studio monitors?

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coolsoundman

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hey folks,
just want to know what kind of studio monitors would you recommend for at least under $200. I'm not trying to be cheap, but want to buy something that I could afford. Thanks.
 
I'd save up until you can afford something decent. At $200, you're not going to get anything worthwhile at all, and you'll just be wasting your money.
 
Cool, I'd have to agree with the above. From what I've tried and bought, useful monitors begin at the $300-400 price point. Save a bit more money before buying.

Think about it. Your monitoring system may be the most important part of your home studio in some ways. I didn't understand this point myself when I began home recording a few years ago. If you can hear, really hear, the sound you've captured--even on a variety of budget equipment--then you at least have a chance to modify the sound, to improve any weaknesses, via such things as EQ, compression, and mic placement. If your monitors don't give you an adequate representation of the sound, then you're driving in the dark, or at least at dusk. Everything you do, every change you make, can become a guessing game--often leading to a weak recording or, at best, many extra hours of additional work spent guessing.

Of course, if you don't really care much about the quality, then nearly anything would do for monitors. But even then, isn't there also something to say about actually enjoying the sound of your music while you're recording and mixing it? My engineer's chair has the best sound in my house, and I look forward to sitting in it every chance I get. (And my monitors are low-end--about $400.)

Save your money, research this forum--use the search feature above--for monitors in the $300-400 range, and listen to some of them locally, if possible. Enjoy the search--it can be a lot of fun and rewarding as hell when you finally choose a system that works well for you.

Best,
J.
 
yeah throw another 150 onto what you have and you have some good choices
 
P.S. Use your headphones until you can save a bit more money for decent monitors. Your headphone mixes won't translate to other systems very well, but at least you can get started.

J.
 
Good Monitors make a difference.

Like it has been said... use earphones. I did that for a while and then put out some good money for a pair of JBL LSR25P (Linear Spatial Reference) Studio Monitor System.......speakers. They give a very good impression of what is on my recordings and what is not....now I want a subwoofer to match them. But some of the know it all folks say that will not help in determining correctness of sound...............but the bass would be impressive to me. I have read that too much bass is not a good thing when evaluating a mix.
Choctaw
 
Choc,

As someone who moved to adding a sub a few months ago, I absolutely recommend it from my experience. With all the consumers using subs, there's good reason to want to hear a mix that way. And as you wrote, there's something to be said for having a kick-ass studio sound to work with day in and out.

The only kicker, I'd say, is that it took me many hours, spread over several weeks, to tweak my sub's crossover and gain to match my satellites (M-Audio BX5s) and room.
I moved past that initial urge to "crank the bass" and then spent loads of time tweaking the lows to fill in and extend what I already had. A balanced mix was my goal.

I'm sure serious problems could result if one were to skimp on this setup (integration) time. During this time and since, I've listened to two dozen pro reference CDs (and my own) through this system so that I've really gotten to know its sound and quirks. As long as you understand how your system responds to music of all kinds, including yours, I believe that the sub approach will work as well for you as it has for me. I'd never go back.

Those extended lows feel so good, and have peaked my interest in them so much, that I've decided to buy a bass guitar this summer. Now that's a real testimonial.

Best,
J.
 
coolsoundman said:
hey folks,
just want to know what kind of studio monitors would you recommend for at least under $200. I'm not trying to be cheap, but want to buy something that I could afford. Thanks.

go with a pair of Beyerdynamics DT770 head phones. theyll cost you $200 and its like wearing a pair of really comfortable near fields on your ears.

-alex
 
luminosityband said:
go with a pair of Beyerdynamics DT770 head phones.... ... its like wearing a pair of really comfortable near fields on your ears.
I'm sorry, that simply isn't true.... no headphone sounds like nearfields at all.

But I do agree that the 770s are good cans!
 
I got my first set of studio monitors a few weeks ago, was lost and didnt know where to start.
I got a pair of Behringer B2040A and they are pretty cool. only 280 Euro

- Idgeit
 
Bluebear,

Here in my hometown music store, BrookeMays Music, I saw a couple of monitors that they have. They have a Roland brand, don't know the model number, and they are powered and they run about $250. Then they have the Event Tuned Reference TR5 Active Monitors, and they have them at $149 each, guess totaling at $300. But I think those are biamped monitors. Are those, the Event, anything you would recommend? And what is Biamped and what difference does that have compared to the powered?
Oh...and there was another model that they have, and I think Mackie Makes them. I think they are called Tapco. I think these run in the price range of about $350, not really sure, but I think thats the price. What about those?

Thanks for the info.
 
Cool, keep searching this site as well as google. Lots have been written about the monitors you mention. In general, the Events and Tapcos (and Yamahas, M-Audios, and others) are highly rated for small monitors although most folks would agree that you'll eventually need to add a subwoofer with such small monitors. The low end just isn't there. The Rolands, however, have really been ripped in a couple of recent reviews I've seen; from what I've seen, I'd avoid those.

