Reference monitors help... again!!

Hi!!

Yeah... another monitor thread on the internet!

I'm checking some monitor for my setup and I have $500 to throw at it.

I'm tired of searching through forums and discussions where nobody agree togheter but that's the only way I can get some feedback cause the music store here only have a Blue Sky Exo 1 and two JBL LSR2325P. So no way to actually test anything else there. So 3 hours and a headache later I decided to post here and interact with people instead.


Actually I'm testing the Blue Sky Exo and I must say that I'm really enjoying it so far. Maybe a little hard on the high-end but my room is not treated for now so I cannot tell. Obviously million miles away from my actual Altec Lansing for $99 at Future Shop!!


What I don't like about them and why I'll probably return them is because the sub is huge (the Exo 2 sub is smaller though, but the store here is no more a Blue Sky dealer) and I don't want the control hub, since I already control the volume from the Vs700 surface and I don't have any room to fit it on my desk.


I have yet to try the JBL.  I expect them to have a lesser low-end response but more details from the satellites and that's what I want.  I want my next purchase to be surgically accurate (for the price paid obviously) as smooth as possible on the high-end to avoid listening fatigue and without any external hub or anything.  I'll get a sub later this year if necessary.


So, my goals are as usual:


1. Smooth high-end
2. No hub 
3. No sub (all money spent on satellite quality)
4. Enough power/headroom (100watts or so)
5. Convincing bass
6.  $500 max
6. And obviously, as accurate as possible


So far my choices are:


1. JBL LSR2325P 
2. KRK Rokit RP5 G2
3. Alesis M1 MkII active
4. Mackie MR5
5. Yamaha HS50M
6. Behringer Truth B3030a... which I'm VERY currious about...


My problem is I can't test any of those so I have to do a blind act of faith, for now I'm balancing between the JBL, which I can have almost right now, or the intriguing Behringer B3030a...


Thanks for any help!!!

I have the MR5 pair... and they are pretty decent. The small 5" drivers will need some help from a sub. I added a Polk audio sub and am very happy with the result.

I run the entire rig at about 50% power....  The entire set up, the MR5's and the sub were right at $500 +/-

In this price range you will get some decent stuff but it will not be top of the line audiophile gear. But you knew that already.

In this price range you will get some decent stuff but it will not be top of the line audiophile gear. 

 
Very true, and a lot of times decent is all you really need.
 
Many people tend to forget (or not know) that some very good recordings are mixed on less than ideal monitors. The Yamaha NS-10s are arguably terrible - but their success track record cannot be argued at all. Jean-Marie Horvat does a lot of his mixing on Auratones - and swears by them.
 
$500 should get you a decent set of monitors. Next you need to devote a lot of time to listening to those monitors, learn what they can and cannot produce, then start to trust them. That takes time, and a lot of it.  
 
I don't have experience with the monitors in your list, so I can't comment on those. 

FWIW (this is a comment, not a recommendation) I've used the same monitors for about 5 years now, and the best thing I've ever done was stop switching out monitors. Over the years my mixes have gotten better, take less time, and translate over other systems better than ever. My monitors are not great (Passive, Canadian made Yorkville YSM-1i - http://www.yorkville.com/products.asp?id=119&cat=20&type=33), but I know exactly what they sound like and how they will translate (well, maybe not exactly - that's why each mix seems to get better)
 
Just my 2 cents on the subject.

Thanks to all you're all very kind to help me!

What I retain so far is whatever speaker I'll get I will have to get used to them first.

While listening to one of my mixes through the Exo system, I was immediately able to tell what was missing that I could not hear at all in my current setup.  That's what I don't want to happen again.

Tomorrow I'll bring the 5" JBL here for a test drive and I see no reasons right now why they wouldn't do the job properly.  If I'm able to fix my previous mixes with what I will hear through them then I'll keep them.

I've done a lot of my work so far on not so good gear but I've learned to work with them and their limitations instead of wanting them to do the job for me.  So I'm pretty shure the JBL LSR2325P will serve me well for the next chapter of my recording legacy!

I'll post tomorrow after I've hooked them and see what will happen then.

Thanks again!

If you are not listening at loud monitor levels.... 5" speakers with a small efficient sub will get you a long way. I agree with the Yamaha recommendation. The nice thing about 5" monitors is that they are usually damped pretty well for what low end they do put out...so there's usually  little excessive ringing at the 60 - 125 hz range. A 10" sub rounds out the bottom end and you can still monitor at decent levels if you want to.

Eotm

Many people tend to forget (or not know) that some very good recordings are mixed on less than ideal monitors. The Yamaha NS-10s are arguably terrible - but their success track record cannot be argued at all. Jean-Marie Horvat does a lot of his mixing on Auratones - and swears by them.

But then the mixes get sent to the mastering studio where they can fix everything that's wrong with the NS10 or Auratone mixes.

 
You actually think a mastering engineer is 'fixing' a Jean-Marie Horvat mix (from Auratones)? I doubt that very much - they are just enhancing it as they would ANY mix that is coming to them. When a pro mixing engineer knows what they are working on, they get it right and provide the mastering engineer exactly what is needed.
 
It all comes down to experience. If you know what you are working on, have a good set of ears and the gear is decent, you'll get good results. You don't need $5K speakers to make good great mixes! (although all the power to you if you can afford them, I will admit they would be great to have)
 

These are all great suggestion thanks a lot everyone!

The JBL LSR2325P are wired right now and I'm listening several things through them.  So far I really feel that I could work with them. I fixed some of my older mix and I really like the clarity they offer.

Of course sub-bass is harder, even impossible to process but I found my Sennheiser HD518 not bad at all for this. Anyway whatever 5 inchs monitor I'll get will need a sud eventually.

I agree the Mackies look really nice and will provide better low end response without a sub and are in my budget, and so are the 8" Behringer...

I need to think a little more...

The JBLs are fine speakers, and I think they hit the exact price/performance spot. You can spend a lot more and get better, and you can spend less and get much worse, but for sheer value I think the JBLs are the ones, especially when you set up a proper subwoofer system.

My main studio monitors are Genelecs, but for my home studio purchase the JBLs are on the short list.

Drop in a 10" 100w sub and feel the music.