just got my m-audio BX5's

minofifa

minofifa

New member
And they are friggen awsome. Be aware that is the first pair of minotors i have owned so i don't have a lot of comparison experience. BUT compared to the creative 2.1 computer speaker system i was using to mix with, these are a HUGE improvement.

A questin though: is it wise to use these BX5's for all my audio, like just listening to mp3's, watching movies and playing games and stuff, or should i be using them for my audio production work only? What is it about monitors that make them so much beter (and more expensive) than regular Hifi speakers for audio production purposes?
 
I say use them for everything, cause you will learn them more and more as you go along. The way to get better and better mixes is to understand your speakers more and more, and listen on them as much as possible.

H2H
 
Totally agree. Listen to them as much as you can. I used BX5's for a while. Very detailed monitors. I found out very quickly that it's a little difficuilt to accuratley mix the low end frequency using them. I went to RP8's in the end but If i stuck with them i might have got a sub. otherwise...they are great.
Lee.
 
Yeah, I use mine for everything. I have some logitech computer speakers with a sub that I A/B with to check the low end, but I immediately notice the lack of midrange and upper frequency detail in the logitechs.
 
Congrats, Dar. I use the older BX5s and am very happy with them and the mixes they allow. Like some other folks at this forum, I eventually had to add a sub to help with the low-end mixing (a 5" speaker will only do so much). If you feel the need, search this forum for BX5+sub and you'll find sub options from $100 upward.

And yes, listen to them as much as you can. In fact, I'd suggest not mixing with them until you've spent many hours of getting to know them via reference CDs--that is, learning the specifics of their sound so that you can trust your decisions while mixing with them.

Good luck,

J.
 
They are somewhat difficult monitors to mix on when you first get started, they were my first monitors and served me pretty well. I did find that to get the lows right I was mixing and checking about 5 to 10 times before I could get a decent overall mix. Some of that was my newbieness(no its not a sword) and some was the monitors. I eventually upgraded to good monitors and my mixes started translated really fast but the bx5's did have their use. One problem I had with them though was the tweet blew on one of them pretty early on, but after that i said F it and used to crank them WAY loud and they never blew the other tweet.
 
Hi there.

I'm in the process of setting up a small PC-based home studio and I've been lurking here for a while and learning a lot from the regulars on equipment, techniques, philosophy, etc.

I joined the BX5 club today after finding a good deal online @ $104 each. I've been seriously looking at these and the BX5a's for a while primarily due to their small footprint (I don't have a lot of room on my desktop) and they've received generally good reviews from the people here and other online reviews.

Anyway, I just thought I'd give the others here a heads up on the nice price I found. FYI, I got a better rate on shipping by placing a phone order than ordering through their website ($15 vs. $35 for ground). Will post some comments after I receive them, break them in and listen for a while.
 
damn? thats the second M-Audio blowout... 2005models
$208 a pair clearance, i guess. thats pretty frkn amazing.
i've heard this version is better than the new ones too.
surely they won't last long.
some are selling the BX8 for $239 pair.

damn, maybe its time to go surround! :eek:
 
Well done...I have had mine for a few months now. Couldn't be happier. They're also my first set. They blast out the sound...so good.
 
BX5b?

Well, my BX5's arrived today but with an interesting twist.

Instead of a 1" soft dome tweeter, this pair has 1/2" mylar tweeters. The guys at Professional Audio Solutions couldn't explain the discrepancy so I called M-Audio. They told me I have a pair of MX5B's...which were an "upgraded" version of the BX5's...and claimed they were "better sounding". (Since when are 1/2" mylar tweeters a better sounding upgrade over 1" silk domes?)

The master carton says BX5 (no "b"), the photo on the carton shows the 1/2" tweeter and the carton and manual lists the driver compliment as including a 1/2" tweeter. The frequency response curves included with the pair are dated January 31, 2005 so my guess is that this was probably part of a final run of the old BX5's and for some reason they had to substitute the 1/2" tweeter for the original 1" soft dome. In fact, this is probably the same tweeter used in the DX4.

Anyway...unfortunately, one of the domes is damaged so I'll need to ship this pair back and wait for the next set to arrive. Who knows, maybe the replacement set will have the original 1" domes? I'll have to ask them to see if they have any in their warehouse.

Sigh...
 
stevetat said:
Well, my BX5's arrived today but with an interesting twist.

