Take a look at the Slate VSX. There's a $ 100,- off offer right now and even a possibility to by them with a 12 month payment. Those headphones are best for people who don't have a treated room but want their mixes to sound as good as possible.

 

The Kali Audio LP-6 or LP-8 2nd wave are popular budget monitors. Just remember that just because the LP-8 has bigger woofers doesn't mean that they are "better". Which size of woofers are the best depends on the size (and to some degree the shape) of your room. Most nearfield monitors today are also active, so you don't need to worry about buying a power amp. Just remember that when you buy monitors they are often sold one by one, not in pairs. If they are sold in pairs it will be clearly stated.
https://www.thomann.de/kali_audio_lp_6_2nd_wave.htm

For headphones you could go with the standard Sennheiser HD600 or HD650. They are tried and true, but it's also a matter of personal preference. Other praised budget to mid-tier ones include Audio-Technica ATH-R50x, Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro, Austrian Audio Hi-X65 and the (a bit more expensive) Neumann NDH 30. Just make sure you pick a pair that are open-back and over-ear design if you are going to use them for mixing. For vocal recording you might also want to buy a pair of closed-back headphones that doesn't cause bleed from the headphones into the mic.

You can also look into planar driver/magnetostatic headphones. There are some that are not too expensive, like the Audeze MM-100. Many headphone enthusiasts prefer planar drivers over dynamic moving-coil designs. I can't personally tell you which is the better design since I simply use my good old HD650 headphones in the studio and a pair of HD560S at home. They are more than good enough for me. They get the job done, aren't uncomfortable to wear over an extended period of time and spare parts are widely available. The only things I've replaced on my HD650 pair are the pads, and each pair of pads last about 3 years.

Good luck!

 

The Clarett 2pre has ADAT input, so he will be able to expand it with an ADAT preamp. It doesn't have ADAT out though, so they will have to use the external preamp's converter as master. Even so, I agree that it could be good to upgrade to something with more I/O. Something like the MOTU Ultralite MK5 or the Audient iD24 (like you mentioned) could be good options. A used RME Fireface 802 could also work (if he can find one).

Good recommendations! The CAD M179 is probably the best "hidden gem" budget mic out there IMO. Sounds way more expensive than its price tag, and AFAIK it's still made in the US (including the capsule). Advanced Audio also makes incredible mics for the price. In my experience they beat Warm Audio microphones (similar price bracket) by a mile.

 

Last edited: Jun 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM

Regarding 2, Audient iD14 MKII https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id14/overview/
Regarding 3, the drone needs to be identified (location - where exactly is it) and then dampened so that it is no longer audible.

 

I'm a Thomann customer and I was very satisfied with their customer service. If my friend agrees with me, we'll probably buy some from them again.

 

Last edited: Jun 17, 2025 at 2:57 PM

Everything will be connected to a 27" iMac i5 with 16GB RAM (another 16GB coming soon) and registering no more than one take at a time...

 

Last edited: Jun 17, 2025 at 7:22 PM

Hey guys,
thank you all for your valuable advice... I'm considering all your suggestions.

For the mix, as many of you suggested, I'll probably go for the open-back Sennheiser HD600/HD650 or BeyerDynamic DT (I still need to decide).

Lastly: regarding headphones for the singer/vocalist (closed-back), which model would you recommend me?

 

Last edited: Jun 18, 2025 at 10:24 AM

beyerdynamic - DT 770 PRO - 250 Ohm - Closed ---> www.thomann.de/de/beyerdynamic_dt770pro.htm

 

Monitors are overrated

 

i am also looking for a new audio interface i want to order one of these

1. Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Generation

2. Audient iD14 MKII

3. SSL 2+ MKII

4. Universal Audio Apollo Solo USB Heritage Edition audio interface

Anyone who can help or recommend
i want to control 2 sets of monitors with 1 knob

 

Audient iD14 MKII --> https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id14/overview/

Audient iD4 MKII and iD14 MKII - Audio Interface Review

 

Get the Audient just because it has expandability. The SSL is also very solid. Not a fan of Focusrite 2i2 and UA.

 

I decided to order the Audient 14mk2 now I'm still looking for a 2nd pair of monitor speakers like the small ones I often see in studios I don't know the name but they look like small shitty speakers just to check how the mix translate on small speakers

 

A link to the website where you saw it would be very helpful!

Presonus Eris 3.5 2nd Gen - 98 €
JBL 305P MKII - 135 €
Yamaha HS 5 - 159 €
ADAM Audio T7V - 190 €
Genelec 8010 AP - 279 €
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor - 288 €

 

Last edited: Jun 19, 2025 at 10:27 AM

The most popular shitty speakers for studio (apart of NS10) are the Auratone, but I consider them outdated: they no longer represent the average listener.To test how my mix translates in the real world I use an Alexa speaker and also airpods

 

You also test it in the same room as those listeners?

 

Probably the ones like Auratone's/Avantone's, great little helpers for nailing mid range, probably little pricey (active Auratone version) if you are going to use them as shitty speakers or want to have some kind of reference to real world, as Dom suggested, better to actually check on things people use. If you really want some kind of magnifying tool for mid range with good time domain and checking mono, then maybe single Avantone could fit the bill. They are useful really (Auratone's), people still listen to music in malls, Bluetooth speakers, phones, those boxes really give you meat and potatoes of that sound and are far away from shitty, more like specialized tools. But if you just want some small speakers to reset your ears from you bigger mains and still be in that similar ballpark sound (small wall mounted speakers, Bluetooth, coffee shops, phones and etc), think something like Yamaha HS3 would fit the bill perfectly without breaking the bank.

 

I agree with that. I still have an Auratone IR loaded for a quick check on headphones, but I check my mixes on an Amazon Echo (the ball one, the bigger version with stereo), a Moondrop Chu II and an Edifier clone. Once it passes all three, I don't worry about it not translating in other places.

 

I think it’s more important to focus on proper acoustic treatment first. A well-treated room will make a much bigger difference than adding a second pair of monitors, in my opinion, so I recommend you invest in this aspect first.
Check out this short article from Genelec, it has a few useful tips on placing acoustic panels and positioning your monitors:

https://www.genelec.com/calibration-acoustics

Once that’s taken care of, pretty much any decent pair of monitors within your budget (Yamaha HS7, etc.) should do the job.
Small reference monitors like Auratones are typically used to check how a mix translates to midrange-heavy consumer systems (like phones, TVs, or radios), but they’re not essential for a home setup - especially early on. You can also temporarily (or even permanently) replace them with Audified MixChecker as a quick reference tool.
Focus on the fundamentals first — good monitoring starts with the room.

Headphones don’t replace monitors, in my opinion, but they’re a useful secondary reference.
Open-back headphones are good for mixing/sound designing, closed-back are better for recording. Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT 880/990 Pro, AKG K702, Yamaha HPH-MT8 are all solid choices.

 

Emrah Celik from this youtube channel is the guy to listen to for headphone advice when it comes to mixing/mastering: https://www.youtube.com/@MixPhonesUK

He's a headphone geek that has tested tons of headphones himself, plus he's an actual prolific professional with billions of streams to his name.