BEST SMALL STUDIO MONITORS?! - iLOUD MTM Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- How good are the new iLoud MTM studio monitors and should you buy them? - If you enjoy my videos consider supporting them on Patreon: / bobeats
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Videos to check out:
Warren Huarts Review: • iLoud Micro Monitors R...
Another IK iLoud review: • iLoud Micro Monitors -...
Demo of a mix I did on these monitors:
bit.ly/iloudmtmDEMO
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I can confirm they are good. Many engineers in the industry are considering these for the road.
Thats awesome to hear! I really hope they get a good rep because they seem great to me
👈🏽🤔Did Ave Mcree comment on this tho
🔥Dopeness
I always trust a humble man. Thank you!
Just listened to the mix on my smaller ilouds! I'm super happy with mine!
Thanks for the review Bo.
I like how you reference other reviews in your reviews, reminds me of academia (which I think makes some sense, considering your background). It’d be great if you could include perhaps 2 points of reference actually? I like some triangulation if at all possible... Good review, btw, well put together and very honest. Enjoyed it!
Good review, a side by side audio-sound comparison of the iLoud vs Adam would make it totally complete.
Nice bro, yeah these joints do sound great, definitely a great option for a small monitor.
Nice review-thanks.
I would like to hear a comparison between the MTMs and the Neumann 80s and even the 120s. My experience was the two Neumanns are also quite flat through the midrange, which I think is very important for mixing-and even just listening for pleasure, especially to acoustic instruments where I know pretty much what the intended tonality is. I also found the Micromonitors very flat and uncloloured through the midrange, in Neumann 80/120 territory, so if the MTMs are better still thay might well be very good value-especially if they play much louder than the micro monitors and as loud as the Neumanns.
You should also post a link to the mix after you changed it on the Adam monitors so we can get an idea of just how much you had to change.
Great as always Bo! Thank you for the video. I'd love to see a video focussing on your Maschine/MK3 workflow! Perhaps one day? :)
Thank you again and have a good one!
I would double that - you know with Machine it is easy to produce a handful of scenes to play with them. But what is the way to convert that to a song to be mixed offline?
So, did you mix with the calibration settings or one of the other settings? I guess it was assumed by your reaction to the cal impact you must have used that? Great review. Really like your style and approach. That track sounds amazing, I was listening through my Grace m900 into a pair of Ocean Way Pro2A’s ... And low end came through as much as these can reproduce in a small room that can barely reproduce low end. So, I think that is an amazing testament to the clarity of the mid-range and being able to make better mix decisions that aren’t clouding your low end or low mid mix choices (consciously or otherwise)... Cool stuff. Thanks.
What did you use as the DAC / source for the two speakers? i assume a single device with balanced XLR outputs right?
Nice review!
What do you play your Yamaha synths through?
I have am MODX7 for casual playing at home and am looking for a compact speaker/monitor setup with enough bass response?
Any ideas would be great.
Cheers from AUS down under.
Graham
I have the iLouds micro monitors which sound amazing for their size. These look even more insane seeing that they have 2 loudspeakers and are individually self powered.
"loudspeaker" is the whole thing (enclosure+drivers+etc ) . What you mean is "drivers" or "chassis"
Hi Bo! Thanks for this video! Quick question. Imagine you live in Tokyo, in a 40m2 apartment. And you want to use that 1,2 m x 2,2m walk in closet with a tiny table space of 90cm W to 50cm Depth as wise as possible. Budget is not an issue, but priority is to get the best sound from that space as possible. Would you pick MTM or MM? Thanks a lot in advance!
Just ordered them through amazon, interest free 3 instalments. So thanks for the review
Oh wow thats spooky, I was literally just researching this topic atm. Thanks!
i see. Everything 😱
BoBeats 😂 btw id be really interested to find out how these compare to the rokit 4’s, because the size is creeping up closely to these, even though they are much cheaper (prob because they only go down to 55hz instead of mtms promised 40hz)
Correction: I just found out the MTM's are priced *per piece*, which means a pair is 5,5 times more expensive than a pair of rokit4's 😿
i have iloud micromonitor... how does this mtm sound compared to the micro??
