Recommend me a good budget Monitor Speaker ?

T

TheComposer

New member
Hi, so I recorded my instrumental album, want to mix it, I have a rough mix made with my PA (used for karaoke or general PC listening).

But now more than ever I'm decided to get some monitor speaker pair to really get the sound I want (and a decent one).

Would you recommend me something under 200 USD that could do the job?

I was watching the Mackie CR3 on Ebay but I read mixed reviews about them, what do you think?

Thanks.
 
One of the only sub-$1k speakers I didn't want to throw into a tire fire were the Equator D5's.

Going super-cheap is a sure-fire way of buying again. Almost guaranteed. This (your monitoring chain) is, far and away, the absolute most important part of your entire recording rig. If it takes months (and months and months) extra to go "reasonable" - wait those months.
 
Massive Master said:
One of the only sub-$1k speakers I didn't want to throw into a tire fire were the Equator D5's.

Going super-cheap is a sure-fire way of buying again. Almost guaranteed. This (your monitoring chain) is, far and away, the absolute most important part of your entire recording rig. If it takes months (and months and months) extra to go "reasonable" - wait those months.
Click to expand...

Lesson I learned the hard way. But at least I learned.

Save your money.
 
Massive just gave you one. A damn good one too. Equator D5. Own a set myself.
A pair can be had for under 500 bucks.

When a known mastering engineer's recomendation comes along the way, it's usually pretty valid.

Lots of people seem to like the jbl 5 inch too. Can't comment. Never heard them, but they look like plastic crap to me.

Avoid KRK (imho) very colored.
 
Can't remember what I paid for sure but a couple years ago GC had a buy one, get one "free" sale on Tannoy Reveal 502. I bought a pair and if I recall it was somewhere around and maybe just over US $200 samolians. It was a very good price at the time, compared to what they were going for elsewhere. I'm still very much a recording noob, with no real frame of reference but I have been quite happy with these as a "starter" set of powered monitors.

Pre-recorded commercial music sounds very much as I would expect it to, and my stuff sounds good on them. I have not yet made any comparisons by carting my tunes out to other playback systems, nor do I have any experience whatsoever with other monitors, but these work fine for where I am at this time in my journey. My room is not treated at all (yes I know it should be), monitoring position is center of short wall in a roughly 19' x 21' room. Until I become more serious these will hold me over. Money isn't a serious problem for me and I could have spent quite a bit more, but until the bug really bites me hard, I am quite satisfied with what I have.

Certainly the advice of the much more seasoned folk here should be taken seriously, and is probably the best advice, but sometimes I think it's good to just jump in and get what you can afford to get started, and find out if this is a hobby you really want to stick with, then go big. Just starting out, I doubt you would be disappointed with the Tannoy Reveal series.
 
I would agree with all magoo and RFR stated.

I started with KRK G2 5's. That got me going but soon realized they were hard to get mixes to translate. Then I found some Event TR8's on Craigslist for $300. I thought they sounded better than the KRK's, but didn't have as much low end. After that I spent a bunch on room treatment and realized the KRK's were way hyped in the low end and no midrange clarity. So I tried the KRK G2 8's. Now that was a bit better but man they have a severe 'smiley face' eq sound to them. Might be OK for a hip hop guy that just wants to hear shit without a subwoofer. But, they had to go. The Event TR8's were more clear and I still have them for reference.

I now have ADAM A7X and it was a game changer. Hard to describe how much more clear and telling they are. Not just making things sound good, but more letting you know when things don't.

The KRK's are all sold off. A stepping stone monitor maybe, but I sure as hell would never recommend them.
 
I've become pretty biased now about monitor reccomendations since I got my Focal Twin Be 6 pair a few months ago.

Like Jimmys69, I waited a long time to upgrade, thought my Mackie HR824 monitors were just fine until I pulled the trigger on the Focals....and now, it's really hard (almost pointless) to try and recommend anything real low budget.

Sure, the old story about how you can learn to mix on anything is true, for some...but man, I love these new monitors, and mixing is so much easier and more accurate now. I did some test mixes, took them out to my car just to see how different they would be from my previous Mackie stuff...and they were right on the money, where the Mackie mixes always sounded like they were off, especially in the low-mids, where the biggest problems exist for most mixes.

Some people have no problem dropping $2k-$3k on a guitar or on some other piece of gear, but then they'll balk at paying that much for monitors. Not sure how you feel about used monitors, but it's another way to get into something better at a lower price...or just wait for the deal and then go for it.
I was on the fence for a long time...but when I saw Sweetwater offering the Focals at 0% financing...I figured why not. :)
 
I have a pair of CR3's, but I don't use them as mains. I use them as a "B" reference monitor. I also use them as my "computer speakers" when not mixing (you tube, etc.). For the price, I think they're great. If you are on a budget and you will be using them as mains, spend the extra few dollars and get the CR4's with the 4" driver rather than the 3" driver. Be aware these are best when listened to in a 3 to 4 foot triangle. They're not meant for a big space. Since they are a small speaker, don't be tempted to increase the bass in your mix. You'll need to learn these monitors (like any monitor) in order for it to translate properly.
 
JBL 305s. A pair new runs about $300. Very, very good speakers. You sure as hell don't have to spend anywhere near $1000 to get quality.
 
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