Is it worth it to go cheap on studio monitors?

[gedda]

I was thinking of getting studio monitors since my monitors just died. I was thinking of getting krk rokit 5s which is $300 for a pair since i've been using lower tier speakers as a temporary replacement. what's the rule of thumb on studio monitors? is it better to go all out on expensive higher quality monitors or not get monitors at all?

[Lost to the Void]

i would say low end monitors arent really worth the money.
So save up and go mid range.
Hi end nearfields arent worth it unless you are going to properly treat your room and get things set up right.

[PixelKind]

I agree with this. Save up a bit more to get something along the lines of the Yamaha HS7 or the Focal Alpha 6.5 or anything like that. It's just a bit more money but so much more worth it in the long run. If you get really cheap monitors you just gonna wanna replace them very soon so you pay twice. Save up to get something decent

[Lost to the Void]

I agree with this. Save up a bit more to get something along the lines of the Yamaha HS7 or the Focal Alpha 6.5 or anything like that. It's just a bit more money but so much more worth it in the long run. If you get really cheap monitors you just gonna wanna replace them very soon so you pay twice. Save up to get something decent

I consider the HS7 and Alpha to be both low end monitors.
I would say save until you have at least £550. Realistically £600-800 is where all the good mid priced stuff sits, and you`ll be buying something you can live with for a very long time, possibly a lifetime.

And of course there is the used market.

[dubdub]

I agree with this. Save up a bit more to get something along the lines of the Yamaha HS7 or the Focal Alpha 6.5 or anything like that. It's just a bit more money but so much more worth it in the long run. If you get really cheap monitors you just gonna wanna replace them very soon so you pay twice. Save up to get something decent

I consider the HS7 and Alpha to be both low end monitors.
I would say save until you have at least £550. Realistically £600-800 is where all the good mid priced stuff sits, and you`ll be buying something you can live with for a very long time, possibly a lifetime.

And of course there is the used market.

What are good "mid range" options in your opinion, then?

And I don't know, you can always sell your KRK's since they're so popular/common.

[Lost to the Void]

There are a lot of good options. I really like Eve audio in that price bracket but it's tricky recommending anything other than going and trying stuff out or buying testing and returning. Not all speakers are good for all rooms and we all like different bias. Once you get in to the mid range price bracket you can be confident that you're speakers are representin well though. There is always compromise and therefore guesswork at the lower end ranges in monitoring

[terly]

I'd say if you have no hope of raising enough money for real monitors, getting a cheap pair can be worth it. I got a pair of hs80m for $125cad and they've been pretty useful. I don't buy gear right now and when I did I preferred to get synths and fx and sequencers and stuff, not just drop all of that to get a pair of monitors ... besides, my room is pretty terrible anyway.

[Barfunkel]

I like the Yamaha HS-series for the price. Not super accurate and detailed like some more expensive monitors, but good enough to make music with.

[Lost to the Void]

If you can wait a few months, there are some speakers coming out that are going to change everything in terms of low price monitoring.

By all accounts Elacs new Uni-Fi B5`s are an insane level of performance for the price point. 3 way, crazy hi end definition (up to 30k meaning no roll off at 20 like most soft domes), and design by Andrew Jones, the low range is supposedly mental (bass drivers are in a separate enclosure from the mid-hi within the cabinet) for the size.
500 dollars for a pair!!!
Obviously you need an amp, so you need to throw in maybe another 200 or so, but you`re getting Elac performance, Jones design, these could be giant killers and early reviews are certainly pointing that way. You are essentially getting high-mid level performance at entry level pricing.

http://www.audioholics.com/surround-sou ... lac-uni-fi

[terly]

If you can wait a few months, there are some speakers coming out that are going to change everything in terms of low price monitoring.

