Which first studio monitors?

W

WolfandWeather

New member
I'm looking to buy my first set of studio monitors and I've narrowed it to M-Audio BX5, Yamaha HS 50, Alesis M1 Active 520, or Behringer Studio 50USB. I'm happy to consider other options but the reason I've picked these is because they're all widely available online for under £150 and that's about as far as my budget will stretch.

Obviously I'm not expecting professional, studio standard quality and there most likely wouldn't be a massive difference between monitors in that price range but as I'll be buying online, I won't have an opportunity to test anything so I was wondering if anybody who has some experience with any of these monitors could tell me what the differences are and which would suit me best?

I'll be using them mostly for reference when mixing (indie/rock/alternative) alongside my headphones so I'd like quite a flat frequency response with as extended a range as possible (around 55hz-20hz should be fine).

Thanks!
 
JBL LSR305

Does your room have acoustic treatment? If not, that's the next thing you need to save for.
 
Last edited:
Just looked up the JBL LSR305 and they seem fantastic but they are almost double my budget so that's not really an option. If I was going for a pro setup then I'd definitely consider them and I probably would pour some money into treating my room as well but I'm just a hobbyist at the moment so I'll have to keep it cheap and cheerful.
 
I started with BX5's. They were decent enough but I never felt as though they were giving me an accurate representation of the lower frequencies. I'd mix something and it would sound okay and then on my car the bass was either booming or too low.

Not sure about the other monitors on your list.
 
The JBls are often on sale (in the US) for $225-250/pair. Hobbyist or not, you need to think about acoustic treatment. We'remostly hobbyists at this site, and the JBLs are definitely not "pro set up", either.
 
You are just starting out? Correct?

Dont worry about it. All low price monitors are crap. Get what you can afford. Dont worry about room treatment.

Just get in the game and have some fun.

In this modern age of digital storage, you can alway go back and redo your mixes in the future.

As you progress, you will get better and you will know more what you want and Need. If you're serious, start a studio savings account. It could be in a shoe box, but start putting together cash to feed your addiction. :-)

I wouldnt worry about it so much right now. Just get what you can afford.
:-)
 
But the best price I've found for the JBLs in the UK is £200 and that's more money than I have to spend. This is going to be an absurdly low budget studio, I know, but it's still going to be a huge improvement on what I have been using!

Ibleedyburgundy, what genre were you working in with the BX5s? When you say lower frequences, how low are we talking? Because there's usually not much happening <50hz in my recordings.
 
Just keep your eyes open for sales. I just got lucky last week and GC had a 2 day only sale on Tannoy Reveal 502s for $99.00 USDs each. Not sure what the exchange rate is but I'm sure that's under 200 squiggly signs. No offense, I just don't think my keyboard makes that symbol?
 
WolfandWeather said:
Ibleedyburgundy, what genre were you working in with the BX5s? When you say lower frequences, how low are we talking? Because there's usually not much happening <50hz in my recordings.
Click to expand...

I was doing mostly classic rock type stuff. I can't say for sure what exact frequency the uncertainty began at. Obviously frequency response for those monitors has a floor of 56hz. If this is the case maybe you would be in good shape.
 
Out of your list, I'd go with the Yamaha, hands-down. But check the price...they're not sold by the pair. So they'd be out of your budget.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top