Hundreds of choices, but looking for opinions as to what is a decent speaker system for the computer to monitor the output (bass, guitar, keyboards), getting sick of headphones. Nothing extravagant but nothing cheap. Retired guy doing this for my own pleasure. Not even sure if this is the right place to ask.
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Monitor speakers
- Thread starter Bill Clifton
- Start date
If you got room away from the wall for a port in the back take a look at the JBL 305P MkII
If you can spend more, buy the next size up.
Or if you want to conserve desk space get the 305's and add a sub-woofer under the desk.
If you can spend more, buy the next size up.
Or if you want to conserve desk space get the 305's and add a sub-woofer under the desk.
I'd argue it's hard to do better than Genelec. One of my colleagues has a research setup that uses 16 speakers arranged in a circle for immersive virtual audio (it's a non-headphone VR setup). 16 Genelec 8020s, painstakingly level-matched. Seriously treated room, 4" high-density foam on all walls, 2" on the ceiling, thick carpet—not quite anechoic, but super low resonance. The whole thing is mind-blowing. Highly recommended.
Anyway, the real drawback on the Genelecs is that they're not cheap, especially if you're trying to get good bass extension. Are they expensive enough to be extravagant? Dunno, not everyone has the same definition of "extravagant." What's yours? If I'm spending your money and have the ability to use a rear-ported speaker I'd buy a pair of 8050Bs and be done with it.
Assuming more modest means, I'd also look at Adam Audio, Yamaha, Neumann, KRK, Kali, and of course the JBLs. The JBLs are a great value; not expensive, measure flat. IMO they're really ugly, but that might just be me. As @seamonkey noted, your choices may be limited by how much space you'll have behind the monitors. If you're tight for space there, you'll need to go front-ported. If you're front-ported on a budget I'd go Kali; $400 for a pair of LP-8s is hard to beat.
Don't skimp on room treatments, either. If I had $1000 total budget I'd spend $700 on room treatments and $300 on monitors. The best monitors in the world will still won't sound accurate if your room is a reverberant echo-fest.
Anyway, the real drawback on the Genelecs is that they're not cheap, especially if you're trying to get good bass extension. Are they expensive enough to be extravagant? Dunno, not everyone has the same definition of "extravagant." What's yours? If I'm spending your money and have the ability to use a rear-ported speaker I'd buy a pair of 8050Bs and be done with it.
Assuming more modest means, I'd also look at Adam Audio, Yamaha, Neumann, KRK, Kali, and of course the JBLs. The JBLs are a great value; not expensive, measure flat. IMO they're really ugly, but that might just be me. As @seamonkey noted, your choices may be limited by how much space you'll have behind the monitors. If you're tight for space there, you'll need to go front-ported. If you're front-ported on a budget I'd go Kali; $400 for a pair of LP-8s is hard to beat.
Don't skimp on room treatments, either. If I had $1000 total budget I'd spend $700 on room treatments and $300 on monitors. The best monitors in the world will still won't sound accurate if your room is a reverberant echo-fest.
@SunByrne covered it pretty well. I'll just add encouragement to look at Kali's offerings.
They set out to shake that market up with a better price/product ratio, and they've done pretty well. I replaced Rokit KR monitors with a pair of IN8s, and even in an untreated room the difference was huge. The boominess went away, and much more detail was suddenly audible - I put some of this down to switching from 2-way to 3-way, because the woofers aren't also trying to handle the midrange.
If IN6 or IN8 is outside your budget, IN6/IN8 also have a good reputation.
They set out to shake that market up with a better price/product ratio, and they've done pretty well. I replaced Rokit KR monitors with a pair of IN8s, and even in an untreated room the difference was huge. The boominess went away, and much more detail was suddenly audible - I put some of this down to switching from 2-way to 3-way, because the woofers aren't also trying to handle the midrange.
If IN6 or IN8 is outside your budget, IN6/IN8 also have a good reputation.
Of course, I meant IN5 or IN8 (3-way speakers), and LP6 or LP8 (2-way, the more budget-friendly option).
Having sold audio equipment for many years, I've had my eyes on a pair of Yamaha NS-10M's for a long time. I know, they're not perfect, but they are a reliable monitor. However, since they have been discontinued for many years and used ones are pricey, I bought a pair of Yamaha HSS 5's last year and have been mightily pleased with them. I don't know if $400 is in your budget, but they certainly work well for me. YMMV
I don't know where you are in Carolina. But there are DEALS on older stereo equipment on Craigslist. Simply run a cable from the headphone output of your computer into (via an adapter) an RCA input on a stereo receiver and speakers.
As I'm typing this I'm at my desk at work. As you can see, I have all the stereo I need. 90s era Pioneer receiver, early 2000s Yamaha sub, and 2015ish Bose 301s. (The receiver is set to "CD" currently. But it doesn't matter. It's just another audio input.) I have about $250 in all of it. I could have gotten away with a lot less.