Instead of a 1" soft dome tweeter, this pair has 1/2" mylar tweeters. The guys at Professional Audio Solutions couldn't explain the discrepancy so I called M-Audio. They told me I have a pair of MX5B's...which were an "upgraded" version of the BX5's...and claimed they were "better sounding". (Since when are 1/2" mylar tweeters a better sounding upgrade over 1" silk domes?)

The master carton says BX5 (no "b"), the photo on the carton shows the 1/2" tweeter and the carton and manual lists the driver compliment as including a 1/2" tweeter. The frequency response curves included with the pair are dated January 31, 2005 so my guess is that this was probably part of a final run of the old BX5's and for some reason they had to substitute the 1/2" tweeter for the original 1" soft dome. In fact, this is probably the same tweeter used in the DX4.

Anyway...unfortunately, one of the domes is damaged so I'll need to ship this pair back and wait for the next set to arrive. Who knows, maybe the replacement set will have the original 1" domes? I'll have to ask them to see if they have any in their warehouse.

Sigh...
Click to expand...

Yeah, mine have the mylar tweeters, too.
 
I asked the dealer to see if they had mixed stock of this item in their warehouse. Would obviously prefer it if the replacement set had the 1" silk domes but I'll take the Mylars for a spin if that's all they have.

Wouldn't necessarily call it a screw job. Manufacturers have the right to change product spec at any time and everything printed on the carton and in the manual jives with the product that was inside the box. My take on it is that M-Audio probably didn't do a very good job of informing their dealers of this change.

The owner of Pro Audio Solutions was pretty frank with me on the phone. He basically said they don't pay a whole lot of attention to low cost commodity items like these...they just bring 'em in and ship 'em out. Now, if it were a high end Dynaudio monitor, he said he would be much more fluent in the item's specs and components. Fair enough.

FWIW, their customer service is on the ball. I received my RA instructions by email within an hour of my phone call.
 
Well, it seems like the only remaining stock out there for the BX-5 has the 1/2" Mylar dome tweeter. Checked with a few other online resellers and this is all they have. A silk dome pair can probably be found on eBay, or there's the newer BX-5a.

Any other recommendations for small footprint nearfield monitors? I don't have a lot of room on my desktop here and this is one of the features which made the BX-5 so attractive. 6.54" W x 9.85" H x 7.88" D
 
if they work for you thats great. good luck.

nothing personal, but this Mfg sht about switching parts is what makes companys just look greedy....

show me a company where they change tweeters without thought of the design, and i'll show you a company that probably "doesn't pay much attention" to anything but cost cutting $$.

your thread really has me questioning M-Audio products now.
and thats cool.... there's so much sht for sale these days it's nice to weed some out.

Forbes had a full article on Wharfedale. Its not the same company that founded it. Its sells itself on "famous 10000 year Wharfedale Quality of Excellence from England!!".......and none of their sht is made there, and the founder has nothing to do with the designs (which are also made in China)...
so why can't they just be honest and say "we've changed the design to cut costs and sell them in GC cheaper than KRK..we don't really pay attention to the sound"...."hope you like them".... "their cheap!"

Your thread was classic.....<clip?>

The owner of Pro Audio Solutions was pretty frank with me on the phone. He basically said they don't pay a whole lot of attention to low cost commodity items like these...

that says it all really.
 
Well, that's a business man talking. How many pairs of BX-5's does he have to sell to equal the profit of one pair of Dynaudio AIR 25's ($8,000)?

Look, these products fill a growing niche, i.e. low cost powered nearfield monitors. But, there are a lot of players in the game and all of them are cutting corners and making compromises in order to remain competitive. In general, I think most of them are delivering good "value" (the old "you get what you pay for" cliche). The majority of entry-level home recording enthusiasts will be satisfied with these types of products and as their knowledge and sophistication increase, they will upgrade to higher quality products which will satisfy their growing needs.

As for M-Audio, I agree that this whole tweeter thing is a bit of a tarnish on their reputation. The thing that disappoints me the most is that of all the resellers who I spoke with that had the 1/2" mylar dome in stock, their websites still listed the 1" silk dome in the product spec. M-Audio clearly did a lousy job of informing their dealer base of this running change.
 
yeah, i get it and your right.
its better than nothing or what was available in the past (which was none of them).

it can't be much worse than the auratone can it?
 
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