At Cheap New Sounds: Buying Studio Monitors That Won’t Break the Bank
By Max on Apr 13, 2008 in Home Recording
If you love music and recording as much as any electronics geek does, then cheap, boxy sounding speakers are not welcome in your home, car or office.
At the same token, if you read about electronics as much as an electronics guru, you already know that a good set of speakers, no matter how much you love them, doesn’t last forever.
After being kicked, moved and moved again, played too loudly and all around mistreated, your favorite sounds can wind up sounding like they were sung by a country singer in a tin can. Which is why I went on the hunt for these great deals:
Get the Job Done
For $300-400 you can get the simple but reliable MK2 Monitor One made by Alesis. Alesis has an excellent reputation in professional recording and these cuties feature 6.5 inch low-frequency drivers, a magnetically shielded 1 inch silk dome-tweeter, flat frequency response, awesome bass response, a special cone and so on.
If you have more like $500, the M1 Active 520 and the M1 Active 620 are both a step up with additional features like a low frequency woofer for crisp-sounding bass and midrange, high precision drivers, acoustical wave guide, 1 inch thick baffle, a TRS connector with volume control, hi, mid and low frequency EQ switches and a rear port. Oh, and don’t forget the power-switch and light bar for your convenience.
The Recording Connoisseur
The serious recording artist, no matter your method, should know about the entire KRK studio monitor line. My ultimate goal in perfecting my own recording studio would be a combination of 4 KRK V8s, one KRK V88 and a KRK V12 S Subwoofer. This is a full 5.1 surround system and will cost between $3,000 and $5,000 for speakers and a modest conversion set up. And that price may not include the mark up for their rarity as the V series has been discontinued. For more information about an awesome KRK system, check out their site at www.krksys.com.
Home Systems for Less
High end studio monitors like Alesis and KRK sound lovely but when doing serious recording, speakers are needed in a series. If you have to resort to using a home surround system for playback to save money, be sure to get the serious stuff. Bose would obviously be my first choice but I would not recommend buying a set of Bose speakers from Target or any other unspecialized retailer. Buying a Bose system is best done online at their website www.bose.com.
When you’re looking to save even more than Bose can offer you, my last choice would be Kenwood. I would prefer to keep a high end Kenwood in my car but when you’re on a budget, you’re on a budget. Get the high end Kenwood system until you have more cash for something serious but avoid their small speakers. I find that with Kenwood, no matter how old fashioned it seems, bigger is better.
What To Avoid
It’s really a shame to knock hard working professionals but the truth must be told. Avoid using the Yamaha NS10. In fact, I would not resort to using Yamahas for anything other than their high end home surround system for watching DVDs.
Lastly, I would highly recommend you avoid Sony speakers. The once cutting edge leader in home surround and even professional equipment, has now been reduced to every shelf in its mass marketed domination.
Don’t get me wrong. Sony makes great boom boxes for the rockers and hoppers that don’t need crisp, clear sounds. But as a recording artist, Sony products, in my opinion, have become almost disposable and their sound quality will leave you grinding porcelain.
