The $300 Monitor Comparison (pick one)

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ksmalk08

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OK so Ive come to the realization that I'm going to be spending $300 on a pair of studio monitors. There are four choices that are the exact same price and all seem to have their ups and downs. If anyone has personal experience or advice Id love to hear your vote.

1. M-Audio BX5a
2. KRK Rokit 5
3. Alesis Monitor 1 Active MKII
4. Behringer TRUTH B2030A

5. Although its a slight bit more: Makie MR5

I do not have the option to A/B any of them at a local audio store since I go to school in the middle of nowhere and don't have a car.
 
I'd say the KRK's. I'm using them along with some dynaudio bm5a's, and while they're not fantastic music listening speakers (they're not meant to be), they do make it easy to hear when you're f*cking up your mix once you learn them! Well, for anything above 80hz or so. Below that you're on your own with any of those speakers.
 
I would recommend the KRKs as well, at least out of that list. I have a pair of them for sale - make an offer with shipping and we can probably make a deal.
 
Yeah Its such a tough decision - One person I ask says the KRKs are totally over-hyped and the Alesis is the way to go. Another says the only choice is the KRKs. Does anyone have any more votes? How bout the Event TR-6? If Im not looking to get a sub woofer (which Im not) which will have the most accuracy in the 50Hz range?
 
Well, honestly, the reason you're gonna get so many different opinions is that, in the $300/pair range, you're just not going to find a really great set of monitors. There are definitely some that are better than others, but so much of their sound is determined by your listening environment.
Ultimately, the KRKs are usable, but I've upgraded so mine are just sitting around. They really weren't that accurate down in the low end, though that had a lot to do with my subpar listening environment. Whichever set of monitors you go with, you're gonna need to learn them. The KRKs worked for me after I'd listened to and mixed on them for a while. When I say "worked for me," I mean specifically that my mixes, after some experience with them, started translating significantly better across several different playback mediums.
Also, which monitors you go with depends a lot on the sort of music you're making. If you're making electronic music, you're gonna want a different set of $300 monitors than if you're making bluegrass, as all of the monitors in this range are gonna have problems, and you ultimately want to find the ones whose problems are going to effect mixing in your genre the least.
Seek out the opinions of people who make the sort of music you make and see which ones they like best.
 
I think thats a good analysis of it - Each of those pairs is probably similar in quality. I should probably just pick one and be done with it - The Alesis seems to have the best low frequency response and since I mix electronic music that is probably the way to go since I'm not considering a subwoofer.
 
i have a pair of unpowered alesis mk11 powered by an alesis ra-100 power amplifier. and while they are no where near the best monitors in the world they have not failed me yet. i also believe that the newer powered mk11 are probably even better than mine. IMHO. just my 2 cents.
 
Do bear in mind, though, that low detail extension (like going down to 48 hz vs going down to 50hz) doesn't necessarily translate to low end detail. They could go down to an entirely muddy and smudged 40 hz and end up completely useless.
That being said, I think you might be on the right track for electronic music - I've got a friend who makes it and tried mixing on my Rockits for a while - hated the way they translated.
 
Thats true I guess a pair of Logitechs could go down to 30Hz but - we know they wouldn't be accurate. I greatly appreciate all of the advice and I think I will be purchasing the Alesis active mkII's in the next day or so -- at least to test them out - if they suck I send them back and try over again but as of now that appears to be my best option. Also comparing the Freq. vs. dB spl graphs for each monitor the Alesis seemed to be the most linear through its range.
 
You probably will end up wanting to consider a subwoofer in the long run. Because of the environment electronic music is played in and the necessity for it to contain a lot of chest-thumping low end stuff, you're really gonna need to know whats going on down there in the chest-thump range. You're just not gonna get that on a set of monitors with 5" woofers.
 
Yeah long term that is something I will probably add - are there any good models I can start looking at now though? KRK 10s? iKEY Audio M-10S?
 
You might look around for a good pair of used passive monitors and an amp.

Passive monitors are typically a lot cheaper, even new, and finding a decent power amp shouldn't be too hard.

The good thing about buying used is that you can usually resell for close to the same price, so it's not as risky as it sounds.

Of course, if the gear is broken, you could be in for headaches!

I see pairs of event 20/20 passives go on eBay for under $200 a lot. Those will kill any of your options listed above, but you'll need an amp.
 
yeah again Im sure thats a good option but I don't have room for any kind of an amp in my room - I can barely fit a small pair of monitors.
 
ksmalk08 said:
yeah again Im sure thats a good option but I don't have room for any kind of an amp in my room - I can barely fit a small pair of monitors.
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In that case, I'd skip the monitors altogether and go with some good quality headphones.

Just check your mixes on a few consumer stereos after you're done!
 
johnsuitcase said:
I see pairs of event 20/20 passives go on eBay for under $200 a lot. Those will kill any of your options listed above, but you'll need an amp.
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I'd have to agree even though you'll probably need to spend more than the target of this comparison when you include the amp.
 
you can always check craigslist as well. im sure if you look hard enough there are some great deals out there. i got my alesis mk11's and the ra-100 power amp for $150 off of craigslist and they were practically brand new. not a bad deal if you ask me.
 
Yeah I mean If I was going for longterm professional stuff here then obviously $300 wont get you much of anything in this industry - but the reality is Im not trying to be the "abbey road guru" here - I want stuff that will last me still i graduate from college (2 years) and if im still into studio stuff then ill sell this and upgrade. i do have some good Ultrasone headphones and have been mixing on them for a while but got tired of it and wanted some monitors.
Bottom line I think that any $300 pair of studio monitors is going to be better than what im upgrading from so really Im just trying to get the best bang for my buck given how serious I am (not very). The best active monitor choice as of now - given the electronic mixing I do - seems to be the Alesis since a subwoofer isnt practical for me. Even if the bass is a bit muddy - at least its there compared to the KRKs.

johnsuitcase said:
In that case, I'd skip the monitors altogether and go with some good quality headphones.

Just check your mixes on a few consumer stereos after you're done!
Click to expand...
 
I bought a pair of tannoy Passive 6's and a peavey rack mounted amp and love the combo. Paid $399 for the monitors and $100 for the amp 2 years ago...the monitors are around $250 now... I know you can fit this system in your room. And I know you will love the sound.
Another thing to consider: we just had a tweeter blow out due to a feedback incident. I contacted Tannoy , and within an hour I had been called or emailed 3 times, within the day they had agreed to put another set of tweets in the mail for cost....Small companies take good care of their customers......Some of the others..not so much.
 
ksmalk08 said:
Yeah I mean If I was going for longterm professional stuff here then obviously $300 wont get you much of anything in this industry - but the reality is Im not trying to be the "abbey road guru" here - I want stuff that will last me still i graduate from college (2 years) and if im still into studio stuff then ill sell this and upgrade. i do have some good Ultrasone headphones and have been mixing on them for a while but got tired of it and wanted some monitors.
Bottom line I think that any $300 pair of studio monitors is going to be better than what im upgrading from so really Im just trying to get the best bang for my buck given how serious I am (not very). The best active monitor choice as of now - given the electronic mixing I do - seems to be the Alesis since a subwoofer isnt practical for me. Even if the bass is a bit muddy - at least its there compared to the KRKs.
Click to expand...

I wasn't really saying that you can't get anything good for $300, I think you can. My point was that if the room is too small for an amp, any speakers are going to be a little compromised. Headphones are better in super small rooms.:)
 
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