 The NS @-@ 10 displaced the <unk> <unk> Sound <unk> as the nearfield monitor of choice in the 1980s and was recognised for its ability to reveal shortcomings in recordings . It probably first reached American shores through a recording engineer 's visit to Japan . The engineer , likely to have been Greg <unk> , monitored a recording session through the speaker in a Japanese studio and brought a pair back on his return to the US . <unk> then began using the speakers in a Los Angeles studio . Other engineers heard the NS @-@ 10 for the first time and were impressed by its sound . Its use spread to New York where the NS @-@ 10 was adopted at The Power Station and other studios . 
