Entry-level home "studio" monitors

[cmf]

Hi there, first post here.

I searched the forums and couldn't really find anything that was of use to me, so here it goes.

I'm currently looking for some entry-level home studio monitors to replace the speakers I've been using to mix here at home, a pair of Polk Monitor 50s. Being home theatre speakers, they do not give a flat response at all, so it's tough using these for mixing. Anyway, I'm looking for some monitors to replace those and know nothing about monitors at all. I'm on quite a budget here considering I'm paying 17 grand for school and rent and such, so please don't recommend anything above 400 dollars [for a pair.] I'm not doing any professional work here, persay, but I'd still like to be able to use these without an upgrade for quite a while. However, I'd like for them to be suitable for use with large projects because of the projects I'll be working on at school, recording full bands in Protools and such.

I'd also like them to fit with my existing setup. The only thing relevant to the monitors in my setup is my M-Audio Delta 44 soundcard. My current setup is as follows: Studio Projects VTB-1 -> [insert:Alesis 3640] -> M-Audio Delta 44 -> Polk Monitor 50s -- Pro Tools M-Powered

I'm taking classes at Arlyn Studios in Austin, TX, and they have some M-Audio monitors on a few mixing computers and they sound pretty good to my ears. They're something along the lines of BX5 or something like that, I can't recall it specifically. How are those? I've read some great reviews about the KRK RP-5s.. how are those?

Any suggestions or comments? Thanks in advance.

[nathanvacha]

Something that low-budget, there's not specifically a "best" one... there's going to be a lot of variation and not a whole lot of accuracy, so you're gonna just go with something you like. If you use M-audio's at school, buy them for at home. They have options in your price range, so just go with that. It will just make your learning process easier.

[cmf]

Originally Posted by nathanvacha

Something that low-budget, there's not specifically a "best" one... there's going to be a lot of variation and not a whole lot of accuracy, so you're gonna just go with something you like. If you use M-audio's at school, buy them for at home. They have options in your price range, so just go with that. It will just make your learning process easier.

I know there isn't a "best," but I'm sure some have more pros and cons than others based on peoples' experience using them and that's what I'm sort of asking here. I'm not asking to tell me which ones to buy, just merely comments and loose suggestions. I don't have money to throw around like most people here, either, so I'm not going to jump onto those M-Audios just like that.

[by-tor]

I got my blue sky media desks for $400. I like them a bunch...They translate very well. That said, for you price range, maybe treat your room instead and learn those polks?

[gsilbers]

those bx5 are really good. BT uses that for his mixes. try and get the sub woofer also.

i saw at NAMM new maudio speakers , like the new bx5 or something, really good also.

KRK in that price range really suck. V4 V6 V8. the good KRK will run 2000 each and above.


BTW, we all dont have money , we just do a lot of research on gear and try em, return em , check friends gear etc. sell, upgrade little by little.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by by-tor

I got my blue sky media desks for $400. I like them a bunch...They translate very well. That said, for you price range, maybe treat your room instead and learn those polks?

How are those Blue Sky's, anyway?... They seem like a great deal, a 2.1 system for $400.

[T_R_S]

I had a set of Blue Sky monitors they are not great, M-Audio BX8a I think I paid around $380.00 for them. For the money the rule.

[cmf]

You know, I would treat my space but I'm in an apartment and will be hopping around from year to year, so I don't think that'd be efficient enough to do. I also don't want to get used to monitoring on tower speakers that are meant for home theatres. I'll check those Blue Skys out but I'm still leaning towards something a bit cheaper.

[by-tor]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

How are those Blue Sky's, anyway?... They seem like a great deal, a 2.1 system for $400.

They are a really good deal. They are not my only set of monitors. I also have a custom made set of nearfields. Once I got the sub place properly and the levels all set right, (Good instructions on the blue sky site and in the manual.) they have been great. The low end from the sub helps me nail the bottom octave and things really do translate well. They can't really play super loud. I don't mix loud so it isn't a problem but when bands wanna rock out they seem to be pushing it a bit at the high spl's. Hope that helps.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by by-tor

They are a really good deal. They are not my only set of monitors. I also have a custom made set of nearfields. Once I got the sub place properly and the levels all set right, (Good instructions on the blue sky site and in the manual.) they have been great. The low end from the sub helps me nail the bottom octave and things really do translate well. They can't really play super loud. I don't mix loud so it isn't a problem but when bands wanna rock out they seem to be pushing it a bit at the high spl's. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info, I think I'm going to check them out as a second set of monitors. I'm looking for something that can translate well.

