Anyone have a powered 2.1 monitor system that is reasonably priced and are happy with

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rimisrandma

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I have two Event 6.5" powered monitors and a 10" powered M-Audio sub. I had to replace some caps and speaker in the sub to improve performance. Altogether I have about 1000 box in my system. I would say I am barely pleased with what I have. I use and external DBX rack crossover and 3-31 band EQs, one EQ for left and right out of the x-over and summed bass to the 3rd 31 band EQ for the sub. The rack stuff gives me FRFR which I use measure and calibrate with pink noise and a Phonic PAA3 RTA meter.

Anyone have better suggestions especially on powered monitors and subs? I really try to stay away from ultra pricey stuff because I want to be able to play around and experiment without having FEAR of destroying gear if I make a mistake and blow something up. Which I rarely if ever did, but I would have trouble turning on a $5000 system without being scared that I would screw it up by accident and lose everything.
 
Two loudspeakers plus a sub is NOT 2.1

the .1 refers to the LFE channel (Low Frequency Effects) which goes only to a sub bass unit.

The sub bass itself is not the .1 - so two loudspeakers and a sub is still a 2.0 system - it only becomes a 2.1 if you have a dedicated LFE signal going only to the sub..

Same with a 5.1 system. Music recording is always 5.0 as all the information is in 5 channels (even if a sub is used for bass frequencies).

I hope this is clear.

A lot of people are under the misapprehension that the .1 is the sub, but it isn't.
 
My aud int goes stereo out to my dbx x-over. The x-over splits each stereo above 80hz to l& r channels and sums my lows below 80 hz to mono, where the l ch goes to a 31 band eq, same for the r ch, and thr summed mono bass ch goes to its own 31 band. Then ea l,r, and sub goes to its own powered monitor. How is an LFE, 2.1system, and my signal path diff from what i am doing? I have a crossover in play. Can you clear this misunderstanding for me & others
 
What he's saying is that for true 2.1 audio you would need three outputs, and wouldn't really need the crossover. Summing the bass frequencies from the two stereo channels into a single sub is completely different from having a separate low frequency channel. I think yours is common usage for the term 2.1 though.
 
I suppose the point is that the .1 refers to the source, rather than the destination.
5.1 source has 6 discreet channels and a 2.1 source would have 3 discreet channels.
Your source has 2 discreet channels and crossovers.
 
If you had 3 channels 20-20,000 hz, how can tweeters, woofers in 2 channels and a sub do what they do without something limiting the band sent to them
 
The two main speakers need to be reasonably full range, and while there may be a filter on the LFE channel (if nothing else, the physical limits of the speaker/cabinet), you as mix engineer just deliberately don't send anything but the real special effects sub stuff to that channel. Why it's called Low Frequency "Effects" channel.

Frankly, I try to treat everything in that super low frequencies as special effects anyway. Even when mixing straight stereo. Need to be real careful about what goes on down there and when.

I suppose none of this is really addressing your OP, but I have nothing really to offer. I have two subs in my main monitor system, and the "2.1" computer system I use as an alternative has built in crossover. I've never been happy with single sub systems for mix/critical listening.
 
What about 3-way cabs that are a compromiseof having 2 subs, but aimed more at your face than traditional sub location. Like the m-audio m3-8, event has a more horizontal vers, and krk has a more 3 in a row layout? The m3-8 has one speaker that is coaxial & why it appears a 2 instead of a 3 way. All of them are 1000 bux or so w/ the events the highest. Focal & sonodyne may have vers's as well, but the price is in the stratosphere somewhere.
 
rimisrandma said:
My aud int goes stereo out to my dbx x-over. The x-over splits each stereo above 80hz to l& r channels and sums my lows below 80 hz to mono, where the l ch goes to a 31 band eq, same for the r ch, and thr summed mono bass ch goes to its own 31 band. Then ea l,r, and sub goes to its own powered monitor. How is an LFE, 2.1system, and my signal path diff from what i am doing? I have a crossover in play. Can you clear this misunderstanding for me & others
Click to expand...

It's already been said by others now.

a 2.1 system is 3 discreet channels - left, right and low frequency effects.

Because some main monitors do not go down low enough, some systems cross over the low frequencies and send them to the sub bass unit along with the LFE signal.

But, if you have a sub, but no LFE signal it is a 2.0 system.

As someone said, it defines what is sent, not what is received.
 
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