Updates are coming to community-recommended similar items...

Hi all, wanted to share some updates to the community-recommended similar items. We'll be rolling these out in phases:

1. From here on out they'll be known as Alternatives.
2. They're moving further down the item page, as a proper section.
3. The alternative items will show a price range when possible, so you can quickly scan what costs what when considering alternative gear.
4. We'll be adding the ability to add a YouTube video to support the claim that one item is an alternative to another. For instance if I wanted to claim that the Strymon Sunset is a high-end, similar sounding alternative to the Ibanez TS808 Reissue Tube Screamer, I could submit this video along with it. The video will then be able to be played alongside the item "card." I'm personally pretty stoked about this, since there are so many useful shootout and vs. videos out there!
5. Alternatives will be upvotable, so there is some sense of what people agree with more and that will rise to the top.
6. Like gear submitted to pro artists, these will be editable by everyone, and they will have versioning to keep track of changes (and so there's a paper trail).

Items 1-3 are live right this moment. 4-6 are coming soon... :-) Lemme know if you have any thoughts, feedback, or questions!

Here's an example of an alternative I submitted to the Boss Waza-Air headphones:

https://i.imgur.com/qDemNzE.png

I know most of this was planned from the beginning... but still, I feel heard.

https://gph.is/g/ajm1Lvn

Hello, thank you for adding this feature. I have been on Equipboard since some years ago and these changes are being helpful.

I just have the question if we can use the youtube links to refer an instrument or effect for a specific tone in a song or even an album?

Thanks for the kind words!

I just have the question if we can use the youtube links to refer an instrument or effect for a specific tone in a song or even an album?

Hmmm... I'm not sure the best place for that would be in the alternative items. The idea here is to submit YouTube videos that help show that one item is very similar to another. So any type of gear shootout, this vs. that, comparison, etc.

What you are talking about would be using a YouTube link as proof of submitting gear to an artist! Although in most cases just that is not enough. There needs to be a visual that the artist used that gear, or mentioned it in an interview, or a social media post, etc. Does that make sense?

what about extra pictures... like service schematics

Great idea! This will open up a huge range of options for those who are choosing equipment to buy. It will also be great because the community will be able to opine on various polemic alternatives, such as Yamaha X KRK, and others. Hype!

Yamaha X KRK, and others. Hype!

having monitor uncertainty eh? neither, the HS series are okay but riding on the udneserved rep of another white coned speaker by yamaha and KRKs are all "hype" and responsble forsome of the worst sounding music for like a decade or more....

old passives; tannoys, ARs, B&Ws or (sick of these but they can be useful) NS10s (yeah yeah) and a decent amp, it doesn't have to be a bryston or mcintosh, but if you can score one... and do like a pair of little genelecs or IK iLouds with the room correction as a second reference.... and if you can afford them after those guys go ahead and grab some JBL 306es or adam TV5s or 7s.... I don't tend to go for the 5" woofers but the adams aren't too bad if your room is small, I prefer the JBL's in the larger woofer,, they have a wider image, not my first choice of monitor for just mixing but if you're kinda tracking some at home they're great. Everything sounds balanced allover the room, no sweet spot

Thinking about that, yes, it makes complete sense because in a shootout the guitar player(s) will test many items trying to compare if them sounds the same, are tonally close or definitely both are a different thing.

About my idea, I think we can put a link to refer for specific tone that we can obtain from an item by adding it in the review description or text.

Yamaha X KRK, and others. Hype!

having monitor uncertainty eh? neither, the HS series are okay but riding on the udneserved rep of another white coned speaker by yamaha and KRKs are all "hype" and responsble forsome of the worst sounding music for like a decade or more....

I purchased a pair of (earlier version) 6" KRK Rokits from a GC like a decade ago, based good reviews, and immediately returned them...so SO bad... like so bad I couldn't imagine the kind of music that would actually sound good on them... but I've got a friend with decades of band/record contract/production experience, not too dissimilar to Jim's CV, who was given a pair of the newest KRK V8s by a contact at Gibson, and they've converted him from a fellow KRK hater to a fan. I've heard these V8s at his space, and it was hard to believe I was hearing KRKs. This friend also recommends classic (old) passive Tannoys and a good amp as the ultimate in studio monitoring, FWIW. Anyway, perhaps Gibson's ownership has been a positive influence on KRK... anecdotally, their products seem to be improving dramatically as of late.

