$300 speakers?

The KRK monitors are decent. However, I would go to your local music with a pro audio dept and audition as many as possible within your budget and choose a pair that you prefer (they all sound different). You will also want to factor in funds for a 'pro' interface (D/A converter). Most integrated and/or consumer sound cards suck, and do NOT deliver an accurate representation, usually a hyped 'smile' response curve. You could also consider monitors with a built in digital interface, just plug in a USB, or other and go.
 
JBL? I used to sell them, and I worked right across the street from Harmon Intl. and got to talk to the engineers, hear the JBLs measured in their anechoic chamber and listening room, they're not bad but a bit harsh sounding with high ear fatigue. I am such a monitor snob. Buy once, cry once. Genelecs, I have had mine for almost 20 years.
 
I suspect Genelecs might be a hard buy at a $300 budget. Graywolfs link didn't work for me, but I suspect this is what the link was for.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=jbl lsr305&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps

Depending on your needs for speaker control, you might look at this Presonus controller. Note that it can handle optical to analog conversion and has some other handy features, but a mixer it is not.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Monitoring-Controllers/ci/15763/N/4232861063

If you want to record to your cpu, and or midi interface, there are many options. Here is a little Mackie unit but no midi:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734207-REG/Mackie_ONYX_BLACKJACK_Onyx_Blackjack_USB.html

Or with midi which adds to the cost:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/776920-REG/PreSonus_AUDIOBOX_22VSL_AudioBox_22VSL_USB.html

The cost rises quickly if you want a thunderbolt or firewire interface. FWIW, if you gat a firewire unit, you can easily run on a thunderbolt mac with an adapter.

Regards,
Grant
 
I have pretty decent ears and as an audio guy and producer end up in a lot of different recording studios and post suites. My favorite low-cost monitor is the one I think Tom linked to (link didn't work for me), the JBL LSR305. I find the low-cost KRKs to have fairly hyped low & high end, and kinda muddy mids...and meds are where lots of dialog lurks. Seem designed for low-end music/DJ-style people. Fun, but not my choice for post work.

Genelecs are very good, but as Grant points out, way beyond a $300/pair budget.

JBL has changed a lot over the years (I started working in recording studios and for a manufacturer of audio studio equipment in the late 70s). Some models in the past didn't do it for me, especially some of the consumer and older lower-end near field monitors. But their current lineup offers good stuff at a few pricepoints. The LSR 3 line is affordable and accurate. Not very fatiguing to my ears, and much less fatiguing than some other monitors. You could look at the LSR308 and/or the LSR10s sub...but for day-in-day out mixing at a modest price, I'd say the LSR305 is definitely worth a long listen. It's what I'd buy right now...

JBL's info page for the LSR305
http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/3-series/lsr305

Available all over the place, but Sweetwater's a good dealer (and in this case a bit cheaper than B&H). But as Rick suggests, it'd be worth swinging by a local dealer and give a few monitors a long listen...and be sure to bring in your own audio...they kind you work with...like lots of dialog tracks, etc.

As for USB interfaces, I have a small Focusrite Scarlett box that I like a lot...at the time, a few years ago, I found a reason to choose Focusrite over some others (perhaps it was 24/96 support or something)...but now lots of boxes are pretty good. I still like my Scarlett and the preamps are pretty good...and now they have "second generation" versions. Worth checking out:
https://us.focusrite.com/scarlett-range


Well that's what I think.
 
I do not know what happened to that link, but yes it was the JBL LSR305. Even better for only a bit more would be the LSR308 (bigger 8" wolfer).

I, BTW, am not a JBL fanboy. But that inexpensive little 5" monitor is highly though of by a lot of people.
 
graywolf said:
I do not know what happened to that link, but yes it was the JBL LSR305. Even better for only a bit more would be the LSR308 (bigger 8" wolfer).

I, BTW, am not a JBL fanboy. But that inexpensive little 5" monitor is highly though of by a lot of people.
Click to expand...

I switched to this setup a year ago and have been very happy with the kit. I really like being able to instantly switch the sub off and on using the controller. For listening, I prefer the sub on. For mixing, I don't use it. The only gripe is the volume knob on the controller is a little hokey-pokey, but hasn't failed or anything bad.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1134161-REG/jbl_jbl_laser_308_studio.html
 
I've read some good reviews of the Equator D5 and D8 monitors by trusted pros. (Equator is ex Event designer Ted C.) They are sold direct, so the price is comparable to retail monitors costing a few hundred more. Can't audition them in a store though they have a return policy, if you don't like em' .
 
