really really cheap monitors/speakers

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aaronburr
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really really cheap monitors/speakers

Post by aaronburr » Mon May 05, 2008 1:26 pm

looking for some really really cheap, but alright, monitors or bookshelf speakers. i can spend $100 max, and prefer buying used. i KNOW i wont be getting the best speakers, i just want something pretty even across the frequency range and compact to mix with.

they dont have to blow me away, i just need something thats like OK and doesnt have stupidly hyped bass or anything. ideally a cheap pair of bookshelf speakers that someone has experience with sounding alright would be what im looking for...

aaronburr
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Post by aaronburr » Mon May 05, 2008 1:28 pm

for instance - how are those KRK rokits? $99 on musiciansfriend, looks cool to me by the price, but do people seem to think they are ok?

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Nick Sevilla
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Re: really really cheap monitors/speakers

Post by Nick Sevilla » Mon May 05, 2008 1:34 pm

aaronburr wrote:looking for some really really cheap, but alright, monitors or bookshelf speakers. i can spend $100 max, and prefer buying used. i KNOW i wont be getting the best speakers, i just want something pretty even across the frequency range and compact to mix with.

they dont have to blow me away, i just need something thats like OK and doesnt have stupidly hyped bass or anything. ideally a cheap pair of bookshelf speakers that someone has experience with sounding alright would be what im looking for...
Go to your local thrift store, pickup an old stereo that works, and play thru there.

Cheers
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aaronburr
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Post by aaronburr » Mon May 05, 2008 1:38 pm

well i would do that, but i already have a marantz receiver i can use for this, so what i would like to do is pick up monitors or some bookshelfy speakers that are recommended to me. i sure could go grab some random speakers at a pawn shop that would do the trick, but i wanted to know if anyone had any experience with one brand/model or another they might be able to share!

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Post by Nick Sevilla » Mon May 05, 2008 1:43 pm

aaronburr wrote:well i would do that, but i already have a marantz receiver i can use for this, so what i would like to do is pick up monitors or some bookshelfy speakers that are recommended to me. i sure could go grab some random speakers at a pawn shop that would do the trick, but i wanted to know if anyone had any experience with one brand/model or another they might be able to share!
Sure:

Auratone.
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Post by PeterSawatzky » Mon May 05, 2008 1:50 pm

Look for a pair of Dynaco, Advent, Acoustic Research, some JBL, etc. Any of those would pair well with your Marantz.

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Post by aaronburr » Mon May 05, 2008 2:45 pm

anyone know if event 20/20 monitors are any good?

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Bob Womack
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Post by Bob Womack » Mon May 05, 2008 4:24 pm

There are lots of really good used monitors floating around for that amount. There are plenty of the JBL 4311/4411/4312/etc 12" series in places like Craig's List. I actually got a pair of 4411s

Image

for $50 in excellent electronic shape and very reasonable cosmetic shape.

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Post by FBH » Tue May 06, 2008 7:07 am

There used to be lots of hype for the Realistic Minimus 7 speakers. You can pick up a pair on eBay for about $30 plus shipping generally. People seem to want the metal ones without the port on the back. Some folks hype the early, MIJ versions, but I doubt it matters.

FWIW, I have a pair of Minimus 7's, and they are pretty detailed and have a nice sound stage. They may need to be paired with a small sub for mixing purposes, but, as with any speaker that is fairly flat through the mids, you may be able to listen to a bunch of reference CD's and learn how to get a good low end with them.

Have you considered going to a friend's house/studio for mixing purposes? Surely you know someone who would let you use their room, and you could save yourself the money on a pair of "just okay" speakers.

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Post by Nick Sevilla » Tue May 06, 2008 7:41 am

aaronburr wrote:anyone know if event 20/20 monitors are any good?
Hi,

I used some for a few years. They are good, but I did get ear fatigue after 8-10 hours of editing at low volume levels (65 - 70 dB).

The seem to enhance the low end too much, for my taste.

I have a pair of JBL LSR 4328 now, they are much much better at ay volume. Less ear fatigue.

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Post by aaronburr » Tue May 06, 2008 11:25 am

thanks for the heads up everyone!
FBH wrote: Have you considered going to a friend's house/studio for mixing purposes? Surely you know someone who would let you use their room, and you could save yourself the money on a pair of "just okay" speakers.
i would, but, these wouldnt be final mixes i need these speakers for. BUT i want to be able to get close on my own and then find someone i know with some nice monitors to do the final mix and make sure everything is even and imaged right. it would also be nice to have some even speakers to just make sure the sounds i am capturing sound like i want them to. also id like to mix some quick demos to put online... etc etc etc

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Post by KennyLusk » Tue May 06, 2008 12:16 pm

I really like my JBL Control 1's and got them at best buy for like $75
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Post by Gorilla » Tue May 06, 2008 12:21 pm

I have a set of JBL 4410's that are pretty okay, not powered, but I like them. I suspect you could find them for $100-$150 a pair.

I even think the control 1's and control 5's sound pretty good and you might be able to even get those new at like best buy or circuit city in the realm of your budget. I've heard them in little advertising post production studios and places like that and they are certainly better than a lot of other consumer bookshelf kind of stuff.

I think the KRK Rokit series is pretty nice, the bass response on the rp5's is pretty surprising for what it is.

There's also a former electrix guy who's getting rid of old stock (from before failure 2) on eBay. He's been selling the electrix powered monitors (which were only brieftly on sale to begin with) dirt cheap, so cheap that I had to order some just in case they're even mediocre. I'll let you know when mine come in...
Gorilla

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Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Tue May 06, 2008 12:29 pm

aaronburr wrote:anyone know if event 20/20 monitors are any good?
they're terrible. i mean, i mixed on them for years and things turned out alright but it was A LOT of work, and their frequency response is all sorts of wacky.

i would much rather mix on my little $40 sony bookshelf speakers. seriously.

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Post by fossiltooth » Wed May 07, 2008 6:41 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
aaronburr wrote:anyone know if event 20/20 monitors are any good?
they're terrible. i mean, i mixed on them for years and things turned out alright but it was A LOT of work, and their frequency response is all sorts of wacky.

i would much rather mix on my little $40 sony bookshelf speakers. seriously.
Yeah, they're pretty annoying. I guess they can help you get mixes that are pretty damn scooped around 400hz, if that area's ever been a problem for you. They have a really ugly, forward, lower midrange and an annoying top, with plenty of resonances throughout. Not useless... just not fun.

Those big, ugly older JBLs people are mentioning might be worth checking out. The few pairs I've seen installed at studios have been fairly large, and were treated more like mains or 'mid-fields' rather than as nearfields. They're not very trendy, but I wouldn't be surprised if they can be pretty effective. I believe Joel uses a pair of older JBLs with a sub as mains.

I've always been curious about JBLs older large monitors and bookshelf speakers. They seem to have pumped out a lot of speakers before retreating from studio and home audio to focus more on live sound and car stereos. Anyone have the skinny on their old product line?

The look of some of those older JBLs will always remind me of the opening sequence of "Back To The Future"...
Last edited by fossiltooth on Wed May 07, 2008 6:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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