Good honest review. I thought I'd add a few thoughts if you don't mind...
It's worth noting most monitors do not have protective grills in front of the drivers - to lessen obstruction of the sound. That said, with DSP technology and more delicately & flexibly seated drivers (the rubber surround to the cone can be thinner and more flexible due to being protected) most of the negative sound characteristics of a grill can be eliminated.
So, I would say one very key point of the iLouds (the original iLoud MM & these new MTM) is the grills, it enables you to move these monitors around without risk of damaging the cones - which is VERY easy with non-protected drivers that are designed for pro-studios - where the speakers are fitted out of reach and never move. If these speakers are to be in reach and you might move them between rooms or there may be non-professional people around (touching the cones or accidentally knocking them) having a protective grill in front of the driver is a MASSIVE benefit.
Another point to note is the smaller iLoud MM have Bluetooth, this is in fact an incredible addition - if you use it. When you turn the MM speaker on, or connection is interrupted the speaker will lightly whistle for 5 secs as it sends out a 'find me' signal - this 'interference whistle' is not loud and soon disappears. Bluetooth means you can have the MM speakers on another table/shelf to which you are working - and no cables between to trip over. The larger iLoud MTM speakers do NOT have Bluetooth - possibly as the 5 seconds of interference when you turn Bluetooth on was unavoidable and 'pro monitors' don't have Bluetooth! - but I do like the feature in the smaller MM versions.
Other monitors with protective grills? - Eve SC203, and more serious monitors Neumann KH80 and KH120 ( - where each unit has its own amp and discrete connection to your audio interface). I use the iLoud MM for occasional mixing out of the studio on whatever table is handy, and the Neumann KH120 for studio use (though not only, as they also have grills and can be moved about without concern).
Also note these are NEAR-field monitors, for 'arms length' close use. I read of many people being disappointed that the speakers cannot fill a room with loud music or even critically produce fine detail over a long distance. They are near-field monitors. This is the same as for my KH120's they have plenty of volume and low-end to fill a room but they are not designed to focus their detail into a large room - so will sound more muddy than if used as designed, near to.
The tricky area these MTM are in is for a bit more money you can get a pair of proper larger monitor speakers. Whereas the smaller Micro Monitors are in a different category - much cheaper and smaller, which warrants having them and a proper/larger pair of monitors (such as the KH120's which BTW are rock-solid fantastic) to cover different roles.
great reflections and comments
Okay.. looking to record an album while backpacking and climbing. Need an ultimate portable recording studio. So far i have a earthworks sr mic, smb7, motu/ua converter, Mackie Sr3,s, akg head phones, a dock and two power banks, mogami xlrs, power supplies etc. Any advice ? To lessen the load speaker wise? Thanks
Is the -11db function usable ? I am planning on getting the iloud mtm but at night i was thinking of utilizing the -11db function not to bother my neighbors.
I generally looking for an active speaker that basically muting bass option which this is closest thing to that ive seen so far .
If it is usable how bad or good are they while in that mode ?
Do you plan on making any video on PA system? I need loud PA system home playing but I can't find any video from synth people.
Hey Bo! What's the best small studio mixer? Something I can plug 3-5 instruments into and output to these speakers, an amp, or interface. Thanks!
Check Soundcraft EPM series (i have that, i like it) and Mackie maybe! Presonus also have some smaller mixers
Thanks, its could be solution for my home..
Do you think that one unit can be used as a FRFR "cabinet" for guitar home practice ???? Thanks.
I have had many Adams over the years. I always tried to love them but never managed. By that i mean that what you describe as "airy" and "more detail" for me is a tweeter that "tries too much" and has a kind of a "obvious resolution". I always end up prefering Dome tweeters over AMT. To each his+her own i guess. Thanks for the comparisson though. These mtm could make nice portable-travel setup speakers
Hey Bo, can you please tell me the mic adaptor thread size? I've bought to mic stands from amazon and it doesn't fit either. Pretty frustrating to say the least. Your input here is appreciated. Thanks. PS. I reached out to tech support at IK and haven't heard back on this.
oh, thats weird! I have standard K&M mic stands and I didnt have any issue fitting the mic holder/grip onto them.
