Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:31 pm
Joel,
I'll offer you my two cents. IMO, the best speaker that I have used for VTPO is the Mackie HR824 (original, not the newer Mk II made in China). I have managed to purchase 16 of these on ebay for an average price of $325 US each. My system is comprised of a MOTU 24 io PCIe which drives the 16 HRs, plus 8 Mackie MR5 for the less important stuff, a Velodyne 12" sub, and a DefTec Supercube Trinity sub (the crown jewel). A separate PC is used for convolution reverb and leverages my home theatre surround system (B&W, Magneplanar) for eight additional channels dedicated to reverb. If I had to pare the whole thing down to just two speakers, I would choose a single pair of HR824 without batting an eye. In fact, this is exactly what I use to voice the Paramount series.
Some people (including me once upon a time) pour their money into a fancy console with hundreds of SAMs. Now I content myself with dual touchscreens and put the resources into the "pipework", the speakers. It's all about the sound for me.
While having good speakers is the most important path to good sound, a well controlled listening room also plays a pivotal role.
Joe Hardy
Paramount Organ Works