dsteinschneider Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I was tired of using headphones for practice so I took a pair of passive 4" Micca desktop speakers and a Lepai 20W amp I had sitting around and hooked it up to my keyboard rig. It sounds OK but I would like to get something better. Can anyone recommend 6-8" active speakers that are on the lower end cost wise but sound good for practicing piano, B3 etc. A bonus would be if they are loud enough for a low volume practice. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajstan Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I have the JBL 305p MKii monitors ($298 per pair) and really like them. They sound great with pianos, organs and synths on my NS3. I find the 5' to have more than sufficient frequency response for accuracy when programming sounds and practicing. They also have 6' and 8' options. ($398 and $498 per pair respectively). Since they"re near-field monitors, they would be ok for a quiet practice, but not in too big of a room. Quote Nord Stage 3 HA88, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Casio CT-S1, Radial Key Largo, Westone AM Pro 30, Rolls PM55P, K&M 18880 + 18881, Bose S1 Pro, JBL 305p MKII, Zoom Q2n-4K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docbop Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I use a pair of Yamaha HS7 that have 6.5" woofer and sound very good on the all the sounds in my Roland RD-2000. I have friends using the IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors and love the sound and they cost for a pair about what my Yamaha's do for a single speaker. In beginning I was use an old set of KRK Rokit 5's and they were nice too, but like all the Rokit the bass is very hyped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 +1 on the JBL 305p - great bang for the buck. Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteinschneider Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 Thanks, I'll check out the JBL 305p's The practice room is 15x15 ft with an 8' ceiling. The drums are edrums going through TS115a's so volume is fairly easy to control although things get fairly loud sometimes. Guitar, bass, keys and drums playing typical rock covers. Keyboard parts are piano and B3 mostly. I know it's hard to estimate but do you think the 6" would do the job for the above situation at ideal volume (not loud enough to feel like I should put my Etymotic ER-15's in)? Maybe I shouldn't be trying to cover these two different use scenarios with near fields. I probably should get something even bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toey Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I'll second the Yamaha HS7s. Pair very nicely with my Kawai MP11. Quote Kawai MP11, Kurzweil SP6, Arturia Keylab49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoMan51 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I don"t think studio near field monitors are going to be anywhere near loud enough to practice with a band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esfusion Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 +1 on the iLoud Micro Monitors. I have them at my vacation place and they rival the Adam A-7s I have in my home studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteinschneider Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 I PianoMan51 is right. I'm going to find some affordable FRFR's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteinschneider Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 Coming back with just about a year of experience. I ended up buying JBL Eon 610's. They sound very good for rehearsal but for practice they worked but weren't optimal for two reasons. 1. They have a white noise that you dont' hear with other players in the room but it's very noticeable when you're by yourself 2. They are pretty large so have to be back at least a foot behind the keyboard to get the nearfield triangle placement correct So, they were a great choice for rehearsal and not so great for practice. A few weeks ago a friend gave me a pair of AudioEngine 5+ powered speakers. Though the target customer for them is computer and home theater they do a great job for the keyboard. The lesson here is that powered nearfields will be better for practice and something JBL Eon's (QSC K8.2's if you've got the budge) are what you need for rehearsal and small venues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irena Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 If you end up favoring good-for-practice over good-for-band-rehearsals, I'd add the iLoud MTM's to the list. They're priced on the higher end of the monitors discussed in this thread at about $650/pr street, but they might be something to consider. I'm two weeks into practicing solo with them and very impressed so far. They sound a little boxy for acoustic piano practice (as does every monitor in my experience), but are still serviceable for that and to my ears they sound fantastic for EP's, B3, etc. As many reviewers have written, the bottom end is mind-blowing for their size. Also, if you ever end up needing near-field reference monitors, the ARC calibration is a breeze to use and a fantastic implementation considering the price point. Before buying them I also looked at the often-overlooked ART RM5's which allegedly work very well for solo keyboard practice (and I imagine might get a bit louder than the MTM's given the design and the amp specs), but I chose the MTM's on the hunch that they would work better for me when I needed reference monitors. Quote B/Midiboard/VirusKC/Matrix12/EX5/Maschine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I have a pair of Pre Sonus Eris 4.5 which sound pretty good and for the pair you should find they cost far less than a pair of the JBL 305 will cost. Quote Col Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docbop Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I use a pair of Yamaha HS7 for my keyboard and like them a lot. I have them sitting a Auralex Monitor Isolation pads because I live in an apartment and no complaints. I would of got the Yamaha HS8's but I didn't have enough space. Didn't realize I already posted on this topic and too late to delete this post. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymb1 Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I have a pair of Roland CM-30 Cube Monitors that have done well for me for the last few years. Quote Casio PX5s, XWP1 and CPS SSV3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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