Budget of $300, need monitors

[AstroSounds]

I'm trying to prevent someone else from wasting money on sub-par shit that just ends up being sold at a loss or just ceases to function. Been through it too many times over the years. Makes me realize the music industry isn't broken... instead of albums, people buy cheap home studio shit. Same consumers, new way of consuming.

Part of me agrees with this advice and part of me doesn't. I started with $100 monitors (if you can even call them that) and moved up to some $400 KRK RP6s. Less than 3 years later I am wishing I had saved my money and just gotten something nicer than the KRKs.

So yes, good monitors are so very important that I would say blow all the money you can possibly can on them and get something that will last you a while.

That being said, you CAN learn to mix on cheap monitors and you can make decent sounding recordings on them. It is just gear and in making music gear comes after a long list of more important things like hard work, talent, creativity, listening well and having fun.

[dgrieser]

I followed rwc's advice on the Axiom M2's, and I'm very happy I did. Great detail and imaging, and my mixes translate on other systems. The music in my signature was mixed on them.

[rwc]

You can't go wrong with good engineering.

Every designer that worked with Floyd Toole at the NRC creates natural sounding, neutral, transparent loudspeakers. This is no coincidence. The priviledge of working at the NRC for them canucks cost a fraction of what work at a similarly equipt faciity would cost in the U.S., and they got to have people come in and give opinions on speakers in groups without brand names showing, in a volume matched environment with real world listening conditions taken into account.

Putting little bread into advertising means you won't see an ad or a poster or a banner for them everywhere like some 3 lettered yellow coned speakers, but the money put into design becomes apparent in an A/B comparison of the two.

I wish Axiom would make a powered speaker so more home studio gear sellers would take them seriously.

[pskjr]

thanks for all the replies. trust me i know every part of the signal chain is equally important. and believe me if i could spend more than 300 i would, but that's all i get. i'm not really buying them for me, i work for a church and in our studio i've been asked to research gear in specific budgets. i'm the studio guru here so i get to use it whenever i want as sort of "my own studio" but i'm at the liberty of the church's budget as far as them purchasing equipment. if i want something better i have to buy it myself. and the budget for monitors is 300, max.

[Sean Sullivan]

chetatkindiet (I think he's on these board, but for sure on Gearslutz) has a pair of JBL 4408's for $150. Grab an Adcom GFA-545 off of eBay for $150 and you'd be in business.

[b3groover]

I used to own the Alesis. They are pretty shitastic.

I had the BX5's for about a week before I took them back. Even worse than the Alesis.

I agree with the poster who said to get some passive hi-fi home speakers. Just make sure they are in good shape and have enough juice. If you have a mixer or something with a variable output, try picking up an Adcom amp off eBay. Clean power.

[PublicMelody]

Regarding the Warfedales -- I owned them, and wouldn't recommend.

Your best value is going to be in a good pair of used, passive monitors along with a good, used amp.

I still don't understand this trend towards putting active electronics inside of vibrating boxes.

[JWL]

Interesting, what didn't you like about the wharfedales?

There are a lot of advantages to the active design. The main thing is, by far, that the woofer cone's motion can be included within the power amp's feedback loop to reduce distortion by a significant amount.

Many/most active designs actually have the amp on a separate chassis, attached to the back of the speaker cabinet. Most passive speakers actually have electronics inside the speakers (crossover components).

[Jeff White]

People, seriously, take three things away from this thread as a home studio monitoring epiphany...

#1 - DO NOT EVER purchase the Alesis M1 Active MK2 monitors. EVER. This is from my own personal experience, my friends' personal experience, and the sound advice from tons of folks on here who still curse the days that they had nothing else to work with but them. I am trying to be your friend here. AVOID!

#2 - Do yourself a favor and pick up an Adcom GFA 535, 545, or 555 power amp. Also, consider the Adcom GFS-3 speaker selector (mine was under $30 shipped) in order to hook up 3 pairs of speakers to the Adcom amp. The more the merrier. Do not be afraid of passive speakers and power amps. You will adjust quickly and you will have more choices than a single pair.

