# Budget Monitors



## InLight-Tone (Jan 11, 2017)

Hey guys and gals, I have a VERY weak link in my production chain and it's my speakers which are consumer grade crap. I've got decent headphones to compensate but I'm in the market to upgrade to some decent monitors.

I compose big cinematic stock music and some rock and pop. I'd like to spend around $1000 but willing to go higher if you feel that I need to.

I'd like to get a product I'll be happy with long term and would also like some decent bass, but am desiring to add a sub at a later date as I am a bass whore so the choice I make will have that on the radar. Thanks for any feedback!


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## Viegaard (Jan 11, 2017)

I really prefer my monitors to be somewhat neutral when it comes to bass. They are not there to pump out massive amounts of bass (as hifi speakers does) - But provide a neutral image.

What country are you from? It really helps to go out and listen to some speakers - Its almost impossible to get a decent picture on how they sound just from various youtube videos.

Also how close are they gonna be to a wall? There is alot of threads about front ported vs rear ported monitors.

How big is the room? (in M2) Does it have any acoustic treatment?


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## synthpunk (Jan 11, 2017)

I would suggest the Dynaudio BM15a. A little more money, but worth it and you should not have to worry about a sub.


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## muk (Jan 11, 2017)

The Neumann KH 120A should come in at just slightly over 1000$ and are worth a close look and listen.


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## mc_deli (Jan 11, 2017)

I posted before about this: I got the KH120a pair and KRKVXT6 pair plus 10-s sub both on sale or return plus Sonarworks.

The Neumanns were closer to 1.5k, the KRK set under 1k. Sonarworks with the [email protected] at the time (€).

The KRKs were the clear winner. Being able to hear 50-80Hz and lower was a revelation. I A/B'd a lot between the sets. With no correction the KRKs had a bit of a smile curve about them. But with correction I couldn't tell them apart - not for transient response or stereo image either (very narrow room though). So it was very very easy for me to buy the KRKs. I was tipped onto them by someone who does rock/pop top 40 mixes.


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## Symfoniq (Jan 11, 2017)

Yamaha MSP7. They are well within your price range.


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## InLight-Tone (Jan 11, 2017)

Viegaard said:


> I really prefer my monitors to be somewhat neutral when it comes to bass. They are not there to pump out massive amounts of bass (as hifi speakers does) - But provide a neutral image.
> 
> What country are you from? It really helps to go out and listen to some speakers - Its almost impossible to get a decent picture on how they sound just from various youtube videos.
> 
> ...



Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm actually in a very small room at the moment and no acoustic treatment. I will be moving soon though to a place with a little more room and where I can put up treatment. They will be very close to a wall in both spaces.


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## Vin (Jan 12, 2017)

Sceptre S6 are standout monitors in your price bracket, and I must say that I was really impressed with them when I heard them alongside Adam A77X and KH 120A. Will probably end up getting the bigger S8s as soon as I get the proper acoustic treatment.


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## InLight-Tone (Jan 12, 2017)

Vin said:


> Sceptre S6 are standout monitors in your price bracket, and I must say that I was really impressed with them when I heard them alongside Adam A77X and KH 120A. Will probably end up getting the bigger S8s as soon as I get the proper acoustic treatment.


Thanks never heard of those...


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## passsacaglia (Jan 13, 2017)

A pair of used Genelec 8020 4" plus a sub maybe? They're absolutely great.


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## ctsai89 (Jan 14, 2017)

JBL 308's


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## iobaaboi (Jan 14, 2017)

I recently got a pair of Dynaudio BM6 mkIII's for $1k brand new. They were discontinued to make room for the Lyd series. 

They replaced a set of Genelec 8050s that were too big for the room I moved to and also made everything sound "too good". 

Now that I've adjusted with over 100 hours of listening and working with them, I prefer the Dyns. Mix decisions are easier to make and the bass is quite lovely. 

If you can still find a new pair for $1k, don't hesitate!


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## jononotbono (Jan 14, 2017)

I love my Adam A7Xs. They are about £1k so I'm not sure what the exchange rate is. Great monitors.


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## InLight-Tone (Jan 14, 2017)

jononotbono said:


> I love my Adam A7Xs. They are about £1k so I'm not sure what the exchange rate is. Great monitors.


Do you have a separate sub Jono, or is the bass in those adequate?


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## ctsai89 (Jan 14, 2017)

InLight-Tone said:


> Do you have a separate sub Jono, or is the bass in those adequate?



it's adequate enough but you still should get a sub. You can go with teh JBL 305 option and get their sub with it. You can also turn the sub off when you feel like it's going bother the neighbor.


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## jononotbono (Jan 14, 2017)

I'm actually intending on buying another 3 A7Xs plus the Adam Sub 8 so I can join to ranks of Surround Sound 5.1 as soon as I can this year.

I will say this. The need for a Sub is really dependant on the size of your room. If the room is tiny and you put these monitors in there, adding a sub will be bad news. Do I need a sub? Hmmm, tough call; But I keep mixing stuff round a friend's Studio and they recently bought a sub and it's amazing having the option to actually hear what is going on down there. You can always have a switch to turn it on and off (which for Radio friendly mixes is usually always the case). Remember, room treatment is vital as well but again, it depends on the room.


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## mc_deli (Jan 15, 2017)

I have a tiny room and having a sub is totally brilliant. It is a designed room, very well treated, careful sub set up, whopping 60Hz room mode, but very workable thanks to the joys of the room correction software - I only keep posting about it this week as I have been meaning to remeasure/recalibrate every night this week - posting on VIc is just assuaging my self-inflicted guilt at not doing it (just put a concrete slab under the sub and some new draws and shelves so want to see if I can get the response more even before "room correction software").


