Best studio monitors for a small untreated bedroom? (Budget: 700 USD)

[thecontrolcentre]

You can find some cheaper Genelecs ... they have the 8010A here for £209 each:

https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-an ... Single/X5S

I've been using a pair of 1029A's for more than 20 years now. Still happy with 'em (I got the 1091A sub too).

[BONES]

I’ve been using the JBL 305s for years and I am happy with them. The key with any set of monitors is just spending time with them. Learn their strengths and weaknesses in your room, then you’ll be able to compensate for those weaknesses when you’re mixing.

This! But rather than having to consciously "compensate", you'll find you just naturally mix things properly once you know the monitors.

My choice would be a pair of Presonus Eris 3.5s. They are cheap as chips but have a good, flat response that will allow you to get great mixes and masters. Studios spend a lot of money on monitors because they have different people coming in and out every day, so they need something that everyone knows or that will deliver completely flat response. We're not like that, we can take the time to get to know our studio and work with it so all you need is good frequency response across the range, not necessarily the perfect, flat sound of expensive monitors.

I recently mixed and mastered an album using only my Eris 3.5s, then hooked up my old, giant Wharfedales, which I used on the three previous albums, just to check and it was all perfect (or as good as it was going to get with my tired, old ears).

[tony10000]

I’ve been using the JBL 305s for years and I am happy with them. The key with any set of monitors is just spending time with them. Learn their strengths and weaknesses in your room, then you’ll be able to compensate for those weaknesses when you’re mixing.

This! But rather than having to consciously "compensate", you'll find you just naturally mix things properly once you know the monitors.

My choice would be a pair of Presonus Eris 3.5s. They are cheap as chips but have a good, flat response that will allow you to get great mixes and masters. Studios spend a lot of money on monitors because they have different people coming in and out every day, so they need something that everyone knows or that will deliver completely flat response. We're not like that, we can take the time to get to know our studio and work with it so all you need is good frequency response across the range, not necessarily the perfect, flat sound of expensive monitors.

I recently mixed and mastered an album using only my Eris 3.5s, then hooked up my old, giant Wharfedales, which I used on the three previous albums, just to check and it was all perfect (or as good as it was going to get with my tired, old ears).

That is encouraging...I just bought a pair.

[dkingkong]

focal shape 40s. just heard them in a shop sounded great meant to be able to be put closer to walls.

[Benedict]

I’ve been using the JBL 305s for years and I am happy with them. The key with any set of monitors is just spending time with them. Learn their strengths and weaknesses in your room, then you’ll be able to compensate for those weaknesses when you’re mixing.

This! But rather than having to consciously "compensate", you'll find you just naturally mix things properly once you know the monitors.

My choice would be a pair of Presonus Eris 3.5s. They are cheap as chips but have a good, flat response that will allow you to get great mixes and masters. Studios spend a lot of money on monitors because they have different people coming in and out every day, so they need something that everyone knows or that will deliver completely flat response. We're not like that, we can take the time to get to know our studio and work with it so all you need is good frequency response across the range, not necessarily the perfect, flat sound of expensive monitors.

I recently mixed and mastered an album using only my Eris 3.5s, then hooked up my old, giant Wharfedales, which I used on the three previous albums, just to check and it was all perfect (or as good as it was going to get with my tired, old ears).

Very wisely said Bones

[TrustMe93]

Wasn’t originally in the thought of getting monitors, but seeing as I don’t have any (at least any proper ones), I’ll have to check these out.

[Passing Bye]

> Small untreated room
How small, and how untreated? If it's too much it probably won't matter what speakers you get, the audio will be so messed up you won't be able to make a decent mix in that room. The frequencies get muddy, it's like trying to see through a frosted glass. So if the answer about your room is "pretty small and completely untreated" you should be looking at headphones: Sennheiser HD650, Beyerdynamics DT 990

Having said that, I think the minimum size for a decent reproduction is about 5" speakers. And you probably don't want to go much larger than that for a small room because the bass will take over the room and never sound right.

Agree, it's pointless to spend more than 250-300 bucks on pair of speakers for small untreated room in 2019, also agree to not go under 5", so my suggestion is to check out Fluid Audio F5's or little more expensive Presonus Eris E5, that are IMO best bang for the buck monitors at this point in time for an smaller untreated room.

