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There comes a time in a producer’s life when, sadly, headphones just aren’t up to the job anymore. That’s why when it comes to recording, mixing, mastering or editing audio, a pair of sonically transparent and colourless studio monitors are essential. With these, the bass will rumble deeper, the trebles twinkle clearer and everything will be heard just how you made it.
However, plenty of studio monitors can cost well into the thousands, which is probably more than your average home producer is willing to spend. So, instead, we scoured the net to find the best budget options (some of which are under £200 and even £100) that provide a decent quality sound without you having to sell a limb. But, before we jump in, take a look at our buying guide to hone down your choice.
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In this buying guide, we’ll help you come to a decision by breaking down the different options you have and why you might choose one function or feature over another. We’ll be looking at the different types of monitors, what type of speakers to expect, the power, and other important features.
The first thing to consider is whether you would prefer active or passive monitors. There is one big difference: active monitors operate with an in-built power source, so they’re basically an all-in-one system. For this reason, they're the most popular choice in studios today – and not just home studios, fancy high-end ones, too.
Passive speakers don’t have this function. This means that if you opt for a system of this style, you’ll be required to match the speakers with an appropriate amplifier. In other words, you can expect to spend a bit more money getting the equipment together.
However, this style does have some benefits, such as the fact that the various parts of its set-up will be easier to upgrade separately in the future, rather than all at once.
Once you’ve decided on the style, you’ll want to turn your attention to the speakers. In our buying guide and ranking, we’re going to be focusing on bi-amp or tri-amp monitors. Single amps are available, but they are much less common.
More often than not, most of the lower-end, home studio monitors you'll come across will be bi-amps. This means they contain two separate speakers: a tweeter for high frequencies, and a woofer for mid and low range frequencies. Tri-amps, however, split the frequencies three ways and have a dedicated mid-range speaker.
Both bi-amp and tri-amp monitors tend to have a more accurate and defined sound, due to them powering each speaker individually. The main difference between the two is the price range, as the more speakers, the higher the total cost.
When it comes to the clarity of sound from your monitors, the power is going to have a substantial effect, and not just in terms of volume. You see, the watts will determine the dynamic range of the speakers, meaning that the higher the wattage, the more headroom you have.
And the more headroom, the more detailed and clear the sounds of the speakers will be. In turn, this will give you the capability of making precise adjustments to things such as compressors, that you might not usually hear.
As for the wattage, you’ll often see this measurement split between the speakers. For example, the subwoofer might be 45 W and the tweeter 25 W. Combined, then, the monitors will have 70 W. For most people, 50 to 70 watts is about the lowest you'd want to go.
This might seem obvious, but the better the monitor, the better the frequency response. For reference, the average human tends to have a range between 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz (usually shown as 20 kHz).
It’s in this section where you will see the greatest difference between home studio monitors and the monitors the big studios use. In our recommendations, the monitors tend to float around the 40 – 50 Hz on the low end, which is ample, and will see that most casual producers have the range they require.
However, to access the real low end frequencies that big names like Rick Rubin, Dr Dre or Tiësto do, you’ll need to fork out thousands. We’d recommend working on the first hit single using these and then working your way up!
Not all hope is lost in terms of the lower frequencies, though. You can get a little more of an articulated sound from the bass if you purchase a monitor, or monitors, that are ported. To be ported means that there are holes in the monitor which allow additional sound to exit, alongside that from the woofer and tweeter.
The downside to having ported speakers is that you will be compromising some of the accuracies of your speaker in favour of accessing this extra sound.
Whether you would prefer that or not is up to you. If you would like to head down that way, then you must know where the ports are, because they won't be much use if you place the speaker near a wall and block them.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | KRK ROKIT RP7 G4 | £184.50 Mid | Packed to the Brim With Handy Features and Rich Sounds | ||
2 | Kali IN-8 | £341.55 High Mid | An Exceptional Newcomer to the Entry-Level Monitor World | ||
3 | Avantone Mixcubes | £363.50 High Mid | The Perfect Second-Reference Home Monitors | ||
4 | Yamaha HS5 | £149.50 Low Mid | Sound Good on These, and You'll Sound Brilliant Anywhere | ||
5 | Edifier R2750DB | £249.00 Mid | Save on the Snakepit of Cables With Bluetooth Monitors | ||
6 | Behringer 1C-BK | £54.99 Low | For Those Working on With a Super Cheap Budget | ||
7 | KRK ROKIT RP103 G4 | £428.00 High Mid | An Excellent Frequency Response With 300 Watts of Power | ||
8 | M-Audio BX5-D3 | £79.00 Low Mid | Accurate and Clear Sound for a Very Affordable Price | ||
9 | Genelec 8010A | £249.00 Mid | Ideal for Producers on the Move | ||
10 | IK Multimedia iLoud MTM Reference Monitor | £344.00 High Mid | A Unique Speaker Arrangement With Accurate Low End |
This is the 4th generation of the Gibson-owned KRK Rokit line, and we think it's fair to say that it's easily the best yet. These monitors have everything, from excellent performance and range in the EQ to front ports that allow them to be positioned near walls in the studio. Oh, and you can turn 'em up to 11 thanks to the plentiful 145 W.
