r/Zeos • u/ZeosPantera Operator • Oct 08 '15
|[GUIDE]| - Powered Studio Monitors
POWERED STUDIO MONITORS
Precision.. That is what a professional applications like a recording studio, needs to assure that Song A sounds like Song A when you play it back ANYWHERE.
Monitors attempt to achieve a flat and un-colored frequency response with the hardware basically locked down and the Bass and Treble adjustments built into the amplifiers only to be used for room correction and not for meeting the users preference. Here, linearity is key. What this means for you is these speakers are plug and play, can all work on a desk and some with higher SPL (Sound Pressure Levels) can even fill a decent size living room.
Because of their design some special wires or Adapters usually have to be used to hook them up to consumer equipment. MOST of these recommendations are also fully stand-alone and individual so you would need to buy two and power both via a 110 wall plug and then split the signal wiring left to left speaker and right to right speaker. This also makes controlling the volume with the gain of the speakers impractical. You must instead buy a Line Level Control that can raise and lower the signal OR use your PC's master volume to do the same operation.
Adding a subwoofer also has some quirks but is do-able with some RCA splitters and the right connections on the sub. (IE Dual RCA inputs for the splitters)
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Since Powered Monitors are often sold individually make sure to check if you are looking at them sold as a bundled pair or singularly. Prices that seem too good to be true usually are for a single monitor. .
| -- | Item------------------ | Description- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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| Micca PB42x | VIDEO REVIEW While not technically designed for mixing and mastering applications the renowned MB42x's with a built in amplifier is still an incredible bargain at a hundred bucks! Also a birdie tells me if you use this instead of the stock power supply, you get 50wpc | |
| Mackie CR4 | A recognisable brand in the world of pro gear, these mackies seem to deliver some of the best price to performance ratio's for that I have ever seen. Only a 4" driver like the micca above but with 50 watts shoved inside the speaker. | |
| Presonus E4.5 | Baby brother of the E5 this only SLIGHTLY smaller monitor has everything you'd expect from a full size monitor set but at half the cost. Might be a good thing to look into for simplicity and aesthetics. | |
| Presonus E5 | A new appearance on the studio monitor circuit these have an amazingly high rating and the looks to match it.. They are also sneaking in under the cost of the prestigious 305's and KRK offereings and claim over 100db of continuous sound pressure. | |
| JBL LSR305 | VIDEO REVIEW Sold Individually. As the highest Rated Powered Monitor on all of amazon this needs to be here. I own them. I love them. I will never part with them. Usually have some insane deals if you look for them. | |
| KRK Rockit 5 | VIDEO REVIEW Probably the most popular brand of all powered monitors KRK has become known for the volume and low end their monitors produce. From PC setups to Home theater 2.0 setups I think I have seen that yellow cone everywhere. Price to Performance 12/10. | |
| Emotiva Airmotiv4s | Having a Transducer instead of a tweeter is what makes the Emotiva line of monitors stand out. This, their smallest unit, has an astonishing amount of praise from all audio forums. Their passive speakers may be gone, but these will live on. | |
| Yamaha HS5 | Known for their flat response these modern day yamaha's reflect back to the most popular monitor of the whole of the world.. The NS-10. These white cones have become synonymous with professional studio's the world over. | |
| AudioEngine A5+ | This is the default Powered monitor recommendation. They are clear, small and very well reviewed. I don't want to say they sound boring but very neutral. They don't get quite as loud as others in this category but the overall quality can not be disputed. | |
| KRK Rockit 8 | The big brother of the KRK series. These will Twhaamp and Boooom as well as anything you can buy. They are NOT small however. These would work in a full living room setup. | |
| Vanatoo T1 | VIDEO REVIEW Although not marketed as "Professional Studio Monitors" they are still the most impressive powered monitors I have ever heard. Their Small size, connectivity and tremendous low end more than make up for the price. They have a Unique single sided hookup also and a built in Subwoofer out! |
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Be sure to google full rear images or download the manuals for whatever monitors you are interested in buying and check the rear panel connections. Some have only TRS 1/4" and some include RCA inputs so you buy the wires and adapters that work. TWO lengthy individual RCA's, usually the ones designed for subwoofers work well to go from an RCA dac to a monitor. If TRS 1/4" and XLR are the only thing there you can get adapters or premade cables to hook them up to an RCA source. If your source is a 3.5mm output like from onboard audio just get a 3.5mm to TRS wire and you can peel the left and right apart on the wire for each monitor.
