Good monitor speakers...aka near field.

Go active if you can.

M-Audio Studiophiles are pretty good for the buck.

http://www.midiman.com/products/m-audio/studiophile.php

 

Hey, how much do you want to spend. I have a set of yamaha msp-5 monitor speakers that I would let go to a fellow tbl'er for pretty cheap. They have only been used twice and been in a box for a couple months. Let me know.

 

M-Audio.



there is nothing better for the price.

 

My favorites are the tannoy reveal actives and the behringers might be a good buy aswell.
But if you get a good price for those yamaha's, I wouldn't hesitate.

 

Just some quick info for those who want to save money by buying the passive Tannoy Reveals, they sound nothing like the actives.

 

do you folks think i can get away with using my yamaha s115iv pa speakers in my home studio?

 

I've got a pair of the Alesis Monitor 1 Mk II actives, and they are fantastic - incredible value for money. I've not really come across anything else in the same price range I liked as much - the nearest was the M-Audio 8 inch ones.

The bass response on the Alesis speakers is really good, great flat response down to quite a low frequency.

Highly recommended.

Steve
www.stevelawson.net

 

Another vote for Tannoy Reveal Actives, I think they are quite good for the money. There are many others that undoubtedly are better, but contrary to what many say I think it's not super important what monitors you get, just as long as they have good detail in the sound and are not too un-linear. More important is to stick with the same monitors for quite some time so you learn how their sound translates to other speakers like your home or car stereo, and how to mix to get the result you want. Active or passive is a matter of taste, I just like to have less clutter. I have also heard that the Tannoy passives sound differently than the actives, what you like is probably down to personal preference.

 

When I recently moved and set up a new home studio, I had the incredible luxury of having a very nice pair of Genelec's loaned to me (and for an undetermined length of time...in fact, they are still here). OK, these are not by any means budget monitors (at about $2k a piece they are way out of any of our budgets!).

This gave me some time to look at and listen to a number of different inexpensive, powered near-fields before buying. The ones which struck me were the M-Audio BX5 and Bx8, and the Event Project Series. I also tried several of the Tannoys, which I really liked.
I listened to several of the Alesis MKII's, and to agree with Steve, they did sound really good, but it seemed to me that there was an inconsistency speaker to speaker; they really did not all sound the same.

The M-Audio mons really sound great...I went with the BX5s and have no regrets. They do sometimes have a bit of drag handling low freq at volume, but I am adding the powered subwoofer to the set up next week, which solves that problem.

...and, for the price , it is easy to set up a 5.1 surround system for the studio. (I am going to borrow another pair of BX5's when I get the sub and try out some 5.1 mixes...)


Max

 

That's really interesting about the Mk IIs - I only listened to one pair, and then bought these ones, so can't really compare... hmmm. These sound great though...

Have fun with the sub - make sure your furniture is exactly where you want it to stay before installing it. If you get it right, the Sub can be a really useful, but finding the right place with no irregular reflections, bass traps or holes in the frequency range is REALLY difficult - that was another reason I went with the Mk IIs - they had about the best response curve deep down of all the ones I tried, so wouldn't need the sub.

Did you try the 8" M-Audios? why did you choose the 5s over the 8s?

cheers

Steve
www.stevlawson.net

 

Thanks for the tip about the sub, Steve...I have heard of this little anomaly before, but will keep my ears open to finding the the most appropriate application for the subwoofer.

I am really interested in doing some experiments in 5.1 surround mixing...especially with bass, which i think would be quite extraordinary.

I went with the BX5s partly due to price (they were/are quite affordable), and due to the fact I have these Genelecs on loan indefinitely (yes, I know I am VERY lucky!). These are the 8" Genelecs, and I wanted something smaller and tighter for mix comparisons ( I also have a pair of little Auralex's here for when I want to hear how a mix will sit on "consumer" systems. I figure that when the Genelecs are returned, I will opt for another 8" pair (perhaps the BX8's or something else.)

All this interest in monitors is partly due to the fact that when I did my first CD, I had none! I recorded and mixed that on headphones, which was a chore! The mix is not terrible, but there are some holes and "fluffy" parts in the low end....now I am prepared for my next CD! (tho I still need to finish treating the monitor space).

Max

 

I have the Alesis m1 mkII actives. They are excellent speakers and a great value.

Don't get the Samsons Resolvs, they have a lot of treble and will cause ear fatigue. I have heard good and bad things about Behringer Truths but I have never listened to them myself.

 

Has anyone ever tried THESE? Are they any good?