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I'm interested in purchasing a pair of reference monitors (my budget is around $300-350 US). I'd like to know what are some good CDs or sounds to use to do a comparison test and what are some important things to listen for during the comparison.

btw, I'm considering between ESI nEar05 eXperience and KRK Rokit Powered 5 (RP5).

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Comments

anonymous Wed, 11/30/2005 - 17:41

You should also take music similar to the styles you want to make/record. I demo'd Event TR-8s and thought they were freakin awesome, but I only had enough for TR-5s and when I got home I realized they weren't giving me a good description of the low end and I'm making techno music (low end really matters). So I went back in a week and a little more green and upgraded to the TR-8s.

Calgary Wed, 11/30/2005 - 19:54

I love my TR8s, and I tried out every monitor in that price range before deciding on them. That doesn't mean I think the others are bad, I just preferred these and I think that's what you have to look at since the core goal is for you to be able to relate the sound you hear from the monitors to sound in the "real world". Only you know what sounds best to you. :)

Some of the best recordings I've ever heard were recorded in a very colored environment but the engineer knew exactly how to manage the color. :)

I've seen photos of Marcus Miller working on tracks with just a laptop and a small pair of monitors. And I consider him to be a scary talent with some very fine productions under his belt. The key is that he understood exactly how the sound on those little monitors would relate to the real world. I think that's really the essence of what a monitor should be, a comfortable, reliable tool for you to position your productions optimally within the realm of sound. 8-)

anonymous Wed, 11/30/2005 - 20:05

I agree. I did a lot of research, online and in forums, and picked up magazines that reviewed monitors. I then went into the store and forgot all about everything I read and opened my ears and closed my eyes. I demo'd about 6 other pairs and always kept going back to the TR-8s.

Look for a monitor that lets you "look" into the music and reveals every part of the mix.