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Cheap Sutdio Monitors

portaflexer

portaflexer

Jan 31, 2007
1,218
282
TX Hill Country
#1
Hey fellas, I'm looking for a set of studio monitors for my home recording setup. Currently I'm using a set of computer speakers, and I have to mix three or four times to get the mix right. ANYTHING will be an improvement! I've looked at everything out there are so far I think these are the 3 to choose from in my price range:

1. Edirol MA15D ~$180/pr.
2. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] ~$150/pr.
3. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] ~$140/pr.

I realize these aren't high end monitors, but I don't have a high end budget. ;)

Just curious if anyone out there is mixing on any of these 3 (or has any input)... thanks in advance.
 
#5
My feeling on most budget studio monitors is that they're pretty much nicer looking computer speakers with marginally better performance in some cases. I'd say wait a bit longer and save up a few hundred more and you'll probably be much happier with the results.

I auditioned a bunch (8 models from 5 different brands) of $500 and under monitors about a year and a half ago for my father's home studio... ended up getting him the Blue Sky Media Desks 2.1's (can be had for $450-ish). Nothing came close to my ears in the price range, IMHO.

As always, you get what you pay for, YMMV, blah, blah, blah. If you can try before you buy (GC or MF 30-day return policy maybe?) give that a whirl. That way, you'll at least know if the cheaper monitors will really make a difference for you. If not, send them back and save up some more or try some others. If you go to a store to try them, they will likely sound a lot different in your place than at the store, so keep that in mind too.
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c
 
#6
I have M-Audio StudioPro 4 monitors. I think they're the same thing as the DX4. I wanted an inexpensive set of monitors and these do the trick for me. I'm not aware of any issues but they've been trouble free for me for at least a year.

If I needed a new set now I'd look into these - [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. Honestly I don't know how good they are but I think they're cool.
 
#12
alexclaber said:
Tascan VL-5X - bought some a couple of months ago. Amazing for the price!

Alex
Click to expand...

Again, these look like great monitors but they're $300/pr. I'm trying to stay under $200. I've got too much other stuff to buy. I need a new cabinet, my band needs a PA, student loans, etc. I just want to get the best thing I can for under $200. I know that you get what you pay for... but anything has to be better than mixing on computer speakers.
 
#14
Well... against the better judgement of some of the folks on this forum... I decided to go with the Behringer MS40's. I just figured for the price I can't go wrong... I'm probably going to have to upgrade them eventually anyway. One of the nice things about the MS40's is that they have a Toslink jack, and my computer has one also. I can run that directly from my computer so it's digital audio all the way. Plus I like the fact that they have volume and treble/bass controls (along with a headphone jack) on the fron of the speaker.

I just ordered them and I'll follow up after I get a chance to try them out. Thanks again for the help everyone.
 
#17
Here's my take. The Edirol's are crap, I used to have them years back. Behringer stuff works for a little while (though it always sounds bad) then breaks on you. M-Audio products in general are pretty bad too, some of the lowest consumer-level stuff out there.

I would save another $150 to get the KRK RP5's, they're great speakers at medium volumes and mix pretty well. Until you can spend that much, you're not going to get anything much better than the computer speakers you have now.

PS. It's normal to have to do several mixes to get it right when you're starting out. :P You're never going to have good mixes until you've been doing it for a while and have more experience.
 
#18
I was in your shoes a few months back and picked the behringer ms40's as well. They're decent, clean, with a good top end response but the bass response is terrible; if you reference a kick or bass track on these you'll regret it... there's a dramatic cutoff under around 200hz, and what is there sounds boxy and crap. Because of this, they're completely unreliable for mixing... the crap speakers in my mom's 86 ford escort have better bass response.

I've since picked up a pair of sennheiser hd280's which I use to second-guess my mixes (great headphones, by the way), an annoying setup but it works until I get some new monitors.

In terms of construction and whatnot, they're not bad; I like the spdif connections... but the bass and treble controls are near useless. My advice would be to return them if you can, save for better monitors or buy spend the money on decent headphones (way more bang for the buck), or just hook your stereo up to your computer and use your home speakers.
 
#19
Well... the speakers showed up and now I've had a chance to mix a little on them. I can tell they're not high end monitors... but they sound much better than the computer speakers.

I listened to several of the songs I mixed on the old speakers and immediately heard things I didn't before and started changing levels. Once I was finished I had something much more pleasing. I had to turn the bass down slightly and the treble up slightly to get a neutral tone... but once I did that they sound pretty darn good.

Honestly... I'll probably end up replacing them eventually, but they're a serious step above what I had. For the price I can't complain. If you were going to do video editing or some other type of production work, they'd probably be the perfect speaker. For music editing, there are probably better options out there... but not for the price.

So I guess everyone was right. They're definitely not high end, but a far cry better than what I had. They'll do for now and, for the price, I am very impressed. Now we just have to see how they hold up.
 
#20
chrisp2u said:
My feeling on most budget studio monitors is that they're pretty much nicer looking computer speakers with marginally better performance in some cases. I'd say wait a bit longer and save up a few hundred more and you'll probably be much happier with the results.

I auditioned a bunch (8 models from 5 different brands) of $500 and under monitors about a year and a half ago for my father's home studio... ended up getting him the Blue Sky Media Desks 2.1's (can be had for $450-ish). Nothing came close to my ears in the price range, IMHO.

As always, you get what you pay for, YMMV, blah, blah, blah. If you can try before you buy (GC or MF 30-day return policy maybe?) give that a whirl. That way, you'll at least know if the cheaper monitors will really make a difference for you. If not, send them back and save up some more or try some others. If you go to a store to try them, they will likely sound a lot different in your place than at the store, so keep that in mind too.
---
c
Click to expand...

^^ yeah I have the mediadesks in my home setup, a very nice set of speakers, im really happy with them. unfortunatly the original poster has already bought but otherwise I would agree, just forget them for now and buy a better set in a few months.
 

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