studio monitors as HT speakers?

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

I plan on getting a 32-42" flat screen and wanted to get speakers to go with it to watch in my bedroom.

How would studio monitors, such as the Dynaudio BM5A, compare to HT speakers for 50/50 music to movies use in a bedroom?

Would I be better off getting DIY bookshelf speakers (such as ScanSpeak 18W Revs w/ Hiquphon OWI-FS)?

Would any of these be better than getting a pair of the AV123 x-cs?

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=91.1

Click to read more...

 

[bballer123 10+ year member]

Are you looking to just use stereo speakers in your bedroom or full surround sound?

AV123 has some great speakers that are affordable for their performance. i love my BM5's for studio work. i would not use them for home theater. they are a little dry and too neutral for HT.

If I were in your position though, depending on your skill level, I would try some DIY. As long as your use some quality parts and correctly configured crossovers, they will sound really nice.

-Matt

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

see I want DIY bookshelf speakers, but I have NO idea how crossovers work in those speakers.

I'll most likely end up getting the AV123, just cause it'll be the easiest to put together but just wanted to see opinions before I spend the money.

I was also planning on just buying one piece at a time until I have a 5.1 system.

Maybe start w/ two full-range bookshelves, then add sub, but I don't know what receiver I need or anything.

 

[bballer123 10+ year member]

well receivers are endless and it all depends on how in depth you want to get into the whole game. you could go the easy route and just get a 5.1 setup with a receiver. next step would be a pre/pro and an amp.

I have a simple setup at home. simple 5.1 with an HK receiver. nice and simple.

btw how do you like your bm5's?

-Matt

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

I don't have them yet. But you should go to a local guitar center and check them out... very flat, laid back sound, detailed, & accurate. crazy stuff still got other brands to demo

though

 

[bballer123 10+ year member]

no i have the bm5's. i was seeing your impressions on them. i love them for my application.

 

[jake760 10+ year member]

I'm using studio monitors in my HT, they sound amazing.

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

which ones are you using jake?

i hope those HT speakers can beat them whenever i go demo them this weekend.

bballer, what HT speakers do you think share the same charecteristics as the dynaudio but for a little bit cheaper, maybe

the bm5a's are at my max budget limit, but at least they come amped.

and the HT ones look a little bit more appealing, but that doesn't matter as much

this is going to be going into a really small room so just 2.0 set up will be fine for now

i'm in college and we have a 1200 sqft 4 bdrm 2 bath apartment.

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

For college I'd suggest some budget 3-ways, something with some low end omph.

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

like what?

 

[BrianChia 10+ year member]

Most monitors are designed for flat output, this may sound a bit harsh on the high end and a bit dry on the low end for HT use. However, many with active crossovers have some adjustable attenuation for the tweeter which can help reduce overly bright sound. For most people, however, these issues are negligible. Good studio monitors can have an advantage by providing their own amplifier power, using active crossovers, and having good accurate response, all for competitive prices (relative to good passive monitors). If you have a good pre-amp and sub, then active monitors could work well.

Personally, I would go the DIY route (if you already have tools for and have some woodwork and electronics experience). Designing a crossover is no easy task but it allows you to really customize the sound that you'll be getting. A good start would be to read as much as you can--books, internet, magazines, etc. Then begin by follow someone else's proven 2-way design and crossover (with permission, of course).

Then you get a good idea of what is involved in building a good speaker. Also, download some free software for modeling LF enclosures, calculating crossover component values, and simulating crossover networks. A good program can save hours of trial and error by modeling fairly accurate responses without having to disconnect and reconnect components, listen and measure response, etc.

There are many good programs available free here:

http://www.pvconsultants.com/audio/frdgroup.htm

These programs are designed to be used with .FRD and .ZMA files which means that you do not have to individually test and measure drivers for frequency response and impedance curves. You can use manufacturer provided graphs or data from other people to model crossover networks and enclosure designs.

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

I really want a DIY set, but I can't spend all that time researching... it's just way too time consuming. I wanted to try the Hiquphon w/ a ScanSpeak Rev since those drivers seem to be at the top for tweets and mids, and I have only read good reviews.

I love the sound Dynaudio has though opposed to many other brighter sounding speakers.

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

Have you checked out the Parts Express showcase?

 

[fearthisskyy 10+ year member]

Nope, i haven't done much reading/research on DIY sets yet. Just been reading up about speakers, receivers, etc. and some of the big name brands in the game.

 

[bballer123 10+ year member]

in my experience, i have not heard many HT speakers that have the same characteristics of the Dynaudio studio monitors. they are just matched with the right amplifier and when setup correctly have a very smooth sound.

i haven't heard any that I would recommend to meet the same sound. then again I have not heard a ton of speakers in comparison to other members. maybe a couple others will be able to suggest others.