Which monitoring speakers do you recommend for my usage?

[Dom83.xyz]

Hello. Which monitoring speakers do you recommend for my usage?
- amateur producing (and listening) : trance, rave, hardcore, makina, eurodance
- low hiss if possible, because I always listen at a rather low volume
- front ports because they'll be 15cm (6 inches) from the wall in an untreated room
- $300~$450 for the pair

Here are a few models that I found. If you had the opportunity to compare them, please share your opinion. I am open to other models of any brand.

KRK Rokit RP5 G5
+ EQ to adapt the sound
- a lot of very negative comments

Presonus Eris Studio 5
+ settings for treble and bass.
- a lot of negative comments

Prodipe Pro 5 V4
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.
+ more beautiful than the others, but this should not count.

ESI nEar i5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- Very few opinions.

Behringer NEKKST K5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- The reviews are not very good.

Tannoy Reveal 502
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.

Kali Audio LP-UNF
~ Good reviews, but they look more like multimedia speakers than monitoring speakers.

Tannoy Gold 5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- more expensive
- weird look, some may like it, I don't, but this should not count.

Kali LP-6 2nd wave
+ often recommended as the best ones for this price
- 6.5" is not appropriate for listening at low volume at 80cm (31 inches) from me, right?

(I recently tried Mackie MR524 for almost a month but I decided to return them: excessive bass and a dip in the mids, impossible to fix with an eq and impossible for me to get used to. It probably came from the speakers having rear ports and being too close to the wall so I'm going to choose a model with the ports on the front. Before that I had Tascam VL-X5 for 20y. )

Thanks

 

[Waxx]

for low hiss in this pricerange it's hard when active. I would get some passive and have an amp with eq like a Wiim amp.

For your style of music bass is very important, so a 5" will struggle. It's hard to fit your budget. Rokit's are popular among dj's altough, i don't know why, but they are very often their speakers or studio monitors when working on a budget.

I don't like that speaker at all, but worked for years with passive 1st gen Tannoy Reveal speakers in my homestudio with a 6.5" woofer and made dub, ragga and jungle with it (15-20 years ago). I did have a diy sub altough (a 15" peavey speaker in ported cabinet) but even then the 6.5" was just enough to hear what i needed to hear. But i'm out of the scene largely so i don't know what they use now... I listened at about 50cm from it and so do i now on my desk with 6" woofers also. The reveals were sold 12 years ago when i build my own speakers and did not use them anymore...

But for serious monitors, you may have to spend a bit more... The closest to it will be the Kali LP-6 i think. You can adjust your treble also in the daw mostly. ot use APO EQ (or similar) for that.

 

[Duke]

Hello. Which monitoring speakers do you recommend for my usage?
-to produce: trance, rave, hardcore, makina, eurodance
-low hiss if possible, because I always listen at a rather low volume
-with the vents on the front, because they'll be at 15cm (6 inches) from the wall in an untreated room
-~$300~$450 for the pair

Here are a few models that I found. If you had the opportunity to compare them, please share your opinion. I am open to other models of any brand.

Prodipe Pro 5 V4
- No review of the V4, and reviews on older versions are not always very good.
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.
+ more beautiful than the others, but this should not count.

Kali LP-6 2nd wave
+ often recommended as the best ones for this price
- no adjustment, neither for treble nor for bass
- 6.5" is not appropriate for listening at low volume at 80cm (31 inches) from me, right?

Kali Audio LP-UNF
~ Good reviews, but they look more like multimedia speakers than monitoring speakers.

Behringer NEKKST K5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- The reviews are not very good.

KRK Rokit RP5 G5
+ EQ to adapt the sound
- a lot of very negative comments

Presonus Eris Studio 5
+ settings for treble and bass.
- a lot of negative comments

Tannoy Gold 5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- more expensive
- weird look, some may like it, I don't, but this should not count.

Tannoy Reveal 502
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.

ESI nEar i5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- Very few opinions.

(I recently tried Mackie MR524 for almost a month but I decided to return them: excessive bass and a dip in the mids, impossible to fix with an eq and impossible for me to get used to. It probably came from the speakers having vents on the back and being too close to the wall so I'm going to choose a model with the vents on the front. Before that I had Tascam VL-X5 for 20y. )

Thanks

If you haven't already, you might ask on Gearspace.

Something to consider that doesn't show up in the feature set or the performance data: If you get a speaker that's popular on Gearspace, you will stand a better chance of getting help from more experienced users should you run into issues.

 

[Dom83.xyz]

Thanks for replying.

...

