I am a longtime Kemper user and have mostly used studio monitors (6.5" Mackies) for dialing in tones and practicing at home and played live exclusively with IEM for the last few years. I recently relocated and need to get monitors for home use. I am not recording at home and simply want good tone for practicing at home that can double as monitors for my wife's keyboard rig (Mac/mainstage based) and for when we practice together. I liked the clear and accurate tone of the studio monitors but they are frustrating if you cannot sit in the sweetspot which makes me wonder about FRFR. I am on a budget so the CLR-type options are a no-go for me. I am looking at either Yamaha HS5 or HS7 for studio monitors or an Alto TS 408 or the Fender Tonemaster FR10 for FRFR options. I am open to other recommendations but this seems like decent options for the money. Does anyone have experience with studio monitors vs FRFR for my setup of keyboards and guitar and practicing together?
Home monitoring options
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I have the Yamaha HS-8s and a Fender FR-12. Both very hard to beat at that price pont (at any price point for the Fender).
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Yamaha HS-8 will be my endgame monitoring solution. One day
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Kellerblues in terms of dialing in tones on the Fender FR-12, would you say that it is accurate / flat enough to dial in tones? I don't think it needs to be perfect but you at least want to hand over a decently balanced tone to the soundguy when you go to
If you have both, the use the monitors and set them loud, that's going to be more accurate to what then will come out of a PA. The FR-12 let your modeler sound and feel more like a regular guitar amp (and that is good), but is made to be your monitor at gig.
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Kellerblues thank you, I am quite drawn to the 'sound more like a guitar amp idea', but, it will be used for keyboard and dialing in tones as well. From your explanation it sounds like HS8 for tones and FR12 for fun. If you had to choose one, which would it be?
I gig regularly, so need both.For home only I would go with the HS-8s