Looking For Decent Low Cost Monitors

What characterizes "decent" varies greatly. Many will tell you anything in the price range you seek is anything but decent. The KRK rokkit monitors are very popular among the budget conscious. Behringer truth series are decent in my opinion for the money, despite how polarizing opinions on the brand can be. The Samson resolve series is also not bad in that price range. I would suggest you go to local place like Guitar Center (or similar chain large enough to have a large selection of monitors set up to audition) and take a listen. Keep in mind that most will sound relatively good because they are set up in a room designed to sound great, but it's a start.

For the record.... I personally disliked the rockits and found them really unbalanced. I fought with trying to get my mixes to translate to other systems as it was not even close to a flat representation. I'd work on cans for a bit, save more money and buy a decent set later if I had to do it over again. Even on the lower end Make sure to go with a set of 8" speakers or so, so that you get better low range response and regardless of what monitors you get you have to spend hours listening to music you know well on them to tune your ears to the speakers.

Do I need an amp if I have a FireBox interface?

zoobooboozoo


Do I need an amp if I have a FireBox interface?

You don't need an amp if you buy powered monitors.  If you buy unpowered monitors (monitors without built-in amps) then you need an amp.
 
As for your budget, Craigslist might be your friend.  It's going to be hard to find brand new monitors at that price point that will do the job.

zoobooboozoo

Price range 100-200$, preferably around 150$.

Nothing decent at that price point.  Try looking on eBay for a used pair.  Alternatively, get one single speaker and work in mono.

The Equator Audio D5 has made a big splash and go for $300. I think the Yamaha HS50 costs about the same. I would not bother looking for anything cheaper than that.

I have an interM PA2000 amp. Would it be better to buy powered or un-powered monitors?(I don't have to use the amp...) is there a difference in price?

is it any more possible to find hifi speakers that are neutral in that price range? 

I think it's important to gauge what the OP's standards are.  No professional studio or home recording artist planning on actually distributing music is likely to use a monitor in that price range, but if someone just needs something to get a rough idea on and plansd to finish mixing and mastering elsewhere it may work for basic needs.  I have known well respected producers in their respective genres that have used fairly modest monitors at home.  None would argue that these compared in any way shape or form to what they used in their studio of choice  but felt it was a huge upgrade over your basic computer speakers.  A person mixing backing tracks for their child's school assembly could easily get by using $99 m-audio basic model.  Would it be better top spend more money and get a better monitor?  Of course, but if someone has a fixed budget limit, I suspect they have some idea they are not getting what the big boys use.

dubdisciple


I think it's important to gauge what the OP's standards are.  No professional studio or home recording artist planning on actually distributing music is likely to use a monitor in that price range, but if someone just needs something to get a rough idea on and plansd to finish mixing and mastering elsewhere it may work for basic needs.  I have known well respected producers in their respective genres that have used fairly modest monitors at home.  None would argue that these compared in any way shape or form to what they used in their studio of choice  but felt it was a huge upgrade over your basic computer speakers.  A person mixing backing tracks for their child's school assembly could easily get by using $99 m-audio basic model.  Would it be better top spend more money and get a better monitor?  Of course, but if someone has a fixed budget limit, I suspect they have some idea they are not getting what the big boys use.

What the "big boys" use should be out of reach of anyone not expecting a return on their investment. But IMO there's a certain price point where speakers marketed as "monitors" start to be of any real use compared to consumer gear. 


I, for one, would much rather be mixing on my cheap but fairly neutral Denon bookshelf speakers (assuming I already have a stereo amp, like the OP does) compared to KRK Rokits, which are basically disco blasters in my, and many others', opinion. 

I'm not a fan of the krk stuff myself, but there are enough people who swear by them to totally dismiss them. as being useless just because they are not my cup of tea.  I can certainly say that i have heard recordings from people using them that sounds as good as anything anyone on this board has produced.  not sure how the hell they did it, but can't argue with results.

I use Equator D5's and a pair of ATH M50 headphones.  I installed acoustic foam in my room and as a result, my mixes are translating much better to the outside world.  Overall, this was a fairly small investment.  

If you can't quite afford something decent, go with a good pair of phones like Bit suggested.  Save your money and get some decent speakers when you can.  It will be totally worth it.

Rimshot