I don't get it people, when you recommend monitors, you ever check the budget of the person asking?

Neumann costs $700 per one piece.

 

Since you have a tight budget I recommend you first check for second hand and make a list of what is available.
Then go a well equiped store and listen with a variety of your material. When evaluating do also include new ones that will fit in your budget.

Take good headphones with you for comparisons (or borrow them from the shop).

I advise not to buy monitors without listening.

 

i have krk rokit 8's. they take getting used to.
every time I'm in guitar center and hear the yamaha NS's i regret my purchase.
reveal tannoy have a similar frequency curve as the NS's for a decent price too.

 

Adam A3X is perfect for a small room
http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/adam-audio-a3x-monitors-272152
Good luck!

 

For that budget I would look for a couple of Presonus monitors .... works great for the price! Or..... something like Yamaha HS50M as thats a great monitor compaired to the price!

Cheers

 

When I was out for monitors, I tried these specific monitors at the distributor and I didn't like them at all. The sound was very congested, bottle-necked, without mid-range clarity. I don't know what happened there. Everybody raves about them. I Aldo tried the A7X just for kicks, and those were a different league. Very detailed.

 

Have no experiences with these at all, but I think its a serious problem they´re not magnetically shielded and not suitable for low-end focused mixes!

Source: http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/adam-audio-a3x-monitors-272152

 

Last edited: May 25, 2016

I have this model, I can confirm.

 

I'd say get some Yamaha HS50M's.

FWIW Beware of "amazing" sounding monitors, I've got a pair of posh Genelecs, but I can't really mix on them, they sound so nice that even when things are a bit wrong it still sounds cool..

Since I got these little Yamaha's I have to work to get my mixes right, and when the music sounds right on these then I can trust it will sound right on whatever else it's gonna get played on.

So get a pair of these and get some Sennheiser HD600's headphones to check the low end.

You can't go wrong and it won't break the bank either.

 

This is an awesome thread, and one i wanted to make myself in the future after doing a bit of research, so i'm happy that someone beat me to it.

I had been looking at Dynaudio BM5a after reading that those were the monitors that Seven Lions used in his studio. The new MK3 varient of them (They go MKI, MKII, and MKIII) are supposed to be really great, but it was the MK2's that for most producers sounded more balanced. All were very similar to the Neumann KH120A in price, between 700-800+$ ea.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/dynaudio-bm5a-mkii.htm
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Dynaudio-Acoustics/BM-5A-MKII-Studio-Monitor-Single.gc

The Yamaha HS8 looks to be much more reasonably priced, and since a few of you guys have them and like them, they will go on my wish list!

 

Like many others here i would totally recommend the Neumanns KH120.
I've worked with them in different rooms and i've always liked
the results. Further more I really enjoyed listening to music on them. I'm quite disappointed that I've bought Genelecs 8030 for myself some years ago and didn't consider the KH120. Especially if you're not so much into over excited high end i can say that the KH120 are detailed, but don't get on your nerves over time. I know they are over your budget, but at last consider listening to them once.
I'd say the monitors are the most important investment in your studio.

 

Be Happy!! I said it once and I'll say it again. JBL LSR305's at $300.00 a pair. I replaced a pair of rockit 5's with these and could not be happier. Just google them and look at all the 5 star reviews! Do yourself a favor and check these out on the internet and in person. They use wave guide technology for the high freq that they developed for their higher end monitors.

They might be so new that many here have not experienced them yet. Even the JBL LSR308's at $500.00 a pair are within your budget.
FATURES

∧​

• 
  
  
  • Image Control Waveguide:
    • The Image Control Waveguide was developed for JBL’s new flagship M2 Master Reference Monitor and
    with the introduction of the JBL 3 Series, is now included for the first time in an affordable, compact
    reference monitor.
    • The patent-pending design of the Image Control Waveguide precisely controls the sound emanating from
    the speaker in the vertical and horizontal planes ensuring the presentation at the listening position is neutral
    and accurate.
  • JBL Transducers are legendary for their performance. The 3 Series long-throw woofer and its damped woven composite Neodymium tweeter are designed from the ground up to reproduce the powerful transients and micro dynamics of your mix. These drivers deliver impressive deep bass and smooth high frequency response beyond the range of human hearing.
  • JBL’s Patented Slip Stream™ low frequency port design works in concert with the woofer to produce deep bass response at all playback levels. The double-flared shape of the port is precisely engineered for greater low-frequency extension and reduced turbulence.
  • Big Power, Big Sound - 3 Series efficient Class D Amplifiers provide abundant power to deliver the output and dynamic headroom needed for the most demanding production styles
  • Professional Balanced Inputs - Balanced XLR and 6 mm TRS inputs give you the options you need to connect your 3 Series to any signal source while maintaining professional signal quality.
  • Selectable Input Sensitivity - The -10 dB/+4 dB sensitivity switch ensures compatibility with a broad range of signal sources, allowing you to connect the 3 Series to high output professional gear without any danger of input overload.
  • LF Trim and HF Trim “TRIM” switches for both the Low and High Frequencies give you excellent control over the 3 Series sound in “your” room. Use these to fine-tune the amount of bass and treble you hear to compensate for room acoustics, program material and your personal taste.
  • JBL Professional Reliability - Prior to becoming a production-ready design, each 3 Series model is subjected to JBL’s tough 100 hour power test, in which the speaker is required to play continually at full output for 100 hours without failure. This demanding test ensures your 3 Series speakers will deliver years of reliable performance.
  • JBL LSR Design - Your Music Needs a Point of Reference - While most manufacturers take only a single on axis measurement of the speaker’s performance, this doesn’t tell how it will sound in your room. JBL’s LSR Linear Spatial Reference design criteria requires seventy-two measurements yielding more than 1,200 times more data, enabling JBL to engineer a speaker that “sounds right” in any working space. With LSR design, 3 Series Studio Monitors deliver superior accuracy regardless of the size and shape of your room, so your mixes “hit their mark” when heard on any playback system.
  • Deep Pedigree - The impressive performance of the 3 Series Reference Monitors is the result of JBL’s development of its flagship M2 Master Reference Monitor. Learn more about the M2 at www.jblpro.com/M2

