bomckenzie

Those little Auratones are great for checking out a mix to see how it will sound on a boom box or a factory car stereo. They are not accurate. I have about 8 sets of cans in my studio and at times have had Staxx even for trying to get the sound right. I am a firm believer in mixing on real speakers - first with the near-fields to get to the 90% point, then onto something more representative of what the user will lsiten on. I do appreciate the advice. I am begining to feel like the Belles, no matter how much I would love to have a pair, are perhaps wrong for what I want to do. FWIW, Abbey Road is using B&W 800 series as the studio mains.

I admit that the studio does not have the best accoustics. We close mic everything. As I said, it is a project studio. We do some commercial work for others but we also do commercial background music and the likes where it is just me and another player or two. I always thought the purpose of using near field monitors was to put them vs the mix engineer in an equalateral triangle with the near fields well off the back wall, so that the sound the mixer heard was the direct sound. As such, small bass drivers (look at the Yamaha NS10 - defacto industry standard for years) did not obscure the mix at close ranges, but did a terrible job of projecting a full frequency spectrum at more distant positions. At least that is the theory I have used when chosing the V8s for my near-field work. Close to clinical flatness over a relatively broad band but not very convincing when the distance from the speakers is much more than the distance that they are separated from each other. IU will look at the Cornwalls. I just always loved the Belles when I couldnt afford them and they werent around when I could. Dang you time and money!

Arkytype If you have desinged a studio in the past, perhaps you might understand what I am looking for. I have a project studio (couple hundred k in it). I have near fields for critical listening and removing the room artifacts, but they are horrible at more than about 3' away. I want a speaker that has a very wide dynamic range, good imaging and a flat response, but that has a broad sweet spot (knowing that this will cause the loss of some of the imaging capabilities). I have seen pro studios with Corner Horns (whatever they are called) installed. I do not have the capability of putting in corner horns. However, I can work something the size of a Belle or a La Scala in. Conversely, I could go for a B&W 800 series, though the company is very proud of those speakers right now. I have had JBL 3 ways in - 12" woofer - pretty flat response.... that were great for extended listening periods and great as studio mains. They are not a substitute for near-fields for critical mixing though. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

So maybe the Belles are not good for Studio mains? I have a pair of KRK V8s for near fields. I need something where people 8 or more feet back can hear a fair representation of the music. Is the imaging good or bad? I have read mixed reviews. I haven't heard a set of Belles since in college when I wanted a pair so badly it hurt, but I could not afford them. I have always liked the sound of the big Klipsch, but have never really had the space for the corner horn. The Belle has a more pleasent look than the La Scala. My biggest concern in any vintage gear is the availability of replacement parts. I have had fits with certain vintage synthesizers. Ditto for some vintage guitar amps. And my JBL LSR 32s - the drivers went out of produciton for those some time ago. I used to own some Dalquist DQ20s, and those - when the drivers went, never found replacements. Of course that was before the internet took off and searching for parts became dramatically easier. Whether the Belles turn out to be the right decision or not for this application, it is comforting to know that there is a strong aftermarket of crossover

I know these are very different speakers. I seem to recall that the Belles had the same drivers that the cornerhorns have. My listening will be largely guitar/synth/drum and horn oriented rock stuff. I do not need a bass response flat down to 20 hz as I find most things under about 40 hz to rumble more than actually sound. I would appreciate any advice you can give on the comparisons of listening to the Belles and the LaScalas. Thanks

Hi I am looking to purchase a pair of LaScalas or Belles for use as mains monitors in a recording studio. They will be replacing a pair of JBLs that have had the tweeters go too many times, though they are wonderful speakers. After having fits finding replacement parts on my JBLs and a pair of Dalquist before that, I am very concerned with the older gear as to whether there are replacement drivers. So, those of you who proudly (and rightly so) own a pair of Belles or LaScalas, have you ever blown an element and if you did, how hard was it to replace? And Klipsch-folks, are the drivers used in the Belles and the LaScalas still available anywhere besides the used market? Thanks