I wish for every small budget like yours that there was a clear defined solution.....but there isnt. You can get a really nice pair of headphones for $200 or so but mixing on phones doesnt really get you a true representation of the total soundscape. There ARE speakers billed as 'studio monitors' in the price range but I'd be hesitant to cll them that in real usage.

I dont know if you have access to a used listing like cr----slist where you are, but your best bet is to add another $50 or so to your budget and keep an eye on that if you can.

Another thing to look for is used bookshelf sized stereo speakers. Not big floor sized models but 'bookshelf' speakers. You might find some in real wood and they tend to be a little more honest in their reproduction than the bigger stereo speakers. Simpler design....2-way and a crossover. You'll have to provide an amp for these but a small stereo power amp like a Crown D75 isnt a lot of cash and has an very sweet sound.

Monitors are something you learn about listening to your mixes through other systems. If you can make your mixes 'translate' to other systems...ie: car, iPod, boombox etc then it doesnt matter what you're using and what they cost.

If you dnt have the money to get some decent speakers, i would suggest you go get some headphones until you save some money to spend on decent speakers. KrK are good and not the most expensive monitors.

For headphones i have a pair of AKG k271 mkii, like them a lot.

Good info, thanks so much. My friend sent me a link for nice looking KRK Rockit 6 Monitor Gen 2 for 150 a piece. I got excited at first thinking it was $150 for a package deal but see that monitors appear to generally be sold separately. The only reason I can account for this is maybe some people like to mix and match, hence selling them as singles, but I don't know why you'd want a different sound coming out of your left and right when you're trying to mix or master. The other alternative would be people are trying to replace a speaker if just one blows... but that seems equally unimaginable. Looks like I'll just have to shell out another $100 on top but it looks like it'll definitely be worth it.

I rly dnt knw the exact reason why they sell studio monitors separately but theres gotta be a lot, like you said, replace just one speaker, or building a 5.1, 7.1.... system for post production. Gettin pairs of speakers will end up with 1 extra.

But yeah, check the KRK, those are a good option.

rbf738, post: 362757 wrote: Good info, thanks so much. My friend sent me a link for nice looking KRK Rockit 6 Monitor Gen 2 for 150 a piece. I got excited at first thinking it was $150 for a package deal but see that monitors appear to generally be sold separately. The only reason I can account for this is maybe some people like to mix and match, hence selling them as singles, but I don't know why you'd want a different sound coming out of your left and right when you're trying to mix or master. The other alternative would be people are trying to replace a speaker if just one blows... but that seems equally unimaginable. Looks like I'll just have to shell out another $100 on top but it looks like it'll definitely be worth it.

Its for building a 5.1/7.1 system. ALL monitors of a professional nature have always been sold as singles. In the old days we didnt have stereo......AND a lot of studios had a single speaker to check the mixes in mono.....