#3 - if you have approximately $300 to $350 hanging around and already own a studio power amp, run, do not walk to the Axiom website and order a pair of M2 or M3 speakers. I've been using the M3 v2s since January and they have totally changed my mixing and mastering for the better. Totally amazing speakers for $330/pair. Translate really well. Sad Iron Music's debut listed in my signature was mastered on them.

And best of all, they have a 30-day money back guarantee and shipping is included.

My monitoring setup consists of nothing but passive speakers (Axiom M3 v2s, Yamaha NS-10Ms), the GFS-3, and an Adcom GFA 545 II. I am totally happy for under $900. You can definitely grab the Adcom and the Axioms for under $500.

Jeff

[jaguarsg]

Do not waste your money on the Alesis M1Mk2's. get a pair of good old 70's stereo speakers and a decent amplifier or even receiver.

+1.

and if you already have some hifi stuff lying around, then pick up some avantone mixcubes.

[robn]

+1 for KRK RP-5's
I use a pair right now in a small mixing room and they sound a lot better than they should at that price. I am wanting a sub sometimes, though. When I upgrade to a larger room I will seriously consider another pair of KRK's.

[trodden]

People, seriously, take three things away from this thread as a home studio monitoring epiphany...

#1 - DO NOT EVER purchase the Alesis M1 Active MK2 monitors. EVER. This is from my own personal experience, my friends' personal experience, and the sound advice from tons of folks on here who still curse the days that they had nothing else to work with but them. I am trying to be your friend here. AVOID!

#2 - Do yourself a favor and pick up an Adcom GFA 535, 545, or 555 power amp. Also, consider the Adcom GFS-3 speaker selector (mine was under $30 shipped) in order to hook up 3 pairs of speakers to the Adcom amp. The more the merrier. Do not be afraid of passive speakers and power amps. You will adjust quickly and you will have more choices than a single pair.

#3 - if you have approximately $300 to $350 hanging around and already own a studio power amp, run, do not walk to the Axiom website and order a pair of M2 or M3 speakers. I've been using the M3 v2s since January and they have totally changed my mixing and mastering for the better. Totally amazing speakers for $330/pair. Translate really well. Sad Iron Music's debut listed in my signature was mastered on them.

And best of all, they have a 30-day money back guarantee and shipping is included.

My monitoring setup consists of nothing but passive speakers (Axiom M3 v2s, Yamaha NS-10Ms), the GFS-3, and an Adcom GFA 545 II. I am totally happy for under $900. You can definitely grab the Adcom and the Axioms for under $500.

Jeff

Great information!

I'll have to check this out.

I bought my krk 7000's and crown amp from the studio that i was working in at the time when it was closing down... I've been listening to these speakers for 9 years now and love them.. I replaced the drivers maybe 4 years ago? I'm not sure how long the studio owned them before passing on to me.

I've gotten very familiar with these speakers. Almost to the point i want to take them with me when working in other studios.. but there's more to that equation than just the speakers...

I'm still really needing something else though.. a boombox or something... something to A/B

[robn]

Great information!

I'll have to check this out.

I bought my krk 7000's and crown amp from the studio that i was working in at the time when it was closing down... I've been listening to these speakers for 9 years now and love them.. I replaced the drivers maybe 4 years ago? I'm not sure how long the studio owned them before passing on to me.

I've gotten very familiar with these speakers. Almost to the point i want to take them with me when working in other studios.. but there's more to that equation than just the speakers...

I'm still really needing something else though.. a boombox or something... something to A/B

I've always wondered...was there a marked difference when you replaced the drivers? Obviously there had to be a 'breaking in' period, but did the sound change that much noticably?

[rwc]

PSB did a test on some speakers to test the breakin theory. Ten years later they measured less than 0.5 dB different than they did originally,

Don't put too much stock in speaker break in. It's more you getting accustomed to the new sound of your new toy than anything else.

[JWL]

What cracks me up is when people say things like cables need to break in. At least with speakers, there are moving parts that can become more elastic or whatever, so it at least sort of makes sense...