Prophet Rev2 - need help on choosing the right gear!

[Joe314]

Hello!

Very soon, I'll finally get my hands on the Prophet Rev 2 - my first synth. I will use it in an untreated (bed)room, I don't plan on recording (yet!) and don't plan on gigging. I just need something to hear the synth on and I don't think the gear I already have will be suitable (cheap Hartke B150 bass amp, PC headsets with 3.5 mm jacks).

I will mostly be playing for myself (hence the headphones) but I'd like to have the option to hear the synth in my room (if I get tired of wearing headphones or if some friends and family want to hear it).

I was thinking of getting headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770) and maybe an amp or studio monitors OR just Beyerdynamic DT 990 (which, from what I can understand, people standing next to me could hear too). I hope these choices make sense for this synth.

Here are my questions:

1. If I buy headphones, can I plug them directly in the headphone jack or do I need something else to go in-between?

2. Which resistance should I choose on the headphones (32 ohms, 80 ohms, 250 ohms or 600 ohms)? I'm reading conflicting info on this. Most of what I've read seem to say to take the lowest one (32) but some people say that anything below 50 might hurt the output... so I'm really confused.

3. If I buy monitors, can I just use TS cables directly between the synth and the speakers or should I use a mixer/audio interface?

4. If the monitor accepts TSR balanced cables, do I still use TS in there or should the cables be TS-RCA if the speaker accepts unbalanced RCA?

I've learned a lot reading all sorts of stuff this past week, but at the same time, the more I read, the more I have questions. I'm at a point where I need some advice, so any help would be really appreciated! I just want something simple to get started. Feel free to describe what your setup is like with the Rev2.

Thanks in advance!

[creativespiral]

You can plug directly in with headphones, to the headphone jack.   I would recommend getting some headphones with a 40mm drivers or larger, to help capture bass.  I'm a big fan of Sony MDR series... have got several 7506 and 7509s that sound great for synth headphones, but there are many others that are really high quality as well.   Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, AKG and others make some high quality cans in the $50-$200 range.    Those DT 770 or 990s you mention are a good option.

For active monitor speakers, you can connect directly to the Rev2 main outputs (L/R) 1/4 inch TS to whatever your Monitor Speakers use for input.  You can use TS cables or TRS, through the Rev2 is unbalanced, so the TRS won't give you any extra benefit.   If you're looking for good active monitor speakers on a budget, check out Presonus Eris or Mackie CR lines.    I've got some high end monitors for my main recording/monitoring setup, but recently added some Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors for local monitoring in directly above some of my synths, and they sound really good.   (you can get a pair of them for $99... to me, they seem like the best option if you're looking for lower budget monitors)    You may want to add a mixer later if you want to add a drum machine or other instruments, but you can definitely go direct from Rev2 to active speakers.   

[Joe314]

You can plug directly in with headphones, to the headphone jack.   I would recommend getting some headphones with a 40mm drivers or larger, to help capture bass.  I'm a big fan of Sony MDR series... have got several 7506 and 7509s that sound great for synth headphones, but there are many others that are really high quality as well.   Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, AKG and others make some high quality cans in the $50-$200 range.    Those DT 770 or 990s you mention are a good option.

For active monitor speakers, you can connect directly to the Rev2 main outputs (L/R) 1/4 inch TS to whatever your Monitor Speakers use for input.  You can use TS cables or TRS, through the Rev2 is unbalanced, so the TRS won't give you any extra benefit.   If you're looking for good active monitor speakers on a budget, check out Presonus Eris or Mackie CR lines.    I've got some high end monitors for my main recording/monitoring setup, but recently added some Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors for local monitoring in directly above some of my synths, and they sound really good.   (you can get a pair of them for $99... to me, they seem like the best option if you're looking for lower budget monitors)    You may want to add a mixer later if you want to add a drum machine or other instruments, but you can definitely go direct from Rev2 to active speakers.   

Thank you for clarifying and for the suggestions. Knowing that I do not need extra gear for the moment really helps. Do you know what resistance I should pick for the heaphones? Is 32 ohms the most sensible choice in this case?

[Tugdual]

1. Yes
2. DSI should recommend the ideal impedance, AFAIK they didn’t. I have 80 ohms and its ok.
3. You need an amplifier. I have amplified monitors so I can do it.
4. I would recommend a mixer; I have a mackie vlz4 1202 and it is shockingly good for the price.

[Joe314]

1. Yes
2. DSI should recommend the ideal impedance, AFAIK they didn’t. I have 80 ohms and its ok.
3. You need an amplifier. I have amplified monitors so I can do it.
4. I would recommend a mixer; I have a mackie vlz4 1202 and it is shockingly good for the price.