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## Rodney Money (Jan 15, 2017)

What are some of the advantages of mixing with monitors over headphones besides saving your hearing? Feel free to talk to me like an infant here.


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## Smikes77 (Jan 15, 2017)

Rodney Money said:


> What are some of the advantages of mixing with monitors over headphones besides saving your hearing? Feel free to talk to me like an infant here.



More reliable stereo image.
Presumably better judgment of the bass frequencies.
Judgment of overall volume is better.
Mixing in an environment which is hopefully the same environment as the end user.

I have the Neumann KH120a, Yamaha MSP5, and some very old ex-demo Edirols I bought for £70 about 15 years ago which are actually not bad.


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## Rodney Money (Jan 15, 2017)

Smikes77 said:


> More reliable stereo image.
> Presumably better judgment of the bass frequencies.
> Judgment of overall volume is better.
> Mixing in an environment which is hopefully the same environment as the end user.
> ...


Thank ya for the info!


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## Smikes77 (Jan 15, 2017)

Rodney Money said:


> Thank ya for the info!



Dont know if this is useful to you.

http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/monitors-vs-headphones-which-is-best-for-mixing-574584#


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jan 15, 2017)

I highly recommend the JBL LSR305. They're currently on sale. I just ordered another pair for height channels. I've heard that the 308 aren't as good.

I use BM5 mk3 as my mains and really like them. Some places are still carrying the BM's and have them on sale for being discontinued. I prefer them to some Genelecs I've worked on and an older Adam monitor which sounded pretty bad. I won't be getting Adam anytime soon (although I hear their upper range is quite nice). I'm curious to hear Neumanns and higher end monitors like ATC.


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## N.Caffrey (Jan 15, 2017)

Between the new dynaudio lyd and neumann kh 120?


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## Smikes77 (Jan 15, 2017)

My first time with the Neumanns I thought the sound was slightly dull in nature, but that`s because I was used to the Yamaha`s bright sound. Now my mixes are more reliable.

I`m not sure about the dynaudios, sorry I can`t help.


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## N.Caffrey (Jan 15, 2017)

I have a pair of Yamaha HS50 too, was looking to upgrade this year


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## InLight-Tone (Jan 15, 2017)

So many monitors so little time, eh space. Thanks for all the info guys!


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## ctsai89 (Jan 15, 2017)

Gerhard Westphalen said:


> I highly recommend the JBL LSR305. They're currently on sale. I just ordered another pair for height channels. I've heard that the 308 aren't as good.
> 
> I use BM5 mk3 as my mains and really like them. Some places are still carrying the BM's and have them on sale for being discontinued. I prefer them to some Genelecs I've worked on and an older Adam monitor which sounded pretty bad. I won't be getting Adam anytime soon (although I hear their upper range is quite nice). I'm curious to hear Neumanns and higher end monitors like ATC.



i have the JBL 305. THey get the job done really well. 

JBL's been in this kind of business for long enough and they really know what you would think music should sound like.

One thing I should mention that JBL lsr305 owners should watch out for is that it has less high end frequencies than other monitors like yahamah's 8 inch. I think it's a great thing to have a lot of mid but for example the shakers will sound too loud and you might not notice it on a JBL LSR 305 until you try it out on yamaha's 8 inch. Just make sure you have a good headphone to compare.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jan 15, 2017)

ctsai89 said:


> i have the JBL 305. THey get the job done really well.
> 
> JBL's been in this kind of business for long enough and they really know what you would think music should sound like.
> 
> One thing I should mention that JBL lsr305 owners should watch out for is that it has less high end frequencies than other monitors like yahamah's 8 inch. I think it's a great thing to have a lot of mid but for example the shakers will sound too loud and you might not notice it on a JBL LSR 305 until you try it out on yamaha's 8 inch. Just make sure you have a good headphone to compare.



From what I've heard, most small studios and nearfield monitors are a lot brighter than midfield monitors used in bigger studios so perhaps it's a good thing that they have less high end.


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## ctsai89 (Jan 15, 2017)

Gerhard Westphalen said:


> From what I've heard, most small studios and nearfield monitors are a lot brighter than midfield monitors used in bigger studios so perhaps it's a good thing that they have less high end.



I think it's a very very good thing. I don't get ear fatigue from JBL's ever. 

But just in case, one should have a headphone or another pair of monitors that's much brighter next to it just for safety's sake.


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## jcrosby (Jan 15, 2017)

InLight-Tone said:


> Hey guys and gals, I have a VERY weak link in my production chain and it's my speakers which are consumer grade crap. I've got decent headphones to compensate but I'm in the market to upgrade to some decent monitors.
> 
> I compose big cinematic stock music and some rock and pop. I'd like to spend around $1000 but willing to go higher if you feel that I need to.
> 
> I'd like to get a product I'll be happy with long term and would also like some decent bass, but am desiring to add a sub at a later date as I am a bass whore so the choice I make will have that on the radar. Thanks for any feedback!



There's a discussion similar to this called "low end' Issues?". There's a lot of complex issues with low end, and speakers are usually the least important factor. (Don't get me wrong, larger speakers have a wider range, and you typically 'get what you pay for' with a good pair of monitors... But if you're room interferes with the kind of low end it sounds like you want, it's basically like assuming a bigger band aid is fine for treating an open wound.) 

Without going into all the details of the thread, you should watch the interview below and consider what role your room will play before buying anything... Assuming you have an average room than you'd be better off buying higher end small to mid sized nearfield monitors than medium quality monitors larger drivers, or a sub...


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