I have used and owned many monitor systems over the past 12 years in search of the perfect speaker and have finally given up.

No speaker will tell you everything you want to know, and no speaker wil sound like what every person listening to the record at home is hearing... it's just not possible.

So I have five sets of monitors surrounding me, and a hand made balanced passive switching system that allows me to easily listen to any set at any time.

To my left are the Apple Powered speakers, the early ones that Bob Clearmountain made popular, and to my right are the NS10s that I've had since 1990. In front of me are the best monitors JBL ever made... both kinds. The JBL LSR32s are three-way passives, powered by a beefy HotHouse S400 Control Room amp and supplemented by the NHT B20 active stereo subwoofer system (with remote bypass). The JBL LSR6328 are two-way self-powered monitors and are the first monitors I've ever owned that give real low end information at low listening levels. Between the LSR6328s are Radio Shack's little 3" Optimus speakers... as close to a "reality check" as I need to get.

Levels are matched for each set of monitors so dialing across the speakers gives changed in tonal balance but not output level. I've finally gotten used to using ALL the speakers while mixing and using each for the particular details it is good at revealing.

The Earthworks Sigma 6.3s (below, on the right) have been temporarily retired, until I have room for a "b" room. Also on deck (awaiting new homes) are Audix Nile X mains and B&W Matrix 805s. I've found that buying and living with speakers is the only way to know whether they will agree with the room, the amp and the engineer. That means I've bought and sold LOTS of monitors.