Best Powered Monitors for less than $1K

[Donnie B.]

I'm hoping to spend in the $600 to $800 range for a pair of powered studio monitors for a small home studio. Any suggestions for best bang for the buck?

Thanks.

[Denyle_Guitars]

New or used?

New, my favorite sub $1k is the Dynaudio bm5a.

Used, I like the nht a-20.

[melondaoust]

KRK Rokit 5's or 8's. Have a pair of 5's - love 'em!

[Mojoman]

Dynaudio Bm5a's without a doubt the best I have heard in that price range. Terrific monitors.

[bbocaner]

i have the bm5a's and I adore them, although they'll take your head off if the source material is really bright! :)

[gtr777]

+1 on the Dynaudios. I just purchease a set of BM5A's and they rock. I'll take them over the Mackies any day.

[tedzepplin]

I like Event 20/20's

[retro]

Another Dynaudio vote...

[Guyote]

The Dynacoustic BM5A won Electronic Musicians Editors Choice for 2006. Street price for a pair is under a grand, but just barely. See the EM blurb below:

"DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS
BM5A ($1,250/pair)
In a year of limited but interesting monitor introductions, a last-minute entry took first prize. Dynaudio Acoustics' BM5A won our accolades over several competitors because of its clean power-handling, transparent highs, and above-average bass response. The BM5A is a two-way, biamplified, close-field monitor with a 6.9-inch woofer and a 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter, each of which is driven by a 50W amp. Both amplifiers have thermal-overload protection, and the woofer amp also has a built-in limiter. Three equalization switches can be set flat or can provide bass shelving, midrange cut, and treble filtering. The highpass filter can be set to 60 or 80 Hz cutoff points when pairing the BM5A with a subwoofer. A rear two-inch-diameter port aids the monitor's ample bass response. The BM5A's handling of bass frequencies impressed reviewer Myles Boisen, although if you aren't accustomed to that sort of bass response, you'll need some time to adjust to it. That said, the combination of ample but controlled bass and accurate response from compact drivers is clearly an award-winning accomplishment."

These look pretty tasty, bro.:)

G

[therigaletto]

im going to have to go with yamaha hs80's. Ns10 throw back look is pretty cool too

[Ed DeGenaro]

I'm hoping to spend in the $600 to $800 range for a pair of powered studio monitors for a small home studio. Any suggestions for best bang for the buck?

Thanks.
You know the ones I got from you are still rocking Elektrik Eddieland! :-)

[Donnie B.]

You know the ones I got from you are still rocking Elektrik Eddieland! :-)

Shhhhh. I'm doing this as part of a survey for an upcoming product line we may be kicking off.

[LSchefman]

I have the Dynaudio BM5as, and my mixes have been translating to other systems extremely well.

[gtr777]

by the way I disconnected my Event 20/20BAS when I got my Dynaudio's. If anyone is interested in them PM me. They're like new...

[muddy]

adam audio's new a7 monitors are only $1,000/pair!!! it has their proprietry ribbon tweeters & a 6.5" woofer. shite, it's time to get rid of my tannoy active reveals!


ml

[erikm5150]

KRK V series

[gainiac]

Have any of you guys compared the Dynaudio stuff to the Event Precision 8's?

[justicetones]

I chose the Dynaudio BM5A's. I love them and have mixed for years on NS-10's, Genelec's and other pro monitors including KRK's.

I don't by any means think the KRK line is a bad choice but, IMHO and professional opinion, I think the Dynaudio BM5A's translate better in the outside world than the KRK stuff.

[LSchefman]

>>Have any of you guys compared the Dynaudio stuff to the Event Precision 8's?<<

I have. I liked the Precision 8s a lot. It was nearly a tossup, but I decided on the Dynaudios because they seemed a bit more linear to my ear. The P8s seemed capable of higher volume.

The P8s are a very fine choice, however.

My only criticism of the Dynaudios in my rather large control room is that they could use more amplifier power; they do get a bit indistinct when pushed. So while they're very flat and evenly balanced in terms of freq. response, and they do translate well, over about 85 db there is a tendency to blur fine detail, which I find a bit bothersome.

I do find the Dynaudios easier to mix on than my Genelec 1031As were; the Genelecs sometimes fooled me, especially when they were fairly loud.

There is no such thing as a perfect speaker. I will probably move the Dynaudios to my workstation area at some point, and get a set of Lipinskis for the mix position. I like to have speakers by different manufacturers for comparison.

[zadiqof]

KRK Rokit 5's or 8's. Have a pair of 5's - love 'em!
I'll second this.

[TNJ]

I have a pair of Tapco S8 powered monitors and a powered sub.
Nice for the price ($399 for the pair).
S>
j

[thesedaze]

For new stuff, the Rubicon R8a's are a steal. For an older sound, I love the old Ampex tube 8" monitors.

[gainiac]

[quote=LSchefman

The P8s are a very fine choice, however.

[/quote]

Thanks man, I'm on the fence right now about the Dynes or the P8's.

I really need to do a side by side comparison.

[LSchefman]

>>I really need to do a side by side comparison.<<

Good plan; assuming that you can do it in a decent, quiet room with good ancillary gear.

If your control room area is not large, the Dynaudios are a bit easier to mix on (for me, at least). Mine is large (20 x 35), and I still recommend them, but I can see both sides of the equation.

I'm hoping Dynaudio comes out with an updated version of the BM6As, because I do think that the newer layout of the BM5As results in a very coherent response. I'd buy that speaker in a heartbeat.

Another choice, of course, is to add a subwoofer to the BM5A rig (dynaudio makes several, one of which is intended to match the BM5A), which would probably reduce the power drain and thereby improve transients somewhat.