(They thump so much I had to put packing foam from a piece of medical equipment under them. They were rattling my desk!)
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Bought a nice pair of used Tannoy Reveal 501s from the classifieds here years ago. Just lovely for desktop monitoring. Think I spent 250 shipped.
+1 on the kali audio offerings. Kind of amazing how good they are for the price.
This is what I did, but my kit is significantly older, being mostly from the 70’s. Which means the speaker enclosures are ‘real’ wood.
I use these for my computer speakers, occasional practice amp, and portable battery amp when I travel. They are cheap and sound decent.
Blackstar Fly 3 Bass Pack 1x3" 3-watt Bass Combo Amp with Cabinet and Power Supply
Blackstar Fly 3 Bass Pack 1x3" 3-watt Bass Combo Amp with Cabinet and Power Supply
Budget is important information to have. Under $1k Dynaudio BM5mk3 would be the winner IMO. TBH, until you get to somewhere around $1500 or more per speaker, there’s nothing out there that represents a significant upgrade over those Dyne’s. I’m using those dynes as my main speakers right now because I’m temporarily in a much smaller space, my main speakers are otherwise barefoot footprint 01’s which are very nice. Others in the same price range that would be worth a look would be the Neumann’s, and some focals.
it also depends on what you’re trying to accomplish as well. As a bass player and someone who does a lot of electronic music production, a robust low end response was important to me. Even at a slight sacrifice to mid range accuracy. Not that dynes or barefoot are not accurate, but they’re not atc or anything.
it also depends on what you’re trying to accomplish as well. As a bass player and someone who does a lot of electronic music production, a robust low end response was important to me. Even at a slight sacrifice to mid range accuracy. Not that dynes or barefoot are not accurate, but they’re not atc or anything.
Like many of the things they do, you cannot go wrong with Yamahas - I have the Yamaha HS-8 powered but Still have NS-10s. Was very popular with pro studios. 20+ years ago. Probably still are but they are not powered
But if my son is doing mixing of his beats, or we are doing some faux-chestra soundtracks, we use M-Audio 5s but a KRK-10 Sub for the bottom duties. I sometimes AB mixes with the HS-8s, the MA5 with the KRK sub and sometimes just the MA5s, so I have an idea how it will sound in various environments.
HS8 are 700- 800 a pair. My choice under the 1K range/
By the way - the KRK-10 subs are studio subs and do not work like home theater or car subs. More refined and detailed as far as subs go
But if my son is doing mixing of his beats, or we are doing some faux-chestra soundtracks, we use M-Audio 5s but a KRK-10 Sub for the bottom duties. I sometimes AB mixes with the HS-8s, the MA5 with the KRK sub and sometimes just the MA5s, so I have an idea how it will sound in various environments.
HS8 are 700- 800 a pair. My choice under the 1K range/
By the way - the KRK-10 subs are studio subs and do not work like home theater or car subs. More refined and detailed as far as subs go
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That's debatable depending on the room in question.
In a room large enough to locate the monitor far enough off the front wall to lower the front wall cancellation frequency below the range of the monitor's usable reproduction they're great, as are most everything in Dynaudio's product lineup. This is true of any rear ported monitor and what generally makes them poor choices in small rooms if accuracy is a goal.
Most folks, including here on TB, are in small rooms where floor space is at a premium, which makes the ideal placement for such a space as close to the front wall as possible without touching it, such that the front wall cancellation frequency is raised to a range that can be easily treated acoustically. This is challenging without loading/blocking the rear port on any rear ported monitor. Moving these out from the wall will improve performance and flatten out the response of the monitor itself but then the first reflection cancellation frequency off the front wall will be lowered to a point that's harder to treat acoustically, especially in a small room. In that regard any front-ported or sealed monitor in such a room would likely be a significantly better choice.
For my studio, I bought some Yamaha HS7's and they work really well. Again, room treatment is also key. I spent $1000 on a bass trap and panels and it really has helped immeasurably. The bass trap is in one corner of the room and the speakers/computer desk is stationed right in front of it per the suggestion of the treatment company.
kevorargh
kevorargh
I use the M-Audio BX5's for monitors, they are reasonably priced, sound good, and my ears do not get fatigued.
Really depends on the setup. If you’re talking about just yourself sitting/standing at a mixing desk, you’re looking for a near-field monitor sort of setup. If it’s for a bigger room (a rehearsal or recording studio) larger studio monitors with less exacting dispersion are more appropriate. For my 1-man studio, I was pretty happy with a Mackie rig with HR624 near fields and the (discontinued) HRS120 subwoofer. The sub weighs a ton, but the crossovers were well engineered and the overall setup gave me both the near field focus and the low frequency extension I need. I have yet to find a simple pair of reasonably sized near field monitors that could really do the job without a sub. I’m not talking so much about getting really loud as about getting really low and staying clear.
