Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Bennett Prescott

Bennett Prescott

Just This Guy, You Know?
Staff member
Jan 10, 2011
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Wallingford, CT
www.bennettprescott.com
I recently sold my excellent home listening system to someone who can actually get some use out of it, it sounded incredible and had very coherent phase response but way more output and LF extension than was practical (-3dB @ 25Hz and easily 110dB continuous at the couch!). A small live PA that sounded as good as most <$1K studio monitors, that I was barely using. Furthermore, in a few months I will be moving out of my spacious town house in CT into a considerably less spacious apartment in Boston, so size is a serious consideration. I just can't get away with a coffee-table sized subwoofer any more.

What I am looking for are some very good sounding "studio monitors". Output is a minor consideration, I rarely listen loud and when I do it's probably not what you'd call loud anyway. Low noise floor is important, reasonably good polar pattern is important, I'd like a -3dB point of 35Hz or better since I'll miss it if it's not there. I don't want to spend a lot of money since I know exactly what monitors I'd really like later in life and so these just need to be good enough.

I've listened to a lot of the ADAM stuff and it is very nice, but their less expensive (A series) offerings are not as good as I'd hoped.

I heard these new KRK monitors and I thought they were great, and the price is right (about $500 each). They are my top consideration right now. ROKIT RP10-3 Studio Monitors Speaker KRK SYSTEMS

Does anyone have some favorites? I won't be buying for a few months so I have plenty of time to go listen. Used is fine, but powered is a must. I have a DSP with which I can process them, but I'd rather not as it's kind of hard to hide 1RU in a small apartment and the fan noise will dominate the noise floor. I don't think it's reasonable to expect to find built in DSP equalization, but I wouldn't mind a LF shelf at least. Needing an external subwoofer to get low is something I'd really like to avoid.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

I just picked up 4 M-Audio BX5a from a forum member for $200. I'm going to use a pair with a Driverack and a homebrew sub and amp for a sub-$500 studio rig that I can tune to sound however I want.

If you're looking for something less complex, the M-Audio BX8a sound pretty decent alone, though not quite the extension you want. They're dirt cheap on eBay.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

I generally dislike KRK monitors, but haven't heard your specific pair.... The benefit your pair has is much more low end extension than my suggestions below. I'm pretty happy to listen to monitors that roll off around 50-60hz for most mixing/listening.

In the 1k price range:

I mix a lot of stuff on my pair of ADAM A7's (not the X) and love them.

Love the Focal CMS 50... haven't heard the its little brother but I assume its pretty good as well.

I would also look into the small Genelec's and the JBL LSR4326
 
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Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

For a grand, the KRK's you mention are fine if you are happy with their sonics. Anything I might suggest costs considerably more. From the perspective of what I look for in studio use, nothing KRK has wowed me, but I have not heard that particular model. For HiFi type use it is probably great, and probably enough to keep you happy.

I use JBL LSR4328's and have been very pleased with them, though they are more costly than your KRK's. They have a remote control and lots of connectivity options which is extremely useful from a practical perspective, and there is a corresponding sub if you need the extra LF.

If you want to spend some cash now and be happy for a very very very long time, Barefoot MM27 or MM35 are the ticket, but you might be eating KD for a while to finance them. There is little that can compete IMHO with the barefoots (esp in low end clarity), but they are a premium product with corresponding price. http://www.vintageking.com/Barefoot-Sound
 
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Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Bennett,

You could look into these: GedLee LLC

They use B&C drivers! He would probably sell you the boxes and crossovers, you could add the drivers yourself. Note I have not heard these boxes myself, maybe you have.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

I agree that the KRK line generally does not impress, but I thought this new 3 way was a big step up. I have only heard them at a trade show, but it was a small one, and they still worked well off axis. For $500 they really exceeded my expectations.

I didn't know that there were Focal monitors that could be had for so cheap! I'll have to check them out.