I loved these speakers when I heard them!!!! Like it was almost unbelievable . Super detailed.
Noir Et Blanc Vie Were the speakers you listened to the new iloud MTMs and not the micro monitors?
rainbowgames1 the MTMs, I’ve never heard the micro monitors actually. Basically IK peeps let me listen to them in Germany and I was in a room with maybe 15 other speakers, some I knew and some higher end. The MTM by far had the most detailed sound in the mids, so detailed that I actually was skeptical...but, they were literally just taken out of a box and setup, so no funny business. IK wanted to send me a pair to check out at home, but I dunno, I probably won’t review them even if I do get them...I think Bo made a very valid points as to exactly how I felt during that listening session. If anything, the best monitors I’ve heard in the price range.
hi thank you for honest review! do you think this one could be better than "entry-level" 5~6.5 " monitors like jbl 305, yamaha hs5 or kali lp6??
i know its like 2 times expensive than those ones but im just asking whether its worth 700 euros :)
thanks !!
hmm, for entry level I would actually advise on getting Adams new series of monitors, or Yamaha HS. Both those series seems really good. Nothing wrong with iLouds but I would just try and get a slightly cheaper pair to start of.
I own two JBL305 's for around 4 years now and they are amazing for the compact size and especially the weight. I literally use them for anything, take them anywhere and you can also entertain a medium sized room with about 20 people partying with no problems. The bass is good, also on low volume and the treble is amazing due to the tweeter PA technology. I highly recommend them.
Good review
Dear BO,
Thanks for the video. Is it possible to mount the iLoud MTM on a microphone stand (like it is with the iLoud Micro)?
Yes
Are they better then the Yamaha HS5? I need to know as I want to move to smaller gear!
definitely
My give off a 1600Hz ring for about 24 seconds when I first turn them on...any idea why?
Anyone else experiencing that?
Love this guy
Sorry I'm a bit of a newbie, but are these active monitors? Do they have an on-board AMP/DAC? If so, how would I connect them to a PC if I want to use the inbuilt AMP/DAC in the speakers? In other words, how would I feed a digital signal from a PC into the monitors. On the specs on the website it states that the 1 x USB type-B is service use only, so I assume you cannot just hook them up to a PC via the USB input. Thanks :)
@Steve H Thanks for the reply! My MTM's arrived recently. I found out what an audio interface is; a dac with mic inputs and such! I'd like to use them as PC speakers(not recording/mixing or anything), so maybe just a dac will work better? I connected them to my PC using a 3.5mm to 2x 1/4" cable, which worked, but my pc gives out a lot of noise/buzzing (probably from the motherboard since I tried with my laptop which worked fine though). I have a cheap dac lying around with an optical input and RCA outputs, so have bought a 2x RCA to 2x 1/4" cable to use with it. Would it be better if I got a dac with optical input, but 3.5mm output instead of RCA? They advertise them as "headphone" dacs, does that matter?
Also, I was wondering if you know if MTM accepts digital input via it's XLR input. That would ideal as I could bypass my PC noise AND don't need an external DAC, as surely the inbuilt dac that the speakers have are way better? In fact I haven't been able to find anything online about this; do the MTM's have an inbuilt dac?
One last query; I will be leaving the volume dials on the the back of the MTMs at a set position, for ease of use. Would a dac with volume control give better sound quality than adjusting the volume in Windows (as it's not software compressed?)
I apologise for taking up any of your time, but would be so grateful to hear any kind of input!
@Steve H Ok, I'll be getting an audio interface! Thanks so much for the help Steve :)
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One of the things that will benefit your listening environment, is to put the tweeter at ears level, by the way the Adams XART tweeters are Ribbon more open sound than the conventional tweeter, that’s why you can hear more air, good advantage on the Iloud MTM comes with a mic to do calibration that’s a plus for those they don’t have the room treatment, thanks for your info.
thanks for the great video guide! I wanted to buy a speaker for my pc, what else i needed to buy in order to use it? can it just plug throw usb cables?