In particular, check out two recent issues in Future Music magazine (3-4 months ago) that featured a pro monitor blind shoot-out that includes the models you mention. A group of recording pros picked their favorites from these low-end monitors. A very interesting and helpful article.

J.
 
I haven't heard the new Events... but I used to have the PS6s... pretty decent monitors at the time, but they had a "mids-sucked-down" quality that I grew to dislike a lot.... and midrange detail is critical for nearfields, IMO...

But monitor selection is extremely subjective, so people's opinions of them really won't help you -- it's YOUR ears that has to work with them.
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
I'm sorry, that simply isn't true.... no headphone sounds like nearfields at all.

But I do agree that the 770s are good cans!

Well, I like the sound I get in the DT770s - they seem ok for mixing. I also own mackie HR824s - all that said I am pretty new to recording and since probably half of what I know comes from reading Bruce's posts here and other places around the internet I will defer to his expertise. Please disregard my advice.

Read Bruce's article on the matter of mixing with phones here:
http://www.recordingproject.com/articles/article.php?article=22

I hadnt read that before I posted this. I was going only on my own experience - which is limited.

-alex
 
coolsoundman said:
Bluebear,

Here in my hometown music store, BrookeMays Music, I saw a couple of monitors that they have. They have a Roland brand, don't know the model number, and they are powered and they run about $250. .

I've heard the rolands, theyre about as useful as computer speakers, well casue thats what they basically are, i just bought a set of the passive event 20/20's wiht an alesis rs300 amp and i love them. That whole package runs about 600 bucks but i think its well worth it. Maybe something to consider, i would save up the money unbtil you can buy some quality monitors.
 
coolsoundman said:
Bluebear,

Here in my hometown music store, BrookeMays Music, I saw a couple of monitors that they have. They have a Roland brand, don't know the model number, and they are powered and they run about $250. Then they have the Event Tuned Reference TR5 Active Monitors, and they have them at $149 each, guess totaling at $300. But I think those are biamped monitors. Are those, the Event, anything you would recommend? And what is Biamped and what difference does that have compared to the powered?
Oh...and there was another model that they have, and I think Mackie Makes them. I think they are called Tapco. I think these run in the price range of about $350, not really sure, but I think thats the price. What about those?

Thanks for the info.
I haven't heard many of those brand new models, but I have no reason to think that they'd be really worthwhile....

On a budget, I still recommend the Yorkvilles YSM-1s.......!
 
Coolsoundman,
First off, I agree that $200 isn't the best budget for active monitors. at that price point, i'd recommend saving more money, or if it's burning a hole in your pocket, maybe buy a bookshelf system if you're monitoring on computer speakers or headphones now. you can always use another system somewhere, sometime, and anything at your local Best Buy will probably be better than computer speakers. But that's only if you can't control your spending :) Event speakers have a great reputation, but a 5" cone on the TR5 may not be big enough unless you've got a subwoofer. The TR6 can't be much more expensive, can it?

Jeffree, what speakers did you add the sub to, and how did you go about selecting the sub to match? Also, what's your room like (treatment, dimensions, etc)? I ask because (like Choctaw) I own a pair of LSR25s and seriously need more low end response. I think the specs say they're only down around 3dB at 70Hz (maybe that's just for the new "6300" series LSR6325), but the roloff sounds steeper to me. JBL's matching sub for the LSR series is the 12P (or 6312P?), but that sucker's way out of my budget at ~$1,200! So I'm just starting my hunt for a sub, even though i really ought to treat my room first. :D

good luck coolsoundman
-marcus
 
Hey Sucram,

Here's a copy of my post in another thread a while back. In short, I'm using my sub with some M-Audio BX5s in a small room (10' by 10' or so). I'm using a nearfield set-up, with my ears 3-4' from the BX5s and the sub between them, in front of my feet. The sound is amazing, really--better than my pricey home stereo--allowing my mixes to transfer very well to other systems. But, to be frank, the sound is only that good in that sweet spot. If I move to the back of the room or off-axis a few feet, there's a noticeable drop-off in quality. Of course, this type of sound change is also true of many other nearfield set-ups.

Here's my earlier post since you asked about it. Please keep in mind that I would have bought M-Audio's matching SBX sub ($400) if hadn't had so many other things to buy for my studio. I knew the $99 Wharfedale would be a cheap, probably temporary fix; I'm just surprised by how damned great it works. Now I'm thinking that I may keep using it for some years to come.

J.
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A suggestion for anyone considering BX5s with a sub...

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 $400 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 and acoustic music at the low-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 suppose that the 10" model might sound even better, but I"m fully satisfied with the smaller model, which might actually help to reduce the low-end thumpiness that I'd worried about when adding a sub. With the 8", the low end is tight and plenty deep for my needs.

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 many hours to tweak the settings, using a dozen reference CDs, my mixes are translating 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 just 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.
 
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