thux Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 I have $500 to spend on a pair of active monitors ($500 street price). Here's the dilemma...I need to find the most accurate studio monitors I can for $500. But everyone gives me the 'spend $900 and get the Mackie HR624's'..., great monitors but I do not have $900! The choice is a tough one, but for $500 street price there are units like the Behringer Truths, KRK V4's, Alesis M1 Mk2's, M-Audio BX8's, Events, Samson Resolv's and the Yamaha and Roland choices... Is there an active monitor to be had for $500 that really delivers the goods????
bond1 Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 I've had the Alesis M1 actives for about 2 years and my mixes translate well, i have no complaints.
zele Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 Events 20/20 will perform quite well,,,,,, http://fp2k.redshift.com/cjogo/crystalrecording.htm cjogo C Jo Go Crystal Studios http://fp2k.redshift.com/cjogo/recording_studio.htm
Gtoledo3 Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 The alesis are happenin for the price. Maybe you should try to get a used power amp. If you could get a decent quality amp used, you could have it around for when/if you ever try to upgrade you speakers. The whole active thing is overhyped. Want mix/tracking feedback? Checkout "The Fade"- www.grand-designs.cc/mmforum/index.php The soon-to-be home of the "12 Bar-Blues Project"
thux Posted February 14, 2003 Author Posted February 14, 2003 anyone thoughts on The Behringer Truth's?
vintagevibe Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I had the original Alesis Monitor One's which I didn't like. I got the Event's and have made great mixes that hold up well on other systems. I'm quite pleased.
Audiobotica Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 When I last evaluated powered near fields the answer was no. (1 1/2 years ago) I opted for the Tannoy Reveal Actives for $700/pr and am very happy with them. Yours in Music, Ben Fury
aliengroover Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I've had the chance to "properly" check out the Truths and I really like them, and plan on purchasing them as a second monitor. I threw out my bias long ago. They, like most other "bang for the buck" companies make some great gear and some really, really crappy gear. These monitors are in the really good, but not nearly great category. Maybe a little hyped on both ends (what cheap monitor isn't?), but not too bad to me. EQ magazine gave them a good review last year. At the price the TR8s are good, as are the Alesis. I've also gotten good word on the NHTPro A-10s (the bigger brother A-20s is reviewed in some other magazine this month), which are available from American Musical for less than $450. But monitors are subjective. All asking here can do is give you some opinions. The NS10s are HATED by seemingly every other person, yet tons of engineers swear by them daily. Some people say the Mackies have too much bottom, others say too little. It's all about spending time and learning your set, no matter what you get. Only you can be happy with them. Peace If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking 'til you do suck seed!
Dylan Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 The Thruths couldn't be further from accurate. I love my JBL LSR25P's, FWIW. I tried every other speaker in this price range and they all sounded "hyped" to me. I got the pair for $500 last year and haven't regretted it. They sound very honest to me and are easy to listen to. They could use a sub to help extend the low end, but it's not required.
Rim Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I like my M-Audio SP-8Bs and my mixes translate well. The only problem I had were with the low end which is not a problem any more since I got the SP-8S sub. I'm gonna be happy with this setup for a long time. :thu: I previously had the original Alesis M1s powered by the RA100 but my mixes didn't translate well on them. I've read though, that the problem was more with the RA100 amp and not the speakers. Never checked it out myself and just went with the M-Audio setup. aka riffing Double Post music: Strip Down http://rimspeed.com http://loadedtheband.com
Phil_Grove Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I'm sure someone would have given you this advice before, but... Go to a store with as many of these range of speakers in & listen for as long as it takes to make a decision. It's very difficult to compare the speaker you heard last week in shop A to the one today in shop B. You will be amazed when you compare them how different they sound. Listen for clarity, stereo imaging, high end distortion, & everything else you consider important. It's so much easier this way. By the way, I went with the Tannoy Reveals (more for bang for buck than absolute quality) and hated the Behringers.
thux Posted February 15, 2003 Author Posted February 15, 2003 that's one of the toughest problems...not all the stores have a wide range that you can sit down and listen to a whole bunch of speakers in the same environment. Here's the thing...obviously the under $500 thing is all about compromise. The Behringers sound ok, they are loud and well made, but the tops and bottoms are hyped more than they should be, therefore making them inaccurate in my terms, the Alesis M1 Mk2 sounds ok as well, but there is something not quite right in the low end, although i think it is good value. The Tannoy actives sound a little more precise but lack low end and are a lot more expensive than the Behringer and Alesis...and they are not worth that much more! I have not heard a NHTpro a10 system, yet. The KRK V4's sounded a little more accurate to my ears but lacked definition in the low end...and i did not want to go out and get a sub...perhaps i will have to...i did listen to these in a different room to the others. The best pair i heard was the very one i could not afford (i know it's often the case!), the Mackie 624 and even then i thought that whilst they were accurate when you turned them up the top end became splashy and harsh - (as did the Behringers). Ultimately it is what you can mix on, that translates well, but you have to live with these speakers day in and day out, so i am struggling to make a decision... I was in the UK a few weeks ago and have a freind with a decent hi-fi system, he had bought a new set of speakers - Quad L11 and was powering them with a Nad amplifier. And i spent a lot of time listening to them and for what it is worth they sounded way better than any of the studio monitors. I know, i know studio monitors are not supposed to sound good they are supposed to sound accurate. Well under $500 they are niether good nor accurate!
ViLo Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Rim: [b]I like my M-Audio SP-8Bs and my mixes translate well. The only problem I had were with the low end which is not a problem any more since I got the SP-8S sub. I'm gonna be happy with this setup for a long time. :thu: [/b][/quote]I have the M-Audio BX8's and they are great! Jesus Is Coming, Make Music, Get Ready!
thux Posted February 15, 2003 Author Posted February 15, 2003 the Quads retail for 350 pounds in the UK
michael saulnier Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I have the Events and I like them very much. They sound great. I have them connected to my Roland VS-880ex and I like the fact I don't have to have a seperate amp to power them. Oh. It's nice to post on a "music topic" for a change! :wave: guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com
Boggs Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=SRS65A&P1=MON . You can try 'em for 10 days and if you find they don't suit your purposes, all it will cost you is the return shipping. They do make some excellent gear. Boggs Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com
Gtoledo3 Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 When auditioning any speaker with rear ports, you really need to pay attention to what the wall behind the speakers is doing to the sound. Want mix/tracking feedback? Checkout "The Fade"- www.grand-designs.cc/mmforum/index.php The soon-to-be home of the "12 Bar-Blues Project"
thux Posted February 15, 2003 Author Posted February 15, 2003 What? I did not realize that Carvin did monitors - will check this out! Also see that Zzounds.com are selling the Alesis Mk2 actives for $349.95 for the pair with $5 ground shipping...that's way decent!
thux Posted February 16, 2003 Author Posted February 16, 2003 any other final ideas - monitors worth auditioning?
thux Posted February 16, 2003 Author Posted February 16, 2003 has anyone heard the Yorkville YSM-1P monitors?
Nawledge Posted February 16, 2003 Posted February 16, 2003 what kind of music do you do? and let us know what you decided on when your done with your journey.
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