Just bought some Yammy HS80M’s for $550 used that were about 3 months old to replace my 15yr old passive Yorkville monitors… So far in my tunes sound better… Still need to get use to them and bought them based on the good reviews…
NS10 for example a.k.a. Reference Monitors, are loudspeakers for Mixing and/or Mastering exclusively. However are no good for critical listening. These are fundamentally different in a pro-audio environment like a studio. The analogy is IEM are to PA’s. Furthermore, you can’t plug your guitar through reference monitors either, they don’t translate. Neither do line-level devices, they really do need amplifiers. So loudspeakers aren’t loudspeakers and should be applied in the right situation.[/quote]
Some fair points made there Jon!
Actually mine are NS10M therefore ill be able to leave the tissue paper in the bathroom! Lol
Where NS10’s thrive is in the time domain & also in their ability to really show off mid range issues that are not so apparent on other monitors!
The Newells/Holland paper makes interesting reading. It was based on acoustic measurements of 38 different nearfield monitors, carried out in the UK’s premier research anechoic chamber at Southampton University. The acoustic measurements taken included frequency response, harmonic distortion and time-domain response (how quickly a monitor starts and stops in response to an input). At the end of the exercise it’s no exaggeration to say that one monitor stood out like the proverbial sore cliché: the NS10. While its frequency response wasn’t particularly flat, and its low-frequency bandwidth was restricted in comparison to many others, in terms of time-domain and distortion performance it was outstanding.
Monitoring anything under 100Hz is a joke however so having a separate sub or a spectrum analyser is essential.
The NS10 story is quite fascinating,
[font=.HelveticaNeueUI]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/yamahans10.htm
[font=.HelveticaNeueUI]Cheers all 
NS10 for example a.k.a. Reference Monitors, are loudspeakers for Mixing and/or Mastering exclusively. However are no good for critical listening. These are fundamentally different in a pro-audio environment like a studio. The analogy is IEM are to PA’s. Furthermore, you can’t plug your guitar through reference monitors either, they don’t translate. Neither do line-level devices, they really do need amplifiers. So loudspeakers aren’t loudspeakers and should be applied in the right situation.[/quote]
Some fair points made there Jon!
Actually mine are NS10M therefore ill be able to leave the tissue paper in the bathroom! Lol
Where NS10’s thrive is in the time domain & also in their ability to really show off mid range issues that are not so apparent on other monitors!
The Newells/Holland paper makes interesting reading. It was based on acoustic measurements of 38 different nearfield monitors, carried out in the UK’s premier research anechoic chamber at Southampton University. The acoustic measurements taken included frequency response, harmonic distortion and time-domain response (how quickly a monitor starts and stops in response to an input). At the end of the exercise it’s no exaggeration to say that one monitor stood out like the proverbial sore cliché: the NS10. While its frequency response wasn’t particularly flat, and its low-frequency bandwidth was restricted in comparison to many others, in terms of time-domain and distortion performance it was outstanding.
Monitoring anything under 100Hz is a joke however so having a separate sub or a spectrum analyser is essential.
The NS10 story is quite fascinating,
[font=.HelveticaNeueUI]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/yamahans10.htm
[font=.HelveticaNeueUI]Cheers all :-)[/quote]
Hey Wolf, the NS10’s were only picked out as an example, could have been any near/mid field loud speaker. You’re right though, there aren’t many pro-audio studio’s that don’t have a set somewhere.
I use (and love) the Yamaha HS-50m’s. Some people talk a lot of smack about them but I’ve never had an issue listening to music on them OR getting decent mixes using them. They seem to be a great all-'rounder for me.
Had the pleasure of demoing a large portion of current monitors in side by side tests a couple of weeks ago.
Big thanks go to the Production Room in Leeds UK & particularly Richard Powell for essentially rearranging the whole store to accommodate me.
I won’t name specific monitors but Yamaha, Adam, Eve, Tannoy, Fostex, JBL, Samson, Genelec etc. were put thru their paces.
We used a wide variety of material ranging from Clasical, D&B, Pop, Hard Rock, Prog, Metal, IDM, EBM, Blues, Funk - you name it!
We also ran test signals, sine, white, pink etc.
One common theme emerged & that was the presence of artificially boosted bottom end. Centred around 100Hz, roughly, depending upon the box.
Didn’t have time to run smaart live with a ref mic to confirm it but trust me, it was there!
By far the most transparent speaker & the only one that didn’t turn everything between 160 & 400Hz to mush whilst playing back Venetian Snares ‘Hajnal’, (3 mins 30 onwards),
was…Drum roll…
Adam A7X!
When everything’s kicking off on that track the detail was unbelievable, nothing came close, even the staff couldn’t believe it! I was so impressed I bought a pair!
Also of note, the best bang for your buck, Yamaha HS-8. That’s a lot of speaker for not much money!
Interestingly, I was most disappointed by the Adam A77X. I really thought I’d love them but somehow the way 2 drivers handle the low end whilst a single driver deals with mids
(highs go to the ribbon), left me cold.
Anyway, these were my findings, hope it provides food for thought though obviously don’t take my word for it, line up some monitors & have a listen for yourselves
Cheers
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If you’re treating your room you’re headed in the right direction. No matter what you end up buying, eventually you’ll end up getting use to your monitors. If you want some really good advice on choosing a pair of monitors I suggest reading Mike Seniors “Mixing Secrets for the small studio”. He talks about avoiding “ported” designs among other things. As for me, I use a pair of Yamaha HS80m’s and the HS10w sub. I’m very happy with my monitors. Best wishes making your choice. 
Pioneer SDJ-05s with Wharfedale SW-150.
Got a pair of Yamaha HS80M’s in my 10 m² room.
I’m really pleased with these monitors: they provide tight and deep enough basses, sharp mids, and crystal clear highs =)
i use PMC MB2 at work and small yamahas at home, but at home i most oftenly use my dt990 because of my neighbours
edit: the yamahas are hs50 …
Focal Solo 6be, I absolutely love em!!!
I started with alesis MK2 wich are shit but I managed fine with them apart from the low end was horrendous!
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Opal Event. Ideal to my ears and needs.
I agree with the points made about room acoustics being the major factor in how your mixes turn out, theres some great help here… http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=3&sid=c7a24715dfd446a984dc5bbe52b31aaa
Edit: Oh yea, i using borrowed HS50M’s, their great for my needs atm.
Focal CMS65’s as speakers, Beyerdynamic DT770’s as headphones.
Next upgrade is (probably) going to be to Focal SM9’s and Sennheiser HD800’s.
But that’s like 2 years from now, and my mind can even change.
I use Dynaudio’s as Main Unit, as Control speakers i use JBL Control One.
Headphones are Beyerdynamic DT990 and Ultrasone Signature DJ
Yamaha HS80m and NHT M00.
ended up getting Focal Solos 6Be and love them as well.
Still need to finish treating the room with bass traps. Both speakers and treatment made huge difference so far tho.
Adam A7’s for around 6 years now. Did add on a sub around 3 years ago but it stays on low volume and gets bypassed often for reference.
A7X with no no sub.
I found with the A7Xs that I can get it right the first time without having to go back after putting it on in the car and making adjustments. They’re probably the least “enjoyable” monitors I’ve ever heard, but that’s the point.
Bluesky System One 2:1
I’m now using Adam A7Xs and liking them a lot.
Side note for someone looking for inexpensive monitors. I’m selling the pair of Wharfedale Diamond Pro 8s that I had previously been using. They’re in excellent condition, sound good, and are only $250 for the pair + shipping. Message me.