Best value studio monitors?

  • Thread starter Thread starter PJ2003
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When I went on my own quest for monitors I noticed that every user group I polled had a majority favorite. For every person who swore by Mackie (for example) in one group, there were 2 people in another group who wouldn't use them to sit their drinks on, so good luck sorting through all that. I eventually went with the M1's based on some reviews I saw online. I can't say they are the best cuz I don't have anything to compare them to. They are the first and only monitors I've used. But I know they sound WAAAY better than the bookshelf stereo speakers I used before. I'm waiting to treat my room before I can form MY OWN opinion on them.

A quick question to the people who hate the M1's and have actually used other monitors: Did u test the M1's on their side like the manual reccomends or where they standing straight up?
 
Hookie - the manual says you can use them on their sides if you must but they're better straight up. Based on my own compartiive experience I'd say they are better on their sides if you only want a very low footstool, better straight up if you want a higher one.
 
Garry Sharp said:
Based on my own compartiive experience I'd say they are better on their sides if you only want a very low footstool, better straight up if you want a higher one.
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LOL!!!!!!!
 
I got a pair of Event PS6s for less than $250 on ebay. I like them a lot.
 
I used to have Alesis m1s in my radio station's recording room. Someone blew the woofer and i had to buy new ones. Holy crap the difference they made. I picked up event ps6. The clearer highs and punchier lows are much better. The stereo image was also much better. The alesis just sound muddy after you hear the PS6's.

I would never touch the alesis again. (too bad we have a pr in the broadcast room, I wear gloves when handling them) THe price for the alesis and the ps6's were the same.
 
ChristopherDawn said:
If you scale your price range up to $450 you could get some Yorkville ysm1ps, which get great reviews on here. I have a pair and I think they're damn great (for having an untreated room and sucking at engineering and such).
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I also have the Yorkvilles. I like them, but I haven't heard a lot of other monitors. Just Adam's, and they're in a whole 'nother class pricewise. Could some of the more experienced and knowledgeable members here elaborate on how the Yorkvilles compare to the others mentioned here?
 
Opinions on monitors are like *&^!holes, everybody's got one. Here's mine.(opinion) It all has to do with what your used to. NS 10 didn't beacome a standard because they sound great, or are even particularly clear. As a nmatter of fact, they tend to cause ear strain after prolonged listening beacuse of their strident midrange. They became a standard, because when Yamaha went into production on them they produced thousands of them at once, insuring that the tolerances of all the electronics and cones were practically identical. Its like MacDonalds, no matter where you go, they all taste the same.
My first pair of monitors were a particularly awful pair of Peavy monitors. One sound in the studio, another on the home stereo, and another on the car stereo...untill...I learned what they were doing.
This is not to say that high end monitors don't provide for better mixes, but that doesn't mean you can't without them. It just means you are starting with a handycap. Also, your monitors are the end of your audio chain, they are what you gague the performance of all your other equipment on. Think about it.
I mix on Event 20/20, Auratones, and AKG 240m. some would balk at these choices, but my mixes are consistant on other systems, which tells me I know what they are telling me.
 
I'm using Tannoy Reveals (passive) with a separate amp. Got them for $200 new on eBay about a year ago. Tannoy also has active monitors (with amps built in) which will definitely cost more. I'm extremely pleased with mine and am amazed at what I hear in the music. They're not known for there low-end response (bass), but nonetheless they sound good to me and my mixes seem to translate well to other systems.
 
In my own small modest studio (Yamaha aw16g based), I use and like M-Audio BX-5s although I'm picking up a small subwoofer to give me that low-end response simply unavailable on such small monitors.

A word of caution, though, regarding anyone's opinion on equipment as subjective as monitors: don't trust anyone too much. Get out there and listen or buy a few models and compare at home. A case in point: at my local bookstore, I recently read three magazine reviews of the new budget Tapco/Mackie S-5 monitors. One review (was it in SOS?) gave them a solid thumbs up. Another review (Electronic Musician?) said they were adequate but that the reviewer would prefer others in that price range. And yet another review (Computer Music?) rated them as unacceptable, with no hint of the Mackie sound. Three mags, three very different views.

