Desktop Studio Monitors

G

GL2guy

Active member
Hey guys... I just bought a new quad-core video editing workstation and one of the things I sprang for that I really like so far is the M-Audio Delta1010LT sound card. The problem is that I am still using my old $20 harman/kardon computers speakers to do my audio work on. Yes, yes... I know.. shame on me.

But now that I have some leftover cash lying around... I want to spring a little bit and get some decent desktop monitors for video editing and VO work.

My budget is 200 dollars (no more than that) and these are the monitors I have come across thus far in my studies. Was wondering if any of you guys had any opinions on these:

1) Edirol / Roland MA-15D - Two Way, 15 Watt Compact Powered Monitors in Natural Wood Finish with 4" Woofer and Digital Input - Pair
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=381548&is=REG
381548.jpg


2) M-Audio DX4 - Active Desktop Monitor Speakers (Pair)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=10678&A=details&Q=&sku=326791&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
326791.jpg


3) Behringer MS40 - 2-Way 40-Watt 24-bit/192kHz Hybrid Nearfield Monitors - Pair
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=10678&A=details&Q=&sku=373758&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
373758.jpg


4) Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System (3-Piece)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4148283&st=klipsch+pro+media&type=product&id=1051384267922
4148283_sc.jpg


Numbers #1-3 are studio monitors while #4 are actual computer monitors. Since I have digital outputs on my M-Audio Delta1010LT sound card... I thought it would be best to get actual studio monitors... am I correct? Thanks for any help and suggestions. I look forward to your help. Take care.
 
I have the klipsch but have never heard the other 3 so take this for what it is. I think the klipsch sound fantastic. you do have to balance the bass on the sub appropriately of course.
what i really like about them is their soundstage and response in the highs (no doubt cause of the horns). i play the violin (fiddler, get it?) and have played in orchestras, solo performances, as well as recording studios, and have heard many different speakers. to my ear, the klipsch sound very natural and the highs dont make my ears bleed like some other speakers.
again - i havent heard the others, but this is my thumbs up for the klipsch :)

best bet is to go listen to them (if u can) and make the decision for yourself.. sound is subjective
 
I have the DX4's and love them. The edirol and Berringer should be great choices as well. If you are critical of your video audio then I would recommend staying away from the Promedia style speakers. As multimedia speakers aren't going to be the most accurate for judging your audio.
you need to have your speakers at ear level, even in a surround setup. Any audio setup where you have the subwoofer on the floor won't give you proper audio quality. Especially because they are designed to boost and amplify the low level bass tones.

Also if you get some studio monitoring speakers, then pickup a set of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Auralex-MoPad...8274690-6411928?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments

The Auralex MoPad Monitor Isolation Pads will really make your audio sound that much better. As they absorb any low level frequency that may leak out through your floor or desktop, giving you cleaner more accurate sound.

BTW, these will also work better for your home entertainment system if you have speakers on the floor. Your neighbors will love you for it.
 
It's difficult judging a pair of speakers without listening to them. Such things as accuracy, sound stage and bass response should be better judged by actually listening to your options.

4" is a bit small for a bass driver, so that size should compromise things a large bit. So perhaps the Behringer might be more balanced down below.

But I think you should borrow or steal and get yourself at least a 5" driver like the next M-Audio model:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=386231&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

About the sub-woofer not being at ear level like the other speakers, that will depend on how large your subwoofer is or where they start working. If the cut point is low that won't be so important. Another reason for not picking too small a driver on your satellites.

Carlos
 
-I don't know the 2.1's but I would never mix on any system with a sub
-I suspect the M-Audio's are better than the Eiderols, but i'm only going on BX8 and BX5 experience, so not much help there. I just know I didn't like the Edirols when I heard them, and I liked the M-Audios.
-The behringers are bound to be rubbish, surely.

I have some tannoy active reveals which I like very much. lower end great value for mone in my opinion.
 
ScoobySounds said:
-I don't know the 2.1's but I would never mix on any system with a sub
-I suspect the M-Audio's are better than the Eiderols, but i'm only going on BX8 and BX5 experience, so not much help there. I just know I didn't like the Edirols when I heard them, and I liked the M-Audios.
-The behringers are bound to be rubbish, surely.

I have some tannoy active reveals which I like very much. lower end great value for mone in my opinion.
Click to expand...


"Never mixing on a system with a sub" might be a bit much to say, probably. A Genelec system with a sub would sound quite good.

But what you should check is where's the bass cut point on the satellites. Using sats with small drivers is not a good thing, except if you use two subs for R & L.

The problem is directionality, and the main speakers should work until the frequencies get low enough to be omnidirectional. It's there where the sub should kick in.
 
