M-Audio SP5 monitors?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Diffusion
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Diffusion

Future Astrophysicist
Has anyone heard of these monitors? I think they are called either SP5 or SPB-5 monitors... I read somewhere that they are the older version of the BX5's, and was wondering how they compare... are they not as good as the BX5's? How "old" are they? Are they decent monitors for mixing?
 
sp5b
i've had a pair for about a year now. i know how to mix on them pretty well so they work for me. they were definitely a step up from my old 3 way stereo speakers.. but if you alraedy have monitors i would look into something a bit "better"
 
no, I dont have any monitors yet... I'm trying to decide really between the SP5B, BX5, and BX5a... I dont want to spend a whole lot, so Im trying to find the best out of these for the price without losing quality...
 
i like the SP5B's the best of the 3 versions....and better than ANY of m-audio's 8in monitors--in short, i think the sp5b's were the best monitors M-Audio's made. The BX and BXa's were supposedly "improvements" on the SP5B's (complete with switches on the back and other assorted whatnot), but there's something "smoother" and more "honest" sounding about the 5B's, IMO.

they're excellent monitors for acoustic guitar and vocals, if you do much of that.

of course, i've had mine for a number of years too, and have learned to mix on them as well. the only thing i wish was that they had more low end.....but that's not possible with the 5in cones, and if they DID try to make them have more low end, it would likely come at the cost of the mids and highs, and i think the mids and highs are the strength of the 5B's.

i'm saving up for a set of Event ASP8's......at which point i'll prolly STILL keep the SP5B's as a secondary reference.


cheers,
wade
 
Diff, I've been using the BX5s for two years and highly recommend them for low-cost monitors. I've never used the previous SP5 version, so I can't add to that discussion. Two related thoughts, though: IMO, one of the big plusses of the BX5s is their four adaptability switches on the back. I've really needed these to tweak the sound of the BX5s to fit my very quirky studio space. (I'll never again buy monitors for this space unless they allow me to tweak them.) My other thought is broader: once I tried adding a sub to the BX5s, I've never looked back. Wow. Even a $100-200 model (I use a Wharfedale 8) really brings the M-Audios alive throughout the spectrum since the small speakers can focus on what they do best. No more guessing about the low end either. Good sound and good mixes these days--well, the problems I have are with my skills, not the equipment.

Good luck,
J.
 
jeffree said:
IMO, one of the big plusses of the BX5s is their four adaptability switches on the back. I've really needed these to tweak the sound of the BX5s to fit my very quirky studio space.
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this is what i meant by "assorted whatnot" above. :D

the way i see it......if you have to fix the monitors so they sound better in your room, isn't that kinda like working backwards? shouldn't you be fixing the room instead of fixing the monitors?

i suppose as long as it helps the mixes translate better, it's all a means to an end.....


anyway, i don't think you're going to find anyone who has much bad to say about the m-audio 5in monitors. :D

(the 8in monitors on the other hand......)


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
the way i see it......if you have to fix the monitors so they sound better in your room, isn't that kinda like working backwards? shouldn't you be fixing the room instead of fixing the monitors?
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Agreed, Wade. But could you call my wife and let her know that I'll be remodeling my studio, which also serves as her formal dining room? That's the issue that rears its head here so often: we all have different recording situations. In my case--and I'm guessing many others' here--I can do almost nothing to change my space or I sleep with the dog on the couch. Monitors that allow subtle tweaking are the perfect answer for folks like me.

Whatever works, given the limits, eh?

J.
 
They're SP-5B's I had a pair for a few years. They were great.. I just traded them in though.. More for a change.. to try something different.. I went with the KRK Rokits. They both sound pretty accurate to me.. Lacking in the low end, but since I just do acoustic guitar and vocals.. I don't really need much in the low end.
 
jeffree said:
Agreed, Wade. But could you call my wife and let her know
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oh, believe me, i hear ya. and that's why these things are ideal for some folks.

still, i foresee a "problem" with those sorts of switches in the hands of the inexperienced--who hear the monitors as being too bright, so they roll off the high end on the monitor, and then they add in a lot of high end via eq and then wonder why their mixes sound crappy, and it has to be that the monitors are crappy. you know what i mean?

in the end, if it works, that's all that matters.


cheers,
wade
 
I'm with you, Wade. I think the big lesson that most of us have learned is this: whatever monitors we buy, we need to spend many hours (days, weeks) getting to know them before trusting them. I have a dozen reference CDs that I've used at great length to be sure that I understand the quirks of my monitor set-up and room.

Without that time-consuming and tiring step, any mixing results will almost certainly disappoint--even with high-end monitors. On the other hand, even though I've recorded for many years, my current home studio is my fun space. Although I want the best sound I can get from very modest equipment, I'm not looking for the level of quality that a pro would. In a way, that's why it's so fun.

Take care,
J.
 
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