I was perfectly fine with the hiss level of the Mackie MR524 for example. But I heard that some other models have much more hiss.
I am not a fan of very loud bass, but I guess I need to check that my tracks won't sound weird on other people's sound system. I read somewhere that for an untreated room it's better to have just some 5'' monitors and check the bass with a monitoring headset. What do you think?
I noticed how KRK Rokit and Presonus Eris are popular but at same time a lot of people just hate them. While nobody dislike the Kali LP-6 for example, but it seems that they are not designed to be listened to so close. Too bad they didn't make a 5'' version. Kali IN-5 are said to be very good but they are much more expensive. For I don't make any money from my music and I don't even share it much anymore, I can't invest that much money.
Of course the best solution would be to listen to them all in person but I live away from any big town.

If you haven't already, you might ask on Gearspace.

audiosciencereview.com seemed more alive to me but ok I'll try.

 

[DVDdoug]

I read somewhere that for an untreated room it's better to have just some 5'' monitors and check the bass with a monitoring headset. What do you think?

That can work. Get headphones with good deep-smooth bass and compare to known-good tracks.

 

[Dom83.xyz]

I can't edit my first post anymore but I am adding to my list:
Adam Audio D3V and IK Multimedia iLoud Micro : Is 3'' enough compared to 5''? And don't these have hiss?
Kali Audio LP-UNF
Focal Alpha 50 Evo: more expensive, are they worth the extra?

 

[Froghawk]

D3V has huge bass and not a lot of hiss. I'd definitely recommend them for your use case. But if you can, get the IN-5s!

 

[3125b]

Focal Alpha 50 Evo: more expensive, are they worth the extra?

They are very quiet, the hiss isn't audible from more than 10cm away in a silent room. I have the 65 Evo and they're some of the quietest monitors I've ever heard.
Otherwise they're fine, not much wrong with or remarkable about them, but they are pretty bulky, might want to check how much space you actually have.

 

[Nondemo01]

Hello. Which monitoring speakers do you recommend for my usage?
- amateur producing (and listening) : trance, rave, hardcore, makina, eurodance
- low hiss if possible, because I always listen at a rather low volume
- front ports because they'll be 15cm (6 inches) from the wall in an untreated room
- $300~$450 for the pair

Here are a few models that I found. If you had the opportunity to compare them, please share your opinion. I am open to other models of any brand.

KRK Rokit RP5 G5
+ EQ to adapt the sound
- a lot of very negative comments

Presonus Eris Studio 5
+ settings for treble and bass.
- a lot of negative comments

Prodipe Pro 5 V4
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.
+ more beautiful than the others, but this should not count.

ESI nEar i5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- Very few opinions.

Behringer NEKKST K5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- The reviews are not very good.

Tannoy Reveal 502
- Setting only for treble, not for bass. That could be a problem.

Kali Audio LP-UNF
~ Good reviews, but they look more like multimedia speakers than monitoring speakers.

Tannoy Gold 5
+ Settings for treble and bass.
- more expensive
- weird look, some may like it, I don't, but this should not count.

Kali LP-6 2nd wave
+ often recommended as the best ones for this price
- 6.5" is not appropriate for listening at low volume at 80cm (31 inches) from me, right?

(I recently tried Mackie MR524 for almost a month but I decided to return them: excessive bass and a dip in the mids, impossible to fix with an eq and impossible for me to get used to. It probably came from the speakers having rear ports and being too close to the wall so I'm going to choose a model with the ports on the front. Before that I had Tascam VL-X5 for 20y. )

Thanks

Yamaha HS5 if you get them away from the wall. They're the most honest speakers I've heard in their price range. JBL 305P MkII, Adam Audio T5V, Focal Shape 65. I'd probably go with the Focal since you say they'll be near the wall. BTW, none of these is within that price point and I don't think you'll be happy with anything near that price point. Save a little to get a whole lot more.

 

[Dom83.xyz]

How do Adam D3V or Kali LP-UNF compare to Presonus Eris Studio 5 and KRK Rokit RP5 G5 ?
Size is not much a problem to me and I never move them, so I don't have any reason to chose 3'' or 4'' over 5'' unless they are better.

I am interested in the Kali Audio LP-UNF because I see them as a smaller better suited for 80cm nearfield version of the Kali LP-6 2nd wave, but how do they compare to the LP-6, are they much less precise? The price difference is very small: €333 vs €398.

See the reason why I can't make my mind is that I only find reviews of each of all these models, I can't find any review that compares two of these models together and says how which one is better than the other. That is why I ask, hoping that some of you have listened to several of these and can tell me which one was more precise and neutral than another.

 

[olds1959special]

Dynaudio, Yamaha, and KRK are all good brands if you can find front firing models. If your bass ports are in the back, low-cut filters can help.

 

[Hubi74]

Is there even something at this price that can confidently claim the name "monitor"?

 

[olds1959special]

Is there even something at this price that can confidently claim the name "monitor"?

I bought older Yamaha MSP5's for $80 a pair used.

 

[Dom83.xyz]

Is there even something at this price that can confidently claim the name "monitor"?

Maybe see them as "affordable monitors for amateurs" as opposed to "expensive studio monitors".
I want to be able to do precise settings on reverb and stuff, and do a rather clean mix, but I don't make any money from my music so I can't invest thousands of dollars on speakers. That's what budget monitors are for, right?

