Any good recommendations for Studio Monitors?

[Hell_Fire84]

Hi guys can anyone pls recommend me a pair of small studio monitors below 400USD

I'm currently considering M-audio or KRK monitors.

I've heard that M-audio monitors r very versatile n can be used for commercial purposes such as listening to music, watching movies and playing games. I'm new to all this n from what I heard studio monitors r tailored to have a flat frequency response so that we can hear a sound in a "pure" form without any additional EQ to it. So how can it still be used commercially I mean wouldn't our games n movies sound flat n boring? Thanks for taking your time to read my post n PLS help me out as I'm seriously in need of a studio monitor

[Shadow_7]

Is that $400USD for the pair, or each?

I'd recommend KRK over M-Audio. But there are better options out there in either case. I have a pair of BX8's, and they're good, but seem lacking in some aspects. Mostly from an EQ perspective, they seem a bit bottom heavy to me. Probably why they have the BX8a's out now.

[bluehiro]

huzzah! I just finished buying my first studio monitors.

Almost everything depends on what you intend to do with the monitors, which style of music you'll be mixing. For me it came down to these two models;

Tapco S-5 (made by mackie)

vs.

Yamaha HS50M

The tapco's are generally considered to be better for bassy music, trance, hip-hop, etc. They are also a bit cheaper than the Yamaha's. They are very well built with big heatsinks on the back. They also have a 110-220v switch, so they are perfect for international travel.

The Yamaha's are very popular with professional studios and make for very nice near-field monitors. I've been told that they have better mids than the tapco's. Also they have low, mid, and hi shelf adjustment (ie you can boost or cut any of those ranges) by moving some cool little switches on the back.

Since I'm very new to the mixing world I don't really have a good ear for judging monitors. In the end I followed the advice of a friend who has been mixing professional for a long time. He said that the Yamaha's were "my" kind of speaker and that I would probably use them for the next 15-30 years. That's what finally sold me on them.

Alternatives,
I listened to some ALP's that I really liked, also the m-audio BX8a was a very affordable larger speaker. My studio is mobile, so small monitors were a must. If you don't intend to move them, ever, then getting passive Tannoy Reveals might be a nice alternative. Tannoy's sound pretty freaking awesome but I couldn't afford them. Combine them with some JBL amps off of eBay and you've got a very very nice setup.

[Mertmo]

regarding the M-Audio's: I have a pair of the small ones, the BX5's. They totally ROCK! Not flat by any means (they are a bit bright) but still, they sound great and I can trust mixing on them. I have even mastered a couple records on them!! (don't tell any 'real' mastering guys...)
HOWEVER, their bigger monitor, the BX8 is horrible IMO. The singer of my band has a pair in his home studio. I hate them! They do not sound like the BX5's at all. Very chirpy and aggressive in the hi end and the low end is weird too. My listening tests the other day at a music store that had both pairs of speakers only confirmed these feelings again for me. So, to make a long story short, be sure and listen to those BX8's VERY CLOSELY before you decide they are cool. If you don't need big monitors and a smaller monitor will work for you, then I think the BX5's are a great choice.
If you need the bigger monitors then I agree the KRK's are much better. I am mixing on a pair of V6's right now and they are pretty great. (I would steer clear of the 'K-rock' line, tho. Pretty cheap sounding)

Also, the other day at the music store the big monitor that really made me smile was the new Yamaha HS80M. Granted, it was only in the store but damn, they sounded really great. Better than the mackie or KRK to me. Not too expensive either...

another thing, don't worry about a 'flat' studio monitor making your movies and games sound boring. ...not gonna happen. no monitor is 'flat' for one thing, and all these monitors are plenty sexy sounding. so just put that out of your mind...
Hope this helps.

[donsolo]

My monitors are relatively flat (less than 1db deviation from 36hz-20k) but it's truly the room that's going to affect the way the monitors sound. In my dorm room, my little Roland DM-10s sounded great but when I put them in a larger room, pfff, nothing. That's when I upgraded.

I'm going to make the obligatory statement that needs to be made in all of these monitor threads:

Think about passive monitors like B&W, paradigm, NS-10s, Auratones. This way you have a LOT more control over your amp which IMHO accounts for a LOT of the sound. (the crossovers though lend a lot as well)

It's easy to walk into guitar center and see nothing but self-powered monitors but your choice is limited and upgrading is unavailable. Go hit a high-end home theater store and look at B&Ws. I got my monitor 5s for like $400 plus amp. Then you can buy a "for now" amp and upgrade later. (My amp was 1600 before it was discontinued)

As for some monitors are better for some music: This is untrue. The quality of monitor lies with it's translation to other systems. If it sounds good on your monitors, you don't know if it'll sound good in say the Car or on a TV or on a crappy home stereo. The flatter the response, the more it will translate elsewhere.

You also have to learn monitors, they all sound a little different and if you mix something on NS-10s and are used to HR824s, the mix will come out weird.

Flat response doesn't make anything boring, what it does is show bad mixes. If you're listening to some crappy local band on good monitors, they'll sound worse because you can hear all of the intricacies of the sound there (The first record I produced sounds like crud on my current monitors but great on smaller systems)

But if you had OK speakers with a really good amp, it'll sound 100 times better than any of the options listed by other posters.

[Hell_Fire84]

Thanks guys for the help I was really worried bout the flat frequency of sutdio monitors making my games n movies sound dull n I was really not in the mood to shell out more cash for extra pair of speakers for my entertainment purposes as my work space is limited already. Thanks I have a better Idea now

[Master Tang]

I wouldn't worry about flat monitors as far a games and movies go. Those two genres are usually pretty hyped in mastering, so if it's there, a flat set of monitors will just reproduce what is already there.

[getreel]

KRKs are great and even the cheaper RP series sounds really good. My KRKs translate very well also.

[TheArchitect]

KRK RP5's for the Yamaha HM50's would probably fit the bill

[donsolo]

I say buy a Crown amp and a Pair of NS-10s and mix the way cats used to mix before self-powered monitors became so popular.

[Mertmo]

I must say I do miss mixing on the NS-10s. I really wish I had a good power amp...
but I don't.

[donsolo]

Samson makes a cheap passable one (I say this because it's low end, I use Anthem and am saving up for a vintage JBL lab spec)

There truly is something nice about Passive monitors. I think it had to do with the fact that the speakers get to have their focus and the amp has it's focus.

Too many hats being worn by active monitors.

[r2danov]

In that price range, I'd go HSM5's but I own the KrKP5's and I'm not giving them up unless the speakers are $800 on up. I might get a sub or some bx8s though