Buy new monitors or soundcard??

[MrHammy]

Hi guys, long time reader of these boards and have just signed up to the forum - great stuff!

So right now I have a pair or KRK Rokit 6 monitors and a Focusrite 2i4 soundcard which have served me well. Recently I went to a friend's house who has got a pair of Genelec 8040B monitors - they really impressed me compared to my Rokits.

Another friend has recently got a RME Fireface 800 soundcard and they swear by it. I've looked into some reviews and details about it online and was also impressed

I'm wondering which would be the better thing to upgrade first - the monitors or the soundcard.
Would a better soundcard make my Rokits sound better? I'm pretty sure the focusrite stuff is good quality anyway. Or should I go for a monitor upgrade.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[J. Smith]

My advise would be to buy new monitors instead of a soundcard, as modern soundcards don't have a noticeable difference in sound quality (except for motherboard integrated solutions, maybe). That Focusrite of yours is perfectly fine.

But one thing that you might also hear a lot is that if you haven't done so yet, invest in acoustic materials for your studio. Expensive monitors won't be of much help if your room echoes like a hall.

[tehlord]

Would a better soundcard make my Rokits sound better? I'm pretty sure the focusrite stuff is good quality anyway. Or should I go for a monitor upgrade.

A (much) better soundcard will improve the sound of your monitors marginally, but not enough to make it a worthwhile purchase.

New monitors on the other hand can make a huge difference, especially as Rokits are so terrible in the first place.

If you're in UK, DV247 are selling Dynaudio BM5A mk2's for £459/pair which is frankly a steal.

I know, because I just bought a pair

[maschinelf]

Just to give another viewpoint, you should also consider whether you'll be using the preamps on the interface. If you will, then the choice of interface becomes a little more important. Also the d/a does not change the captured audio, but the a/d and preamps do.

Though I'd still reckon the monitors would make a bigger difference.

[rod_zero]

Upgrade minitors first and sound card later.

[thecontrolcentre]

Monitors for sure. I got my first Genelecs back in the 90's ... the improvement in my mixes was astounding.

[BERFAB]

Yup. Monitors and spacial treatment. Get the absolute best that you can afford. If you can't hear your mixes accurately, then no one else will.

BTW, I use Rokit 6's as well and never felt a need to upgrade. But I also use IK's ARC system to improve accuracy. You may want to look into that.

-B

[d-s-m]

Depends on what the room your set-up is in really, bit pointless buying expensive monitors if your room has horrible acoustics.

[Septimon]

easy choice:
if it's for the sound: monitors, you probably won't hear any difference from Focusrite to RME.
If it's about performance (=running big projects with low latency) or about the number of inputs: soundcard.

[bedjka]

If you're in UK, DV247 are selling Dynaudio BM5A mk2's for £459/pair which is frankly a steal.

+1

They are amazing !

[MrHammy]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys. Much appreciated!

I make electronic music predominantly, so I reckon I'll go for a monitor upgrade.
We are moving house soon, so after the move I will have some cash to buy the monitors and also get some proper room treatment.
Have been reading about the Event Opals these past few days - think they might be on the cards

Thank you all once again.

P.s Bluffmonkey - your chill stuff rocks!!

[PatchAdamz]

My advise would be to buy new monitors instead of a soundcard, as modern soundcards don't have a noticeable difference in sound quality (except for motherboard integrated solutions, maybe). That Focusrite of yours is perfectly fine.

But one thing that you might also hear a lot is that if you haven't done so yet, invest in acoustic materials for your studio. Expensive monitors won't be of much help if your room echoes like a hall.

Good points!