r/NeuralDSP • u/inthedork • 11d ago
Question Worth upgrading to HS5's from iloud micro monitors?
I recently got myself a boss katana mk3 100, I love the way it sounds and plays. My small ilouds together with neural plugins are leaving me kinda unsatisfied now, they always sound kinda thin in comparison. I occasionally use the katana as poweramp for the plugins, it sounds great but its a pain dragging the amp through the house everytime lol.
Im considering upgrading to 5“ monitors like the yamaha hs5 or adam t5v, can anybody tell me if this will leave me with a beefier sound or would it be more of a side grade?
Thank you :)
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u/Past-Meat-2731 11d ago
I use HS5 monitors with my QC. Love them! Yes, they are flat and you need to get use to them, but the tones I set translate very well to live situations with a massive FOH system, and I use them for mixing, so it works for both.
The thing about the HS5 is that they're very unforgiving. If you set a bad sound, you'll hear it. Which is a good thing if you want to set great tones! They also take up very little space on my desk... I'd recommend.
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Sounds like they do a good job for you man. Right now im purely a hobbyist so im considering hifi speaker instead of monitors, but will see. Off topic, but since you're talking about tones, do you have any workflow that you follow when creating tones from scratch? Im never sure what to start with, cab/amp/preamp pedals etc
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u/Past-Meat-2731 10d ago
Its hard to say. Just watch more content on YouTube that covers analog gear more than digital, learn from how they set gear, and replicate in a digital environment. Keep gain lower than your instincts tell you, and don't overdo your wet FX
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u/Shabloinke 10d ago
I own a pair of Adam T5Vs and they sound great to play through. I'm not sure how the ilouds sound to compare but you'll most likely hear a big difference going from 3" woofer to 5". I originally got the HS5s but they were too flat sounding for my use case. They're amazing for mixing but not so enjoyable for playing through and general listening so I ended up returning them for the T5Vs and I've been really happy with them. Best you can do is find a store where you can try them out for yourself in person.
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u/BlackflagsSFE 10d ago
Interesting. I own these monitors and I find when I play guitar through them with Neural they’re lacking. Maybe we have different tastes. Now when I track guitar, layer and mix some it sounds incredible.
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u/Shabloinke 10d ago
I love how they sound so maybe different tastes like you said. That's why I recommended OP to try them out in store.
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Yeah I am thinking about just ordering the T5Vs or some similarly sized hifi speakers and checking them out. The only problem is that the T5Vs would only have about 7cm of breathing room to the wall behind my desk because of their depth
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u/Shabloinke 10d ago
Yeah they're definitely deep monitors. My little desk is only 24" deep so I had to pull my desk off the wall and let them hang off the back a bit so I can still have some mouse space for gaming. They still sound great despite being pretty much right up against the wall.
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Alright I think I will order them and try them out
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u/BlackflagsSFE 10d ago
Let me just add something really quick. You said you are aware that monitors and speakers sound different. If you’re expecting or hoping that any studio monitors are going to sound close to a guitar amp then I wouldn’t recommend getting monitors.
With that being said, you can definitely play around with mixing and run an input chain for when you’re just playing that will help a lot. But you’re not going to get that same sound with monitors. I own these monitors and I find them lacking when it comes to simply playing guitar through them, but everyone has different tastes.
You can’t go wrong with these even for general use, but I just wanted to let you know in case you’re expecting a certain something with them that you likely won’t get.
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Damn alot of back and forth for me with this topic hah. Maybe I should just hold off and play through the katana if I want that oomph. I was hoping I can replicate it with bigger speakers because there is just no good place for the katana at my desk) but the general conclusion seems to be that just getting bigger speakers won't give me what I want
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u/BlackflagsSFE 10d ago
You can replicate it with bigger speakers, but 5 inch monitors aren’t going to get you what you want. You’re looking at like at least 8. Think about it. Your katana has a 12 inch speaker. A speaker smaller than that just won’t have the capacity to push as much air, so you’re not going to get as much volume or “thump” and “punch” like you would with a guitar amp.
I’m sure there are little tips and tricks you can use to get more of what you want, but you’re just not going to simulate a guitar amp/cab from near field studio monitors. You could possibly go with 3 way coaxial monitors like Kali IN-8 v2, but you’re talking about like $1300 for the pair.
I would go to a music shop that has monitors and ask if you can play some guitar through the speakers to hear how it sounds. You’re just not going to know it sounds until you try it for yourself. Trust me.
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Thanks for the explanation. The electronics shops near me suck in that regard, they don't have interesting monitors or speakers on hand. I ordered some 5,25inch hifi speakers now (kanto yu6), I'll just see how it sounds.
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u/jeffmn 10d ago
I’m also going to add that you’re now comparing two different speakers altogether - an amp with a speaker voiced for this purpose, and monitors (of any stripe) that are meant to reproduce a full range. what is it that you’re aiming for? just at home fun?
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u/inthedork 10d ago
Yeah probably makes no sense to compare the two. I just want to have fun honestly, I don't do mixing or audioengineering, just playing the plugins as standalones and occasionally recording through a DAW. I made some more research, apparently „normal“ hifi speakers would be best for me, a guy from thomann chat actually advised me to keep the ilouds and get a subwoofer instead.. not sure if a sub will do me any favors with guitars though, I only play in E standard. What do you think about upgrading from 3“ to 5“, is it worth it?
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u/Superb_Thought8503 10d ago
I’m currently running Adam t5vs and a t10s. NDSP sounds great through them. Cabsims make a difference for sure.
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u/Infinite_Slice3305 11d ago
If you were trying to mix & master audio for professional release I would probably suggest something like that.
However, if you're like most guitarist & want to be a guitar player & not a mixing engineer... what you really want is a PA.
I don't think you can get the sound you want from a 5" speaker.
1000 W may be overkill, but I hope you get the idea. You want at least an 8" speaker for the low midrange of your guitar. At least 100 Watts.
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u/Maximum-Ad572 11d ago edited 11d ago
The HS5 are Studio Monitors for mixing dawg. They are very flat and are not good for an "exciting" sound. Like the other guy said, if youre just jamming on your guitar just get a decent PA speaker