[Scotty]

Don't rule out the Iloud Micro Monitors from IK. Great reviews on these speakers. I have a pair of ADAMS a7x and Event ASP8s but these are used constantly to check mixes and I love them.

[Branis]

IK's iLoud MTM are about to be released (June 2019). Based on few YouTube videos they seem really interesting. They have IK's ARC system integrated and come with a measuring mic so they should be a good choice for untreated rooms.

[HighEndMastering]

I've been mixing and mastering with my headphones but I finally feel ready to invest in some studio monitors.

Here are some models I've been looking at:
-JBL 305P
-HS5 with subpac

Any suggestions are welcome

Hi CircuitTree,

You'll mostly receive subjective advice from owners of 'Monitor X'

Sticking to the facts and coming from an objective position you'll want the following for small and untreated.

- 5" or less
- Front facing bass port
- Ideally something with ARC such as what Branis pointed out above.

If you can't test any, the rest will be down to whichever review sounds most appealing to you on particular models you're researching from the above criteria.

What ability will you have in future to add room treatment? As that could influence purchasing decision.

[CircuitTree]

I've been mixing and mastering with my headphones but I finally feel ready to invest in some studio monitors.

Here are some models I've been looking at:
-JBL 305P
-HS5 with subpac

Any suggestions are welcome

Hi CircuitTree,

You'll mostly receive subjective advice from owners of 'Monitor X'

Sticking to the facts and coming from an objective position you'll want the following for small and untreated.

- 5" or less
- Front facing bass port
- Ideally something with ARC such as what Branis pointed out above.

If you can't test any, the rest will be down to whichever review sounds most appealing to you on particular models you're researching from the above criteria.

What ability will you have in future to add room treatment? As that could influence purchasing decision.

I ended up purchasing the JBL 305's with the 310 subwoofer. I found a deal online where it was a whole bundle and it included bass traps and bottom pads for the speakers The kit even came with stands! Hopefully that is enough for room treatment. I might treat my room further in the future when money isn't a problem.

[HighEndMastering]

I've been mixing and mastering with my headphones but I finally feel ready to invest in some studio monitors.

Here are some models I've been looking at:
-JBL 305P
-HS5 with subpac

Any suggestions are welcome

Hi CircuitTree,

You'll mostly receive subjective advice from owners of 'Monitor X'

Sticking to the facts and coming from an objective position you'll want the following for small and untreated.

- 5" or less
- Front facing bass port
- Ideally something with ARC such as what Branis pointed out above.

If you can't test any, the rest will be down to whichever review sounds most appealing to you on particular models you're researching from the above criteria.

What ability will you have in future to add room treatment? As that could influence purchasing decision.

I ended up purchasing the JBL 305's with the 310 subwoofer. I found a deal online where it was a whole bundle and it included bass traps and bottom pads for the speakers The kit even came with stands! Hopefully that is enough for room treatment. I might treat my room further in the future when money isn't a problem.

Well done on finding a deal. Heard good things about the JBL for their price point.

Go careful with the sub, low frequency control in a small largely untreated room is quite difficult to work right. There's a wealth of info online to help setup and calibrate that you may find useful. And there's KVR too for any specific questions too

Let us know how you get on in due course.

[Elektronisch]

> Small untreated room
How small, and how untreated? If it's too much it probably won't matter what speakers you get, the audio will be so messed up you won't be able to make a decent mix in that room. The frequencies get muddy, it's like trying to see through a frosted glass. So if the answer about your room is "pretty small and completely untreated" you should be looking at headphones: Sennheiser HD650, Beyerdynamics DT 990

Having said that, I think the minimum size for a decent reproduction is about 5" speakers. And you probably don't want to go much larger than that for a small room because the bass will take over the room and never sound right.

What the man said.

Also how small and also how crowded with furniture it is does matter. The less reflections you have the better. Placement is also important and in the end most important: how well you know your speakers. And then reference, reference and reference to well known mixed tracks. Speakers/monitors is only a tool that helps you but in the end its your skills and knowledge put to practice

[lbqatar]

For your stated budget, the LSR305s would be a good choice I think (if you can stand the (lack of?) aesthetics).

If you care to look at used speakers, you could probably find a Sky System One 2.1 just within your budget (which, coincidentally, is what I had in my first untreated home studio and they served me well for years).