Recommendations for studio monitors?

[EricOnTheBass]

I'd like to get a set of studio monitors for my practice area. There are many options out there, and obviously I want something that can reproduce bass well. I won't be mixing or doing any important studio work, I just want something that will allow me to play along and record tracks without having to wear headphones. I'd also use the speakers for playing music while I work at the computer. Is there something around $500/pair that would do a respectable job?

 

[silky smoove]

How big is your room, and how close to your listening position will the monitors be placed? If it's a small room with close proximity to the monitors themselves you'd be hard pressed to do better in that price range than a pair of Kali Audio LP-UNF monitors. If you have a bit more room you could step up to the ADAM T5V, and if you have more room still you could go to the ADAM T7V.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

How big is your room, and how close to your listening position will the monitors be placed? If it's a small room with close proximity to the monitors themselves you'd be hard pressed to do better in that price range than a pair of Kali Audio LP-UNF monitors. If you have a bit more room you could step up to the ADAM T5V, and if you have more room still you could go to the ADAM T7V.

It's a spare bedroom, around 12' x 12'. And the monitors would sit on my desk where I am seating while I play. Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into those models.

 

[silky smoove]

It's a spare bedroom, around 12' x 12'. And the monitors would sit on my desk where I am seating while I play. Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into those models.

For that type of space a UNF (ultra nearfield) monitor makes a lot of sense. The Kali LP-UNF is a very capable monitor and well below your budget. Beyond that I would stick with a small nearfield like the ADAM T5V. Definitely avoid larger nearfields or anything like a midfield or farfield monitor.

 

[superheavyfunk]

I'd like to get a set of studio monitors for my practice area. There are many options out there, and obviously I want something that can reproduce bass well. I won't be mixing or doing any important studio work, I just want something that will allow me to play along and record tracks without having to wear headphones. I'd also use the speakers for playing music while I work at the computer. Is there something around $500/pair that would do a respectable job?

The Presonus Eris 5 are really good and have an extended bass range for monitors of their size. They also offer some small eq options to tailor the high end to your needs. I’ve been using them as the main small pair in my studio for the last four years and have no complaints.

 

[silky smoove]

Also, in a room that size you’ll ideally place the monitors so that they’re firing into the longest dimension of the room (though your room is a square, so maybe there’s no option), centered along a wall, and have their backs as close to the wall as possible without touching to raise the quarter and half wavelength cancellation frequencies into a more easily treatable range.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

For that type of space a UNF (ultra nearfield) monitor makes a lot of sense. The Kali LP-UNF is a very capable monitor and well below your budget. Beyond that I would stick with a small nearfield like the ADAM T5V. Definitely avoid larger nearfields or anything like a midfield or farfield monitor.

I can get the ADAM T5V on sale for the same price as the Kali LP-UNF. Would that be considered a better option?

 

[silky smoove]

I can get the ADAM T5V on sale for the same price as the Kali LP-UNF. Would that be considered a better option?

Having tried both and owning one of them; The ADAM will give you a more accurate top end, and is generally a higher accuracy product. The Kali has more going on in the bottom end, though it is less accurate, particularly up top. Some people find the ADAM’s folded high frequency driver to be harsh due to its very present response. My mains are a larger ADAM system, so I’ve grown accustomed to it and no longer hear it as harsh, but rather revealing, accurate, etc. They’re both DSP monitors, so a tiny bit of latency is expected, but it’s such a small quantity that I wouldn’t sweat it as you’ll never hear it. It’ll be the equivalent to moving a few feet away from the speakers, or closer to them to shorten it. Tiny tiny tiny… I don’t know. I’d be inclined to buy the more detailed ADAM speakers in that case, but if bass monitoring is a primary goal the Kali’s do a remarkable job for the price and diminutive size. You can’t go wrong. The Presonus model that @superheavyfunk referenced are also great. I don’t own them, but know a friend who does, and they sound great. Be aware that for bass monitoring, none of these will sound like a bass amp.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Having tried both and owning one of them; The ADAM will give you a more accurate top end, and is generally a higher accuracy product. The Kali has more going on in the bottom end, though it is less accurate, particularly up top. Some people find the ADAM’s folded high frequency driver to be harsh due to its very present response. My mains are a larger ADAM system, so I’ve grown accustomed to it and no longer hear it as harsh, but rather revealing, accurate, etc. They’re both DSP monitors, so a tiny bit of latency is expected, but it’s such a small quantity that I wouldn’t sweat it as you’ll never hear it. It’ll be the equivalent to moving a few feet away from the speakers, or closer to them to shorten it. Tiny tiny tiny… I don’t know. I’d be inclined to buy the more detailed ADAM speakers in that case, but if bass monitoring is a primary goal the Kali’s do a remarkable job for the price and diminutive size. You can’t go wrong. The Presonus model that @superheavyfunk referenced are also great. I don’t own them, but know a friend who does, and they sound great. Be aware that for bass monitoring, none of these will sound like a bass amp.