...doesn't mean KRKs are suddenly the best choice in a given situation, but I felt these strides were worth noting.

who was given a pair of the newest KRK V8s by a contact at Gibson, and they've converted him from a fellow KRK hater to a fan. I've heard these V8s at his space, and it was hard to believe I was hearing KRKs. This friend also recommends classic (old) passive Tannoys and a good amp as the ultimate in studio monitoring, FWIW. Anyway, perhaps Gibson's ownership has been a positive influence on KRK... anecdotally, their products seem to be improving dramatically as of late.

...doesn't mean KRKs are suddenly the best choice in a given situation, but I felt these strides were worth noting.

The V8s aren't terrible but I think they're pretty pricey, if you're paying for them then they're not much of a contender because at that price point there's lots of better options. If you're spending 600 bucks for used vers1s? go JBL or Adam.... the new one's I've not heard, they improved them supposedly, they look different and they cost almost a grand new for a pair if I recall, at that point there are WAY better powered options. You could buy 2 sets of better options for a grand to 1200 as far as I'm concerned.

edit: 8" woofers are probably going to blow out an untreated room even at low levels, they're good to have but they're not a sole monitoring solution.

The V8s aren't terrible but I think they're pretty pricey, if you're paying for them then they're not much of a contender because at that price point there's lots of better options. If you're spending 600 bucks for used vers1s? go JBL or Adam.... the new one's I've not heard, they improved them supposedly, they look different and they cost almost a grand new for a pair if I recall, at that point there are WAY better powered options. You could buy 2 sets of better options for a grand to 1200 as far as I'm concerned.

edit: 8" woofers are probably going to blow out an untreated room even at low levels, they're good to have but they're not a sole monitoring solution.

I'm in no way recommending KRKs in this situation or any other, just adding a recent story of a positive KRK outcome to balance the blanket statement that KRKs are all hype.

I'm in no way recommending KRKs in this situation or any other, just adding a recent story of a positive KRK outcome to balance the blanket statement that KRKs are all hype.

sure.... the rokits are pretty bad though, not accurate.... I could enver udnerstand why every electronic musician would have them over the similarly priced event TR8s when they both came out. The yamaha HS8 and affordable powered JBLs were far in teh future.... anyway

I find it to be interesting how gibson was going bankrupt so they got out of it and bought other companies, what an all american business strategy... what we were doing was not working so lets reign in our stupid guitars but keep doing the same whacky stuff with our profits

I find it to be interesting how gibson was going bankrupt so they got out of it and bought other companies, what an all american business strategies....

Have the acquired any companies since exiting Chapter 11?

KRK was acquired 2011, Gibson bankruptcy was 2018.

I find it to be interesting how gibson was going bankrupt so they got out of it and bought other companies, what an all american business strategies....

Have the acquired any companies since exiting Chapter 11?

KRK was acquired 2011, Gibson bankruptcy was 2018.

wow, I thought it was the other way around? my memory is not good anymore

I find it to be interesting how gibson was going bankrupt so they got out of it and bought other companies, what an all american business strategies....

Have the acquired any companies since exiting Chapter 11?

KRK was acquired 2011, Gibson bankruptcy was 2018.

wow, I thought it was the other way around? my memory is not good anymore.... I guess they were just hovering on the brink for a decade! its that robot guitar and firebird X, no guitarist would want that, certainly not a gibson man

I guess they were just hovering on the brink for a decade! its that robot guitar and firebird X, no guitarist would want that, certainly not a gibson man

Totally. People more attuned to the guitar market than me had been fretting (no puns intended) ever since the robo-tuners.

but back to the point, I think a video is good but lets allow photo evidence too... its pretty impractical to compare same loud amps on video unless you happen to be filming in a studio with adequate microphones to really hear the things and the ability to turn them up where they shine.... but if I throw the schematics of those 2 amps up you're going to find they're basically the same amp

but back to the point, I think a video is good but lets allow photo evidence too... its pretty impractical to compare same loud amps on video unless you happen to be filming in a studio with adequate microphones to really hear the things and the ability to turn them up where they shine.... but if I throw the schematics of those 2 amps up you're going to find they're basically the same amp

If we're talking about a supporting image that is a side-by-side annotated schematic comparison... you're speaking my love language right there.

If we're talking about a supporting image that is a side-by-side annotated schematic comparison... you're speaking my love language right there.

you know that I know that you know that's what I mean!

Totally. But most people still opt for HS and Rokits, so it would be nice if there was this debate here. Personally, I'm much more of an Adams T7Vs fan and I like NS10s too, but everyone has their own musical preference. And also remembering that if there is no treatment in your studio, the monitors will not be used correctly..