Monitors vs. loudspeakers?
June 8, 2004
I've read that "monitors" are very accurate, but
I'm not sure what separates them from regular speakers. Can you shed some light on the
differences, if any?
Luke
"Monitor" is a term generally used for
speakers that are utilized in recording studios to monitor the recording process.
Sometimes they don't differ at all from "regular" speakers. However, in the
purest sense, a monitor is designed for nearfield listening because it is generally placed
very near to the recording engineer. In fact, many times a monitor is designed to be
placed right on the mixing console, so it's typically a small bookshelf-style speaker. The
more general use of the term "monitor" is for it to mean "accurate,"
whether it is used in professional audio or not.
Tweeter types
June 7, 2004
I read that soft-dome tweeters are more
"musical," while the metal ones sound harder. Is there any truth to this, and
should I buy my speakers with soft-dome tweeters? What will I be happy with?
Darryl Evans
You'll be most happy with speakers that sound good to
your ears, whether they have soft- or metal-dome tweeters. As with many components,
there's often a lot of audiophile "mythology" about what sounds best, and
resulting blanket statements like the one you're wrestling with. At GoodSound!
we've found good-sounding speakers that have soft-dome tweeters (the Ascend Acoustics
CBM-170 with a silk-dome-type tweeter) as well as hard-dome tweeters (Energy, Axiom, and
Paradigm all have metal-dome tweeters). We've found that there is no right or wrong, and
that implementation of the material, not the material itself, is what's most important.
Cost of a digital cable?
June 3, 2004
I need to buy a coaxial digital cable for my new DAC and
transport. How much should I spend on it?
David Weber
Not much, although there is certainly merit to buying a
"good" one. By good I mean one that is well made, properly terminated, and is a
true 75-ohm cable end to end. Word is that Radio Shack has a good one, but we've never
tried it. The one we really like, though, comes from DH Labs, part of the Silver Sonic
series of cables, and is called the D-75.
Terminated lengths start at $65.
Subwoofer for under $300?
June 2, 2004
I am setting up my system and have everything except a
subwoofer. I overspent on the receiver and speakers, so I can only afford $200-$300 for a
subwoofer. I have a fairly small room, 12' x 15', so power is not that important to me. I
mainly want it for music purposes to go with my Axiom M3ti main speakers (great speakers,
but they could use a little oomph from a sub).
I realize it is difficult to find something quality in this
price range, but could you suggest something that might come close?
Craig McCoy
You're right -- it's is a little difficult finding a
good sub for under $300. Still, there are likely options. Because you have Axiom speakers,
have you considered one of their subs? Their lowest-priced model, the EP125
costs $380 -- higher than your budget, but the company does have their factory outlet,
which features slightly blemished models at lower-than-full-retail prices. As you probably
know, the company offers an attractive 30-day money-back guarantee. Worth a look.
Alternatively, there's Hsu Research. I've always been impressed with the products from
this company, and the STF-1 sells online for $299. We haven't heard this product, though,
so we can't tell you if it's worth the money. Finally, there's one more alternative. My
experience has shown that I'm happier when I buy something that's really what I need, even
if it means saving for a while longer. If those two subs don't fit your needs, perhaps you
could wait a little longer until your budget can accommodate, say, $500. At that price
point there's obviously a lot more to choose from.
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