new to mixing need monitors

[ecord]

Hey all,
so I am looking to get some active monitors. Now I am new to the recording thing so these would be my first set and I dont have much money to spend on them( roughly $200-$300) and it is said to get "nearfield monitors". I am just recording Vocals, acoustic guitar and starting to learn Reason( I am not sure if this info effects the monitor selection). I went to B&H in NYC to "audition" some monitors: studiophile BX5 (okay I guess) Tapco s5 (better than BX5) Behringer B2031A(well,they look nice) Alesis M1 Active MK2( best of four)That being said, I have been searching the treads and the Wharfedale 8.2 seem to be getting the best press, but what about the 8.1 actives ? The 8.1's are a little smaller (5" woofer vs 6.5"woofer) and the room I am recording in is 9ft x 13ft, so would this be a better option for me? I also see that the input to the 8.1 is 1/4" unbalanced, does this matter if I am not using long cords? I will probably go through deepwater so there is a great price for the 8.2's already but if the 8.1's will work, I'll see what he has them going for. Thanks for the feedback and by the way heres my simple(cheap) set up let me know if this will do and what my next step would be after monitors:

Dell Demension 8200 (pen4 1.80ghz 256RAM)
80GB internal
80GB maxtor external

EMu 0404
Yamaha 10/2
AKG K 110M Headphones
AkG D790 Dynamic Mic
SP B1

Thanks inadvance,
Ecord

 

[saxopholus]

What type of music will you be producing? The Alesis M1's are quite bass heavy and popular for dance music I know to sort out the lower end of a mix. For me my Samson Resolv 80a's are very detailed imo of course , and have a very good bass response useful for this type of music as well. However I find them detailed for recording tenor sax esp to check the lower frequencies. Sorry never heard the Wharfedale brand. I wasn't that impressed with the Tapco ones and preferred the Samson's to the M1's as well. I guess you took some music you know very well to the store with u? Remember the ones that suit u, may not suit others.

 

[Massive Master]

Diamond 8.2's. Don't worry about the size of the room, they're not that big.

Keep in mind though, that the stereo image of the 8.2's in the near-field can be a bit startling (in a good way) at first.

 

[MadAudio]

I'll second what Massive said.

 

[ecord]

The music is like acoustic r&B singer/songwriter not to electronic heavy or bass heavy but some. I did bring some music I knew well to "audition" the monitors, which helped me judge. Ill take a look at the Samson's.Thanks for the response.

 

[ecord]

What do you mean the stereo image is startling? and is it the same with the 8.1? Its funny I can't really find anything on the 8.1's other than the wharfedale website. Thanks Massive

 

[Wise1one1]

Try www.deepwater.com

He's got the 8.1, 8.2, 8.1a, and 8.2a. Whichever your looking for, and im pretty sure he can answer any questions you have regarding the Wharfedales. I should be purchasing mine pretty soon, I haven't had time to though, im just about to make a move to South Carolina, and I need to get as much music done as possible.