New Studio Monitors...

R

rajbonham

New member
Hey all, I'm new here, but I figured this would be a great place to post my questions.

Before I begin though, I want to mention that I do use the search button and have looked at many, many threads here on this topic already. I just have a few specific questions.

Anyway, as you can tell by the title, I am looking for a pair of studio monitors for my editing workstation. Although I have been editing for a few years now, I am currently putting together a much more "serious" video editing workstation. The studio monitors will be hooked up to a Mac Pro computer and will be used for video/film editing (so obviously dialogue, music, etc.).

I have pretty much narrowed it down to two options and my budget for the monitors are $300 at the most. It's the best I can do on a college student budget. ;) So obviously, I'm not looking for top of the line equipment, but then again, I'm not looking for garbage either.

The two models I have narrowed it down to are the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Studio Monitors and the KRK Rokit RP5G2 Monitors. Both models generally have good reviews, but do have their downfalls. I've noticed some saying the M-Audio's are somewhat "cheap" and the KRK's sound a bit "muddy", especially in the lower frequencies. Any input on which model is the better option, or if I should go with something else entirely is greatly appreciated. :)

Finally, I have gathered that I am going to need a Firewire or USB audio device to get the absolute best sound out of the speakers. I really can't spend more than $100-$150 on this and I am entirely lost on which brand/model to get. Any help here is also greatly appreciated.

I am also aware that if your editing space's acoustics are garbage, your audio will sound terrible on anything. I am working on getting my editing environment's acoustics up to par.

Thanks again for any and all help on this topic! :)
 
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I would go for the krks. I have the rokit 8's at home and they sound good. I also have the krk V6's at work and we put them next to each other and they are pretty close. I have never been a huge fan of M-audio but I haven't heard those speakers yet.

I know they are a little bit more but I have heard good things about the mackie MR5's, we maybe getting them for our 2nd editing bay.

As for the external interface we have a really nice rme one at work but at home I just come out of the line out and it works fine. I don't know that you would hear the difference with the level of monitor you are looking at. I would say save the money from the interface for now and get better speakers and then buy the interface when you can. I have this for having a nice volume knob.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/

Just my 2 cents, Hope it helps.
 
I would go for the KRK.

Are they active? - if so, the M-Audio Transit is a nice little USB sound card that is also great for editing on a laptop with headphones on the move as it is small and portable.
 
I don't really like the KRKs, mixes don't translate well unless you really work the EQ on them.

But seriously the only way to really know what you want would be to bring a recording of music that you know fairly well to a store and just listen through the monitors. Do you like the way it sounds? Are they within your budget? How do they compare to other Monitors? Does the playback of that specific recording translate well?

Monitors are one of the most important devices in your setup so take the time to really research them and ultimately go listen to them. Borrow a pair from someone, test them out at home.
 
KRK, I have been KRK Rokit 5 for some years, its good monitor and the bass is alright ... with the price that I paid. AND more importantly I like the look of it. :D

Hiro
 
M-Audio BX5a
They are really nice for the money. Right around your price range. Did an A/B listen with the KRKs and found them to be more accurate.
Bernie
 
I'll start by stating I have yet to hear a small AND low cost studio monitor with very accurate low frequency response. Realizing you're on a budget here though, I think you are on the right track with the M-Audio's and KRK's. I think the KRK's have a bit more "listenable" high end (i.e. less ear fatigue during longer mixing sessions). I found the BX5A's to be a bit bright for my taste, and this can mess with how you mix (i.e. what your hearing) during longer mixing sessions.

Here are a couple additional things you can do to ensure the most accurate translation from the speaker to your ears:

1) treat your room with some acoustical panels (Auralex studiofoam works great, and comes in various sizes). A good trick is to sit in your mix position with your speakers in place, and have a friend move a small mirror along the walls; when you see the speakers in the reflection, that's where you can put some sound treatment to absorb acoustical reflections. Not perfect, but works great on a budget.

2) when you set speakers on some surfaces (desks, etc) you may get sympathetic resonance from the surface upon which the speaker is sitting. This may result in you hearing low frequency information that's not naturally in the mix, and although this may be subtle, it can effect how you compensate for it. Ideally, you want "free space response" from the speaker, so I recommend something to isolate the speakers from the surface. Auralex makes a very affordable solution called "Mopads" (under $40 for a set).

Feel free to call or email me directly if you have any further questions re pricing or otherwise. I'm not on the forum everyday.
 
Well I will toss in something completely different. Yorkville YSM-1p's. A quick look on the web shows them to be in your budget range (I think they are actually cheaper than the unpowered version that I bought years ago...
What you have to careful about in researching speakers is who is doing the reviewing. A LOT of speaker reviews are by folks doing music and a lot of them are not particularly well trained in audio. For post you don't want speakers that "sound good" you want speakers that are as accurate as possible will translate to the theatre. Personally I'm in the KRK sound muddy camp. But part of their problem for post is that they are music monitors. They may actually work well if your doing a lot of broadcast work since your going to mix to counteract the mud and end up with a mix that might punch through better. But for film you generally want to hear it as it should be and add punch if you think it will need it. Because in a theatre that mix that sounded punchy over the TV while everyone was laughing and eating pizza is going to sound harsh and unbalanced.
M-Audio might also be OK. I think they have upped their game a bit since Digi/Avid doesn't want to be connected with bad sounding products.
I know I have mentioned the Yorkville's before but in 13+ years they have worked really well. People keep asking me what those speakers are and a number of the music folks who have been in the mix have been surprised at how much less ear fatigue they felt over the speakers they had in their studios. They have also translated really well to both the small and big screens.
The last can be misleading though because any speakers you use consistently to mix for say the big screen you will get used to and you should learn how to make them translate well. So even the KRK, if I had to use them everyday would probably "translate" for me. I think the Yorkville's translate more generally because I often (almost always in a final) will be mixing with the director, producer, composer, etc in the room. So if they like it in the mix and still like it on the big screen I figure the translationis pretty good since they have not had the time to compensate.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the responses! There are a ton of good suggestions/advice mentioned and I'm taking it all into consideration. :)
 
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