[Musiclab]

Hafler has gone out of business. You can buy closeout trms really cheap. I got a brand new pair trm 6's for 400 a pair. Those were 1200 new

[Rep]

Originally Posted by by-tor

I got my blue sky media desks for $400.

Good Bang for buck Blue sky...

Mackie 6 series , also ...

[treymonfauntre]

those polk audio speakers sound surprisingly good. i work at circuit city and they really impressed me when we got the new models in. they aren't nearfield monitors so they rely on the room quite a bit. you don't think you can hang a couple broadband absorbers in your apartment and travel with them as you go? just hang them like a big piece of art. it'll make a big difference, especially with normal throw speakers!

[cmf]

Originally Posted by treymonfauntre

those polk audio speakers sound surprisingly good. i work at circuit city and they really impressed me when we got the new models in. they aren't nearfield monitors so they rely on the room quite a bit. you don't think you can hang a couple broadband absorbers in your apartment and travel with them as you go? just hang them like a big piece of art. it'll make a big difference, especially with normal throw speakers!

I bought mine when I worked for Circuit City for $99 each.. pretty much 50% off of retail. I'm not too keen on any absorbers or treatment just for them considering I'm trying to get away from mixing with the Polks.

[theblotted]

M-Audio BX5's are actually not too bad, like others, i dig'em too.

my gf has a pair, and sometimes i go and check my mixes on them every now and then. they have just enough low's (no sub-freq tho), respectable midrange, and okay hi's. if mid's or hi's become a problem, there are switches in back for adjustment, tho i prefer them flat (default) as possible.

translating to other systems? i think they do the trick, if you learn them thru time w/ major-releases. but if i ever do any kind of mixing on them, i do find that i have to turn them down thru the course of mixing. easy to get ear fatigue, but compared to my NS10's, quite normal

for your price range with lots of bang and punch: KRK V4's. don't let the size fool ya. listen to them at your local GC for yourself.

if you're willing to spend a few extra that'll last, SMackie HR624's ain't shabby either. kind of like them better than 824's. you can find them used on eBay or craig's list pretty easily for a few bills more.

[nathanvacha]

Originally Posted by cmf

I know there isn't a "best," but I'm sure some have more pros and cons than others based on peoples' experience using them and that's what I'm sort of asking here. I'm not asking to tell me which ones to buy, just merely comments and loose suggestions. I don't have money to throw around like most people here, either, so I'm not going to jump onto those M-Audios just like that.

Okay, okay... I really only meant that those m-audio's are pretty solid for your price range in my opinion, and you could get results on several other systems too. A friend of mine had a set of m-audio... they were LX-4, i think, it was a 2.1 system w/ two 4" sattelites and a sub which i thought was pretty awesome considering the price bracket.

I tried out the blue sky set a month or two ago and was impresssed by how clear they were. I checked them against a bunch of others (krk's from both rockit and v series by the way, which waaaaayy less for the money I thought) and they were by far the best i heard of the small monitors (except for the new-ish genelec's and they are yout of your price range for sure)

I put the blue sky and the v-4's pretty close, but with the blue sky media desk coming out a bit ahead andcheaper.

M-audio or blue sky man, those two you can't go wrong! But keep your polks hooked up so you can reference to them. It won't hurt checking it on a home stereo and they will act as a reaally low end set of far-fields (obviously not the same thing, I know, but similar in theory) and i doubt they're as colored as you think. If mixes don't translate, it's more likely the room than your polk audio speakers...

just my $.02, sorry for being so long-winded.

[theblotted]

Originally Posted by nathanvacha

If mixes don't translate, it's more likely the room

true that.

[zakco]

Originally Posted by cmf

I'm not too keen on any absorbers or treatment just for them considering I'm trying to get away from mixing with the Polks.

Wrong. tutt

Room treatment is a must regardless of which speakers you decide to use. It should be your first priority. You could go drop 10k$ on monitors and they still won't translate better than your polks if your room isn't accurate. There are many DIY solutions using 703 or rockwool that can be made VERY cheaply and can easily be installed in a temporary and portable manner. There's not a room you'll be going where you won't need them to some degree. Fix your room first and at least you'll actually HEAR the monitors you're attempting to evaluate....

