that studio'ish sound

If you're really looking for that "studio sound," a pair of studio monitors in the nearfield will get you close. FYI though - you're only going to hear one aspect of the recording. Studio monitors are not the only transducers used to listen to the feed or mix. And, you're not really going to "hear what the engineer heard" no matter what you do or what gear you use, because:

The studio is not the final link in the recording chain. Most studio recordings need work - lots of work - before they are ready for release. That's where the mastering houses come in. Most of the serious mastering houses use "audiophile" speakers for listening.

Gotta concurr with Dr Joe here. Tannoy studio monitors will do it all,especially with tube amplification.

Definitely give the PMC's a listening as you seem to be describing the type of sound they offer. They can handle any type of music and are most importantly used in many studios around the world. Perhaps the IB2's?

Onhwy covered it mostly. Recording engineers are looking for detail--not the ambience that most audiophiles are. In a typical listening room 50% of the total sound field can come from indirect or reverberant sound. In a studio, it's less than 10%. Near field and much shorter reverberation times. To me the studio sounds very dry and analytical--but that makes sense as it is a tool for a recording engineer to do a job. Whereas when I sit and listen I want to relax and be entertained.

So to answer your question--I highly treated room--not just absorption, that will affect the high frequencies much more so than the midband. It must be balanced. Also, control rooms are generally small with smaller speakers that tend to not produce too much bass energy and have room modes creating acoustical problems. Many studies have large Helmhotz resonators built into them to account for this. Lastly, speaker placement should be nearfield so that the direct sound makes up almost all of the total sound of the listening experience.

The studio sound is a combination of a number of elements. First, virtually all professional recording studios have professionally designed and installed acoustic treatments for the purpose of minimizing the room's contribution to the sound. Second, while most studios have more than one set of monitors, the majority of critical listening is performed on near field monitors. The monitors are 3 to 5 feet from the listener and relatively far away from any walls. Third, a studio monitor is a tool for making music and is not intended for long-term listening pleasure. They will expose all the flaws of the signal being fed them. Last, studio monitors tend to be self amplified (usually bi or tri amped) with balanced inputs. It's an excellent design feature but it makes them a little more difficult to integrate with typical audiophile equipment.

I would recommend you listen to a pair of JBL LSR28 or Tannoy System 600/800. Both are active near field monitors.

I would guess that the PMC line of speakers in an all balanced system set up for near field listening with extensive room treatment would do the trick.

Hi Touchon

Harbeth!!!

They come in various sizes and prices, but they have that wonderful sound you are describing. The BBC uses these monitors in their studios.

Wonderful sound.

Regards,

AEW

If you want "studio" sound, then use when many studios use: Bryston, Crown Studio Reference, etc., but the most important ingredient is the monitors: you won't get the dynamics and speed of a studio monitor with most domestic speakers, even audiophile ones. Get a pair of high sensitivity studio monitors: Tannoy DMT 12 or 15 or 215, or a pair of JBL 4430 or 4435, or a pair of Altec 604-8G or 604-8K. All these are available used for far less money than domestic speakers of equivalent quality would cost, plus they'll give you the energy, detail and slam that you're looking for.

Happy listening,

Joel.