Cheapo but decent nearfield monitors to tide me over?

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Kclark01

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I'm wondering if there are some cheap but reasonably good active nearfield monitors to tide me over until I can afford maybe some Tannoy Reveals or something like that. Right now all I have is crappy computer speakers and headphones...So mixing is kinda out of the question.

Can anyone recommend something to tide me over for maybe around (or under) $100?

Thanks, guys.
 
a cheapo home stereo with bookshelf speakers.....make sure you can set the EQ flat on it.....
 
Active (or passive) monitors for $100 is impossible.

The cheapest powered monitors I've seen, and have no idea if they are any good, are the Edriol MA-10D. $149.

If you have some home stereo speakers and an integrated amp you'd probably be just as well off until you can spend the dough on something decent.

---------
Whoops...

Gidge beat me to it.

Gotta be fast here.
 
Doh! My stereo speakers are like 4 feet tall... I'm gonna have to come up with some sort of compromise...Maybe there are some really high-end computer monitors that will at least allow me to mix?
 
You can monitor on *anything* - headphones, your 4' speakers, a walkman - you name it. The problem is that they'll color the sound so much that you'll have to go around playing your stuff on loads of different systems to hear what's going on (and you still won't be hearing everything that's in your mix - you'll just be hearing how it translates on all these various crap systems).

If you want to really hear what's going on in your mix, if you want evident audio detail, then save your money until you can afford something that enables you to do just that.

Gidge and Emeric forever. :)
 
Thanks, Dobro.

I'm new to this, but just from reading the helpful feedback here, I've gathered that mixing without proper monitors is like painting in the dark, or at best while you're shrooming.

I could probably swing something in the $300 range, so long as they won't look that expensive to my old lady (we're doing some expensive home renovations at the moment, and she rules with an iron fist). I was kinda hoping for something that looked like really good computer monitors. Any suggestions in that price range? I do need something powered, since an extra amp would most definitely catch her eye.
 
Kclark01 said:

I could probably swing something in the $300 range, so long as they won't look that expensive to my old lady (we're doing some expensive home renovations at the moment, and she rules with an iron fist). It would most definitely catch her eye.
Click to expand...

LMAO home-boy!!!:D I'm truly feelin' you on that one! ANYTIME I buy gear, the first thing I do is remove it from the box,put the packaging and reference materials and hide it in the back yard!
If unit comes with a detachable A/C cord, I'll hide that in my truck,
spread a lil harmless,easily removable dirt on front and sides,
walk thru the front door and exclaim "Yo' honey, look what I just bought for $20 at some yard sale, bankrupt stoo-dee-o, a friend who lives 3 towns away, a co-worker at my job,found in the street, etc!!! It works every time!!! :D :D :D

Any way,check out some Tannoy Proto-J's going @ $179 a pair at
Sammy's or check out msician friend,which is offering a pair of Proto-J's with Hafler amp for a lil over $300!

Good luck!
 
One draw back is that Proto J's are not magnetically shielded.
 
For $100 you might look at the Roland MA-8 speakers. I played with these a little at the store and they seemed to be a cut above normal computer speakers.

For $300 check out the Studiophile SP-5B. I have a pair and like them a lot. Small, powered, shielded, cheap and they sound nice to my ears.
 
Monitors look like bookshelf speakers and compared to your home stereo speakers your wife probably wont expect you spent too much. It's when they do find out how much it cost that they are pissed because a lot of the best stuff is pretty unimpressive looking.

A crappy Behringer mixer looks like it should cost more than a vintage neve strip.

"You paid $1500 for that little piece of junk!!!"
 
I could probably swing something in the $300 range, so long as they won't look that expensive to my old lady (we're doing some expensive home renovations at the moment, and she rules with an iron fist). It would most definitely catch her eye.



Grow some juevos and buy some damn it.
 
hm

hey man, you from richmond! Im from Vancouver Island, in Sidney near the ferries. My uncle is in richmond. Where do you buy your gear? Look into long and mcquade at all? Or Tom Lee?
 
I'm also in the middle of set-ups so I'm using a $170 Sony 200watt all-in-one stereo system with the EQ set flat.

Just run cables from the line-out of soundcard to the AUX-in on the stereo. I can monitor or while my computer's busy with something else I can listen to CDs or casette tapes.

Sounds good, replicates how the mix will sound to the eventual consumer and will hold me over till I can move and set up a better system.
 
hmm

Tim obrien, that name sounds familiar, do you record a female vocalist in victoria?
 
Kclark, you may want to check out the Hafler M5 passive monitors.
They run about $200 a pair at www.musiciansfriend.com
At www.hafler.com they have two reviews on them, and you don't need
a very powerful amp or receiver to run them, and they're shielded.
I'm getting a pair delivered to Guitar Center within a week or so to
test out, and will post the results here for you.
For about $300, KRK Rockits are nice, however, they look a lot more
expensive, so only get them after she buys new shoes! (LOL)

Chris

P.S. xalien, looks like the KRK V4's went bye-bye when the wife said
"honey, can't you just use our old receiver and get some regular
(read cheaper) speakers to do your hobby with"...
Some things never change!
 
Monitoring with computer speakers

I just wanted to share an experience that I had with monitoring with my computer speakers.

I was doing a mix of a song, just playing around really, and I actually was able to monitor fairly well with my speakers. I have the Altec Lansings with sub-woofer. All the systems I played the mix on, sounded good.

It's more a matter of knowing the speakers really....
 
For $100 you might look at the Roland MA-8 speakers. I played with these a little at the store and they seemed to be a cut above normal computer speakers.
Click to expand...
I used these for a while when I was starting out, and surprisingly, they sound pretty good - quite flat for consumer level speakers. They'll distort if you turn the volume up too much, but they'll get plenty loud enough to do some OK mixing with. I think you can get them for about 80 bucks now. ...those Hafler's are lookin' pretty good for 200 though.



It's more a matter of knowing the speakers really....
Click to expand...
There's a whole lot of truth in that. ...words to live by no matter what you end up with.

Sean
 
These are very helpful comments; thanks, you guys. I

'm curious now about the difference between an active and a passive+amp setup. Take Tannoy Reveals, for instance: Is there any sound quality or other differences between the active/powered model and the passives. And beyond powering the speakers, what are some of the considerations one must keep in mind when selecting a power amp?...How does one amp affect the sound different than another amp, assuming that they provide sufficient power? (Maybe this should be posted under "Newbies," but I'd appreciate any insight you guys might have.

I've recently seen some almost affordable used Tannoy Reveals, both active and passive; so this info could really help me narrow down my options.

Thanks again.
 
If you are considering the home stereo/receiver plus bookshelf speakers, then be careful not to set up that 60Hz groung loop hum problem!

I record in my family room, and tried to run 15ft of RCA from the computer audio to one of my onkyo receivers, - dosen't work very well, due to the groung loop.

So, make sure you connect the receiver to the same outlet as the PC and keep the cables as shot as possible.

dmm
 
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