Best studio monitor for classical music for 500$

[Schubert1]

Hello everyone. Complete amateur when it comes to audio equipment here.

Trained musician, just looking for accurate and honest pair of studio monitors for classical music critical listening.

If you think I could get a pair of great passive speakers for that price, I am open to suggestions.

The models I read about:

Focal Alpha 65
Presonus Eris 7 xt and 8 xt
Mackie MR624 and MR824
Adam Audio T5V and T7V
Tannoy Gold 7 and 8

Thank you in advance! Looking forward to your suggestions.

 

[AdamG]

Hello everyone. Complete amateur when it comes to audio equipment here.

Trained musician, just looking for accurate and honest pair of studio monitors for classical music critical listening.

If you think I could get a pair of great passive speakers for that price, I am open to suggestions.

The models I read about:

Focal Alpha 65
Presonus Eris 7 xt and 8 xt
Mackie MR624 and MR824
Adam Audio T5V and T7V
Tannoy Gold 7 and 8

Thank you in advance! Looking forward to your suggestions.

Welcome Aboard @Schubert1.

 

[Schubert1]

Thank you very much Adam!

 

[Vict0r]

I don't think there are many people that have heard all your choices and can compare them for you, so your best bet is to read lots of reviews and check the measurements. Also, how are you going to control your volume? What will you be plugging them into?

 

[Robin L]

Hello everyone. Complete amateur when it comes to audio equipment here.

Trained musician, just looking for accurate and honest pair of studio monitors for classical music critical listening.

If you think I could get a pair of great passive speakers for that price, I am open to suggestions.

The models I read about:

Focal Alpha 65
Presonus Eris 7 xt and 8 xt
Mackie MR624 and MR824
Adam Audio T5V and T7V
Tannoy Gold 7 and 8

Thank you in advance! Looking forward to your suggestions.

Do you have headphones? I listen to a lot of classical music via headphones, used to record classical music. I find headphones better in terms of having bass that doesn't interact with room resonances, the ability to hear multiple lines simultaneously, and "bang for the buck". $500 of headphones and related gear might turn out to be more useful than $500 of speakers.

 

[Schubert1]

Hello Victor, thank you for your response.

At the moment, I have only my computer. I suppose I will get cables for speakers to connect them with my computer and audio interface down the road.

I suppose I am looking for the flattest speaker in that range.

 

[Schubert1]

Thanks Robin.

I used headphones before, but I really prefere the speaker experience. I feel a bit "trapped" when I wear headphones.

 

[Moonhead]

JBL LSR308 could be an option to.

 

[Schubert1]

Thank you Moonhead.

I would gladly audition all these speakers,bjt concerning the pandemic, it became very difficult.

Which brings me to trusting measurements frequency responses.

If anyone tried some of the speakers with classical/acoustic music, please share your experiences. Thank you in advance!

 

[Loathecliff]

Hello everyone. Complete amateur when it comes to audio equipment here.

Trained musician, just looking for accurate and honest pair of studio monitors for classical music critical listening.

If you think I could get a pair of great passive speakers for that price, I am open to suggestions.

Thank you in advance! Looking forward to your suggestions.

A nearly fifty year old design, and the only speaker to displace Quad ESLs from our system.
Not my advert, but I'm totally biased, and still in love with a £20 pair of these I found in a secondhand shop many moons ago; (& yes, having dealer connections allowed me to hear plenty of speakers up until circa 2010. Maybe there was a great leap forward starting 2011? In which case please ignore my nonsense )
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/33392500...9422.N36.S2.typeWATCH_ITEM_ENDING_SOON.R2.TR2

 

[Schubert1]

Thank you, Loathecliff.
I am aware that Quad made some amazing speakers, but I would, when it is possible, prefer buying new.

Maybe I should look at new KEF or B&W speakers for classical?

 

[maxxevv]

Considering what you have now, that is essentially your computer, I would suggest a pair of powered and possible active speakers.
JBL, Kali and Adam all have active / powered sets that will fit your budget nicely. ASR has reviewed quite a few of them, so you can check your options in the reviews portion.

 

[Schubert1]

Maxxevv, thank you very much.

I read a lot of reviews and my only concert was lack of accuracy, when it comes to these monitors.
I can get ADAM T7V and Eris 7 xt for the same price. Which would be better for classical?

Thank you!

 

[Robin L]

Maxxevv, thank you very much.

I read a lot of reviews and my only concert was lack of accuracy, when it comes to these monitors.
I can get ADAM T7V and Eris 7 xt for the same price. Which would be better for classical?

Thank you!

I really don't think it works out like "Best for classical". "Accuracy" depends on a lot of factors, and what's good for the goose is good for the gander. If the speaker is accurate, it will be good for all music However, what you like is more important, in the long run. That might not turn out to be "accurate". In order to find out what works for you, you must audition the speakers yourself. People hear thing very differently from person to person, what's best for one person could turn out to be not the best for someone else. For one [very big] thing your room will have an impact on the sound of the speaker. I've heard really good gear in a room where no amount of money, no application of knowledge of acoustics or electronics, can give a good result. I've heard ok gear sound great because the room worked with the good things about that gear instead of against it. There isn't an easy "buy this" answer to your question.

 

[Schubert1]

Thank you for your detailed response, Robin L.

The thing which is most important for me is the midrange. I do not like V shaped speakers or headphones.

Which monitor would give me good, linear midrange might be my question.

Thank you!

 

[RickSanchez]

Keep in mind that buying a well-measuring pair of powered speakers does not mean you have to live with the exact performance of those speakers. You can also use software EQ to dial in the FR that sounds best to you.

• For Windows you can look at Equalizer APO + Peace
• If you want a more exhaustive list you can review this post.

Admittedly you'd probably want to start with something like REW to understand how your speakers behave in your room. But my overall point is you don't have to be focused on getting exactly the "perfect" speaker for classical music. Find a quality speaker within your budget that has the power + features that you need and that measures well / responds well to EQ. That will get you what you need. For example: the Adam T5V is a great budget speaker, measures well (mostly flat). But the elevated treble may not be to your liking. Some software EQ-ing will take care of that, and anything else you want to adjust.

 

[Loathecliff]

Thank you, Loathecliff.
I am aware that Quad made some amazing speakers, but I would, when it is possible, prefer buying new.

Maybe I should look at new KEF or B&W speakers for classical?

Erm. I was suggesting a B&W speaker (albeit an early one, a TL). My apologies for not being clear.

 

[Robin L]

Thank you for your detailed response, Robin L.

The thing which is most important for me is the midrange. I do not like V shaped speakers or headphones.

Which monitor would give me good, linear midrange might be my question.

Thank you!

You can look through the reviews here, plenty of graphs and charts to indicate deviations from flat frequency response. I think you're going to find few speakers that meet your criteria. Again, I was drawn to earphones because it was hard to find monitors for recording that were as revealing for anywhere near the same kind of money as good headphones. A $500 budget for speakers and amplification is small in today's market unless one is buying used gear.

 

[Schubert1]

Thank you RickSanchez,

I appreciate your response. It makes a lot of sense. I have a medium sized room. Does ut make sense to take 6.5 inch or 8 inch woofer over 5 inch one?

Thank you!

 

[Schubert1]

Loathecliff, my appologies, I wrote incorrectly. Nothing to apologize for.