benstat
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Cheap Monitors
Hi, I need a pair of monitors, for as little money as possible. Ideally they should also be as small in size. It's for occasional mixing/mastering use in a very simple home studio. All I want is excellent sound quality, in a very small size, for almost no money. That's not too much to ask is it?! I'd be very grateful for any suggestions as I know NOTHING about monitors. Many thanks, benstat
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Scoobie
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/19 19:36:41
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What do you consider to be ............."almost no money" ????? That just might help someone answer your question. Tim
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benstat
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 05:06:06
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Scoobie What do you consider to be ............."almost no money" ????? That just might help someone answer your question. Tim Fair point - I suppose I would like to pay up to £150/$250, but I accept I may not be able to get much at all for that kind of money. If there is a particular make/model that is known to be a good budget buy, and it's more than that, then I would still consider it. Thanks again.
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twaddle
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 08:54:45
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I'm kind of in the same boat as you ben (read above post) although I'm prepared to buy the more costly ones I would much rather spend money elsewhere. The Genelecs that my friend wants to sell me do seem to have great reviews and he'll do them at £400 instead of £500 which is great but £200 or £300 would be much better. I think you really need to hear your mixes in them and compare them with others first which I suggetsed in one of my posts in the above thread. Then you have to take in to account the fact that you're listening to them in a different room than you have at home. I wish the shop would let me pay a deposit and have them for a week on trial but of course they wouldn't be able to sell used speakers at the same price so I can't blame them. Steve
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EasTexGuy
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 09:11:42
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I likewise, needing to be conservative, spoke at length with my friend at a local music store. Understanding my budget needs he recommended a pair of Fostex PM0.4n speakers. The owner of the place also has a pro studio in the adjacent suite where we hooked up the speakers for 'preview'. I bought the pair and they have worked very nicely in my little home setup. Musician's Friend is listing them atm for $199 usd.
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batsbrew
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 10:25:40
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you will only be wasting your time buying 'cheap' monitors. better off, to find some old used stereo speakers, and use those. a/b that mix, against some decent ear buds. don't throw your money away for no good reason. save it instead, until you can get some 'real' monitors.
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benstat
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 11:02:38
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I did wonder if I'd be wasting my time getting cheap ones. I'll look into the Fostex PM0.4n's (I have a pair of 10 year old Fostex phones and they are great), so maybe A/B'ing between those two might work? Anyway, thanks again.
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AT
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 13:06:16
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The purpose of having music monitors is too get an unflattering listen to your music and listen to any bad bottom end problems (gee, that sounds like a punk band name). If you only had a couple of hundred to spend, it is best to think of them as future home listening pleasure speakers. You can work on them for a while, and check your mixes on boom boxes/car, etc. and find many problems. Whether you can fix these problems is another question if you can't hear them. That being said, SOS has some good monitor reviews of cheaper units. I think Samson or rubicon (?) had some ribbon tweeter speakers that Paul White thought were decent for $300 (?). I'd run through the SOS site and see if I could find his recommendation. You might find something cheaper. I think he did the Fostex, too. Reviewers usually don't come out and say this product sux, but if you read between the lines you can tell if they think it is good for the money.
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Brando
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 15:42:42
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benstat Hi, I need a pair of monitors, for as little money as possible. Ideally they should also be as small in size. It's for occasional mixing/mastering use in a very simple home studio. All I want is excellent sound quality, in a very small size, for almost no money. That's not too much to ask is it?! I'd be very grateful for any suggestions as I know NOTHING about monitors. Many thanks, benstat These are wonderful (IMO)! Prodipe Pro 8 Powered monitors In June I purchased them for $209 a pair - they are listed at $289/pair now. Read the reviews on them. They are well respected, especially in Europe. Initially I wanted them as a second reference set for my KRK RP6's which I have had for a while. The Prodipe 8's give me much better low end definition, and overall my mixes translate better. I know there is at least 1 SONAR user of the Pro 8's with ribbon tweeters which are a bit more. His assessment caused me to look more closely at them, and in the end I decided I wanted the conventional (dome) tweet instead of the ribbons - Do a search - you might be able to locate them cheaper elsewhere. Amazon/Music Factory Direct is the only on-line outlet I could find them at in NA - but there seem to be a few selling them oversees. Mine came with switchable voltage, and I had to change the fuses and the power cord (both supplied) for NA. <EDIT> - the Pro 5's are going for $229. Can't say how they would be - if size really is a critical consideration maybe they would suit you better. For the $60 difference I personally would go with the 8's without hesitation.
post edited by Brando - 2010/08/20 15:47:27
Brando Cakewalk, Studio One Pro, Reaper Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL ASUS Prime Z370-A LGA1151, 32GB DDR4, Intel 8700K i7, 500 GB SSD, 3 x 1TB HDD, Windows 10 Pro 64
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Thatsastrat
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 19:50:55
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I picked up a pair of M-Audio AV 40 monitors at about 150.00 They seam to work well for my small studio. As others have said in different reviews, that the bass is lacking, this is true, but I don't seem to miss the deep bass not being their, and work that fact into my mixing. I enjoy having them.
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bitflipper
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Re:Cheap Monitors
2010/08/20 23:44:40
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Here are couple to consider: Alesis M1 Active MkII $300 Behringer Truth B2031A were $350 IIRC, but have been superseded by a newer model. For folks on a tight budget, I always recommend buying used speakers. It's not like buying a used bass amp or PA - studio monitors are usually kept in good condition so second-hand purchases are pretty safe. There is always a supply of entry-level monitors available because everybody eventually upgrades.
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