what studio monitors to buy
If you are looking to get into music production and make some audio worth listening to, a set of decent monitoring speakers should be one of the first things on your list.
However, considering the requirements of proper monitoring, the question has been asked: can beginners do it on a budget? Are speakers worth your time or do you need to splash out on a set of high-end 15,000 monitor speakers from the very start?
The good news is that no, you don’t need to spend more money – some very affordable monitoring speakers can get the job done. Of course, if you want quality in this price range the choice is a little limited, but we have still managed to select five of the best studio monitors you can pick up for under one hundred bucks. Let’s take a look…
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The new leader on this chart comes from PreSonus’s Eris Serienulls – the E3.5, which really sets the bar high for affordable near-field speakers!
This stylish pair of studio monitors feature a lightweight construction with an appealing matte black finish and simple controls. There are 4.5” custom-woven Kevlar woofers offering solid bass and 1” ultra-low-mass silk-dome tweeters for a smooth high end.
With 50 watts of power in total, there is plenty of oomph from these small speakers, while the overall sound is perfect for home studio mixing and monitoring
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Tascam VL-S3 are proper studio monitors designed for a very specific application. They are super compact but pack a lot of heat. Tascam has managed to answer the needs of users who work in tight spaces and whose studios are pretty small.
VL-S3 will get you the performance you need in such environments, while completely blowing much better models out of the water. Their response is incredibly flat and would be borderline perfect if the bass could reach lower than 100 Hz.
However, that lack of low-end response is perfectly normal for 3“ speakers, so VL-S3 isn’t alone in having that single flaw. If you are after small, capable, and relatively powerful speakers, Tascam VL-S3 is the answer.
Alesis M1
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Alesis has given us some pretty awesome budget monitoring solutions. The M1 series of speakers is just another example of that. These puppies were designed to bring a bit of extra versatility, as well as meet the needs of producers who are frequently on the road.
Lightweight, portable, and fairly powerful, these speakers offer a great balance of price and performance. Once cool thing is the Bass Boost feature, which essentially turns the M1 monitors into standard desktop speakers.
This is awesome for those occasions when you just want to listen to some music. All in all, this set of speakers offers a lot for the given price, making them a solid value package.
Mackie CR3
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Mackie CR3 monitor speakers have been one of the most popular choices for a long time now. They are at the very bottom of the CR series as a whole, but they are more than capable of carrying their own weight.
What we have here is a set of active speakers with some 50 Watts of power under the hood. Speakers are of standard size for this segment, but they are properly voiced. There is definitely some bias, but again, that is completely expected in this price range.
Those who are looking for a proven set of budget monitors that can be used for multimedia as well should definitely check out Mackie CR3.
M-Audio AV32
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M-Audio has used a pretty aggressive waveguide design that opens up the stage a bit when you need to hear everything in your mix. What this speaker lacks are features. However, at this price, we simply can’t complain.
With 20 Watts of power combined, you are looking at a fairly decent output for use in smaller studios. It might take you a bit of time to position these where you are getting the best results, but that’s just the fact of the matter.
Should You Save Up for a Better Set of Monitors?
It’s a good question! Not everyone can splash out on expensive monitors immediately, so should you wait until you can afford higher-end equipment? The answer will depend on your budget, level, and aspirations.
Firstly, for a beginner, investing a considerable chunk of your hard-earned money into an expensive pair of passive monitors (those that are unpowered) can be a bit counterproductive. Doing so not only ties down funds that could have been used for another piece of equipment (such as some decent studio headphones, but it also means that newbie producers also have to buy a power amp and other gear before they can start mixing.
Also, if you have to spend time-saving up to afford better speakers, that means an extra few months of waiting. That’s time you could be used to mix and produce! As music production is a skill that takes time to develop, starting today with a cheaper set of speakers is much better than starting in a few months with a better set.
Of course, if you are a beginner with a big budget then knock yourself out – go mad and spend hundreds on the best set of speakers money can buy (honestly, we wouldn’t blame you!). But, for the rest of us, cheap speakers will do the job.
Why Not Buy a Good Set of Bookshelf Speakers for the Same Price?
Using bookshelf – or general-purpose – speakers for monitoring seems like a feasible idea, but it’s not that suitable. Right off the bat, we have to emphasize that bookshelf speakers are biased in one way or another, while budget bookshelf speakers are even more biased to hide some of their imperfections.
Mixing music with bookshelf speakers is like trying to listen to somebody in a club where the music is just too loud. You will probably understand what that person is talking about generally, but you will miss out on most of the details and the nuances of their story. While flat monitor speakers may not be the best thing for enjoying music daily, their transparency and accuracy are vital if you want your music to sound half decent. Bookshelf speakers have their place, but mixing music is definitely not it.
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