jumpnblues
Friend of Leo's
What powered studio monitor speakers do you recommend? I'm on a limited budget so I'd like to keep things under $400 a pair. Thank you.
Nearfield Powered Studio Monitor Speakers
- Thread starter jumpnblues
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@jumpnblues
I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS5s. They are fairly flat and sound great.
Don't buy into the KRK snake oil. I've lost count of the number of 'em that have appeared on my bench for repair over the years. They look cool on the outside but are very cheaply made.
I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS5s. They are fairly flat and sound great.
Don't buy into the KRK snake oil. I've lost count of the number of 'em that have appeared on my bench for repair over the years. They look cool on the outside but are very cheaply made.
rze99
Doctor of Teleocity
I have a used pair of Genelecs with sub - they are a bit cosmetically bashed and inexpensive (compared to new) but they've been brilliant for years. Not sure whether you'd get in your budget even used. 
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I'll second the JBLs, but do consider headphones. Headphones have much better linearity for the money than speakers do.
Kali audio.
All price points. Great quality.
LP UNF - $350
If you can go to $500, the LP 6 hit WAY above their weight class.
All price points. Great quality.
LP UNF - $350
If you can go to $500, the LP 6 hit WAY above their weight class.
Also, with headphones, you don't have to worry about room treatment. I have some Beyerdynamic DT 990 headphones that work ok for mixing, but they really aren't very flat. I've heard that the DT 880s are much flatter, but I've never tried a pair.
rze99
Doctor of Teleocity
Also everyone under 35 is listening to music on buds... but I personally find headphones oppressive after about an hour or so.
WireLine
Friend of Leo's
Another Kali recommendation. I use the Kali LP6s and they are (for me) spectacular, in that (again, for me) they dont add or subtract their own personalities, they just play back what is being fed to them. That's what studio monitors are for.
Agreed, after a lot of research I chose the JBL LSR 306MK IIs. They are excellent.
I have to admit, we use Kali IN-8s with a Watts sub. Rumor has it, these are the (experienced) engineers that left JBL. Not in your price range, I know, but Kali is surprising.
Bonneville Bruce
Tele-Afflicted
I recently purchased a pair of Focal Alpha 50 Evo studio monitors used for $300. They are very nice full range flat frequency response speakers with a decent amount of power in the amps.
loudboy
Friend of Leo's
Those KRKs are ubiquitous in any of the home recording groups I frequent. Best focused marketing I've seen, other than Focusrite Scarlett.
To the OP: The JBLs in that price range are good, and I heard some Kalis that sounded nice, too.
If you're fine with used, anything by Focal is great, even if you have to stretch your budget a little. Accurate monitoring is second only to good microphones, in regards to being able to make good recordings.
DHart
Poster Extraordinaire
I like the M-Audio BX-8 powered monitors. For critical/professional mixing purposes, they would probably not be an optimal choice, as they aren't the flattest option out there.
But for music listening, I enjoy their beautiful, rich coloration/tone curve. And they make great reproduction monitors from a guitar amp output.
But for music listening, I enjoy their beautiful, rich coloration/tone curve. And they make great reproduction monitors from a guitar amp output.
Headphones are great for detail but beware of using them for your only mix monitors. Air is a big component of audio and you need to hear your music in space.
I've used JBLs, Yamahas and Kalis (pretty bass forward) and all are good but different. The thing about monitors is, the longer you use them within your specific room, they start sounding "normal" — you get to where you know and trust those speakers in that room. Your mixes become more consistent, especially if you play them back on a variety of audio devices to assure that they "translate."
For budget or very small mixing spaces, you might try Presonus Eris 3.5 — a ton of bang for the buck. Just don't drive them too hard.
I've used JBLs, Yamahas and Kalis (pretty bass forward) and all are good but different. The thing about monitors is, the longer you use them within your specific room, they start sounding "normal" — you get to where you know and trust those speakers in that room. Your mixes become more consistent, especially if you play them back on a variety of audio devices to assure that they "translate."
For budget or very small mixing spaces, you might try Presonus Eris 3.5 — a ton of bang for the buck. Just don't drive them too hard.
Silent Otto
Tele-Afflicted
+1 Yamaha HS5s
mine are from 2005, still going strong.
mine are from 2005, still going strong.
Geoff738
Doctor of Teleocity
Maybe check out the little IK ones too. Not sure how far up the line you have to go to get their room correction software though. If and when I get around to replacing my monitors, the IKs will be getting a look see.
Have heard good things about Ollo headphones, particularly their X1s. I have, and like, a slightly lower tier model.
Cheers,
Geoff
Have heard good things about Ollo headphones, particularly their X1s. I have, and like, a slightly lower tier model.
Cheers,
Geoff
ahiddentableau
Friend of Leo's
The book is that you should care about getting speakers that are as flat as possible. I'm not saying that wrong, but the most important thing is that you know the speakers well enough to understand how your mixes will translate to other systems. If you look at it that way, you might as well get a pair of speakers you think sound good, since you're going to be OK with any pair of speakers of good quality so long as you spend enough time with them (within reason).
There's probably a store not too far away from you with a room full of speakers where you can bring in your phone or iPod and evaluate them as play songs you know really, really well. Obviously the room will be different from yours, but IMO, it's still the best way to make a somewhat informed decision. You'll naturally prefer one or two types to the rest. Go with that. Way better than just taking a bunch of random opinions off of the internet (says the guy giving a random opinion on the internet).
There's probably a store not too far away from you with a room full of speakers where you can bring in your phone or iPod and evaluate them as play songs you know really, really well. Obviously the room will be different from yours, but IMO, it's still the best way to make a somewhat informed decision. You'll naturally prefer one or two types to the rest. Go with that. Way better than just taking a bunch of random opinions off of the internet (says the guy giving a random opinion on the internet).
chulaivet1966
Friend of Leo's
Chud
Poster Extraordinaire
I have the Kali's and the earlier version of the HS5s (HS50m) that I switch between to catch different aspects of mixes. The Kali's are naturally a bit bass forward, but can be adjusted to your space and where they sit in your space via dip switches. They are IMHO pretty accurate, but early on in using them I tended to mix the bass a bit light even after making the switch adjustments. As Woodman said, the more you use anything, the more consistent you'll get.
The Yammies are ok, very mid-forward, not atypical of smaller drivers. I used them as my only monitors for a long while and did some good mixes on them once I got used to them.
My personal recommendation would be for one of the Kali's though.
The Yammies are ok, very mid-forward, not atypical of smaller drivers. I used them as my only monitors for a long while and did some good mixes on them once I got used to them.
My personal recommendation would be for one of the Kali's though.
