Decisions, decisions... "Which active near-field studio reference monitors?"

[satansgargoyle]

- - Active Near-field Studio Reference Monitors - -

Hi - I've been dying to complete my computer-music setup with a pair of semi decent monitors, or at least as good as I can get with an absolute maximum budget of £400 (to include either isolation pads, brackets or speaker stands).

Due to a distinct lack of space, the setup will be moving into the dining room up against the wall, to one side of the chimney stack. This means there will be walls directly in front, immediately to the left of me and a small section to my right where the fireplace juts out. Therefore, this makes back-ported speakers an issue unless they have decent room-control knobs to tweak.

At the moment, I am unsure whether any speakers will fit either side of the two screens, or if I might have to somehow fix speaker brackets into the dodgy old walls, or use speaker stands if it's possible to position them appropriately.

Any how, that aside, having done a little research I've limited my choice to the following, but I have no way of listening to or comparing them as there are no local warehouse/shops in the area. The list is as follows...

- KRK RP5 G2 or RP6 G2
- Fostex PM-05 MkII or PM-1 MkII
- JBL LSR 2325P
- Yahama HS50M
- Yamaha MSP5 Studio?

If anyone either owns any of the above, or has a good idea about any of them, which would you recommend for me and why? Lastly, would I be better off with 5" or 6" LF cones?

A few years ago someone recommended Event TR5/TR6 but you can't get them any more. Also, I've tried phoning shops but then they just suggest several to me to consider, which doesn't really help when I'm trying to plump for just one of them!

Thanks in advance for any advice :-)

Chris

[Wilty]

I personally haven't used any of the above but spend too much time on forums hehe. I'd say the KRK's are gonna be the popular choice, never heard a bad word about 'em. Anywhere. I know this question has come up a couple of (hundred) times, did you try a quick search, there has been much discussion on monitors over the last year or so so should be some good threads to pick through.

[spyder]

I have the Yamaha MSP 5's, and used to use them for mixing. I think they are excellent value for the money, and would definitely recommend them. The only problem I might mention is that they cannot handle a low bass, but then most can't at that price level. Given your environment considerations I personally would stick with the 5 inch speakers, but I'm no expert on acoustics.

[EdRyan]

Originally Posted by spyder

I have the Yamaha MSP 5's, and used to use them for mixing. I think they are excellent value for the money, and would definitely recommend them. The only problem I might mention is that they cannot handle a low bass, but then most can't at that price level. Given your environment considerations I personally would stick with the 5 inch speakers, but I'm no expert on acoustics.

Welcome Spyder. I feel the need for a small correction coming on.

The problems with bass is more related to driver size then cost. Smaller drivers struggle to generate longer wavelengths. That's not to say they won't generate the same frequency range, however the relative relationship of energy will be different. At low levels, the response might be quite similar. When levels increase to a certain point, their response will fall away though. The tradeoff being that smaller drivers are lighter, therefore suffering less from intertia. If the speaker is well designed, this would result in a better upper low/ midrange response.

I wouldn't get the KRK RP series. I remember reading some stories about build/quality control. I can't advice you further. Ideally you should try to audition monitors before you buy.

[tehlord]

I have a set of KRK RP6s and haven't noticed and build issues at all. Perhaps there was just a bad batch released in error at one point?

They're a bit less than your budget too so a bit of room treatment would make a big difference

[satansgargoyle]

Hi, thanks for the messages, everyone.

Having discussed it with my partner, haha, I have decided to reposition the computer-music setup to another wall, so am no longer with the initial space constraints. I can't say I've heard one bad thing about the KRK RP G2's so am primarily focussing my interest on them.

Now, working in an equilateral triangle of 1.5m a side, means that I'll be positioned 1.299m away from the wall. The oblong-shaped room itself is not specifically large by any means and will be used as a dining room. It will be carpeted but I'm not sure what sound treatment I'll be able to use in there, given the room's main purpose.

So, do I go for the 5" cones or the 6" cones?

Thanks in advance