So get out there and listen and trust your own ears. Good luck.

J.
 
Charles Dayton said:
I mix on Event 20/20, Auratones, and AKG 240m. some would balk at these choices, but my mixes are consistant on other systems, which tells me I know what they are telling me.
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I agree 100%. My cousin owns a full production studio in LA www.backroomentertainment.com with grammy winning clients, and still mixes on NS10's.
 
I agree with warble. I also use Tannoy Reveals (passive) with an amp and I think they sound great and they translate great. You might need a bass subwoofer with them, though.

Even for relatively budget monitors, you really can't go wrong with Tannoy - one of the most respected monitor/speaker manufacturers in the world. Whenever possible, I prefer to use equipment made by a company which specializes in that product, for quality control and expertise.

http://www.tannoyna.com/professional/product_Reveal.html

Look who else happens to use passive Tannoy Reveals, in her own bedroom:
http://www.manleylabs.com/galleria/bedroom.html
 
(as others have said) Try to listen yourself if you possibly can. Take a CD with one of your mixes -- the one you know really well, every clanging note. Hear it on the different monitors.

One little truth - over time you can adjust to a lot of different monitors. After you hear it over and over, and hear how the mixes translate to other environments, you can do good mixes on suprisingly bad equipment.

I have the Fostex PM1s -- they are totally usable.

One relatively new entry that you shouldn't discount without hearing them is the Samson Resolv 80a. I got a pair, and I like it better than the Fostex.

-lee-
 
Hi everyone,

I, myself, am presently using a pair of JBL 4406 Studio Monitors. I have had them for about four years now (obtained them used), and they are the only reference monitors that I have ever used. My question is this: for those of you who are familiar with this speaker - how do you rate them? Aside from an occasional buzzing from the right speaker (particularly under certain bass voices, and their levels) they are in pretty good order. But I am always with great difficulty within my attempts to get decent sounding mixes. When I play the end results in my home system, boom box or vehicle, the low end is always much more pronounced - and the high ends are considerably diminished. I have really tried to compensate for this by lowering the former mentioned levels, and raising the latter, but I am oftentimes burning down a good number of CDRs before I even get close to what is desired for one of my songs. I'm not looking for "Magic Monitors' here, for I know that there will be a requirement for a certain amount of tweaking with all models. But I wonder if, maybe, the monitors that I have aren't that great - and that there might be some other models (which would fall below a prohibitive price factor) that would offer a more accurate reproduction. I know that this matter - as with so many other musical concerns - falls within the realm of subjectivity, but I would really like to hear what you would have to say about these JBL 4406's, and any recommendations for a (hopefully) modestly priced pair that would out-shine these.
 
bass trouble

If you are pumping the bass in the mix, you are compensating for not hearing it in your monitors. Two possibilities; one, you need a sub with a good crossover, two, you need to think about monitor placement and room treatment. probably both. Try shifting your monitors closer to the wall or into corners. Bass freqs fire back out of a cone as well as forwards, giving them a hard surface to bounce off could increase their power. It could also cause phase problems as well! If you really want to know whats going on in your room, rent an RTA(not expensive) and test your listening position as well as other places in the room. There are lots of good sites for discussions on accoustics and studio design, check them out.
 
I would say your best option under $300 would be the M-Audio BX5's. They give great quality sound at an affordable price and are extremely durable and long lasting as far as I know.

The "Jee Juh Blog" also has a post with the best studio speakers. They give a great list there of your best options and even a few that are cheaper. Still, I would recommend the M-Audio BX5's, but feel free to check out the other options they have on that list! Good luck to you!
 
Wow, 8 year old thread there. Might want to watch out for that John. :)
 
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