Ah, Miggs. Good timing. I just dropped a related post into another thread yesterday about the BX5s, the later version of your monitors. I'm not exactly how the two versions compare, but maybe my approach is worth a try. I've copied my post below.
If you do decide to add a sub, which has really made a great difference for me, I think it's important not to overdo it. Spend enough time tweaking the settings so that the sub only fills in the low end, rather than dominating it.
I've spent some time doing so, and now I'm not at all aware of the sub; I hear everything I heard from my BX5s before, but the low-end is now present in a nicely balanced way that makes mixing a heckuva lot easier for me.
Best, J.
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A suggestion for anyone considering M-Audio BX5s...
What I like most about these babies is their adaptability switches for a variety of environmental issues. Like most people who've heard them, I really like their crystal clear mids and highs while noting that their low-end (like most 5" monitors) can be challenging to mix with. The mids and highs of my recordings always translated well to other systems although mixing the lows was always a trial-and-error approach: burn a copy, try it on other systems, and and then try again until the sound was right. A lot of wasted time.
I'd agree with others that
the M-Audio SBX would be the way to go. It integrates very well and solves to low-end problems--if you have $350 to spare.
I've been buying other equipment for my little studio, though, and have been holding off on the SBX sub, hoping for a price break--at least I was, until I found an excellent temporary fix.
I spent some days searching for a much cheaper sub that would integrate well with the BX5s, and I finally found one: the Wharfedale PowerCube. Because I have such limited physical space, I bought the 8"/100-watt model for $99 but noticed that the 10" model was available for $125 (+ shipping.)
The 8" model sounds great, at least for my jazz-fusion music at the medium volumes I like to work with. I can't speak for other types of music, higher sound levels, or a larger studio space.
I believe that this Wharfedale sub is a great budget find for the following reasons:
* it has RCA line ins and outs, so there's no messing with speaker wires. Just plug and go. Most subs at this price don't offer both line ins and outs.
* it has an adjustable crossover, so I've set the low-end cut on the BX5s to 80Hz and the sub's crossover at 80Hz. Easy.
* it has a phase switch, which made a big difference in my set-up.
* the sound is well integrated and, in particular, lacking any boominess or low-end mush. In fact, I'm wondering if the small 8" model (down to 40 Hz)might even be preferable since the low-end is so damned punchy and tight now. It just brings my whole monitoring set-up alive--I can't stop listening to them for pure music enjoyment.
Best of all, after taking an hour to tweak the settings, my first sample mix translated beautifully to other stereo systems. No more guessing about low-end response. For $120 (shipped), I have a workable system that actually sounds killer. One day, I may move up to the SBX sub, but then again, I may not. For now, this budget monitoring system works well for me, and I have some extra money to spend on all the other equipment I need.
http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/powercube.htm
When I bought the Wharf sub a week ago, I thought I could use it with my office computer if it didn't work well with my BX5s in my music studio. But it ain't going nowhere for a good long while. It's a cheap fix that works much better than I'd hoped.
Best of luck in your own search,
J.
P.S. I bought my sub from
www.audioadvisor.com but I see that they've recently sold out their smaller Wharf subs.