A note about the LSR308 (vs the LSR305)...it costs a bit more and is A LOT bigger. Not a problem if you have the space for it.

A quick google search shows this size comparison (with a human for some sort of scale):

 
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I've become a big fan of the JBL powered speakers when I worked at Technicolor. Before that we were on Blue Sky speakers, and those things distorted real bad in the mids and highs. KRK's were ok, but were muddy. My first personal powered monitors that I bought for my pro tools rig at home were the Mackie HR824's. I loved how they sounded, but they didn't translate well at all to the theater. I was working on low budget indy short films and nothing sounded the same in any theater as it did at home on my 824 speakers.

Genelecs are very very nice, but spendy. I fell in love with Dynaudio speakers as well, but again, they are expensive. Event makes some powered speakers that are ok, but the ones I used would get a lot of mid range distortion.

Here's one thing I learned when it comes to buying powered speakers. Don't go into it with "I only have 'x' amount of money to spend, what can I get?". Research what things actually cost ahead of time and then budget accordingly.
 
Really? That's a human right hand? I don't think so...
Seriously, on recommendations in this forum I bought JBL 305's and a Scarlett USB interface, and it sure sounds good to me. I know when I go to my other machine w just regular computer speakers it's painful.
 
Hey, there's currently a $50 rebate on the bigger LSR308 monitors...at least here in the US. So that drops the price at the usual dealers to US$200/each (as compared to US$150/each for the smaller LSR305). So if you have room for these bigger guys, this is a good deal.

Looks like the rebate expires on April 30:
http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/3-series/lsr308#.WN7nQxiZOEJ


Jim "really is open to hearing recommendations for other low-cost monitors for film/video work" Feeley
 
I've got both the 305s and the 308s in my office. I gave up my larger edit suite with the 308s recently and bought the 305s for my new desk. FWIW I prefer the larger 8" speakers. They seem a little more detailed.
 
I was going to recommend the JBL 305 monitors and Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 audio interface, which we got after much tedious research, but now that I have read all of the comments I see that I would just be obnoxious ;)
 
As has been said, one often buys studio equipment not for personal pleasure but for comparison of how it might sound on all sorts of equipment, most of which the sound engineer has no control over. In the old days, studious bought a lot of Yamaha cheapies because those simulated the (crappy) car audio sound. For higher but still far from the audiophile grade audio, Boston Acoustics and Tannoy were big hits.

Then, there's amplification factor. Ported speakers won't require much juice but will be far less accurate in reproduction.

PS. As a side note, Mike Chapman (a 1970's superstar producer/songwriter of Sweet, Mud, Suzy Quattro, Blondie, etc) had some big ass JBL's that were always blasted at full volume. Visitors were not too amused.
 
I'm quite happy with my Focusrite 2i2 2nd gen to drive my monitors at home as well. Right now it's been driving a pair of Mackie MR5mk3 monitors which I've also been pretty happy with (slightly lower price point than the JBL 305s but I don't have an in-use comparison to give there).
 
davefisk said:
Here's one thing I learned when it comes to buying powered speakers. Don't go into it with "I only have 'x' amount of money to spend, what can I get?". Research what things actually cost ahead of time and then budget accordingly.
Click to expand...

My point exactly. Most video people are not very knowledgabble about monitors. Sure Genelecs are not cheap but when you consider you can buy a pair and a sub that will last you your entire career, they become cheaper than endless strings of unsatisfactory $300.00 "speakers" many will acquire over their career. For those not familiar, the smaller, cheaper Genelecs are the "Schoeps CMC641" of powered affordable studio monitors. Not necessarily the best money can buy but a superb purchase that are fairly transparent without breaking the bank. The bigger Genelecs will be the ones to break the bank!

I am reading a lot of comments here that so and so speakers "sound good". The people saying this are thinking like home stereo speakers, totally the wrong tool for what editors and sound mixers need. It's important to note that speakers that "sound good" are coloring the reproduction and are a terrible idea for final mixing for sending your product to out to the world. Accurate studio monitors present the sound as it is, warts and all. How are you going to put out great sounding audio with inaccurate speakers being used to mix it? It's kind of the whole point of studio monitors, to be transparent. Garbage sound should sound like garbage, not better than it really is. Good sound should sound good, but more importantly, accurate monitors should show you the "truth".

So forget speakers that sound "good", you will regret it. And no, you cannot mix for speakers using headphones, the reproduction ratios of music versus dialogue, amongst many other things, will be totally off.
 
I do not think any of us were recommending speakers that sound good. We were recommending speakers that sound reasonably accurate. Accurate speakers only sound good when the mix sounds good.
 
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