Monitors and an Ultralite mk3

[eltee]

Hi guys

I'm planning on getting an Ultralite mk3 in the near future and am looking at adding a pair of active nearfield monitors to it. It's just for some basic home recording, nothing fancy.

The room is quite small and the monitors will be quite close to a wall so I was considering a pair of Tannoy Reveal 501a monitors as they're front-ported (I also have a pair of Tannoy M1s on my main audio setup and like the sound). I was also looking at the Yamaha HS50M but as they're rear-ported I'm unsure if they'd be a good match. It's unlikely I'll get a chance to hear these for a real-world test so I'm relying on a lot of google-fu here.

Can anyone chime in on recommendations for or against these? I read elsewhere on this forum that the Ultralites output at +4dB. The Tannoys have XLR and unbalanced jack inputs, so am I right in saying I'd need to connect the Ultralite outputs to the XLR inputs on the Tannoys?

And finally, what's the general consensus on the Ultralite mk3 as a first audio interface? I have some friends who use the mbox2, but I want a firewire option. I found the mbox pro but reading up on it the firewire interface was giving people a lot of headaches. M-Audio's driver support apparently not helping.

Thanks

LT

[mikehalloran]

Most of us will recommend the Ultralite over the MBox anything.

They default to +4 output but you can attenuate them via software or the VOL control. If you have the Tannoys, you would use a couple of TRS-XLR cables or adapters.

I buy the Switchcraft adapters from Markertek as they come pre-wired, are reasonably priced and always in stock. Most other vendors do not carry them pre-wired.

[eltee]

Hi Mike

Thanks for the info. I was thinking XLR-TRS leads sounded about right but just needed to hear someone who knows this stuff say it. I'm new to all this so trying to piece things together as I read and read. Am I right in saying that XLR is always +4 and unbalanced is always -10?

I had a quick look at the MOTU Audio Express as a cheaper option but while I want a starter interface I don't want to limit myself too much. The Ultralite mk3 seems to have a lot going on that could be useful as I expand. The mbox was something I looked at briefly when starting into looking at interfaces (along with the Edirols) but MOTU have a good rep and the hybrid I/O is very nice.

As for the speakers, I'm looking at the Yamahas again. They do seem to be popular in small room setups similar to what I'll be using. The only thing that was putting me off them (or putting the Tannoys ahead) was the bass porting. The front ports on the Tannoys are one of the big selling points and reviewers say it does make a difference. I wouldn't have the speakers right up against the wall, there'd be a few inches separation, and they would be tilted towards me. Would the rear port be a non-issue in this case? Also, I was originally planning to place them on a desk with a raised shelf at the back (similar to the one in this Tannoy review) but now I'm leaning more towards a regular desk and placing the speakers on stands. That would probably move them a little further away from the wall.

[mikehalloran]

>Am I right in saying that XLR is always +4 and unbalanced is always -10?<

Uh... always is a pretty inclusive word. Generally - yes. Always - no. When in doubt, check.

XLR (aka Cannon) can also be mic level -60 or more. TRS or TS (aka 1/4" phone) can be +4 or more - more often than not, actually.

RCA (aka phono) is nearly always -10 ever since TASCAM established it as the home recording/semi-pro standard in the early 1970s. This was so you could plug the stuff into your home stereo equipment and vise-versa (believe it or not, we did back then while saving up to buy more gear).

As long as I am referring to the past, what was the name of those plugs that had the threaded rings? I still have some Shure and EV mics along with an old tube PA head that take those. Ha! I just remembered - those were called Amphenol and could be mic or line level.

Cannon and Amphenol connectors are/were sometimes used to carry speaker level or even 120V line current. Not knowing this can cause you to blow things up if you encounter old equipment (municipal auditoriums seem to have this stuff). When in doubt, find the house engineer and ask.