In your opinion, how does the ADAM T5V perform without the subwoofer compared to the Kali LP-UNF? Toying with replacing an old Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX system with subwoofer, and I'm sure either would be better as the Klipsch is not designed as a monitor for mixing as much as regular desktop stereo system with subwoofer (it does sound good). Thanks.

​

 

[Aloe]

Toying with replacing an old Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX system with subwoofer

not to derail this thread, but Eris 4.5 + Eris Sub 8 is also a very nice combination (also have a Sub 10 and it's overkill for me). Eris 4.5 without subwoofer -- meh.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

not to derail this thread, but Eris 4.5 + Eris Sub 8 is also a very nice combination (also have a Sub 10 and it's overkill for me). Eris 4.5 without subwoofer -- meh.

Thanks for that. I've got a very sour taste for Prosonus at the moment. Since Fender bought the company, they're now trying to rope us Studio One users into a perpetual monthly/annual fee for software updates. I have two Fender basses that I love, but right now the Presonus brand is on my dark list. Boo.

 

[silky smoove]

In your opinion, how does the ADAM T5V perform without the subwoofer compared to the Kali LP-UNF? Toying with replacing an old Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX system with subwoofer, and I'm sure either would be better as the Klipsch is not designed as a monitor for mixing as much as regular desktop stereo system with subwoofer (it does sound good). Thanks.

​

I’ve only ever tried them without the subwoofer, and in this case the Kali had a larger low end presentation. To be fair, the low end on each is not particularly low and represents more upper bass and lower mids. Even through the mid bass they’re both down considerably, but that’s the usual trade off with such a small format monitor. The flip side is that it tends to be a benefit in really small rooms where treating truly low frequencies comes with additional challenges.

 

[Real Soon]

Yamaha HS5s are respectable for their size, but yeah-- the space would affect whether or not their low end was reference, boosted, or lacking. HS7s are a bit past your budget new, but have real beef on the bottom... enough that the built-in adjustment switches can really make a difference between excessive boom and solid balanced sound, to help accommodate your space's layout.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

When you say "practice area" and "spare bedroom" I get the feeling that this is probably a room that hasn't been acoustically treated (and I mean professionally treated, not just some foam panels slapped onto the walls here and there). If that's the case, buying expensive hi-end studio monitors could turn out to be a huge waste of money, because the room itself won't be suitable for mixing. The fact that the dimensions of your room is a square will make matters even worse, due to standing waves that will build up in two dimensions. You will most likely never be able to trust what you're hearing in that room. A sub would probably also be a very bad idea. Even with lots of bass traps such a small room will almost certainly still be extremely boomy and unreliable in the lows/low mids. You can't get around the laws of physics.

For example, I have Adam A7s with an Adam Sub8 in my studio, which has an acoustically treated control room. I've been very happy with them so I got the same setup for my home studio. The idea was that I had "calibrated" my ears to the Adams and knew how to get my mixes to translate when mixing on these monitors. Big mistake. In my home studio they turned out to be useless. I tried disconnecting the sub. Still horrible. Just a boomy mess. The frequency balance (especially in the lows/low mids) changed MASSIVELY if I moved my chair just a tiny bit backwards/forwards. Totally useless for mixing.

Getting my home recording space acostically treated wasn't an option. I want my home to look like a home, not like a recording studio. So I started looking into other options.

