Critical listening audiophile

My Studio

Hi guys, I am in the market for a new pair of Studio Monitors are good for both listening pleasure and critical mixing [probably more so for listening pleasure]. I am currently using the Adam F7s which I enjoy the sound signature of, but itching for an upgrade.

I am a part-time musician who plays rhythm guitar in a rock band, and I always play my guitar, bass, and e-drums through my monitors. From time to time, I have to record my own guitar and do some rough mixing for the band to obtain some demos.

My set-up is current in my own bedroom which is untreated, but I also plan to get some light acoustic treatment together with a new set of monitors. My room is 3.5m x 6m [11.5ft x 20ft]. I am not getting a sub, so I would want the monitors to go rather low, sufficient to play bass guitar through, around 40Hz

Mainly looking at the following models:
1. HEDD type 07
Official Reviews seem to sing praises for this, but it seems like user reviews have shot it down quite a lot over here.

EVE SC208 vs HEDD Type 07

Unfortunately there is no HEDD dealer here in Singapore so I am unable to audition it

2. Eve Audio SC208 [Major rearrangement of furniture needed]

3. Adam A77x [Major rearrangement of furniture needed]

What are your thoughts about this? Has anyone had experience with the above 3 monitors? I am also open to other suggestions as well.

My Studio

Those three no experience

If it were me for both studio mixing and just listening pleasure
I would definitely consider Amphion One 18 s
Some more money, but hard to imagine a better suited dual purpose speaker IMO

Last edited by KevWind; 6th August 2019 at 01:56 AM..

My Studio

I always recommend Eve Audio´s SC208, since they are just the most accurate/flat monitors in my experience.

Compared to the Sc207 or their competitors in the 7" market, i don´t feel like I need a subwoofer to hear whats happening in the lows which leads to very pleasing results.
My mixed translate insanely good to high end studio rooms/speaker-setups, so I dont need to be emberassed whille listening to my pre-mixes.

You have a couple of filters to counter your room characteristics and they are perfectly matched pairs which is a huge plus in my book.

If you want to listen to some high end recordings and you want the sound to be more boomy or silky, just make some minor changes to the filter settings and you are good to go.

Have a nice day!

Monitors used for Audio mixing and Audiophile listening are really two different types of speakers, Apples and Oranges Studio monitors are used at a fixed focused distance and designed to make musical flaws stand out like a sore thumb so they can be corrected when mixing. Speakers designed for listening to commercial music are designed to make the room sound good while masking and smooth out flaws in the commercial music. Many have a loudness bump to make the speakers sound larger then life and their cones aren't as flat as studio monitors. Instead they have deeper cones for longer distance audio projection. .

If you mix and listen to music you really should have a set of each. Its a good way of knowing your mix is translatable to other playback systems if a mix sounds good on both. The audiophile speakers don't lock you into a fixed position for listening either. They disperse the music in a wider and more distant field so you aren't locked into a fixed position to hear them evenly.

There are narrow, beamy speakers in hi fi and in pro. There are speakers with wide sweetspots in hi-fi and pro. There are speakers with boosted low end in hifi and pro. There arre speakers with high distortion in hifi and pro. All any manufacturer wants to do is make the best speaker possible to hit the price point and demographic their business plan is after. Hi Fi speakers are generally more expensive than a pro equivalent because of finish and margin considerations. If they mask flaws, it is because they are less worried about distortion and more worried about price. In the lower price points this is what you will find- a lot of distortion and masking, not because they want to, but because they have to in order to meet the price point.

My Studio

Thank for the replies so far, I'd like to point out I am still a college student and have a budget of roughly $2000. Something transparent, accurate, non-fatiguing and musical like the Adam F7s are the ballpark of sound I am looking for. I've heard that the Adam A7x are not a huge step up from the F7s despite it being almost twice as expensive, so I want to explore slightly higher tier options.

I still use my speakers for listening enjoyment 90% of the time and only need to mix demos occasionally. Eventually my band is still going to a proper sound engineer to do recording and mixing professionally. Definitely cannot afford nor have the space to have separate speakers for listening and mixing.

My Studio

Also a University student.

Your Adams lack in the mix or in the enjoyment department?

If it's in the mix consider getting auratones [or avantones] and then do checks with f7s.
I have Adam t7v's and if my DIY bass traps won't do it, I will invest in auratones [or sell everything and buy headphones lol].

My Studio

Just craving for better sound actually, so, enjoyment

I am really keen on the HEDD type 07s, does anybody have any experience with them?