Cheap Monitors

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tobias123

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now i know most of you will say save and wait but i am actually buying for a friend. What are the best value active monitors under £100? was looking at the edirol and behringer ranges...
 
If you can, take a look at M-Audio Studiophile AV 40's. You will likely not find these being used in a professional studio but, they are in your price range. I recently bought a pair for a second computer and I'm using them to monitor/mix recordings from my Olympus LS 10 portable recorder using Audacity. I have been pleasently suprised with the results.

I also have a small home studio where I'm using an audio interface and use KRK 5's with (and without) a sub. I hate to say it, but the M-Audio's are nearly as revealing.
 
I can pretty much guarantee you -- You'll outgrow those "monitors" (yes, I use the quotation marks as a form of sarcasm) in about three hours.

You're better off waiting for something (much) more substantial, IMO/E.
 
Before WE jump to the conclusion that Tobias' friend will "outgrow those monitors...in about three hours" WE might want to try and understand how how intends to use them. Based on the models he refers to, IMHO, the M-Audios are very comparable. Before buying my "cheap" KRK Rokit 5's and a KRK 10 sub, I A/b'd Edirols, Bheringer Truths, Yamaha's and a couple of other low-end monitors. After listening to an old recording and a commercial CD, I chose the KRKs because to me, they sounded best for the price.

The M-Audios AV 40's are probably no better than just a high-end computer speaker but, I'll stick by my comment that they are very revealing....especially considering the price.
 
I'm at my folks' house for Thanksgiving. I played a tune that I'm proud of, and which had sounded good on: a) my cheap monitors (Edirol 15 somethings), b) my cell phone, c) two or three sets of my headphones, d) the stereo in my minivan, and e) my ipod; on his home stereo - it sounded like absolute fart - major bass issues. Shook my confidence in all my mixes. No surprise, really, just an experience.

But I'll go back into my smaller world this weekend, and be totally happy again :D. If your friend wants to make music for himself/herself, and some buddies and can reference mixes on most/all of the systems on which they'll be played, then cheap-os that sound good are fine. But if he/she wants confidence of translation across the big set of possible systems, then the monitors (and the mixing room) are probably the last place that he/she wants to skimp.
 
I've got the AV 40s and I just ordered a set of KRK 5s. The M-Audios are convenient, with the mini jack input on the front for mp3 players or whatever. I'm just not hearing a lot of clarity. Nice for the price, though.
 
IMO you're MUCH better off buying some M-Audio Bx-5s used. You can check classifieds here and at gearslutz.com. Usually somebody is selling them. They're quite good for the money, I've found.
 
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