Monitors VS Speakers for home dj'ing?

[SolDios]

Hey guys quick question!

What's the difference between using monitors and pa speakers when dj'ing at home? Like why pick one or the other?

Is it just because of the clarity of monitors? ect...?

[Kodiak]

My very inexperienced 2c on this....

I bought some 8" M-Audio monitors to go with my S4 setup as I thought this would be the right way to go about things... ie having the sound being as accurate as possible. But what I have noticed is I do have some issues with EQ's in my mix, specifically in the bass department when I am getting too much at times (and this was largely the feedback from the newb comp). I attribute this to the fact what I am listening too, whilst an accurate reproduction of the sound is not as bass heavy as sound systems people normally listen to.

A couple things could also be affecting this though. First they are not set up in an ideal location right now. They are just to the side of me. I believe most near field monitors are greatly affected by poor placement and if I had them set up in front of me as they are supposed to be I will get better, fuller sound. Will find out next week when I move house and set this up properly. I also tend to do my mixes with the volume down as I don't really want to be annoying the neighbours by making them listen to me practise the same transition and audition music over and over. And lastly it could just be these monitors? All reviews indicated they were very good. But like everything audio related some brands have differing sound characteristic, for example KRK's are known to be fairly bass heavy and probably why they are the choice of DJ's more than producers (but the 8" were out of my price range at the time, would pay the extra now with the experience I have).

As for PA's I have no experience. Not sure how they sound when at personal listening volumes?

[GREMM1S]

I have similar issues to DrC1, i find doing mixes in my headphones works best.

[Mitch]

I like using headphone on ear with incoming track. referencing master out on my monitors. Same principle with PA speakers. You learn to EQ to what speakers you have

[eggssell]

my opinion no difference sol. i am assuming you mean studio monitors

monitors may have more clarity but its not necessarily clarity that you need to beat match. distinct bass drum, and maybe distinct snare and your good to go

like mitch i have incoming in headphones, and master reference from my speakers.

i was using an old technics stereo which was great (once i took them off the floor and moved them to ear level. too bad i only discovered this a year after djing )

and now i use powered speakers.

[eggssell]

i have also used guitar amps as a monitor a few times

[street]

Good monitors will give you a flat, accurate sound, given you set them up at ear level and in the proper location. If your setup is in a corner where bass energy gathers you will be getting way too much bass, but this is more of an issue for producing. Still doesn't hurt to setup properly though for mixing.

[Mitch]

As long as they are roughly ear height your sweet

[djbv]

Get yourself a pair of monitors like the Yamaha HS80Ms

Theyre clear, loud and dont go over the top with real deep bass that will rumble through your neighborhood late at night!!

[wrxfiend]

Get yourself a pair of monitors like the Yamaha HS80Ms

Theyre clear, loud and dont go over the top with real deep bass that will rumble through your neighborhood late at night!!

Testify!!!!!!!!!!

[CapFive]

I will always testify that you can't beat headphone mixing, you can blast the shit out of the speakers and you can really get close to the bass, with that said, studio monitors for producing are a must, I found myself always missing sounds when I moved from headphones to monitors but that's more for production.

Depending on where you live, headphones allow you to blast that music

[GREMM1S]

Yeah for sure, i actually want to get an 8 inch powered pa speaker for mixing at home as you usually have a larger pa as monitor in clubs.