Monitors for $300 budget

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newbie70

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OK I've seen alot of advice on monitors out there and I've narrowed it down to three that are in my budget of $300. Which one would suit me best for a small room for simple playback and mixing purposes. no need to imprees anyone other than myself because i'm the only person recording in my studio.

1. M-Audio Studiophile BX5
2. Event TR5 Tuned reference
3. Behringer B2031 Truth Monitor

can I possibly go wrong with anyone of these.

Thanks :eek:
 
:D Yo Newbie-Doobie-Doo:

You might want to listen to a pair of KRK ST8s [passive]

Well within your budget and a pretty good set of monitors.

Green Hornet :rolleyes: ;) :D :cool:
 
anything good about aleisis mk2's with a good poweramp
 
:D Yo Berry of Dingles:

Alesis monitors really don't do much. I had a pair early on -- sold them to a rock group in Seattle -- kind of lost $$ on the shipping -- but it got me to Yorkville passives; now, it's KRK ST8 passives. A very nice sound for the $$.

As most posts over the months and eons here have stated, Alesis monitors are not very good.

Green Hornet :eek: :cool:
 
I have a set of Event TR5 and they are quite nice for the size and the budget. Plenty of punch and clear. The downside is that they don't do much to articulate the low end; you really need a bigger speaker for that. I experimented with subwoofers without success; to get this I'll have to get bigger units. So I'd be tempted to try the Behringer Truths. Behringer gets a lot of heat for their build quality - I have a couple of mixers and found them to be strictly temporary gear. But the Truths have gotten pretty good reviews - sounds like good bang for the buck.

Remember that you are looking at entry level here - none of these are going to compare with a set of big Genelecs.
 
I auditioned a pair of Fostex PM05's ($250./pr) next to a pair of the M-Audio BX5's. I chose the PM05's. I felt they were fuller. The M-Audio's sounded too hyped in the high end by comparison. The Salesman at Sam Ash had already bought a pair of the Samson monitors and said he felt the Fostex's were better.
 
Tannoy Reveals also offers up excellent, flat response over the audio spectrum.
 
ok i have a 400$ budget and its between passive or powered which way should i go
 
For $400 I think you're looking at powered, or else OK monitors and a compromise amp. That's pretty tight to put together a modular system unless you can find a decent used amp. A stereo receiver / amp can be used in a pinch, but it is just a stopgap; you get around all of that with active units.
 
thanx dude, so what moniters would be a good intro for my young ears
 
What types of things do you look for when selecting monitors? Do you have any good websites that could help me know what to be looking for as far as the specs of a monitor?

I went to Sam Ash yesterday, and felt stupid looking at the monitors because I have no clue what makes one better than another....other than I can usually assume the expensive ones are better ;)
 
NewbMediaGuy said:
What types of things do you look for when selecting monitors? Do you have any good websites that could help me know what to be looking for as far as the specs of a monitor?

I went to Sam Ash yesterday, and felt stupid looking at the monitors because I have no clue what makes one better than another....other than I can usually assume the expensive ones are better ;)
Click to expand...

Take a CD of music you know really well. Have it played through various monitors you're interested in. You'll get a sense of the characteristics each speaker offers.
 
I can get used Tannoy Reveal passive monitors for around $250. Does this sound fishy? Is this too cheap?
 
I went to a store to test a lot of them... I was really surprised by the samson resolve 65... and the were less than 500$ CAN so in US it should be close to 300$. I liked them more that the yorkville ysm1p and even the samson resolve 80!

Although when I heard the mackie hr824... I just resigned myself to wait and pile up a lot more money for those...

Thierry
 
i just got behringer truth 2031 moniters and for my first set of moniters im impressed
 
What do BT, Ray Charles, and Carlos Rios have in common? They all use M-Audio BX-5s in their home studios and praise them. In fact, in a recent interview in Keyboard, BT raved about how his BX-5s (with an M-Audio sub) are knocking out his friends with $10K monitoring systems. He swears that he'll never leave them--yeah, right, but still, not a bad endorsement for a little budget monitor.

I bought mine for $250/pair and agree, with one stipulation. I've found these little BX-5s to provide wonderfully clear and smooth highs and mids, and the inclusion of a sub knocks them out of the sonic ballpark. Without the sub, the bass is adequate for me to produce solid mixes, but I suspect it would be too light for mixing some types of bass-heavy music. I've found the same to be true for any monitors sporting a 5" cone. (I've read recent reviews of the 5" Tapco, Fostex, and Event--and the writers reached the same basic conclusion for all of these smaller speakers.)

But if you can live with a bit lighter bass but need a small footprint, then these M-Audios are worth a look and listen. You can always add a hidden sub later when the money's available.

My biggest tip is to do what I did: buy 2-3 top models that you're considering and try them in *your own studio space*. When I did this, the M-Audios won clearly for me, especially with their subtle, adaptable EQ trimming--a nice feature if you're not able to change the room much. (My studio doubles as a dining room, and my wife promptly nixed the idea of foam baffles and partitions even though I thought they'd look cool--like dinner in Disneyland.)

Good luck, whatever you decide,

J.
 
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