Cheap monitors for demos?

M

Monkey

Cabin boy
Hey guys, I could use some advice for recording on a shoestring. :)

I'm looking for a really cheap pair of monitors, suitable for making demo recordings. I do NOT have a real studio, and don't need to do that quality of recording. I am a college student, and my budget is basically $100 plus whatever I can ask for for Christmas from my parents. So let's say $200.

Here's my setup: I have a PC with an Audiophile 2496 sound card, a small analog mixer running tape outs into the sound card to record in Multiquence. I also create some tracks in Fruity Loops. Recently I made a track to use as a performance background, and when it was played on a real system, it was VERY bassy.

My speakers are just standard little powered computer speakers, suitable for listening to tunes but not as monitors, so anything would be a step up. Those speakers are plugged into the regular soundcard that is built into the motherboard, not into the Audiophile.

I emphasize that these need to be CHEAP, not great, but just enough give me some realistic idea of what the EQ sounds like. I don't already have an amp, so keep that in mind.

So... any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help.

--Nathan
 
Here you go

Studiophile bx5s i believe are around that range and not too shabby for what you are looking for.
 
Connectivity and other options

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked up the Studiophile bx5s and they seem to be around the $300 range. That MIGHT be possible. I was looking at them on ProStudio Music, however, and noticed that the inputs are a quarter inch jack and an XLR jack.

My little Behringer mixer (Eurorack MXB1002) has a 1/4" output, but my sound card (Audiophile 2496) only has RCA outputs. Would I be able to hook these up to the sound card somehow? I'm sure I can get a little Radio Shack converter to go from RCA to 1/4", but is that going to sound bad?

As a followup question, the same site lists M-Audio's StudioPro 4s for about $160, and their inputs are RCA, but includes this sentence in the description: "StudioPro 4s deliver great audio experiences from your music, games and DVDs."

Which makes me wary. What do you think?
 
Nathan, if you want to stay ultra-cheap, these monitors have been receiving surprisingly solid reviews from some good sources (like Tape Op mag).

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/cat--Tascam-Monitors--3937

I have no personal experience with them but am considering them for basic computer speakers. Probably better would be the M-Audio BX5s, still available for around $200/pr with some online searching.

J.
 
I'm gonna second the Wharfedales. If you're into recording as a hobby and it's going to grow the Wharfes will give you a LOT of mileage for the price. I gave mine a good shootout with everything else in the price range at my local store about 18 months ago. They won hands down and will probably be the LAST thing I need to upgrade in my setup.

Please do yourself a favour and don't scrimp on the monitors. They really are the most important part of your listening chain. 2nd would be acoustic room treatment. Everything else is on a curve upwards parallel with how your ears start to expand.

Trust me, get the monitors and the listening enviroment right and you know exactly what you're getting. Gear is gear, it starts at the bottom and goes up, But without being able to hear that you're off to a non starter.

Warfedale 8.2a's or the KRKs get a lot of good feedback on here too. Budget gear will get you nowhere but out of pocket in the long run.

Good luck with your decision,

Alec
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top