Absolute CHEAPEST monitors worth buying

B

BeagleFaceHenry

Member
This isn't one of those vague "what monitors do you recommend?" threads, this is a "What is the absolute cheapest monitor worth buying?" thread?

Obviously, the sky is the limit with monitors, but we don't have the budget for sky. We mix through an old school Sony receiver right now, then compare our mix on everyone's home stereos, cars, headphones, phones, etc. I'm trying to talk the guys into getting some monitors for comparison. They don't see the value. I'd like to give it a try, but there's no sense in buying monitors that sound crappier than our current system.

So, I ask you, what is the absolute cheapest mixing monitors that are worth buying? The 1st page of Musician's Friend's monitor selection ranges from $99 to $800. I doubt I could convince the guys to drop $1,600 but I know they'd go for $200. Are the $99 monitors worth it?

What is the cheapest monitor you've used that you would recommend?
What is the cheapest monitor that you've used that I should definitely avoid?

Thanks,
-j
 
What kind of speakers are you listening to now?

I mean, there's no such thing as "studio monitors". They're all just speakers really. And some famous studio monitors didn't start out as studio monitors. The Yamaha NS10, fi, is a flopped home speaker.
 
That is a really tough question to answer. I thought I was good with $600 KRK's. Until I realized they were shit...

You learn from what your room tells you and how much you want to spend. Also the level of quality you wish to get from your space. I am currently happy with the monitor investment I made. Maybe next year I will upgrade again.

There was a huge difference between $600 and $1800 tho. Does not mean you cant mix with ordinary stereo speakers. It just means you will likely be spending more time getting mixes to translate on other systems. Welcome to the jungle...

Nobody could give an honest answer even if they had the exact room, treatment you have, and the same monitors. It just doesn't work that way.

It is what works for you...

Looking for cheap? Then buy cheap with plan to upgrade the room. Then spend more money to improve. That will be your heel...
 
Do you have any acoustic treatment in your mixing room? The least expensive monitors I'd recommend are the JBL LSR305's. The older model can be had @ $99 each if you can find them, they were selling at $149. The newer replacement models are more expensive. the 308s would be better, and there are other choices in that price range, too.
Without acoustic treatment in your mixing room, it's not worth it to spend a ton of money on monitors first.
 
jimmys69 said:
That is a really tough question to answer.
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Not really... :D ...but diplomacy is the better part of valor. ;)

Anyway...for anyone with a hard budget of $200...just get whatever you want from the monitor section of MF.
They will all be about equally worthwhile.
IOW...at that price point, you don't need to sweat over the specs and all that.

I will say this...if you guys are planning to take this to some higher level (even in stages)...you should convince your buddies that just like good microphones and preamps...better monitors will be a long-term investment as your recording setup and studio space evolves.
 
The new Mackie MR 524s get a very good write up in the current (March) issue of Sound on Sound.
They are $260 a pair at Sweetwater and I doubt anything cheaper than that is going to be of much use?

The 'World has turned' since I became interested in audio 50yrs ago. Back then, speakers, hi fi and studio, were compared to real sounds, pianos, speech (a VERY tough test!) jangling keys and yes! Tubular Bells!

These days speakers are compared to music recordings both private and commercial CD. Seems like a tail wagging a dog eating a snake to me!

Dave.
 
I have the advantage of living in Los Angeles where every other roofer, waiter or candlestick maker is a musician and the used gear churn hear is probably larger than anywhere on the planet...so I rarely buy "new" craigslist and offerup are where I do most of my used gear buying and ebay on rare occassions.

I picked up a pair of the Behringer 2031A TRUTH monitors for $120 that were in perfect condition That'd be $400 new... Damn those bastards are heavy best $120 I've spent in a while. Not saying they are what you should get...they work for me..

What is "good" or "best" when you are in high end gear is very subjective and only widens as you go into tight budget mode. Based on the precept that you can find a nice set used monitors at half the cost of new I'd start with what your budget... whatever that is and for this following example say it's $100. Go to Sweetwater, Musicans Friend and Amazon and search for studio monitors that are within a maximum of $200 (double $100) . Go through the reviews and get a feel for which one you want to go for and then go on the hunt for a used pair...That is going to get you the most bang for your buc, buying something used in good condition and half or close to half off of new....You don't say where you are located but if you are in a relatively highly populated area Craigslist and Offerup are your friend
 
Heard lots of good things about 100-200$ Behringer monitors (not sure of the exact model, but look up some reviews/ratings).

I've tested the Mackie CR-3 and CR-4 'multimedia speakers', but the smaller ones still sounded like pc speakers and the bigger ones sound artificially bass-hyped to me.
 
WooolfSounds said:
Heard lots of good things about 100-200$ Behringer monitors (not sure of the exact model, but look up some reviews/ratings).

I've tested the Mackie CR-3 and CR-4 'multimedia speakers', but the smaller ones still sounded like pc speakers and the bigger ones sound artificially bass-hyped to me.
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Just to be clear I was referring to the Mackie MR 524 monitors (not called "m-media speakers") . That they received a good report in a UK audio magazine is praise indeed, American speakers often do not get much of a rep here.

Then, not FOR ONE MOMENT denying the advantages of room treatment, I think we could in some cases be talking "pig's ears and silk purses". If a loudspeaker is 'coloured' or has a peaky tweeter or an ill-chosen crossover frequency, NO amount of GF or rockwool will make it sound better!

Sight is also sometimes lost I feel in the fact that for HR use the speakers will be very close to the listener. "Nearfield" operation cannot solve all room problems but it CAN help a lot (Hass Effect)

Post WW1 research dpts like the BBC* started the ''LS" speaker series projects. By this time, the problems of getting a decent bass response and an extended treble response were pretty much solve but the problems of colouration still loomed large. There was much running between live studios and control room to compare live and reproduced sound (there was of course no 'storage' system good enough for the purpose. Put THAT in your pipe the digiophobe brigade!) .

Probably THE best test the home jockey can perform is to record some speech (Omni capacitor for preff) and see if the speaker sounds like the original voice.

*Could not do it now, fragmented and research gone to ***t. So sad.

Dave.
 
TAE said:
I have the advantage of living in Los Angeles where every other roofer, waiter or candlestick maker is a musician...
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:laughings:

And where every other waitress, masseuse, exotic dancer and coat-check girl is an actress. ;)
 
miroslav said:
There's nothing worse than a dumb stripper...it makes it difficult to strike up a good conversation.
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You actually talk to them? Damn, you're getting old. Or lonely

If I want someone to have meaningful conversation with, I talk to my dog.
He knows more about how the world works than most humans.

:D
 
I’ve read that a decent room can vary by over 10dB at certain frequencies, which is probably a lot worse off than your speakers (budget rokits are +\- 3dB across most the spectrum IIRC?). So treat the room first I’d suggest. Or just use some headphones you’re familiar with and skip the monitors till your room’s ready.
 
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