 

[Flaesh]

won't sound weird on other people's sound system

People (okay, a lot of people) have audio systems that sound about 0 dB at 20 Hz. But in mixes there is often nothing below 50..

 

[DatSpeakerTho]

I read somewhere that for an untreated room it's better to have just some 5'' monitors and check the bass with a monitoring headset. What do you think?

Due to how room reflections work, a 6" and 5" placed in the same spots, will exhibit the same room issues leaving you with peaks and nulls in the bass no matter what speaker you buy. You will ideally need to EQ the low end no matter what speaker or room you're in if you want it to sound good, doubly so if you want to mix anything on it. Typically you'd use a few different monitoring tools to check a mix but you still want the output of your speakers to be a neutral as possible.

Is there even something at this price that can confidently claim the name "monitor"?

Yeah, the LP6 v2. I literally use them to mix music as my current main gig. I have other monitors but these are perfectly sufficient and I use them a lot.

They're the most honest speakers I've heard in their price range.

Worst one's I've heard. That mid range peak gave me a headache basically instantly every time I turned them on.

There's a lot of nonsense about what makes a "real" monitor, or that you need certain tools to deliver positive results. As you state OP you're an amatuer musician, your goal should really be to work on as much as you can, develop your tastes, learn your tools. You can do this on headphones, or any decent speaker. Your current goal is not to get caught up in various forum users recommendations. You simply need to get the tool that is objectively the best option and get to having fun making music.

The speaker in your list that will sound the best on playback, and unequivocally provide you with the best chance as developing as a musician and delivering mixes that don't sound like crap, are the Kali LP6 V2. They are plain and simple the most accurate of the bunch. The company has great support as well. It's really a no brainer.

 

[Nondemo01]

Due to how room reflections work, a 6" and 5" placed in the same spots, will exhibit the same room issues leaving you with peaks and nulls in the bass no matter what speaker you buy. You will ideally need to EQ the low end no matter what speaker or room you're in if you want it to sound good, doubly so if you want to mix anything on it. Typically you'd use a few different monitoring tools to check a mix but you still want the output of your speakers to be a neutral as possible.



Yeah, the LP6 v2. I literally use them to mix music as my current main gig. I have other monitors but these are perfectly sufficient and I use them a lot.



Worst one's I've heard. That mid range peak gave me a headache basically instantly every time I turned them on.

There's a lot of nonsense about what makes a "real" monitor, or that you need certain tools to deliver positive results. As you state OP you're an amatuer musician, your goal should really be to work on as much as you can, develop your tastes, learn your tools. You can do this on headphones, or any decent speaker. Your current goal is not to get caught up in various forum users recommendations. You simply need to get the tool that is objectively the best option and get to having fun making music.

The speaker in your list that will sound the best on playback, and unequivocally provide you with the best chance as developing as a musician and delivering mixes that don't sound like crap, are the Kali LP6 V2. They are plain and simple the most accurate of the bunch. The company has great support as well. It's really a no brainer.

Fair enough if the HS5 doesn’t work for you. I’m not claiming they’re universally pleasant or that everyone should buy them. My point was that, in their price range, I find them honest. They don’t flatter bad decisions, and that can be useful.

What I don’t quite follow is dismissing “forum user recommendations” and then immediately making an absolute forum-user recommendation for the Kali LP6 V2 as the “unequivocal” best choice. The Kali may measure well and may be the better fit for you, but that doesn’t make the HS5 useless or dishonest. It just means they have a different presentation and different tradeoffs.

For an amateur musician, I agree the goal is to learn your tools and make music. That’s exactly why the best monitor is often the one you understand well enough to translate on other systems. For me, the HS5 does that well for the money.

 

[DatSpeakerTho]

What I don’t quite follow is dismissing “forum user recommendations” and then immediately making an absolute forum-user recommendation for the Kali LP6 V2 as the “unequivocal” best choice.

The difference being every other recommendation here is purely based on subjective impressions. Mine is the only one based on objective data AND subjective impressions. The LP6 v2 is the most accurate monitor in OP's list and to argue otherwise would just be a false.

I find them honest.

You find them to be accurate, I do not. How do we get past that? Measurement data. It shows some issues that will interfere with mixing for most users.

I'm sorry, but his is just not a studio monitors response by today's standards. (trace from ASR review, imported into vcad) You do not want a shelved down woofer response ( you suggested moving from them wall, but the shelved woofer is likely tuned to make use of boundary gain) and ~5-7db peak at 1khz in your monitor, plain and simple. This speaker in it's stock form simply cannot reproduce signals accurately and will make it diffuclt to achieve a good mix. If they work for you, great, but OP shouldn't settle for these issues if they don't have to.

 

[Matias]

Kali LP-6 2nd wave + subwoofer, as it seems you need a lot of low frequency extension because of the genres.