On the cheap side, try the Wharfedale Pro Diamond 8.2 Actives.

On the top end of the scale, perhaps the M-Audio BX8's - But make sure they're set up properly... Most stores don't even have them set up correctly (not even close in most cases) so they tend to sound pretty anemic right off the shelf.

hi john, sorry to jump in on that point but do you have any experience / opinion on the KRK Rokit RP6 and / or RP8 ???
bang for the buck???

Well, guys...I can attest to the great sound of the KRK Rokit 5s...and since Guitar Center caved under my superior negotiation skills and sold them for $199.99 for the pair, It makes the purchase a real coup!

I love them for what I get out of them, and it sure beats the M-audio Bx5s that I was looking at.

Regards,

cheers, anyone else ??

I like my Event 20/20's...

i think you can get them sub-$500...

re

I love my JBL LSR25P's I got at guitar center, they were normally $299 a piece but they were on sale for $250 a piece and I ended up getting both brand new out the door for $300 and never regret it, I use them with a subwoofer to monitor lower frequincies, and after I familiarized myself to them, it takes only 1 or 2 mixes to get the mix I want that sounds good in other locations.

I would see if your local gc has them to try out, very nice with no ear fatigue. I would def check them out

bob

you cant beat the yamaha MSP5s great monitors and at 250 a piece you wont regret it. remmember though you wont know how goot your monitors are untill you listen to the music you made with your monitors, on your buddys home sterio.

I second the MSP5's ..... they sound very close to my Tannoy DMT12 which are $2000 + each!

I wish I had kept the review units they sent out now ....

I just picked up a pair of used yamaha msp5s for $250 in wonderful condition. Couldn't be happier.

event

I use Event TR5's. They were $300 new, self powered. Until I can afford high end monitors ($2000 range or more), these will be what I use. I really think the main thing is to take the time to position them correctly in your room, and take the time to get used to whatever you end up buying. Don't just plug them in and expect miracles. Make some test mixes, play them on your home or car stereo which you are used to, play your favorite CD's through them. This way you will learn how they sound and know how to get the best mix with them.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Does the size of the woofer matter? What are the differences going to between getting say Event TRN5 or the eight inch model. Alot of the ones suggested were 5 in models like the yamaha msp5. is the any real advantage to getting a speaker with a bigger woofer?

does size matter?

Well, I have had some people tell me you will never get proper bass response out of a 5" speaker, which is probably somewhat true. If you can spend the money, and have a decent room for mixing, you would probably want to go with 8". My line of thinking was that I wanted to get "decent" small monitors, which wouldn't take up much desk space. These are my first monitors, and they were a huge jump from computer speakers or home stereo speakers. I have a friend who uses Onkyo full range home stereo speakers to mix on, which he loves...but that's mainly because he took the time to learn them and understand how they "translate" his mixes. I really think thats the most important part of all this. For example, with my TR5's, I made test mixes and played them on my stereo. I noticed initially that I was over-representing the bass (meaning I wasn't hearing enough bass in the monitors). I used software EQ to bump the bass frequencies until I compensated for the lack of bass from the small speakers. Needless to say, I don't believe these speakers are the "be all-end all", but until I can put down $2000 or more for new ones, they will do the job for me.

What is "proper" bass, is a subjective observation. What might be "proper" for one situation may not be for another.

What you may be perciveing as a lack of low end due to smaller speakers, may actually be an out of phase peak cancelling out the lows (in the worse case) whole portions of octaves below 50 Hz.

The nice thing about smaller speakers is because they don't generate a bucnh of low end below 50 Hz (in the case of the MSP5's) you won't notice as many nulls or peaks in the very lowest regions. This actually might help you produce a more balanced recording.

This is why small editing rooms often use small speakers. It kind of like the old saying "stuffing 10 pounds of sh*t into a five pound bag.

The fact is most home studios do not have the space to support the use of larger bass producing systems ... even sub woofers. You may actually get a more accurate room, by not having all that extra low end banging around.

I was wondering if anybody had much experiance with some Mackie Tapco-S8 monitors and/or the M-audio BX8 monitors?

Thanks,
Dave

krk`s

iv`e got the rocket 8`s and i like them. i thought the 5`s were too small for my application. they seemed too distort if i pushed them a little. i have the same rig you have- sonar 4 producer and a firepod it`s my fist setup and i`m no pro buy all means but i like it so far.