[warhead]

Entry level honest monitor? The Tascam VL-X5 is a great speaker that deserves a listen. They're brutally honest and don't have a hyped low/low-mid thing going on that many sub $300 pairs do. In that category I cannot say enough good things about the Tascams, they also have almost a 12" deep cabinet (front ported design) that delivers pretty deep bass but it's REAL sounding and not hyped. The midrange is clean also and they get loud, another lacking area of most competitors.

My suggestion is to wrap your ears around a pair of those if you have the chance.

War

[Pohaku]

See if you can track down a pair of NHTPro A-10s. They are discontinued, but show up on e-bay with some regularity in the $350-400 range. I have 3 sets and like them alot (obviously). Very nice, distinct NF active monitors. Were $1200 new.

[RecAcoustic]

Room treatment is a must regardless of which speakers you decide to use.

Unfortunately, this is absolutely correct.

It can be pretty pricey to get a full room treatment kit ($500-$1000 to start), but a little creativity and a lot of reading and talking to people could help you figure out some less expensive home-grown options.

Good luck, you can do it!

[Mr. Wilson]

I heard the newer BX5a's at a local GC listening room and they had a pair of Dyn BM5's, which I own and love and I was impressed by how much the BX5a's were like the Dyn's...more than anything else they had...KRK's, Yammy's, Event's, Emu etc. While the Dyn's are hands down the best in their price range. The MA's were a great 2nd set for a rigged out setup...in my case a third PT rig. For someone just upping a rig I think they MUST be considered. BTW my 2nd rig is a Blue Sky media desk which is lovely in its' difference from the Dyn's. VERY smooth an unhyped and has an uncanny lowend that does not sound like it's a sub. Really neat and I'm glad to have them. Considering the BX5a's are 5 inchers, I think you really have to consider factoring a Sub into the equation...this goes for any 5" mons...that's the major difference between the BS medias and the MA's...the sub really makes the rig become big. If I had one critique of the B Sky's it's that they seem SO flat that they may actually be a bit dipped in the mids, but I'm going to raise them a bit so they're firing right at my ears as opposed to sitiing on the desk and pointed up. I have my Dyn's at ear level. Anyhow at the entry level cost the B Sky's might be a bit cheaper considering it has the Sub and the BX5a's would really need one. For the record I'm trying out Subs with my Dyn's...which don't need much and indeed I'm leaning towards the B Sky Universal 8" Sub since it's a bit tighter than the 10 inchers I've tried.

Yo, this is my first post after being a lurker for many moons!!! Be nice

[mrface2112]

i dig the older m-audio SP5B's. i've got a pair and while you can't trust anything below around 225, everything above that is quite accurate. the lack of low end makes indeed kinda sketchy, but once you learn what they're giving you (and more so what they're not), you can certainly learn to mix kick/bass on em without much problem.

yeah, they're a little fatiguing over long mixing sessions......but i don't often find myself in front of them for more than a few hours at a time. YMMV

i've listened to the newer BX series in both the 5's and 8's, the KRKs, blueskys, events, mackies, you name it.....and i can't find anything that i'd rather mix on until you move up to the event ASP8's, which are in just a completely different league (and 3x the price).

YMMV, but i really like my sp5b's. especially for acoustic guitar and vocals.


cheers,
wade

[willvis]

I have old Yamaha NS10s and the matching Yamaha P2200 amp----looked around on Craigslist and it didn't cost much. However, my favorites in my little home studio closet are Realistic Minimus 7---powered by the mighty 250 watts @ 8 ohms P2200. They're tiny, no bass---but they work for low volume tracking and mixing. I'm hoping to pick up a used pair of Mackie HR824 this week, for a great deal. Keep your eye on Craigslist and you'll find something that works for you----never mind the gear snobs----just look around and find something that works for you. I've worked many a session where some crusty old pro engineer was using passive Tannoy Reveals powered by a QSC amp (gear snobs are sneering right now)---and it worked for them. Trust your ears, not your fears.

[3rd world order]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

M-Audio BX8a I think I paid around $380.00 for them. For the money the rule.

i hate to say it but i like these monitors... they're really bass heavy like a nice boombox... paired with avantone mixcubes for mids and you pretty much have everything covered... i didnt want to like the BX8s but yeah i kinda do

i will say i didnt dig em till i used some decent mogami cable and isolated em from the desk with styrofoam blocks.. but they're ok. also had to play around with positioning quite a bit..