We also love the iso-foam pad on the bottom of the monitor. This provides a solid stability whether they're on a tabletop or stand grip, even with the volume up. Additionally, you control the wattage and other features such as room correction from an LCD screen on the monitor itself. Smart!
Kali is a newcomer in making entry-level monitors, but here they've come up with a seriously ambitious product. The first thing worth mentioning is that these monitors produce exceptional mid and high range frequencies. Plus, they can also get loud, but remain clear, thanks to the 140 W of power.
Furthermore, there's a massive 8" woofer, which offers powerful bass without any worry of distortion. They're big, chunky and loud, which may be overpowering if you only have a small space, but if you've got enough real estate, and the money, you won't be disappointed.
These compact passive speakers are based on the famous Auratone 5C Sound Cube. You may notice the poor frequency response, but while this initially isn't a great feature, it can come in handy – many studios use these as a second reference because they better reflect how your sounds will play on consumer audio equipment such as car speakers or headphones.
So, while these may never be your main monitors, they're extremely useful to have around as they will provide you with another insight into how your music will sound through, regular, everyday equipment. After all, getting the best mix means getting the best mix on everything.
These monitors from Yamaha are built solely with mixing and mastering in mind. They have respectable features such as the frequency range and the 5" woofer and 1" dome tweeter, both of which have a flat response, allowing you to hear the true, original sounds that have been recorded.
Moreover, the monitors feature a basic room control function, which evens out the sound in the room. As with the famous old Yamaha NS10 speakers, if you can get your music to sound good on these, then they'll sound brilliant anywhere.
These are our first set of monitors, so you get both for the price advertised. They're active, tri-amp and have a very respectable amount of power and clarity. Furthermore, they also come with front ports which will provide additional low end.
The speakers are housed within MDF boxes, which the company says should cancel out any echo that the speakers may have. One nifty feature is that the monitors have Bluetooth, so you'll be able to stream to them straight from where you're working, saving on the no doubt already-abundant cables running through the studio.
Behringer is one of the world's largest manufacturers when it comes to producing musical equipment. Their USP? Their gear is dirt cheap, which is clever, considering most budding musicians are often skint. Take this monitor, for example – you can pick up a pair for less than the cost of most single units.
You will compromise some of the sound quality as these are not as detailed or precise as other monitors, but they have a decent frequency range and power. Another point worth thinking about is the fact that they're passive speakers, so while you save on the monitors themselves, you'll still need to buy an amplifier to use them, which bumps up the cost up a little.
KRK are one of the most popular monitor manufacturers around, and the little yellow speakers have become infamous in the electronic music world. This is because the company provides a woofer in the monitor that responds to frequencies as low as 26 Hz, which is perfect when creating heavy bass drops in EDM music.
This offering is their tri-amp option, which has a whopping 300 W of power and front ports, so you can get even more from the low end. The monitor is on the pricier side though, so it's probably better suited to those who're serious about their music-making and looking to make a long-term investment.
This may be one of the cheapest monitors in our ranking, but it offers a surprising amount of quality for the price. Take the frequency response, for instance – at 52 Hz-34 kHz, it has plenty of range, even when compared to some of the more expensive options.
The downside is that these monitors are known to get a little hot, so you'll need to make sure that you have regular breaks if you plan on using them for long periods. This could ruin your flow state, but it will save you from having to replace the monitors sooner than you wished.
While this might be on the smaller size in terms of dimensions, you shouldn't worry about it being fragile, as it's made from die-cast aluminium. The size and material mean that this monitor is ideal for those who like to work on the move as it's a breeze to transport.
The product is a bi-amp monitor with a 25 W woofer and a 25 W tweeter. Granted, this doesn't provide too much headroom, so it may not be best used as your main speakers. However, if you're looking for a trusty back up or portability is a must, this would be a solid investment.
First in line is IK's Multimedia iLoud MTM. This model has an unusual design as the 1" tweeter is sandwiched between two 3.5" mid-range speakers on the front. This means that there is no designated woofer. However, the monitor does provide a surprisingly accurate low-end frequency through the mid-range speakers.
Moreover, the monitor has a handy tilting feature which means you'll get a more ideal placement solution. Unfortunately, some users have had connection issues during use, finding that it can turn on and off frequently. This is easily solved but still a little annoying, especially considering the price.
Sifting through music gear specs and product reviews can be a serious struggle, no matter if you're just starting out as a musician or you're an expert after some overdue upgrades. Not to worry – we've already done the graft so all you have to do is click through to the articles below to find what you need!
No. 1: KRK|ROKIT RP7 G4
No. 2: Kali|IN-8
No. 3: Avantone|Mixcubes
No. 4: Yamaha|HS5
No. 5: Edifier|R2750DB
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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