Studio Monitors - Which Models

ktoal

I need to buy a pair or Studio Monitors, but I need some advice. I'm using ordinary Hi-Fi speakers at the moment and it's starting to drive me mad.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on which models to look at. I've roughly 500EUR to spend, but there are that many models available and I'm not too sure.

If possible I'd like to get active monitor due to the lack of space I have in my studio.

Any thoughts?

Eoin Madsen

I've heard that Tannoy Reveals are good: http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw6_tannoy_reveal_aktiv_prodinfo.html (pair)

More generally speaking I'd trust products by Yamaha:
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw6_yamaha_msp5_prodinfo.html (single)

And Alesis:
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw6_alesis_m1_aktiv_monitor_mk_ii_prodinfo.html (pair)

I'd avoid Behringer and "The Box" or "t.bone" and basically anything by a company I don't recognise that's going at a price that's definitely too good to be true.

daram

Yeah, Tannoy Reveals are sweet. I've only used the passive ones but at some point I'm gonna get around to buying a set of active ones.

musician.ie

I have the passive Reveals too.

Pro:
Fairly flat response in the mids and top
Good stereo image
Cool colour
Cheap

Con:
Sweet spot is really narrow if you are using the standard configuration of your head and the speakers forming an equilateral triangle, with the speakers pointed towards your head. I toed mine out to point more straight out from the wall than slanted in towards my head. This widens the sweet spot but you lose your imaging a bit.
The bass is big enough but it's woolly and undefined.

Bear in mind that:
I'm driving it from a Hi-Fi amp
My room has not been acoustically treated, bar some wall hangings and soft furnishings - I know there's a trace of flutter echo and I have a 4-6dB spike between 100 and 200 Hz (analyzed with flat-response condensor mic and custom software).

Jetpilot

Im also running (passive) Tannoy reveals, through a samon servo 170 studio amp which helps in defining the bass. Fantastic speakers imo, I think there were some active ones advertised in the for sale forum not so long ago for 400 blips.

D!ve^Bomb!

i haven't heard very good things about those tannoy ones tbh..

the alesis ones that Eoin linked are supposed to be the very best in that price range and tbh i'm gonna get them myself in a month or so.. very highly recommended!!