's 62 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 2dB So my first question is: Do you think I would notice a sound range/qualty difference? Second question: The ST6 is 8 ohms at 100, but the Alesis is 4 ohms. My amp will do 4 ohms, but at 4 it puts out 170 watts per channel, whereas the Alesis has a Power Handling of 120 watts program, 200 watts peak (using EI4-426A method)... whatever the fuck that means... So I'd be running em between 120 and 200... would that be a problem? And if not am I still just better off sticking with monitors that are perfectly matched for my amp? This is all passive, so I unfortunately don't have many choices... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x2k Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 What alesis monitors were you looking at, I have some M1mk2 Active ones and while I was happy with them when I got them, and they were well priced and they go fucking loud for studio monitors I wouldn't recommend them now. The have a bit of a boost in the bass frequencies and I find it muffles to quite a bit, I know my room isn't treated properly and that might make quite a difference but compared to other monitors I've heard I don't find them the easiest to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdiggla Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Actually I was looking at the passive M1 mk2s... they apparently don't have as much pass kick as the active... you wouldn't recommend them??? The more I debate it the more I think I'm probably gonna stick with what I got for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x2k Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 When I got my I think I probably got the best bang for buck, since then I think better ones have come out in the same price range...I'm no expert mind, your best bet is to try and get to a store and have a listen to the diffent ones you are interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdiggla Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Yeah, problem is, from what I've seen online there are not many passive choices... and the sound coming from that classic Crown is really nice. I just wonder if I am not getting all my low range with the KRKs (or as much possible w/o a sub) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Caruso Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 No suggestions on passive monitors but power-wise you're golden. It's a good idea to have more power on hand than you actually need, the amp won't be struggling to move the speakers. Think of it like a body builder picking up a can of coke compared to a child, the kid can probably pick it up but the body builder will find it much easier. The body builder could crush the can but won't under normal conditions (ie. don't turn the amp up full - if you show the speakers its' full power it will blow them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdiggla Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Yeah... true that. I've also heard from this kooky audiophile that you want to have your amp fully "open" (all the way up) because it is not an actual volume, but a resistance or something and by not having it all the way open you are degrading the sound. So... maybe if I get those other monitors just control the loudness from the source and be careful.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Caruso Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hmm I see how that way of putting it would make sense but a general audio principle is gain staging. To keep signals flowing correctly and keep noise levels down you should balance your levels at each gain stage (ie. every volume control.) Everything has a signal to noise ratio, if you have no audio coming out of your cd player there's still a little bit of noise right? And if you don't have anything connected to your amp and you crank it, there's a bit of noise. Your signal to noise ratio is the balance between that noise and the audio that you actually want to hear. If you have your amp wide open and your source really quiet, you've turned the amp's own noise to the highest it can be and then you're also amplifying the source's noise, which isn't being 'drowned out' as effectively by the audio. That doesn't sound like a good situation to me... What you want to do is balance the source's s/n ratio so that you're only hearing the audio. However, you don't want to crank the source up so loud that it distorts the input stage of the amp (or whatever's next.) Then turn the amp up a bit and balance the level there. Balanced living is best for everything - diet, audio... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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