help me find a good studio monitors

[worldmusic]

hi, am new to this forum, plz help me to find a good but cheap studio monitors for my home studio..
i am more into composing world music or contemporary music, i use more acoustic instrument rather than electronic and i always try to sound my music more acoustic.
plz suggest me a good monitor but not very expensive..
much thanx in advance ..

[richiebee]

What is cheap? $500? $1000? $100?

[worldmusic]

well anything under $700 would be great for me....

[richiebee]

If it was my money, I'd get Event ALP5 or KRK V8II, depending on how you feel about low end and whether you can go above your budget a little. The Event's are within your budget, but I'm not sure you'll get the good low end that you'd get from the KRK's. Even the cheaper KRK's are nice and solid in the lows. If you want to stick to your budget, you might try a pair of KRK Rokits. Ultimately, you need to hear them for yourself, and if possible take a trial on something to see how it is in YOUR studio.

[worldmusic]

well.. wat abt alesis 520, i heard them and it seems ok to me and they are within my range... any suggestion for alesis..

thanx

[Madsong]

The Tannoy monitors have a great and honest midrange. The PMC and Genelec monitors are expensive but excellent for really being able to hear the detail and tonality of the recording. Some home audio brands like Focal/JMlab and the Spendor LS3/5A BBC monitors will give you an honest mix. Paradigm, Epos, B&W and PSB will also work well as monitors and better than most 'studio' monitors for accuracy. Also headphones like the AKG K701s and the Grados can be invaluable to set the EQ for the mix. Look for a monitor with 'honest' tonality and good imaging so you can accurately pan the mix L to R, and more importantly, front to back. Powered monitors are good in that it saves you from having to buy a power amp, and the amp in the speaker is usually optimized for the speaker. If you can't buy a good set of monitor speakers you may want to look into a great set of headphones (for tonal balance and deep bass) and a decent set of speakers (for imaging). Do not go to Klipsh or the infamous Yamaha NS-10s or JBL type monitors. The sound is so colored you will never know what you recorded really sounds like. Cheers.

Brian

[brandondrury]

Look for a monitor with 'honest' tonality

In case this is unclear, let me define it. An "honest" monitor will expose flaws while maybe a hi-fi speaker will hide them. It gets complicated, but for me the big thing is hearing all the mud and boxiness going in. It took 6 years to get my Mackie HR824s to expose muddiness, but I finally got it.

Do not go to Klipsh or the infamous Yamaha NS-10s

It seems....strange, that you can flat out tell a person to never go with NS-10s. I personally don't like them either, but SO many huge, robo platinum records have been mixed on them that it seems ridiculous to suggest they are useless as studio monitors.

This whole thing is a matter of taste. Once you go through the years of frustration (even with good speakers) getting the acoustics in your room right and the placement in that room right, you then will hear this or that about the speaker that may or may not work well with your tastes / mixing style.

Just be aware that there is more to your studio monitoring system than just your studio monitors. I'd argue that room acoustics and positioning are just as important as the speakers themselves.

If you can't buy a good set of monitor speakers you may want to look into a great set of headphones

I'm anxious to try a set of these Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones



Brandon

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by Madsong

Look for a monitor with 'honest' tonality and good imaging so you can accurately pan the mix L to R, and more importantly, front to back.

I think you'll be very hardpushed to find that in this price range.

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by worldmusic

well.. wat abt alesis 520, i heard them and it seems ok to me and they are within my range... any suggestion for alesis..

thanx

I would go with KRK's over Alesis.

[Madsong]

Tannoy Reveal monitors, active $699.00. Buy Tannoy Reveal 8d Active Studio Reference Monitor online at Musician's Friend
these should give you great imaging and soundstaging and Tannoy's usual superb midrange. As previously noted, the placement and acoustics are a big factor. Near field listening helps if the speakers are set correctly.