Also the YAMAHA MSP5's.

i choose the yamaha msp5s if you spend less then a grand then this is the best you can get, in my opinion. they will tell you exactly what is wrong with your mix.

Wharfedale Diamond Pro 8.2 Actives

Also, everyone's ears are different which is why you should listen to monitors before you buy.

I looked at the Yahmaha's and they looked pretty good. A little more but mentioned a lot from other people. As far as the other ones they are in the same price range as the ones I am looking at which is good. You are right, I am probably going to go and listen to the monitors before I buy them. What do you like about the Wharfedale's? I am into making rock/screamo/emo/acoustic music if that helps any. I want a heavy rock sound but I don't know if that matters when choosing...

Another vote for the Yamaha MSP5's ...
here's a link to my review of them.

(Dead Link Removed)

I hope it helps you make the desicion whether or not they are what you want.

Yamahahaz followed by the new Samson(yeah that one!) with the ribbon tweeters. Smooth.....

I'm going to have to evangelize the Truth Audio (not behringer) Ta-1P's ($699 direct from manufacturer for the passives). Still the best thing that has happened to my mixes. Under-advertised, got great reviews a few years ago all over, plus awards, but their marketing budget must not be very big. Great speakers. Not hyped in the high end like many IN STORE monitors. Low end is tight, not hyped. Excellent. No, I don't sell them or work for them. This is not SPAM. okay, bye.

mckay

Cool! Thanks people for all of the responses. I think I am going to go with the Yamaha MSP5's and your article, Kurt, swayed me. Especially the line, "For any of you who are shopping for your first set of quality monitors to use with your recording system, I recommend the MSP5’s heartily!" I'm going to order them after my system which won't be long so if anyone has any monitor preference that they absolutely love for this price range then please speak up.

Happy to help! Another great selling point on the MSP5's is you can get 3 more and a subwoofer and do 5.1 surround without breaking the bank. Whether you want a straight ahead stereo system or a surround system, the Yamis can fit the bill ... !

Happy mixing ..

K.

The Event monitors are pretty decent for the price, but they have no customer service.

Well, they do. But it is actually just two guys sharing a cubicle and whacking each other off all day instead of answering the phone.

...and I could do without that "service." 8)

Alesis Monitor 1 Mark II's - active or passive, good quality and great price...

G

I bought a pair of MSP5's and being a card-carrying audiophile snob I was positive I wouldn't like them. Surprisingly, I really respect what they can do. They are quite "matter of fact" and natural sounding. If I don't get any good mixes on them, it will be my fault, not the monitors'.

I second the motion on the samson's. I really like my Resolv 65a, but that rubicon is the new "better" one.

To follow up, I was looking at the Samson's with the ribbon tweeter. The Rubicon 5a's are around $330 for a pair, versus the $500/pair Yamaha MSP5s. Could anyone just compare these two? Also is the Yamaha MSP3 an alternative, or is that just too small? Those are $300/pair.

The Samsons are very smooth for the price ...the Yamahahas are very accurate for the price and the 3's are too small...you would need a sub with them.

For the price, I've had great luck with the Alesis Monitor 1 Mark II's as well.

hey the link to kurt's review doesn't work

anyone have the correct one?

I know it's not on your list (poll), but I really like the KRK Rp5's. For $300 I think they are a great value.

BrianAltenhofel wrote: Wharfedale Diamond Pro 8.2 Actives

Also, everyone's ears are different which is why you should listen to monitors before you buy.

I second this, with probably M-Audio BX8a as my second choice.

I got my KRK RP8's for 350; they were floor models though. They sound pretty good to me, if you can haggle them down to the price these are pretty nice.

Just got some M-Audio BX8a's for $400 brand new!

So far I love em. It's my first set of studio monitors ever so I may not be the best critic. I love the way everything sounds now though, it's opened up a whole new world.

My budget was pushing me towards 5" or 6" monitors and I was worried about not getting enuff low end. Since I do mostly hip-hop and reggae I knew I'd need to invest in a sub later if I went that route. So when this deal came along I was completely sold!!! The low-end is great for what I'm doing and the mid's and high's sound sweet.

I have to completely remix all of my old recordings which is fine. I'm a little bit embarrased as I do it but that's okay, that's why I got 'em. DOH!!!

I give the BX8a's a noob's thumbs up and, if u can get a discount like I did (maybe even without?), great bang for the buck.

i chose other and they are the ALP 5 by Event. They are in the $300 range.

Yamaha just released the HS50M ($400) for the pair. Look into those...I've heard really good things.

It is being marketed as a nicer version of the NS10.