Thank you for the reply. When you say "You need an amplifier", are you talking some piece of equipment, in addition to the speakers, or are you meaning something like "active monitors", which have built-in amplifiers. Is that what you meant by "amplified monitors"? (Sorry, I am still learning the jargon and just want to make sure I understood you correctly). In other words, if I have a pair of active monitors, I do not need anything else besides cables?

[Tugdual]

1. Yes
2. DSI should recommend the ideal impedance, AFAIK they didn’t. I have 80 ohms and its ok.
3. You need an amplifier. I have amplified monitors so I can do it.
4. I would recommend a mixer; I have a mackie vlz4 1202 and it is shockingly good for the price.

Thank you for the reply. When you say "You need an amplifier", are you talking some piece of equipment, in addition to the speakers, or are you meaning something like "active monitors", which have built-in amplifiers. Is that what you meant by "amplified monitors"? (Sorry, I am still learning the jargon and just want to make sure I understood you correctly). In other words, if I have a pair of active monitors, I do not need anything else besides cables?

Correct, active speakers are speakers with a built in amplifier so you should be good regarding levels.
But the rev2 not being TRS you will lose 6dB if the monitors inputs are TRS but you can compensate if there is a level adjustment on the speaker. I would still recommend a mixer as it is really a quick and easy way to roughly shape tone and level.

[maxter]

I can recommend Alesis studio monitors if you're into bass territory. I have their Elevate 5 MKII, which are almost too bassy for me (I'm not into EDM and such) even with the bass boost off, and they pack a bit more power than Eris E3.5 (they also weigh about twice as much). Cost a little more as well, about $125.

[Joe314]

1. Yes
2. DSI should recommend the ideal impedance, AFAIK they didn’t. I have 80 ohms and its ok.
3. You need an amplifier. I have amplified monitors so I can do it.
4. I would recommend a mixer; I have a mackie vlz4 1202 and it is shockingly good for the price.

Thank you for the reply. When you say "You need an amplifier", are you talking some piece of equipment, in addition to the speakers, or are you meaning something like "active monitors", which have built-in amplifiers. Is that what you meant by "amplified monitors"? (Sorry, I am still learning the jargon and just want to make sure I understood you correctly). In other words, if I have a pair of active monitors, I do not need anything else besides cables?

Correct, active speakers are speakers with a built in amplifier so you should be good regarding levels.
But the rev2 not being TRS you will lose 6dB if the monitors inputs are TRS but you can compensate if there is a level adjustment on the speaker. I would still recommend a mixer as it is really a quick and easy way to roughly shape tone and level.

I see, thank you for clarifying! I also understand why you recommend a mixer now.

[maxter]

Correct, active speakers are speakers with a built in amplifier so you should be good regarding levels.
But the rev2 not being TRS you will lose 6dB if the monitors inputs are TRS but you can compensate if there is a level adjustment on the speaker. I would still recommend a mixer as it is really a quick and easy way to roughly shape tone and level.

I don't think you'll lose 6db unless you use TRS cables (with MOST new interfaces and monitors)... As the Rev2 is unbalanced, you should go with TS cables anyhow, and most monitors and mixers that can work with balanced signals (from TRS cables) can usually work with an unbalanced signal from TS cables without dropping those 6db, as long as you use TS cables, and not TRS. Plugging in a TRS cable "tells" the receiving interface to expect a balanced signal with voltage on both T and R. So if you feed an unbalanced signal via a balanced cable (TRS), the interface can indeed drop 6db.

As long as you use TS cables with the Rev2, you most likely won't have to worry about that.

[Joe314]

Correct, active speakers are speakers with a built in amplifier so you should be good regarding levels.
But the rev2 not being TRS you will lose 6dB if the monitors inputs are TRS but you can compensate if there is a level adjustment on the speaker. I would still recommend a mixer as it is really a quick and easy way to roughly shape tone and level.

I don't think you'll lose 6db unless you use TRS cables (with MOST new interfaces and monitors)... As the Rev2 is unbalanced, you should go with TS cables anyhow, and most monitors and mixers that can work with balanced signals (from TRS cables) can usually work with an unbalanced signal from TS cables without dropping those 6db, as long as you use TS cables, and not TRS. Plugging in a TRS cable "tells" the receiving interface to expect a balanced signal with voltage on both T and R. So if you feed an unbalanced signal via a balanced cable (TRS), the interface can indeed drop 6db.

As long as you use TS cables with the Rev2, you most likely won't have to worry about that.

Thanks for that precision!

[Joe314]

Hello everyone,

I just recieved the Rev2 today and wanted to do a follow up.

I went with the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 Ohms) in the end and everything works great! I will most likely look for studio monitors in the future, when I feel ready to start recording, so I wanted to thank everyone who have posted here with suggestions, it really helped me make a decision!