I have a soundcard (M-Audio Delta1010LT) that has digital outs (S/PDIF). If I get studio monitors that have S/PDIF digital inputs... how much of a gain in audio quality will I get by using the digital Ins as opposed to the standard RCA analog inputs?

Also... I'm beginning to lead towards the Edirol MA-15D's because of the price and digital S/PDIF inputs... am I thinking correctly? The M-Audio's seem to be a great choice... but the BX5's put me 100 dollars over budget. And these DX4's by M-Audio don't have the S/PDIF digital inputs. Does using digital input's make a big difference?
 
GL2guy said:
I have a soundcard (M-Audio Delta1010LT) that has digital outs (S/PDIF). If I get studio monitors that have S/PDIF digital inputs... how much of a gain in audio quality will I get by using the digital Ins as opposed to the standard RCA analog inputs?

Also... I'm beginning to lead towards the Edirol MA-15D's because of the price and digital S/PDIF inputs... am I thinking correctly? The M-Audio's seem to be a great choice... but the BX5's put me 100 dollars over budget. And these DX4's by M-Audio don't have the S/PDIF digital inputs. Does using digital input's make a big difference?
Click to expand...

the difference would be in the DAC's .. if the sound card has better dac's you'll get better sound from analog outputs, if the monitors have better dac's then the monitors win..

the other advanget of external dac's is that the inside of a computer can be quite noisy (in the electrical sense) so analog outs can pick this up. of course on good sound cards, they do a good job of eliminating that noise, but something to consider.
 
I think you might be looking at it the wrong way.

Try to see the speakers as a separate thing, with specific variables that will not improve whether you feed a digital or analog input. They might only up to a certain degree, yes, but not so much.

The main thing is how the speakers were designed. Good speakers ARE expensive, because you have to pay for better drivers. And larger drivers are usually better drivers, at least for handling low frequencies. I am not a "low freak", but a good low bass note needs diameter to move air.

The 1010 LT certainly has good analog outputs, so don't worry on feeding those outputs to the monitors.
 
Carlos_E._Martinez said:
The 1010 LT certainly has good analog outputs, so don't worry on feeding those outputs to the monitors.
Click to expand...

Hey Carlos... thanks for the great explanation... I think I am starting to wrap my head around this.

So as for the 1010 LT Soundcard... if I did buy a pair of speakers like the Edirol MA-15D's that have the S/PDIF digital inputs... would it still be wise to go ahead and use the digital inputs as opposed to the analog RCAs? In other words... is there ever a time where using the analog in's would sound superior to the digital in's (S/PDIF)? Thanks a bunch for your help and advice.
 
If the speaker's input has both types, you could try and listen to each. Then say which sounds better.

Digital doesn't necessarilly mean best. If the connection is coaxial, then it might sound better. If it's optical I am not so sure.
 
I own the Edirols and they have served my purposes well. Wabbit asks a good question; "Do you intend to do audio sweetening with these or just video cutting?" I have only used mine for cutting and basic mixing, not complex sweetening (I wouldn't really know how to do that anyway).

I tend to use my good Sony headphones for fine tuning and rely on the Edirols, with treble and bass each set to 0, for monitoring. I think they're pretty good monitors for the price.
 
Hey guys... I think I am going to go with the Edirol MA-15D's... the price suits me the best and I figure it is cheap enough I can always upgrade at a later time...

On a side note... Since my soundcard supports digital S/PDIF outs.... I now need to purchase S/PDIF coax cable. Looking on B&H... I notice that a 6' S/PDIF RCA cables range from as little as $10 up to around $50. The difference is in all this "gold plating" and fancyness of the cable. Does all this jazz really make a difference in the quality of sound or is it all a bunch of junk that is to try to make you to spend more money?

For instance... this 6' S/PDIF RCA cable at B&H costs $50:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=239810&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

... yet I can get the same thing for $12.50 (still gold-plated):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=160866&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

What the heck makes one so much more than the other??? Thanks for your help!
 
you really don't need spdif monitor inputs, compared with the extra buget you could spend on better monitors, its a no-brainer.
 
GL2guy said:
Hey guys... I think I am going to go with the Edirol MA-15D's... the price suits me the best and I figure it is cheap enough I can always upgrade at a later time...
Click to expand...

Yes, you may use them later on as surround speakers. Just don't expect too much from them.

... yet I can get the same thing for $12.50 (still gold-plated):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=160866&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Click to expand...

Gold-plated plugs are a good thing, particularly if the sockets you are going to plug them into are also gold-plated. Sometimes gold-plated plugs are better quality all over, like on the pressure the parts do for best contact.

Just remember to get two cables to also try the analog interconnection too. I think you should.
 
I own Edirol speakers, and had them in 3 edit suites . They are good,robust, descent sounding monitors. Not for for audio post but for editing.The extra input comes in handy when someone brings in a deck or camera for screening etc. And for the money they are a good deal.
 
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