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Would you get a better sound out of studio monitors than PA speakers in the same price range?
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01-18-2024 11:38 AM
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It probably depends on the specific speakers you're comparing, but in general the reasons to buy a powered PA speaker for live performance have more more to do with connections, features, and robustness than sound quality. For instance, a PA speaker will have an enclosure designed to take a beating, more easily schleppable form factor (e.g., with grab handles), drivers more able to hold up under extended periods of time at full volume, mic inputs. The more sophisticated ones have speaker arrays + DSP to enhance instrument separation, EQ, compression, and reverb, multiple inputs.
Originally Posted by Tal_175
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They are built for different uses. Studio monitors need a certain positioning and are all about recreating an accurate and uncolored sound image. PA speakers are built for live music, so they usually color the sound in many ways.
I like listening to music through studio speakers because it is similar to listening when playing live, where you always try to hear everything clearly. But most people prefer PA (or regular stereo speakers) for music.
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Good point -- studio monitors are typically for either near- or mid-field listening and stereo imaging, whereas PA's are typically designed to be heard further away in mono. Originally Posted by Alter
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That's true, power studio monitors are more stripped down than the typical PA speakers and they are a bit less portable. I see your point but with the new modeling, cab simulating pedals that have various connectivity options, I wonder one would need the features of a PA speaker especially in small venues. Originally Posted by John A.
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This video further outlines the trade-offs between the two types of speakers. I still wonder if in small venues you may get better sound out of a pair of 8inch studio speakers.
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If you can keep volume within what the drivers can handle and the audience falls within the soundfield the monitors are designed for, it's possible that a particular pair of monitors might sound better than a particular pair of PA speakers. But that's a very specific and rare use case. Most of the time, a PA is a better solution for sound reinforcement. All I can say beyond that is that if you really want to answer the question definitively for yourself, try it. Originally Posted by Tal_175
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I use a PA speaker as an FRFR when I want sturdy and lots of power. I use gear designed for acoustic instrument amplification most of the time though and that seems to work well. It's sturdy enough but not as crazy overpowered or as bullet proof as current powered PA speakers. That and a bit harder to carry.
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Since I'm currently in a rabbit hole on using powered speakers for guitar amplification, I'll say this.
The notion of using modeling to get a powered speaker to work well for guitar has been frustratring so far. I have not yet been able to get the Boss ME-90 to work properly on a gig through either a Bose S1 or an EV Everse 8. It has been suggested that I need to buy a much higher end modeler -- which sounds a lot like getting the same guitar sound for 6 times the price of an amp.
One reason I didn't consider monitors is that the ones I recalled weren't built for traveling in a car trunk over speed bumps with a bunch of other gear. The Bose S1 (which I may keep) is built for that.
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Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Seems something as nice as an ME90 should have good amp models. Would not be surprised if finding a speaker IR you like takes a bit more searching around and experimenting though. I'm still happy with my $40 Joyo American pedal and $140 Joyo Cab Modeler so I won't be going higher end.
I think a good combo amp is a much better value overall if you have a certain guitar sound you want and that's all you need. It only does the one thing but often that's all that's required.
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Thanks. The Joyo units are on my list of options. Originally Posted by Spook410
What I'm trying to do is to see if I can get my sounds from a powered speaker. The Bose S1, in particular. It's small, light, louder than I ever want to play and will handle vocals. It has enough of a mixer so that I won't have to carry a mixer.
For the guitar, I've been using the same 4 sounds since the ME50. I like each one to have its own footswitch. 1) Reverb only 2) octave down and reverb 3) distortion and reverb (used rarely) and 4) a wet sound requiring harmonist, reverb and delay.
Of these, the challenge has been #1, the clean sound with reverb only. I'm still working on it. Today's thought is to return to the ME70 which is the only ME model to have 4 band EQ, which will reduce the bass frequency bloom. It seems to have cab modeling, activated by plugging a dummy jack into the headphone output (that changes the sound in the main outputs). The change in tone is subtle, but it seems to make the sound a little less harsh.
In terms of the cost, by the time I'm done, I'll be lucky to get a decent guitar amp sound for three times the usual price.Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 01-18-2024 at 05:08 PM.