My general complaint with small monitors is limited HF ability, combined with funny polars or tubby bass from trying to ride one woofer for 5-6 octaves. Some of these little guys sound pretty good until you turn them up just a little, I don't have a high output requirement but I do want to be able to get reasonable output 10' away.

I have heard a lot of the high end stuff and I know what I am missing out on, I'm looking for something that sounds good enough and broad range enough that I can enjoy listening to it, not something that opens my eyes.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Jon,

Good point! There are several hi-fi makers using B&C parts, but I have been assuming that they are out of my price range, even if I can get B&C to give me the drivers. Once I have to add an amp, I'm immediately out of my price range.

Jon Waller said:
Bennett,

You could look into these: GedLee LLC

They use B&C drivers! He would probably sell you the boxes and crossovers, you could add the drivers yourself. Note I have not heard these boxes myself, maybe you have.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Are you looking at a mini home theater, or just music playback?

Are you concerned about size/shape of the apartment... (studio, 1br,Xbr).

JR
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Keeping speakers away from the floor and walls probably won't irritate your neighbors as much...

Low/modest SPL is easier with small boxes and fewer drivers, which also make for simpler crossovers.

Still seems like a personal choice... good luck I'm still using some old studio monitors but i rarely listen to music, I keep the tv on for background noise. I also have a huge sub that isn't even hooked up to an amp, but I'm single.

JR
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

John Roberts said:
Keeping speakers away from the floor and walls probably won't irritate your neighbors as much...

Low/modest SPL is easier with small boxes and fewer drivers, which also make for simpler crossovers.

Still seems like a personal choice... good luck I'm still using some old studio monitors but i rarely listen to music, I keep the tv on for background noise. I also have a huge sub that isn't even hooked up to an amp, but I'm single.
JR
Click to expand...

I am very interested to know how if the sub being hooked up relates to your relationship status. For research purposes of course.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

It is my understanding that "wives" don't appreciate objects larger than furniture interfering with living room aesthetics.

Of course this may be an old wives "tail", since I am not speaking from first hand experience.

JR
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

I've a set of Tannoy DMT 10s which are one of the "unloved" Tannoys because they are a bit ugly and for this reson quite cheap. OK passive but don't need much of an amp mine live on a Samson Servo 150 happily and IMO still amongst the best smallish monitors I've heard . G
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Been pretty happy with my Adam A5 and sub combo for apartment listening duties.

See if you can hunt down some Paradigm Signature or Reference stuff.
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Probably out of your price range, but Fulcrum Acoustic will have a new studio monitor coming out at Infocomm: RM28ac dual 8" Reference Monitor with Powersoft level 1 processing/amplification built in. Would look really nice in my home!!
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

Bennett, the powered Paradigm A2 is marketed to the hi-fi/home theater segment, but at $250 ea., they sound clear and neutral, and much better than the usual suspects in the $100 - 150 home studio market.
Paradigm A2 speakers hands-on video review - YouTube

Yamaha is back in the studio monitor scene with several powered variants of the old NS10, including the $200 HS50M. I've heard these at a friend's home studio, and they are very good, certainly very good for the money.
HS50M - HS Series - Studio Monitors - Music Production Tools - Products - Yamaha United States
 
Re: Best Bang for Buck Home Listening Monitors

I bought a pair of Electro-Voice Sentry 100 monitors ($100) and a Crown D-75 power amplifier ($100) that I think will blow away almost any of the lower end monitors out there today, and even some of the higher end monitors. You need a strong HF? How about an icepick to the ear! (Note: that's with Sentry 100's tweeter in the "flat" or +3dB position, it's actually much more reasonable at -3dB).

I have a second pair of the powered version (Sentry 100EL) that I got for $75 a monitor- they sound almost as good as the D-75 powered ones. I also have a pair of EV Interface 1 Series II which is a kinda-sorta consumer version of the Sentry. I power them with a Denon home theater amp and they sound really good too.
 
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