No you need some way of connecting the pc to the xlr inputs, so probably an audio interface or mini trs to dual ts splitter cable (not sure how well that works tho!) and this is if you have stereo mini trs output on the computer
@@BoBeats thanks alot:)
may i ask a dumb question here?.. if each monitor has its own volume control, is there some sort of volume sync or digital volume confirm between them? or we should adjust volume on interface when mixing?
You adjust volume on each monitor first. I just max mine. And then I adjust from the audio interface
@@BoBeats Thanks for the info!
What about adding a sub?
I have amazing monitors...but want a small one that can give me a different perspective and wonder with Iloud would be better?.....
Awesome for that size... Honestly...
And calibration stuff...
Yeah I am quite impressed
@@BoBeats I'm really eager now to go and give em a listen in person, since I'm on Adam f7 for quite some time now ^^
Comment 100. You've come a long way!
Is the iLoud more inspiring to make music with (Not mixing) than the Adams? I have a set of A5Xs and they're not that inspiring to write music with.
I need to know the answer to that question as well but my guess would be they are probably going to be more inspiring for producing.. and then mixing can be handled on the A5X..Im thinking about getting the ILound for the same purpose.. was even considering KRK.
Badass track btw
That test signal is craazy!
Sample it buddy!!
Okie dokie!
This could have been 100% better if they included a remote!
Bo, are those the A5x or A3x?
A5X
Could you use these with the Adams Sub?
I would not recommend that. These arn’t built with a sub in mind
@@BoBeats I don't know those subs, but HT subs generally allow you to connect the signal to the sub. The sub will send low frequencies to the sub and everything above to the satellites. So ANY speaker should be able to be used with a sub in this kind of setup, don't you think? I don't know if your Adam sub has this feature.
I would actually recommend any sub with them. The iloud like to clip on higher output levels, you can hear it in the base. You can't cheat physics... Get a sub (the cheaper T10s), route them and set your sub to 60-80 Hz crossover, they will sound awesome and don't clip at all. Obviously not as great as Adam with ATM tweeters, but very close and they are so much smaller 😊
Bought these last week and returned them a day later lol. The sound was really good stock but could barely turn them up loud enough and a purple light would blink once then turn them off. Also the calibration system doesn’t even work properly. Made the speakers sound muffled like and iPhone speaker lol
what black mixing desk was that??
Zaor Miza Jr Mk3 and Zaor Yesk Desk
buying synths and keyboards n stuff gets expensive very quickly, how about showing some affordable speakers like Fluid F5 or something like that? 800 is not everybodys range, Bo :)
i will see what I can do :-)
That track 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
The adams are great for sure but in a small and/or poorly treated room the MTM's win every time...
Sure, If you've got the space and your confident your room sounds REALLY GOOD go nuts and get whatever fits your budget... (Bearingin mind the MTM's go down to 30hz so you'll likeley need a sub) If however have a small room and you need deep bass reproduction (at the cost of some occaisonal port rumble) the MTM's are second to none... Basically don't worry about bigger speakers having more detail try the MTM's... You wont regret it! PS: treat you room and get a sub anyway... ;)
You don't mix on sc32?
i have two primary setups: one hw based and one computer based. I use the 32sc for the hw setup
Ax3
I have these but the noise coming from them at all times really gets on my nerves. Nobody seems to mention in reviews how much high pitched noise these speakers emit at all times.
This is not a feature of the speakers and it seems something is wrong with them. Mine does not make any such noise what so ever. They are dead silent.
You maket make same mistake that i do often.We take many cheap products and at the end we spend more than take good one..
I swear sony made speakers like these
not enough inputs and two speakers set apart imo sounds better with a wide sound cos we all have two ears.sorry not for me
BE Aware if you are dumb like me: All the reviews and the merchants do not mention that these are sold individually and NOT as a set. I got all excited and found a "great price" on Black Friday and then felt stupid when I got one speaker in a big box, HA HA ha!!! So buy 2 and realize it will cost you $270 to $350 EACH!
Man, that sucks :-( it is something which is easy to miss. Studio monitors are generally listed with price for one speaker and not a pair. But I hope to be more clear on this as I know its a common thing to get wrong
This monitors suffer from port noise
First
You win! A cookie!
at $400 a pair yeah. for what they wan? oh hell now.
$400 per speaker for a pair it's going to be a little over $800+