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I have the Kali Lone Pines, the bigger 8" speaker ones. I doubt they would be loud enough for anything but small rooms. They are designed as near field monitors with you sitting about 3 feet from them. I've turned them all the way up in my room (about 10' by 20') and it's not uncomfortable loud. As a comparison, Fender Deluxe reverb in that same room turned up to 4 would be uncomfortable loud.
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yeah be careful with your wallets“In terms of the cost, by the time I'm done, I'll be lucky to get a decent guitar amp sound for three times the usual price.”
out there guys !
you could always just get
a Fender Champion
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I've AB'ed the BoseS1 against the Little Jazz (LJ sounds fine on lead and harsher on chords and isn't as loud). I also ABed against an old JC55. The JC55 held its own until I optimized the settings for each and turned up. Then the S1 was better. The main thing I had to change for the S1was to lower the low-bass in the ME70 4 band EQ. Originally Posted by pingu
I saw that Craig Anderton reviewed the S1 and said that he had to turn the bass all the way off for a humbucker guitar. Same issue I have been having.
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I have LP 6's. Didn't have room for the 8's. Have to say I love mine. Not a PA by any means, but it's the best hi-fi I ever owned. (disclaimer: as a struggling musician for half my adult life I never could afford the good stuff.) Originally Posted by fep
The naked drivers would make me nervous about taking them to a gig.
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At rehearsal last night, I used the practice venue's QSC powered speaker with a SansAmp Para Driver DI in front of it. It might not be loud enough for gigs clean, unless maybe performing drummerless. But the sound was really nice. It sounded much more immediate and present than my Alto TS110a, which tends to sound a little boxy with the same rig in front of it. The Alto might be a little louder, but I have not compared them side-by-side. The advantage for the DI is that it provides EQ, which is absent on the QSC altogether.
I have also used the DI straight to the PA at a couple of gigs; I felt like I had a loss of control over my tone, because I don't really know how to use a mixing board (there was no sound person, the band had to deal with it off to the side of the stage). But the end result, from the audience perspective, was just fine. If I had more skill with the board, it probably would not have been an issue at all.
I think this goes to show that FRFR is not the same from one powered speaker to the next. They are not free of coloration.
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It's a shame the Schertler Roy is so expensive (and heavy and complex..). I think it's as good as it gets. Though I've not tried using something like a Bose L1 which I'm thinking would be pretty good. Originally Posted by Cunamara
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I prefer to bring my own speaker for monitoring for this reason, but in terms of FOH I expect there’s little to separate the sound from a mic’d amp, and this is with 40 year old technology.. Originally Posted by Cunamara
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I haven't been willing to go guitar>pedalboard>PA, although I'm considering it. I bring the Little Jazz and I go XLR from the back of the LJ to the PA. Then, I have the option of using the LJ as a monitor or turning the speaker off. I've got some extra control over my volume and EQ (3 band) on the LJ. I've got EQ on my pedal board too, but adjusting it is more complicated than turning knobs on the LJ. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 01-19-2024 at 10:42 PM.
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I recently saw Paul Bollenback using a Boss GT-1 (which I believe uses the same amp models as the ME series) through a powered speaker (I don't know what kind of speaker). He sounded great. No idea what settings he was using, but it was a classic warm, clean jazz tone. This was in a small space, and he was just accompanying a singer so he didn't need much volume, so I don't know how loud this set-up can get but it sounded as good as I've heard him sound through tube amps. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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If you need it louder I suppose you can simply get a bigger PA as required.
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That's interesting. I believe that the GT-1 has about the same sounds as the ME series, but in a much smaller package and with more adjustable parameters. The other main difference is the user interface. The GT-1 is, of necessity, menu driven -- because there's no way to fit all those knobs on the box. The small size made the volume pedal hard to manage, although I may have missed an adjustment screw that could increase the perceived resistance and make it easier to position accurately. Originally Posted by John A.
But, the main point, is that you've heard it done well with a powered speaker, which I've been finding elusive, but I'm still working on it. Yesterday, it seemed like my old ME-70 might be the solution because it has some features the ME-90 does not.
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