There's no doubt in MY mind after having been through the mill trying to determine just this issue. The brand new model Event ALP5 time and phase corrected monitors are my choice. They provide a nice punch at the bottom end while remaining very honest with NO phoney bumps or dips in their response. They are loud if necessary but also sweet when played low. The mids are absolutely dead on (which is sure what you absolutely require all the time). For about $300 the pair a super buy. Got mine from Sweetwater.........

I have some Event TR-8s and they are awesome, but I had to return one due to a "flabby" woofer right outta the box and their customer service does indeed SUCK! So, three months after shipping back and forth I'm happy, but dread dealing with them again.

Any comments on the Genelec 8020a's? They get mentioned on here a bit, and sound good. Haven't had a chance to try them, but was wondering if they'd be a good enough starter monitor. They are only 4" woofers, whereas most of the other budget monitors are 5". With the Genelecs would you need to step up to the 8030a's (which cost a bit more)?

Urgh. I just realized I was looking at the single (not pair) price on the Genelec's. They sound cool but out of my price range. I guess I'm back to the Yamaha MSP5 vs Samson Rubicon 5a (or 6a). I'm leaning towards the 5a's to save a little money.

Can anyone compare the event TR5 or TR6 to the MSP5's or the Samsons?

I had originally bought the Event TR-6s because they were cheaper but soon found out that the heavier bass output wasn't coming through, even though the documentation said they went down to 45 hz. So I took them back and got the 8" TR-8s, they made a big difference. If you need good bass response and dont want to dish out a lot of cash then you can go with smaller monitors, say 5", but would be smart to add a subwoofer to them. The drawback is that it is pretty easy to mess up your monitoring with one as setting it up accurately can sometimes be out of your control (existing room and frequency dispersion), and, most listeners wont have a sub when playing back your work.

From what I remember when I auditioned the Samsons I was unimpressed. They sounded "boxy" and everything sounded tight (not in the cool slang way). The salesman said that Samsons are their best-seller and that even he had a pair. But! I soon found out that Samson gives them "push-money". An exclusive deal where the store pushes a certain brand's products.

What I would do: Do some more research online and type in the brand followed by the model number followed by review in google and see what you come up with. Then, forget everything you read while you open your ears and go to a couple stores and ask to hear all of the monitors they have. Ask them for their advice and tell them your listening setup and type of music you'll be making. Ask about their return/exchange policy, make sure they don't charge a restocking fee on exchanges. After that, once you have a model in mind do a Froogle search for a lower price than they did at the store. Make sure it's by a legit dealer and not Joe Schmoe on ebay who happened to get his hands on a few. If you find one, print it out and take it to the store and ask if they could beat it, even if it's by a buck. Use them consistently and see how different stuff sounds on them, take your mixes to other playback systems, car, boombox, home theatre and see how accurate the monitors were. If you're not happy make sure it's before the return period is up so you can switch, upgrade, or refund.

Hope this helps!

opiepac wrote: I guess I'm back to the Yamaha MSP5 vs Samson Rubicon 5a (or 6a)

yea, had to decide the same until today.

ok, after ive read this thread yesterday i thought id buy the msp5s and barely took notice of the rubicon. today i visited a local music shop that offered both models (and several others + NS10 as reference) and i took the time to listen through the speakers while repeating a song on some compilation that lied there. of course i watched those msp5s closely at first. very nice i say for the size and the price but when i heard the rubicon 6a it was sorta smoother, more brilliant with more bottom nonetheless and very accurate in all frequencies (as far as my not well trained ears could notice). well, for now im planning to buy those rubicon 6a...of course first i gotta check out the tech sheet...

edit: cant find a frequency sheet yet , damn samson hp........:/ :?

for you opiepac,i say, as many before, listen for yourself!

I thought I had already mentioned that the Samsons sounded very good....I dont know what situation that Myth listened to them in but they are anything but 'boxy'....

The 6a model is better sounding than the 5's but both are as accurate on the high-end as you can get. In my experience this enables you to get to the lowfrequencies much easier than something that is smearing everything.

As for the Genelecs.....yeah, these are spendy and theres a good reason why.

I ended up getting a used set of MSP5's, and I gotta say, I love 'em. I liked some of the Samson stuff too. It was hard to listen to them at the store, though, while the guy was pushing M-Audio's on me. "But they're louder ..."

"But they're louder ..."

bwaahahahahaaa, that made me laugh out loud...
i love such guys at stores that want you to buy all crap...

anyway, id say its a good joice that you went with the msp5. they are definitely worth it. maybe im going to buy those too when i cant listen to the perfect high frequency response of the rubicon anymore :D

warfdale 9.2