monitors... "near-field"?

G

guttadaj

New member
Howdy, folks.

I need a pair of monitors on a shoestring budget. I found MAudio DX4 Active Nearfield monitors online for $150, but sadly even that's too pricey at this point (buying new house).

So, I've found some really cheap ones, but they don't say "Nearfield" in their description, so I'm wondering if they're no better than regular computer speakers for instance. Here are a few I've found: Behringer Monitor1C Ultra Compact or
Edirol MA5D. I know these will be nothing like good monitors, but I need something better than headphones/computer speakers. Are these good for nearfield monitoring?

Other question... Anyway to plug my computer speakers (single 1/8 miniplug) into the outs of my mixer (2 1/4 jacks)? Or would I end up frying something? :eek: :D

Thanks! :)
-Jeff
 
guttadaj said:
Other question... Anyway to plug my computer speakers (single 1/8 miniplug) into the outs of my mixer (2 1/4 jacks)? Or would I end up frying something?
Click to expand...

Should be as simple as hooking a Y cable up to them: either a Female stereo mini jack to 1/4 males Y adapter, like this Way Too Expensive Adapter Cable

or, if your speakers have a detachable 1/8"stereo cable, you could replace it with this (maybe the most elegant solution) Stereo Mini Male to 2 1/4" Males

These should be available at Radio Shack, or something like them. There are a bunch of ways to do this with various adapters, and none of them should blow anything up--but start with all faders and pots turned down, to avoid a nasty blurt of sound as you hook them up, since you may have to re-adjust your levels are from the "new" source--your mixer....

Can't speak to the speaker situation...
 
You may find it hard to believe but these speakers from Radio Shack actually make for a decent pair of nearfeilds. They are passive, so you would need an amp to drive them. An old stereo receiver could work in a pinch, just don't use any built in EQ or Loudness contour, as this would color the sound you hear and not translate equally on other systems. Any 100 Watt amp or receiver would work just fine.
Also it's best to mix at low volumes to get a true perspective of the sound and to avoid ear fatigue.
Not only do these Ratio Snack speakers make for a great beginner set of monitors, they also come in handy once you upgrade to more Pro quality monitors, in that it's nice to have several different types of speakers to listen to the mixes through.
Whatever speakers/monitors you decide to use .... take the time to learn their sound by listening to a lot of reference material (your favorite commercial CD's) through them.
 
Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Money sucks sometimes. I think these will probably be about as good as some decent quality computer speakers. If you do get one of these, my vote would be for the Behringer. The Edirols are only 10W while the behringer is 100W. Plus they don't seem to even be bi-amped.
 
I would avoid spending on cheap near fields until you can afford better or if you will want to keep them as an alternate system. Cheap ones won't satisfy you for long and the resale or trade-in value will not be much.
Crankz1's suggestion is good, but you may already have a set of hi-fi speakers? Hi-fi speakers often are overbright, but you can compensate for that if you're aware of it. Ones with round bass ports can be temporarily improved by plugging the hole with foam or a sock - reduces the bass but tightens up the response no end - after mixing, pull out the foam to check the bass balance and also a/b with headphones.
 
Wow - lots of great responses here - thanks, all! :)

I also sort of feel like it might be a waste to spend any money for low-budget monitors, but I need something. So, I think my first course of action will be to try hooking up my computer speakers - it's amazing when I look at all the Radio Shack adapters I already have and still don't think I can make the adapter I need without getting more. If I can get that to work, then I'll probably just suck it up and work that way for a while - I'll look at it as a challenge to get decent sounding mixes using them and headphones. :D If that doesn't work, then I'll maybe check out those RCA's or the cheapies I found.

Thanks again for your help!!
-Jeff
 
Just as a side note that you probably already thought of.... Make sure you look for magnetically shielded speakers. I have seen some Edirol's (MA-20D for example) wreak major havoc on computer monitors. I see that the ones that you have the link to are shielded, but just something to look out for.
 
Thanks, Mumbus - I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I go out looking.

Just an update... After a trip to Radio Shack to grab some adapters, I now have my computer speakers hooked up to my Audiophile directly and don't think it should be a problem to hook them up to my mixer either. So, I think I'll just go that route for the time being.

Thanks again for the help! :)
 
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