Monitors for tiny home studio

[poonna]

5-inch monitors still produce plenty of problematic low frequencies in a small room. I have a pair of 4-inch monitors and they still cause troubles in my small (3.5m x 2.5m) room. I do recommend using as many bass traps as you possibly can. Places like ceiling-wall corners and such can be treated without losing much usable room space, but can make a huge difference. Still, bass problems are impossible to eliminate, but using a lot of bass traps can help reduce bass reverberation time and enhance clarity. Then use something like Sonarworks to handle the rest. Acoustic treatment has to come before correction software, though.

[LocalTrack19]

Wow this is difficult. I have now narrowed it down to a couple of options:
- iLoud Micro’s: apparently good voor difficult rooms, small and acceptable LF. However I read reviews that claim these are brilliant, but also opinions that these are hardly better than average computer boxes and useless for mixing...
- Eris E3.5 supplemented with a subwoofer (Fostex PM, Mackie CR or Swissonic) to compensate for missing LF
- 5” monitor from Presonus or JBL

Any recommendation is welcome, as you are far more experienced in this than I am

[Passing Bye]

- iLoud's are tiny and mobile, that's their perk, not much better than bigger monitors in their price range.
- IMO sub is a no-go in that room
- Why just those two?

Anyways, knowing your needs, already recommended pair of Auratone's, but if that is out of the picture, I'm than recommending Yamaha MSP5's, if that is out of the reach, than at least Yamaha HS5's.

[roman.i]

1. plastic multimedia speaker.
2. multimedia speaker with a sub woofer.
3. hobby level monitor.

[LocalTrack19]

1. plastic multimedia speaker.
2. multimedia speaker with a sub woofer.
3. hobby level monitor.

1 and 2 I understand / suspected. But 3 really? What would be a good yet affordable 5” monitor then? Yamaha HS5? I read reviews on Sound on Sound and came to 3. based on these reviews

[roman.i]

1 and 2 I understand / suspected. But 3 really? What would be a good yet affordable 5” monitor then? Yamaha HS5? I read reviews on Sound on Sound and came to 3. based on these reviews

They're good and affordable. When I auditioned the KRK 5 G4, Eris 5 and comparing them to my previous M-Audio 4 inch. They sounded pretty much the same quality level.
I mean, none of these budget monitors can compete with $1k monitors.
Doesn't mean they're bad, but just of a lower quality. Their sound is muffled and lack of depth comparing to high end monitors, but this doesn't mean mixing on them will produce horrible results, no. But not good as with an expensive pair.
Personally I like the idea of KRK's 5 G4 integrated DSP controlled by an app, I think it's an underrated feature(if it works well), and it has a quite flat response, not hyped like the old G3. Can't "vote" for any of these monitors, because there is not too much difference in my opinion.

[LocalTrack19]

Would you consider Genelecs 8010 high-end? Do they suffer the same drawbacks as the ones I mentioned? If I really stretch my budget I could go for these

[roman.i]

Would you consider Genelecs 8010 high-end? Do they suffer the same drawbacks as the ones I mentioned? If I really stretch my budget I could go for these

Genelecs are excellent in general, but these are too small,
and it doesn't make any sense to buy expensive monitors without listening.
Better to spend the rest of the budget on acoustic panels and good stands.

[El°HYM]

Genelecs are very good for sure. But keep in Mind that you actually dont want a Bass - reflex speaker in your tiny Room, especially those with the Tube/hole on their Back. Maybe this narrows your search a bit down, as even less Options now. It is pretty difficult to suggest a perfect Speaker/Monitor as it depends on so many Variables; some love their KRKs, some like the Tannoys more, for some a small M-Audio or Mackie works and so on. So if you can somehow listen to your final Choice somewhere, that might be the best thing overall.

[e@rs]

I own a pair of 8010A's and I highly recommend them. For their size they're incredible. Genelec suggests to place them anywhere from 5 cm up to 60 cm from the front wall. I also use them on K&M microphone stands at ear level.

[andymcbain]

- iLoud's are tiny and mobile, that's their perk, not much better than bigger monitors in their price range.
- IMO sub is a no-go in that room
- Why just those two?

Anyways, knowing your needs, already recommended pair of Auratone's, but if that is out of the picture, I'm than recommending Yamaha MSP5's, if that is out of the reach, than at least Yamaha HS5's.

At this stage I think this thread might be starting to muddy the waters a bit. I'll second this from Passing Bye - I think Yamaha's are a good choice (I think I suggested the MSP5 early on...)

What sets the Yamaha apart from others in the "budget" range are a slightly more midrange focused, bass light sound which personally I really like and find useful.

It's worth mentioning that many monitors these days are extremely good for the money - and you get much more bang for buck than you did 10-15 years ago... as a hobbyist you could learn and get good results on the JBLs, Presonus, KRK, etc etc...

The trouble with the internet is "paralysis of choice" - and it's a shame that visiting a shop isn't an option as this would make your decision much easier... they present what they have in stock that's within your budget, you choose the monitor that sounds most useful to your ears and you take it home

[LocalTrack19]

- iLoud's are tiny and mobile, that's their perk, not much better than bigger monitors in their price range.
- IMO sub is a no-go in that room
- Why just those two?

Anyways, knowing your needs, already recommended pair of Auratone's, but if that is out of the picture, I'm than recommending Yamaha MSP5's, if that is out of the reach, than at least Yamaha HS5's.

At this stage I think this thread might be starting to muddy the waters a bit. I'll second this from Passing Bye - I think Yamaha's are a good choice (I think I suggested the MSP5 early on...)

What sets the Yamaha apart from others in the "budget" range are a slightly more midrange focused, bass light sound which personally I really like and find useful.

It's worth mentioning that many monitors these days are extremely good for the money - and you get much more bang for buck than you did 10-15 years ago... as a hobbyist you could learn and get good results on the JBLs, Presonus, KRK, etc etc...

The trouble with the internet is "paralysis of choice" - and it's a shame that visiting a shop isn't an option as this would make your decision much easier... they present what they have in stock that's within your budget, you choose the monitor that sounds most useful to your ears and you take it home

Yes I can fully relate to that Andy. I have now found a store where I can actually test some monitors. I can at least test some Presonus models, a Yamaha HS5, a Focal Alpha 50, a Mackie MR524 and the KRK

[martinjuenke]

How about a pair of Apple HomePod mini?

https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/

[LocalTrack19]

Checked quite some monitors in the store today, and finally decided to go for the Focal Alpha 50’s, they sounded incredible, very well balanced and open. They will be delivered on Monday, looking forward to working with these. Thanks for all the advice, in the end it is indeed best to listen in stores instead of relying on internet reviews

[andymcbain]

Checked quite some monitors in the store today, and finally decided to go for the Focal Alpha 50’s, they sounded incredible, very well balanced and open. They will be delivered on Monday, looking forward to working with these. Thanks for all the advice, in the end it is indeed best to listen in stores instead of relying on internet reviews

Excellent choice, I've worked with the Alpha 80s before and for the price they blew me away. Let us know how you get on with them