An experienced mixing engineer I know mentioned to me that the much cheaper JBL LSR305s had worked ok for him in an untreated room (his home setup). I didn't really expect much, but I ordered a pair anyway. They turned out to be a MUCH better choice for my home studio. With physics being physics I can't really see any other explanation than the fact that they have poorer low end extension than the Adams, which can be a good thing in an untreated room. Maybe rear ported (vs front ported Adams) made a difference too, although this will obviously depend on the room and where you place the monitors. Purely based on the specs (and the price!) the Adams should have been a much better choice. In real life, in an untreated room they weren't.

The poorer low en extension (and generally inferior specs) of the JBLs obviously means that they aren't really ideal for critical mixing, but at least they don't turn into a boomy/muddy mess that masks what's happening in the mids/highs. I now use these monitors with acceptable results in my home studio. For anything that require critical mixing decisions I either use high-end headphones (Focal Clear MGs are my preferred choice) or do it in my proper studio on the Adams.

I'm not saying these specific JBLs are the answer (in fact, I think they are discontinued) but unless you have a professionaly treated room I suspect that smaller, and possibly less expensive monitors might actually be a better choice. I know you specifically said you want studio monitors that can reproduce bass well, but getting expensive hi-end monitors with impressive low end extension won't be a good choice if they turn out to sound like a boomy/boxy mess. I think this is a situation where you will have to find a balanced between "good enough" bass reproduction and "boomy mess".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the studio monitors will never be better than the room you install them in. If you have an unsuitable room, don't waste too much money on the studio monitors. Cheaper may even turn out to be better. The room will ALWAYS be the limiting factor. Especially in the lows. Lots of lows is NOT a good thing in a boomy/boxy sounding room.

It also depends on what you're actually gonna use the monitors for. If it's for writing/arranging songs you don't really need expensive hi-end monitors. If it's for mixing... Well, if the room isn't great you might want to consider whether you will really get the best results with hi-end studio monitor OR maybe get some less expensive monitors and perhaps spend your money on high-end headphones and a good headphone amp instead. It won't be ideal, but in most cases it will be better than mixing in a room that can't be trusted. I wouldn't use ONLY headphones for mixing though.

 

[claudel]

I have the JBL LSR305/LSR310(sub) combo in an untreated room that I've yet to outgrow, but I have modest needs.

Plenty of bottom...

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I’ve only ever tried them without the subwoofer, and in this case the Kali had a larger low end presentation. To be fair, the low end on each is not particularly low and represents more upper bass and lower mids. Even through the mid bass they’re both down considerably, but that’s the usual trade off with such a small format monitor. The flip side is that it tends to be a benefit in really small rooms where treating truly low frequencies comes with additional challenges.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. And about using a subwoofer in a small room, I have the sub on my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX system dialed very low in a semi-treated room -- maybe 20% or so on. It produces a nice balanced signal. But without the sub -- meh. I understand the notion of one's ears getting used to a scenario and "compensating with awareness" during mixing, but if one is truly going for accuracy, it's better to go for the real deal and use a (small amount) of subwoofer signal. In my case, I'm missing true accuracy higher up signal band with the consumer stereo system.

 

[Brian Patterson]

In your opinion, how does the ADAM T5V perform without the subwoofer compared to the Kali LP-UNF? Toying with replacing an old Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX system with subwoofer, and I'm sure either would be better as the Klipsch is not designed as a monitor for mixing as much as regular desktop stereo system with subwoofer (it does sound good). Thanks.

​

One review pointed out that the Adam T5V has a lower bottom bass output but that it helps in a smaller room with the monitors near a wall to bring it up, thus negating the need for a subwoofer, unless that's your style! They excel in all other areas and are my pick in the near future.
I'll also use a pair of Shure pro headphones in tandem...

 

[Ralph Manak]

I have a pair of JBL LSR305s that I can donate to your cause, and will be passing through El Paso in about five weeks.

 

[SunByrne]

In a small untreated room, I’d go for the Kali LP-UNF. I have a set in my study, which is 11’ x 9’ with some strategically placed 4” panels (i.e., mostly but not entirely untreated) and they are excellent.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

I have a pair of JBL LSR305s that I can donate to your cause, and will be passing through El Paso in about five weeks.

Very nice of you to offer, that would be great I will make sure you get a good meal while you're here.