By all accounts Elacs new Uni-Fi B5`s are an insane level of performance for the price point. 3 way, crazy hi end definition (up to 30k meaning no roll off at 20 like most soft domes), and design by Andrew Jones, the low range is supposedly mental (bass drivers are in a separate enclosure from the mid-hi within the cabinet) for the size.
500 dollars for a pair!!!
Obviously you need an amp, so you need to throw in maybe another 200 or so, but you`re getting Elac performance, Jones design, these could be giant killers and early reviews are certainly pointing that way. You are essentially getting high-mid level performance at entry level pricing.

http://www.audioholics.com/surround-sou ... lac-uni-fi

I'll keep my eye on these. thanks for the tip.

[Alume]

If its one thing that I've learned from this place, its that you should never compromise on monitors, go all the way with this element of your setup.

[Mattias]

If its one thing that I've learned from this place, its that you should never compromise on monitors, go all the way with this element of your setup.

[msl]

No. Cause you'll end up upgrading anyway... so why not just buy better ones to begin with. The Yamaha's mentioned are quite nice HS8, or something like Adam A7x will keep you happy for many years to come.


Thats said for cheap I'd go with JBL SLR305, they can be had for as little as €240 a pair and sound really great.

http://www.gear4music.de/de/Recording-a ... Single/UXF


Generally yeah monitors are the most important part of the studio. The more you spend the better your mixes will be generally. If I had 5k I'd gladly spend it on hi end monitors.


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[Alume]

If its one thing that I've learned from this place, its that you should never compromise on monitors, go all the way with this element of your setup.

IMG

[rktic]

I was thinking of getting studio monitors since my monitors just died. I was thinking of getting krk rokit 5s which is $300 for a pair since i've been using lower tier speakers as a temporary replacement. what's the rule of thumb on studio monitors? is it better to go all out on expensive higher quality monitors or not get monitors at all?

What everyone says.

Few remarks about the smaller Rokits:

I bought the RP5s years back. They go down to 50hz but did a great job at creating the impression of subs by clever design. Which is moving around air. The issue is: you have no idea about what really goes on below 50hz.

They sound quite good at lower volume though and are great for DJing. But as far as mixing goes, don't do it. It's a guessing game.

Steve, if you get the chance for a personal experience with the Elac monitors, please share it with us!

[Lost to the Void]

i'm actually trying to organise a session for their higher end bookshelf monitors but i also want the try the uni-fi's

Since I've been working in the new monitors in the mastering room, the nearfields in the production room are not cutting it for me any more. So I'm rather stupidly thinking of going very high end for my nearfields now.

[TvSkY]

Thats said for cheap I'd go with JBL SLR305, they can be had for as little as €240 a pair and sound really great.

http://www.gear4music.de/de/Recording-a ... Single/UXF


.

+1

my current fave "low end" monitor

[Revaron]

This is a question I've been toying with myself as I need new speakers for the home 'studio'. My problem is, aside from the money, I've not actually got much space for a nice set, and can't really turn them up much anyway at the time when I frequently make music - terraced house, on the other side of the wall is the neighbours bed. I've got use of a more appropriate studio space with access to some ok monitors if I have anything serious to do, but It'd be nice to be able to get a half decent mix at home. What I'm thinking is get a pretty bargain basement set of 'monitors', but fork out for some top headphones. I'm looking to get some Beyerdynamic DT880s. Anyone have any thoughts on this as a solution?

[Revaron]

Ha, just now seen some new monitors announced at NAMM that might fit my above mentioned needs perfectly! Obviously I'd like to have a listen, but they seem promising from a space/budget compromise point of view. Might go ahead and get those DT880s and then hope these live up to their billing.

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/

[Lost to the Void]

Ha, just now seen some new monitors announced at NAMM that might fit my above mentioned needs perfectly! Obviously I'd like to have a listen, but they seem promising from a space/budget compromise point of view. Might go ahead and get those DT880s and then hope these live up to their billing.

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/

christ, that`s just going too far

"With iLoud Micro Monitor, you will hear the truth in your music no matter whether you’re mixing, mastering or just listening to your favorite tunes at home."

3 inch woofer. You can`t call anything 3 inches in diameter a woofer. A yapper maybe. And the porting they have done to go down to 45hz, the port noise is going to be honking as fuck.

Screw that, you are better off monitoring with a potato.