Monitors for Around a Grand?

[JackNine]

I agree with everything but traps and treatment, all the acoustical engineers I have talked to say that there is no real cheap treatment under a few grand to do to a room thats even worth it or very effective. find the best room you can and wait to invest in acoustical treatment, and its a big one.

They lied to you.

There are plenty of things that can be done for less than a "few grand" that will improve your room. Even a single pair of good bass traps for the corners of your room, plus some good sound absorption material (I like Sonex), and a good set of monitor isolation pads won't run you that much coin. You can do all of the above for less than $500 if you're thrifty.

You can make the bass traps yourself if you're semi-handy for under $200. And grab some of the Sonex used from a studio going out of business (found in your local papers or Craigslist if you're in the US) for another $200, then just buy a good set of monitor pads for $50 and you'll notice a solid improvement for less than $500. (Of course the more you step that up, the better it becomes, like anything.)

[hydrogen]

personally audition KRK/Rockit, Event, Adam, Genelec, Yamaha, and Mackie.

use one of your own reference CDs.
you'll definitely find something good for that price....

+1. Reference cd is genius idea.

Everyone has their preferences... but you might want to look out for a few key things when shopping.

I like my monitors with the flatest response possible with enough low end to keep me satisfied. Flat frequency response is ideal in most studio production settings.

Also, pay attention to your ears when listening. You'll notice that some monitors are more abrasive on your hearing. These will cause you ear fatigue after long periods of use. This is really all about how long you'll be using them in the studio at a time. I can go for a couple hours on my yamahas but on my JBL's its way easier to have longer studio sessions.

What are other things to look for when shopping for monitors?

[tone-def]

Also, pay attention to your ears when listening. You'll notice that some monitors are more abrasive on your hearing. These will cause you ear fatigue after long periods of use. This is really all about how long you'll be using them in the studio at a time. I can go for a couple hours on my yamahas but on my JBL's its way easier to have longer studio sessions.

Your not the first person to say that about the yamahas. I was just about to bring that up too.

[Brankis]

i dont really see the point of making a decision based on listening to them in the store since they will most likely sound different in your space...

all of the above mentioned are good choices, so maybe you should analyze your space first and do some research as to which ones will work the best with what you have instead of buying them based on how they sound at guitar center

some have onboard room compensation parameters, others dont

[hydrogen]

i dont really see the point of making a decision based on listening to them in the store since they will most likely sound different in your space...

all of the above mentioned are good choices, so maybe you should analyze your space first and do some research as to which ones will work the best with what you have instead of buying them based on how they sound at guitar center

some have onboard room compensation parameters, others dont

Thats true too... but its better than not going there at all.

[someonelikeyou]

Thanks for your time people. So am I going to have to use a soundcard for active monitors? Seems some people do and some don't.

[prussell]

Thanks for your time people. So am I going to have to use a soundcard for active monitors? Seems some people do and some don't.

true, you don't have to....but sound out of a good interface will be much higher quality than using the headphone jack.

[hydrogen]

Thanks for your time people. So am I going to have to use a soundcard for active monitors? Seems some people do and some don't.

soundcard is good. a mixer to control your levels is good too.