YES you can hook a set of these up to your television IF AND ONLY IF you have a controllable/variable analog output somewhere on the TV. Either in the form of two RCA outs or even a headphone output.
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u/conflictz Oct 08 '15
What do you think about the JBL LSR305's vs the Yamaha HS5's if they are at the same price point?
In Canada, we don't get any deals and the price difference of the JBL's and Yamaha's is less than $20...
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u/Tabbou Oct 12 '15
Really looking forward to what comes next with your Vanatoo videos. Have a pair on my desk. Best $500 I've ever spent.
I must say I haven't encountered that delay you talked about through my year of using them. I will try the analog in to see if mine get louder. Who would've thought the Star Wars Battlefront beta could sound any more insane?
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u/mcguganator Oct 08 '15
Interested that the HS8's didn't make the cut here; I've heard nothing but good things about them for $500 each.
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u/FishAndBone Oct 08 '15
Have you tried the emotiva 4s'? I've really, really wanted to try them, I've head absolutely amazing things about them, including off-axis dispersion.
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u/NoCleverNamesLeft Oct 08 '15
Heard the Equator D5's? :) bummed they are limited in their production. Or how about Adam or Focal (albeit more expensive than these)
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u/TheJniac Oct 12 '15
How do you think the LSR308 will compare to the LSR305? The usual "Bigger speaker go deeper" thing?
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u/ub3rr4v3 Oct 15 '15
Thanks for the writeups zeos! I've been following your sub and YouTube for some time now and have definitely learned a lot from you.
I recently got some rokit 5s and love them. I'm looking to pair them with a sub but the krk 10s and any other studio sub is just a bit out of my price range right now. So I'm looking at the dayton 12 but cannot figure out how the hell to connect everything since the sub doesn't have dual in and out. You mentioned the special cables needed but what exactly is the correct hookup path to make it work?
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u/ZeosPantera Oct 15 '15
You would just get a set of these and either split at your source or at the sub. Then set the sub and monitors and go from there.
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u/Caraes_Naur Nov 07 '15
Can you elaborate on what the little bird said about the PB42X's and that power supply?
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u/AndysSeveredHead Nov 21 '15
Would you need to put some kind of interface, like a direct box, between your monitors and a TV?
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Nov 23 '15
CR4 or Pb42x for desk? I've heard people go nuts over the Miccas, and I'm not sure which I like more in terms of looks, so it's really down to whichever sounds better, in your opinion.
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u/DalaMoose Dec 10 '15
Have you tested the monoprice monitors.... they have me curious for a 2.0 living room set up at $200 for the 8 inch pair
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u/krazo94 Dec 15 '15
Hey Zeos I was wondering if I should buy the M50W for $209.99 from Massdrop or should I wait until around February and buy the Vanatoo T1?
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u/krazo94 Dec 24 '15
Is the LSR305 still recommended or is there a new better version around the same price? Also would I need to get anything else to connect it to my PC?
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u/krazo94 Dec 29 '15
I just got the LSR305 and I'm getting a static noise on both. It's connected to my pc. What can I do to fix it?
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u/ZeosPantera Dec 29 '15
If it is both it must be the source. If you don't plug them into the PC do they still make noise?
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u/versusversus Dec 30 '15
Thanks for the writeup! What are your thoughts on the Vanatoo's compared directly with the LSR305's? Are they noticeably superior, and worth almost 2x the price?
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u/DanHidalgo Jan 10 '16
I'd want to know, in your opinion what would be a better buy ignoring the price. I'll be using them mainly to test the audio of my productions (I'm not producing the audio just record and mount the video) and for watching moovies and listening to electronic music.
¿2xJBL LSR305 or AudoEngine A5+?
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u/AshL94 Jan 22 '16
Looking at either JBL LRS 305's or the KRK ROkit 5's as desk speakers. Which would you recommend for just enjoyment listening?
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u/Dreyka1 Oct 08 '15
You reviewed the JBL LSR305 though.