Powered Monitors for Helix home Rig?

ROOG

I am considering a Line 6 Helix for home use. I am curious about what people use as powered monitors for such units in a home situation?

Are Studio monitors such as the Rokit 8" ok for this task, or is there something better/more appropriate for the same sort of money? 

guitargeek62

I had a couple of Yamaha HS-7s with mine and thought they worked very well, however I’d put my money into a powercab or similar now though I think

ROOG

Like a Headrush FRFR -108 1 x 8" perhaps?
BTW I would like to keep the foot print fairly small

fretmeister

I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS7 and they are more than loud enough in the house. They sound great.

I did also have a Yamaha DXR10 - that was great for live use but in the house I found the fan noise annoying.

ROOG

fretmeister said:

I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS7 and they are more than loud enough in the house. They sound great.

I did also have a Yamaha DXR10 - that was great for live use but in the house I found the fan noise annoying.

Thanks fretmeister, I did wonder if I needed two? is stereo that beneficial with guitar?
I am not so sure that I would manage to get them very far apart I am tempted to park the helix on top of them and operate the foot switches by hand!
I suppose a stereo pair would come in useful for other things.
I hadent thought about fan noise from the bigger powered speakers. Yamaha DXR looks like a nice bit of kit though.

octatonic

These are extremely good value for money:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/kali_audio_lp_6.htm

TTBZ

Loved my old Mackie MR5s and they’re pretty cheap now. 

kennedydream1980

I use Presonus Eris 3.5's with my Boss GT-1000 (Previously Helix and Fractal AX8). They sound good and get loud enough for me.

ROOG

Thanks for the ideas, so modest active monitors do seem to be popular for home use

octatonic

ROOG said:

Thanks for the ideas, so modest active monitors do seem to be popular for home use

You don't need massive low end extension for guitar so any 5"-7" speaker will be fine.

Bigger speakers won't necessarily help you and might actually be worse.
I'd be more concerned with how detailed the midrange is, here you do tend to get what you pay for.

ROOG

Thanks for your thoughts octatonic, I assumed that the old 12" (or close to)  guitar speaker thing would apply. Small monitors would suit me.

octatonic

ROOG said:

Thanks for your thoughts octatonic, I assumed that the old 12" (or close to)  guitar speaker thing would apply. Small monitors would suit me.

Not really, because you are already modelling that speaker in software with the Helix.
Also, compare the frequency response of a standard 12" guitar speaker to a 10" bass guitar speaker, the bass guitar speaker will go much, much lower.

Electric guitar really rolls off around 80-100hz unless you are down tuning or using octave effects.

Seriously check out the Kali monitors I linked to above- they are really fantastic.

ROOG

Thanks , I'll check out some options including the kali's which I note already seem to get good reviews for the price 

Dan_Halen

How big is your practice space? Bigger speakers are great but only if you have a big enough room to get them working.

I had some 6" actives somethingorothers but, too be honest, they were too much for the double bedroom where I keep my gear and practice. I bought a pair of Genelec 8010 actives as well which, despite only being 3", still have more volume than I'd ever need and sound lovely with plenty of low end for my needs... AX8 for guitar and some backing tracks, maybe a bit of recording. The slightly smaller speaker means I feel like I can have a bit more volume in the room without the low end thump or sound shaking the rest of the house down I'm in. However, if it's thump you want and you're in the living room or something then bigger ones might work better.

ROOG

Cheers @Dan_Halen , My room is quite small, (3rd bedroom in our modern house), so I expect a pair of smaller (say 6.5" active studio monitors) would be more than adequate. 

Thanks for your suggestions, the main reason for asking was to garner ideas so that i didn't sound like a complete numpty when I pay a visit to my local PMT. Ultimately I need to hear what this combo sounds like.  

Dan_Halen

Fair enough. The PMT I used to live near had a number of them set up on a desk so you could flick through and try them all out at the touch of a button.

Just bear in mind, 6.5" doesn't sound like a lot but it a fair size for a small space. You'll need quite a big desk or probably some stands for them.

It's easy to go down the more is better road with speakers but the bigger they get the more you pay. It's more important to get the right size for the room. If you've got say £400 quid to spend, for a small space you're definitely better off getting a very good quality 3.5/4" pair than a slightly lower quality 6" pair that you'll only turn up to 2 on the dial and will be giving you too much bottom end.

Whatever you go with the Helix will sound great through them regardless so enjoy!

duotone

Anyone tried something like this? https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_rm_3.htm

ROOG

Cheers @Dan_Halen I will bear this in mind when listening. Its easy to get carried away in store especially in a big space! 

ROOG

duotone said:

Anyone tried something like this? https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_rm_3.htm

Hi @duotone (great forum name btw)  I opened your link expecting it to be a 2000W amp (class D often seem to be incredibly small for their power) however i was amazed to see that it is a very modest and sensible 2x10W.  If I had some passive speakers I could use, I can see how that might be an option.  Actives just seem to be the way its all going at this scale.

fretmeister

ROOG said:

fretmeister said:

I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS7 and they are more than loud enough in the house. They sound great.

I did also have a Yamaha DXR10 - that was great for live use but in the house I found the fan noise annoying.

Thanks fretmeister, I did wonder if I needed two? is stereo that beneficial with guitar?
I am not so sure that I would manage to get them very far apart I am tempted to park the helix on top of them and operate the foot switches by hand!
I suppose a stereo pair would come in useful for other things.
I hadent thought about fan noise from the bigger powered speakers. Yamaha DXR looks like a nice bit of kit though.

Stereo delays and phasers etc are great fun.

I've not really used a stereo set up before but now that I have it I don't think I would go back.
Mine are about 15 feet apart - much to the wife's annoyance they are either side of the settee!  

ROOG

fretmeister said:

ROOG said:

fretmeister said:

I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS7 and they are more than loud enough in the house. They sound great.

I did also have a Yamaha DXR10 - that was great for live use but in the house I found the fan noise annoying.

Thanks fretmeister, I did wonder if I needed two? is stereo that beneficial with guitar?
I am not so sure that I would manage to get them very far apart I am tempted to park the helix on top of them and operate the foot switches by hand!
I suppose a stereo pair would come in useful for other things.
I hadent thought about fan noise from the bigger powered speakers. Yamaha DXR looks like a nice bit of kit though.

Stereo delays and phasers etc are great fun.

I've not really used a stereo set up before but now that I have it I don't think I would go back.
Mine are about 15 feet apart - much to the wife's annoyance they are either side of the settee!  

The stereo thing is interesting, I recall a mate of mine saying to me, "what's the point of a 'boom box' being stereo, the speakers are too close together" So I switched it to mono and he was a little surprised by the change in sound. ( it was a long time ago btw!)

Edit, does kit even have a mono switch now?