Ah, monitors!! So many options. Which way to go?
Everyone falls in love with a set a monitors for one reason or another. Given that there is much to recommend about all the monitors mentioned on this thread, there are some other considerations which often go overlooked when choosing an *ideal* set of near fields.
1. Two sets of ears are better than one. Three sets of ears are even better than two. When you try out monitors, see if you can "borrow" the ears of two trusting people-- one who tends to work more instinctively and one who works more technically. Somewhere in between you'll find the right criteria to make your choice.
2. Make a CD of tracks you are very familiar with-- include your own mixes as well as commercially released mixes you like-- and those you don't like. See how the pros and cons of these mixes translate accurately on a variety of speakers-- if a bad mix sounds great all of a sudden, then you know you might not want those particular monitors.
And don't limit your initial test to one type (brand or size) of monitor. Listen to 4-inchers, 6-inchers, overheads-- just to clear your ears of the sound of any 8-inchers you will eventually get. It keeps things sounding fresh.
--- and don't forget to listen to all monitors at low levels as well.
3. Test the monitors in your room! These things always sound different in your studio than in the store-- too much peripheral noise in the store, too! Try at least three different sets in your studio once you've narrowed your choices down.
4. As long as we're talking about monitors, the ears themselves ARE the most important tool in your studio. As you test, tweak, callibrate electronic gear-- you might want to start out by having your hearing tested to get a sense of how your hearing has changed. Your perception of what you hear doesn't change-- but your hearing does.
The older you get, and the more time you spend using monitors and headphones, the more likely that some highs will go. For some people, this begins near middle-age. For others, it can begin quite early in life-- twenties, teens, or even earlier. I've noticed that my mastering engineers are consistently rolling off a touch of high end on my mixes these days. This is because I'm now aware that I've lost a touch of high end sensitivity in my hearing. It's not bad, but knowing what my ears are really telling my brain answers a whole lot of questions which might have otherwise been blamed on room treatment, callibration tools, AC efficiency, etc.
Often people don't distinguish between using your ears from the notion of having a sonic concept of the sound you want in your head. The imagination is "perfect". Ears and gear are all quite variable.
As for ear fatigue-- six hours a day is about my threshold regardless of what monitors are used. Time plays a huge roll, and long hours under the assault of sound can lead to engineer's "cotton ear"-- where highs become impossible to discern clearly. This encourages the notion of working quickly, placing emphasis on the importance of understanding your room, your own hearing, the character of your monitors; all of which are constantly reconciled with that award-winning perfect sonic concept in your head you endeavor to achieve.
Once these matters have been considered, making an informed decision about which brand of monitors works best will be easier to make.