SPECIFICATIONS​

^​

Frequency Range43 Hz-24 kHz
Max Peak SPL108 dB SPL C-Weighted
Max Peak Input+23 dBu
LF Driver Size127 mm (5")
HF Driver Size25 mm (1")
LF Driver Power Amp41 W Class D
HF Driver Power Amp41 W Class D
LF Trim Control+2 dB, 0, -2 dB
HF Trim Control+2 dB, 0, -2 dB
Input Types1 x XLR, 1 x TRS Balanced
AC Input Voltage100-240 VAC +/- 10% 50/60 Hz
Dimensions (H x W x D)298 mm x 185 mm x 251 mm
(11.75 in x 7.28 in x 9.88 in)
Weight4.6 kg (10.12 lbs)

 

i own the JBL LSR305 and can confirm that they sound great. however, i can't really compare their sound to the yamahas, focal alphas or anything else, cause i don't own them. i really would like to hear an opinion of someone who heard those in action. in the studio at work i mixed on monkey bananas and they sound great too. soon i'll get the opportunity to get new ones for another studio, so i'm very interested in this topic too.

 

I have LSR 308 and im happy. Extended low end for my taste. I can mix electro without problems. When the power(loudnes) is the task.... oh my...

BTW, different companies, different sounds, no one sound like other.

Check this:https://soundcloud.com/sonic-sense-pro-audio/sets/studio-monitors-top-10

 

Last edited: May 25, 2016

@Plendix What do you think of the Genelec 8030? I`ve been thinking between them, the Focal CMS50 and Neumman KH120. Can you comment the diference between them? What you find more acurate and translate better?

 

The thing about my Genelec 8030 is that whatever i do somewhere near 2,5 khz i do 'blindly'. They don't tell me the whole story, so i do to much. I guess it is around the transition from bass/mid to tweeter. I never had that with the neumanns. So i took my genelecs once to the facility with the kh120 and compared them directly.
Besides that 2,5khz issue, the kh120 sounded way (!) more detailed in the high ends although the highs sounded softer and less fatiguing. Compared to the kh120 the 8030 sounded somehow harsh.
Of course these are just personal conclusions, but the owner of the place was quite pleased with his kh120 when he heard them compared to my 8030.
I haven't heard the Focals yet, according to what magazines say i'm quite curious about them.

I know I recommended something way over budget, i did it because i think for the monitors you love and work with for maybe 10 years it could be worth waiting even several months.
It is hard enough to find the one monitor that works well for you (which just in my case seems to be the kh120)

 

Last edited: May 25, 2016

You could get a pair of Adam F7 For that kind of budget They very good monitors for the money and an alternative to some already mentioned.
Better still save a bit longer for a pair of A7X.
All the best have been mentioned really.

If possible go check out how some sound in a studio environment.

There a whole range of Monitors in that price bracket that a pretty good.
The Adam SX1 way out your price range but as fantastic monitor.
Go check some out if u able.

Best of luck

 

get on to guitar center's used gear section. i got a great pair of monitors a while back on there. you also get a 45 day window to try them out at your home. if anything goes wrong, or you don't like them, return them. helps to know the sound signatures of the monitors you are into in advance. i personally can't stand genelec or adam. the high end sounds metallic to me. esotec soft dome/ silk tweeters are where it's at if you like to listen for hours without feeling fatigued. if you don't want to invest in room treatment and deal with the myriad of reflection problems, $400-$500 can go a long way in the headphone world...if you do go that route, i would suggest an open back design or you will not be able to accurately capture the imaging of your sound and the bass will be unnaturally pressurized.

 

@Plendix Tanks for you description.. Yeah monitors are very personal.. So judge yourself! I buy`d the Adam A7X because of all the hype and i just hate them.. Dont get me wrong they sounded great but the ribbon tweeter is just not for me. So i send them back and now i`m looking for a replacement.. So i guess will be down to Focal CMS50 or Neumman KH120.. I have read too many complains about Genelecs.. ;) But i had the opportunity to lesson the Focal Alpha 50 and they`ve blown away any Yamaha Hs5/7 or Rokit`s 5/6/8 in that price range.. So if i can buy in that budget i go Focal Alpha all the way!

 

+ 10 for the JBL 305 and 308 for tha $