small but decent sounding PC speakers?

hollowsea · 27th December 2006

I am a singer/songwriter who does a lot of programming on my PC at home. My home is a very tiny NYC bedroom (7'x9', complete with bed, dresser, keyboard, and desk) with walls that might as well be made out of paper and very little desk space. Predictably, monitoring has been an annoying issue. I have some nice headphones but have grown weary of wearing them whenever I work on my music, and since then I've been monitoring through a radio. Yes, a radio, on the right side of my desk.

Keeping in mind that trying to mix in my room would be a bad scene no matter what, I would like a pair of small, inexpensive but decent speakers so that I no longer need to turn my head to hear what I'm doing. I'm ok with PC speakers and don't need a subwoofer, though if there are some small and inexpensive studio monitors that would seem to fit my needs I would consider them also. I would like them to sound good but don't expect them to sound awesome, and obviously would prefer them to not color the sound much but I'm not sure how much I can hope for in my price range and size preference. That being under $300 for a pair and again, small. Recommendations and opinions on anything that might be suitable would be greatly appreciated.

barbital · 27th December 2006

Tascam VLX-5 would be perfect for your application. They are small but they have an absolutely fantastic sound. I've listened to two pairs in different rooms and with some modest acoustic treatment they will really shine.

I wouldn't go past these for the money. They are the best studio monitors for the money that I've heard.

They have amazing bass response as well. I was able to hear the bass guitar and lots of synth basses. Every test track satisfied me. I tried out small KRK and Fostex monitors and they weren't as good as these Tascams.

Do some searching on these monitors. I'd try these forums first, but you might find some reviews on other sites too.

Ben

Jay Kahrs · 27th December 2006

I bought my mom a set of Klipsch 2.1 jobbers for her birthday a few months ago after listening to LOTS of "desktop computer" speakers. They were about $150 for the set at Comp USA and sound REALLY good.

Massive headroom, deep & defined low end and a nice crisp top that isn't crunchy.

I'm kinda jealous...LOL

opium89 · 27th December 2006

+1 on the Klipsch! I've seen them as low as $110 these days.

GregP · 27th December 2006

+1 Klipsch... though the one I know is the "ProMedia Ultra 2.0," so no woofer. They reproduce excellent bass and sound brilliant. A bit harsh in the treble without some master bus EQ to tame it down, but that's par for the course with small speakers like this.

They're frankly astonishing for the price. Got them for my dad's wee burgeoning little studio. He didn't have room for 5" monitors or suchlike and didn't want to invest much money just yet. These fit the bill and exceeded his expectations.

Greg

lpkyer · 27th December 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbital

Tascam VLX-5 would be perfect for your application. They are small but they have an absolutely fantastic sound. I've listened to two pairs in different rooms and with some modest acoustic treatment they will really shine.

I wouldn't go past these for the money. They are the best studio monitors for the money that I've heard.

They have amazing bass response as well. I was able to hear the bass guitar and lots of synth basses. Every test track satisfied me. I tried out small KRK and Fostex monitors and they weren't as good as these Tascams.

Do some searching on these monitors. I'd try these forums first, but you might find some reviews on other sites too.

Ben

Bought them too thumbsup

FNM · 27th December 2006

Tascam VL-S21's are awesome for $100. Have a cool sound to them and take up very little space on the desk. You need a nice little spot for the sub since the crossover is kinda high. I got them after a favorable review in TapeOp and I've done some mixes on them that needed little tweaking. You can't really do miniscule EQ adjustments on them, but they are nice for mix checking especially. Can't compare them to any other options in the ~$100 range. Worth a look I suppose.

warhead · 28th December 2006

I'm still a loud mouth about the Tascam VL-X5, cannot be beat in the $300 range. Most real speaker around at that price anyhow.

War

hollowsea · 29th December 2006

Awesome, thanks everyone. Looks like there's hope for me yet!

hollowsea · 30th January 2007

Update: I went with the tascam vl-x5. I LOVE them. Thank you so much for the recommendations!!

27th December 2006	#1
hollowsea Gear interested Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 25 Thread Starter	small but decent sounding PC speakers? I am a singer/songwriter who does a lot of programming on my PC at home. My home is a very tiny NYC bedroom (7'x9', complete with bed, dresser, keyboard, and desk) with walls that might as well be made out of paper and very little desk space. Predictably, monitoring has been an annoying issue. I have some nice headphones but have grown weary of wearing them whenever I work on my music, and since then I've been monitoring through a radio. Yes, a radio, on the right side of my desk. Keeping in mind that trying to mix in my room would be a bad scene no matter what, I would like a pair of small, inexpensive but decent speakers so that I no longer need to turn my head to hear what I'm doing. I'm ok with PC speakers and don't need a subwoofer, though if there are some small and inexpensive studio monitors that would seem to fit my needs I would consider them also. I would like them to sound good but don't expect them to sound awesome, and obviously would prefer them to not color the sound much but I'm not sure how much I can hope for in my price range and size preference. That being under $300 for a pair and again, small. Recommendations and opinions on anything that might be suitable would be greatly appreciated.

28th December 2006	#8
warhead Jai guru deva om Joined: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 12,253	I'm still a loud mouth about the Tascam VL-X5, cannot be beat in the $300 range. Most real speaker around at that price anyhow. War __________________ Warren Dent, Owner - ZenPro Audio: Gear Now & Zen

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27th December 2006	#2
barbital Gear maniac Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 256	Tascam VLX-5 would be perfect for your application. They are small but they have an absolutely fantastic sound. I've listened to two pairs in different rooms and with some modest acoustic treatment they will really shine. I wouldn't go past these for the money. They are the best studio monitors for the money that I've heard. They have amazing bass response as well. I was able to hear the bass guitar and lots of synth basses. Every test track satisfied me. I tried out small KRK and Fostex monitors and they weren't as good as these Tascams. Do some searching on these monitors. I'd try these forums first, but you might find some reviews on other sites too. Ben

27th December 2006	#4
opium89 Gear addict Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 370	+1 on the Klipsch! I've seen them as low as $110 these days.

27th December 2006	#5
GregP Gear nut Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Auto-wah Posts: 128	+1 Klipsch... though the one I know is the "ProMedia Ultra 2.0," so no woofer. They reproduce excellent bass and sound brilliant. A bit harsh in the treble without some master bus EQ to tame it down, but that's par for the course with small speakers like this. They're frankly astonishing for the price. Got them for my dad's wee burgeoning little studio. He didn't have room for 5" monitors or suchlike and didn't want to invest much money just yet. These fit the bill and exceeded his expectations. Greg

27th December 2006	#7
FNM Gear Head Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 37	Tascam VL-S21's are awesome for $100. Have a cool sound to them and take up very little space on the desk. You need a nice little spot for the sub since the crossover is kinda high. I got them after a favorable review in TapeOp and I've done some mixes on them that needed little tweaking. You can't really do miniscule EQ adjustments on them, but they are nice for mix checking especially. Can't compare them to any other options in the ~$100 range. Worth a look I suppose.

29th December 2006	#9
hollowsea Gear interested Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 25 Thread Starter	Awesome, thanks everyone. Looks like there's hope for me yet!

30th January 2007	#10
hollowsea Gear interested Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 25 Thread Starter	Update: I went with the tascam vl-x5. I LOVE them. Thank you so much for the recommendations!!