Help me pick my next monitors?

     Using bx5a's right now. They get nice and loud but to me thats better for listening to already mastered music, not troubleshooting. What monitor would you reccomend for clarity? id prefer they be active monitors.

thanks. will do. so size plays a bigger role in clarity then brand does. what about passive/active does that really matter

I always like JBL's. Just listened to the small ones (5" woofer and tweet) over at GC and they have a nice stereo image and some like those (since the budget sucks and they are cheaper), but then I thought I already have JBL passive speakers (older) with 8" speakers and a tweet that do just as well (almost) with my NAD amp. I suppose the JBL's with 8" and tweet in their active monitors sound really good also, but the ones with the self-calibration cost over twice as much (calibrate to room). $700 vs. $1599 or something like that.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR2325P/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR2328P
http://www.sweetwater.com.tore/detail/LSR4328Ppak/

ah, $1559 I guess but enough.

http://www.sweetwater.com.tore/detail/LSR4326Ppak/
and then the ones with the 6" woofer.

Actually they have a hefty bigger one with the 8" speaker that puts out more amp power which is actually made in the USA instead of now I think China.
They sound fine and the stereo image is fine, but still people swear to have isolation pads and speaker stands for any of those to help, but the small ones did not put out all that much power, still more than what I have for computer speakers right now, but not all that much more, probably just enough.
Oh, well, have my old passive speakers and music speakers and my 30 year old NAD amp that still works (with a little computer electronics cleaner to clean it up with) if I even use it.
I suppose the small ones would just be loud enough if not wanting it too loud.

My old speakers here (songs not done so great at first).
http://www.youtube.com/user/grumpalf
Don't go by anything I done, for I am just getting to the point of trying to make better done songs, but being older I am not actually going to do all that much.
Just keeps me busy ( and perhaps too broke since it all costs money and I have other considerations nowadays).

This is a great deal for a pair of bx8a Deluxe's. $249.00 I have been extremely happy with mine.
 
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/m-audio-studiophile-bx8a-deluxe-active-monitors/600740000000000

I respectfully suggest looking at a local vendor for monitors.  Try them out in their studio or demo room to really figure out what they sound like.  Also, avoid the following problem:
 
I purchased a pair of Alesis active monitors (M1 Active 520) from a very good online merchant.  They shipped them to me and I saved a couple dollars.  Several weeks after arriving the active crossover in one of them developed a fault.  The tweeter was silent when the response adjusting controls were set to a certain position.  Of course, the setting was the one that previously sounded best, just not so hot with a dead tweeter.
 
Called the vendor up.  Well, you're outside the 30 day return period so you need to send the pair to Alesis for warranty service.  Called Alesis for information.  Ship both of them to us, they said, we'll check them out and if there is a problem we'll send you a replacement pair.  Okay, that's good.
 
Now the bad part:  the cost to ship them to Alesis was almost $60.  Active monitors are heavy after all.  Then Alesis wanted 60 days to turn them around.  No thanks and no thanks.  I kept them, took the not so properly working speaker apart, replaced a defective resistor in the crossover and was back up and running.  I will add that it was a royal PITA to get to the bad resistor.
 
As a result I now purchase "freight heavy" items only from local dealers with in house support / repair facilities.  I live in the Houston area so there are plenty to chose from.  And I have since spent money with the online vendor that I bought the Alesis monitors from.  It wasn't their fault and they did honor their stated policies on returns and/or service.
 
Just that little problem with the cost of freight to the service facility.
 
Good Luck ASG.  A new set of monitors is always a fun thing!
 
 

You didn't mention a budget range, but I'll give a thumbs up to the JBL LSR4326p. Active nearfields with a 6,25" driver which is more than adequate in smaller spaces. Been using them for more than 2 years now. 

Yes, I would also recommend an 8" woofer as a good place to start so you're not missing information below 55hz or so. Beyond that, that best thing to do is to go and listen to several models (hopefully in the same room) and decide which model translates best. For every user review you read about brand X being the best monitor in the known universe, you'll find another opinion somewhere saying the opposite. You really have to listen to them and then decide.

I agree with your recommendation, but not the link you posted... 

http://www.sweetwater.com.tore/detail/LSR4326Ppak/

batsbrew


it's hard to make a recommendation without a maximum spending budget.

+1
 
 

And who can afford monsters like that?!!

+1 for JBL LSR4326 and also  the NHT M-00 which are soon to be out of production.   Also recommended are the smaller NHT's.   Small price, non ported accurate sound.

-Tonecirlce