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Recommended Studio Monitors for your Home Recording Studio Setup

Studio monitors are one of the crucial elements of a home studio. Although many people rely on headphones only, hearing the music through monitors is the only way to hear what it sounds like with reference to the full spectrum of frequencies.

 

Unlike domestic speakers that enhance the sound the purpose of studio monitors is to produce a flat and accurate representation of the signal it receives from the DAW. Two additional factors are the listener and the amplification of the signal.

 

When choosing a pair of monitors factor in your home studio size and setup, although the best monitors allow tuning to take account of size and space. For most home studios a pair of nearfield monitors are likely to be your first purchase.

 

  • Nearfield monitors - these are great for home studios as they are designed to generate the correct frequency response over one to two metres from the listener which is typically the working distance of a small home studio.
  • Midfield Monitors - as the name suggests these are designed to be optimum when the listener is further away, say, two to four metres away

 

The amplification of the signal is one of the key elements of monitor design. The three types of studio monitor amplification are:

  • Passive - This needs external amplification to boost the input signal to the speaker (driver) system and needs a passive crossover that splits the signal directing the splits to the tweeter, midrange and woofer as appropriate.
  • Powered - These are basically passive monitors that have amplification and crossover built-in. This obviously makes for a simpler set up.
  • Active - These have multiple built-in amplifiers and active crossover circuitry so that the signal is more accurately split and amplified.

 

Active monitors are, more than ever, the go-to type of studio monitor due to the more accurate signal processing. Studio monitors mainly come as 2 and 3-way speaker (driver) systems. A three-way system has a tweeter, midrange and bass woofer. A two-way system has a tweeter and woofer that handles both midrange and bass.  However, it doesn't always follow that a 3-way system is better than a 2-way system due to design differences and build quality.

 

Unless you can actually listen to different monitors your choice is going to have to be based mainly on brand reputation and your budget.

 

Recommended Active Studio Monitors

JBL 305P MKII - Yamaha HS 8 - Neumann KH 80 DSP - KRK RP5 RoKit

 

 

JBL 305p MKII

Yamaha HS8

Neumann KH 80 DSP

KRK RP5 ROKIT

Overall Design

Weight 4.73 Kg) Lightweight for studio monitors. If your studio is portable then this is a plus.

The Yamaha HS8 has a pedigree built on the legendary NS10. So has a great overall response.

These are small micro-monitors Dimensions (H x W x D): 233 x 154 x 194 mm, weighing  3.5 kg. They are great used as nearfield monitors

The new ROKIT 5 G4 has an improved high end over its predecessors. This model measures 11.22″ x 7.48″ x 9.49″ and weighs 4.85Kg. There is also a high density acoustic iso-foam pad on the bottom.

 

Durability

Made from PVC which is very durable but also lightweight. This makes the 305p Mk able to withstand wear and tear.

The enclosure is made from MDF so is heavier than PVC. So may you may see signs of wear and tear.

The 4” composite h woofers and 1” tweeters are housed in a composite polycarbonate cabinet which is lightweight and offers good durability.

 

The enclosure is solid and well-made designed with low-resonance in mind. Kevlar is used in the woofer and tweeter.

Sound Performance

The 305p MKII has 56 Watts per driver. This provides enough excess on an average volume demand of 41 Watts. Which should give plenty of headroom.

The Yamaha HS8 offers incredible clarity, so it is great for music recording. Combined 120-Watt amplification. The bass reflex system and the 8-inch, 75-watt, cone woofer also mean that there’s no need to use a subwoofer. Wide 38Hz – 30kHz Frequency Range for a complete audio image.

 

Excellent tweeter performance and bass response. Bi-amplified power provides 120W to the woofers, 70W to the tweeters. They have some advanced features and Neumann technicians hand-test each speaker and pair them accordingly for an ideal match.

The ROKIT 5 G4 is a bi-amplified design with 55W of combined class D power offering a frequency range of 43Hz–40kHz. There is also a KRK Audio Tools app which helps with monitor placement as well as tuning.

Affordability

With a combination of new technology and JBL proven engineering the 305p Mk II is a competitive studio monitor. The price tag compares favourably with competitors and expected quality.

 

The HS8 is a great studio monitor with an impeccable pedigree and is still worth the investment.

For micro-monitors, the price tag is in the range of larger competitors, but if space or portability is an issue then they are a great choice

These are great small monitors but also do not have to bust your studio monitor budget.

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