I'm going to buy a couple of studio monitors...small, with 5" woofer.
Wich is the best money/quality relation between this monitors:
KRK rp5, M-AUDIO bx5-a, ESI Near-05

My recommendation would be that you save your money for a while and buy something better. I'm very snobbish about monitors, because monitors are the device through which we hear the work that we do... if they are not full-frequency, clean, uncolored and top-notch, we're really guessing.

Bill

AMEN!!!

Preach on, brother!

The Rockit 5's are quite amazing, a good investment. Good solid bass, acurate mid/high's, definitely above what their size/price would indicate.

I recently bought a pair of KRK RP8G2's. I think they're very good for the money and I can't think of any other speaker that delivers more at this price.

Bill, I do not disagree, but I think it needs to be qualified a bit.

The monitors are only as good as the room they are in. A great pair of speakers in an untreated (or untreatable) room is a waste of money.

I think an average set of monitors (like those BX5's) and an average set of headphones (like a set of AKG K66s) in a somewhat treated room is better room is better than a great set of monitors in a miserable room.

If you are not going to treat your room or you cannot treat your room, buy something that works and get a set of headphones and learn how to deal (testing mixes on different sources, etc). A pain in the arse, but necessary at times (my situation).

Agreed. Unless you have cash to burn, I wouldn't go balls-out on a pair of monitors unless you're doing pro mixes and your room is optimized first. Not knowing what the room is like, I would probably include at least some basic treatment materials in with your monitor budget. Instead of budgeting big bucks for monitors, go with a solid, decently-priced set of monitors like the Rockits and use the extra money to purchase some bass traps, acoustic panels, etc. The room itself is just as important (if not more so) than the monitors being used.

Edit: By the way, to directly answer the original poster's question, I'm not familiar with the ESIs, but I think the Rockits are among the best you can get at that price point. I don't particularly like most M-Audio gear that I've come into contact with it. I've always found M-Audio gear to have a Behringer-like cheaply-made feel to it, but maybe that's just me. The Rockits would be my choice, but it's really all about what sounds best to you.

There is no doubt about that, and I totally agree. Anyone who has hung around the forum for a while or has read my articles and writing knows that usually when I speak of monitors, I speak fo the entire system, which includes the room.

But there is no evidence that the room in question IS miserable. And the idea that one should buy something less because something else in the setup is less than ideal just looks to me like throwing good money after bad. Buying into mediocrity? I have trouble swallowing that, in the area of quality audio, because I care so much about quality audio, and because they are tools that I use every day. On the other hand, I might buy certain other types of tools at Harbor Freight, because I don't need them to be of great quality or to last a long time. I guess it depends upon your focus.

Bill

if you want some good monitoring save your money and go buy something like...genelec....adam.....mackie hr824.....go on ebay take a look for yamaha ns10 if you buy some of those 5 inches woofer you gonna need to buy an active subwoofer for ear your kick and your bass if not everything gonna sound all good in your monitor but listnen it in another sound system and thats gonna be TOO MUCH BASS AND KICK OR NOT ENOUGH CAUSE YOU DONT EAR IT ya hearddddddd

one

You do not need to spend 4 figures for good monitoring. I know several musicians who have project studios with the KRK Rockit 5's that turn out excellent recordings. They have excellent bass response and do NOT require a subwoofer for accurate bass management.

They are an excellent choice, and IMO you will not be unhappy with them for your usage.

FWIW, I'd take them over the Mackies any day.