Which active monitors.

[Biggles]

With my large and butt ugly Behringers sold I now need a pair of active monitors.

Good sound quality.
Good build.
Very low or inaudible electronics (no mains hum, transformer noise etc).
Good frequency range.
Looks, important that they do not look industrial, more like a bookshelf HiFi setup.
Not to large in size.
Less than £250 for a pair.

Looked at Mackie but to many negative reviews of build quality and units failing.

PreSonus, better reviews but there seems again build quality issues with the worst being mains hum.

What can anyone suggest?

 

[Kaneda]

iLoud Micro Monitors...

 

[happyrat1]

I own a pair of Presonus Eris E5's and a pair of M-Audio BX5A's.

No complaints about either. Build quality is excellent on both sets and hum is usually more a question of cabling issues than internal design and build. Bass response is better on the E5's while on the M-Audios I supplement the bass with an 8" subwoofer.

If you really want to make a decision though, like keyboards, you have to audition speakers in the shops and choose accordingly.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, you could always order a pair, audition them and if you don't like them pull a Kaneda on Amazon

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

BTW, you could always order a pair, audition them and if you don't like them pull a Kaneda on Amazon

Gary

Here we go again...

 

[Biggles]

BTW, you could always order a pair, audition them and if you don't like them pull a Kaneda on Amazon

Gary

That is precisely what I will have to do.

Whilst I have some good Music Stores nearby they do not tend to have Monitors on display and ready for testing.

ps
Good job Kaneda is a sport about the ribbing he gets on his returns frequency.

 

[Kaneda]

ps
Good job Kaneda is a sport about the ribbing he gets on his returns frequency.

By alle means... I might even be persuaded to do it again in the future

 

[happyrat1]

Like I said, the Presonus Eris E5's are the best bang for the buck these days and you should be fine ordering a pair from Amazon. Mine arrived double boxed in factory packaging and were designed to survive a nuclear attack during shipping.

Even on the off chance that you receive a lemon I would return them for an exchange for the same units.

I am totally satisfied with my pair.

Gary

 

[b3maniac]

Meeting the budget will necessitate that you have to eliminate all of the powered speakers I would normally recommend. that said, if you widen the budget pls consider Yamaha DXR series of FRFR (Full Range Flat Response) powered speakers. This series offers great sound and Yamaha internal parts are warranted for 7 years. I got a pair of DXR10's for just under $1100 US, but you can shop around. My second brand would be QSC line. If you are going economy, perhaps Peavey PVXP12 if you have those in the UK. (around $400 here). Best of luck Col.

 

[happyrat1]

Jeez Don. Even the "budget" Peavey speakers are overkill considering budget and expecations.

Her said 250 UK Pounds PER PAIR.

The Peavey's sell for over $600 CDN FOR ONE in this country.

I think Col is looking for monitors for home use since one of his qualifications was that they look like furniture, not industrial equipment

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Meeting the budget will necessitate that you have to eliminate all of the powered speakers I would normally recommend. that said, if you widen the budget pls consider Yamaha DXR series of FRFR (Full Range Flat Response) powered speakers. This series offers great sound and Yamaha internal parts are warranted for 7 years. I got a pair of DXR10's for just under $1100 US, but you can shop around. My second brand would be QSC line. If you are going economy, perhaps Peavey PVXP12 if you have those in the UK. (around $400 here). Best of luck Col.

Many thanks for the advice.

£800 for the DXR10's is way to much for the amount of use they will get given that 95% of the time I play keys and strings wearing headphones.

 

[WPOSTMA]

I love my KRK ROKIT 5s.

 

[Biggles]

I love my KRK ROKIT 5s.

KRK’s are on my radar, thanks for posting.

 

[b3maniac]

Many thanks for the advice.

£800 for the DXR10's is way to much for the amount of use they will get given that 95% of the time I play keys and strings wearing headphones.

My bad, I just spend too much time in the world of live performance and related gear. My apologies if I gave you a price shock !

 

[Biggles]

My bad, I just spend too much time in the world of live performance and related gear. My apologies if I gave you a price shock !

No problem Don.

I am simply a home playing enthusiast or is that I am just simple?

 

[HighlandStudio91]

iLoud Micro Monitors...

I second this...I have a pair of these(very balanced sound and the bottom end is deep!

 

[HighlandStudio91]

I own a pair of Presonus Eris E5's and a pair of M-Audio BX5A's.

No complaints about either. Build quality is excellent on both sets and hum is usually more a question of cabling issues than internal design and build. Bass response is better on the E5's while on the M-Audios I supplement the bass with an 8" subwoofer.

The old Eris's are garbage(no bottom end.) However...the updated version of the Eris E5's(more specifically,the XT model)...has very well rounded bottom end and the much-improved waveguide for the tweeters provide an incredibly wide and detailed stereo field. Best of all,they are the same price as the old Eris E5's!

 

[802flier]

You know, for years I used different monitor setups, with the last being powered Yorkvilles and a 10” sub. However, my footprint was just too big and I got really tired of carrying all that crap. So I finally went to in-ears. We use a Behringer X32 for FOH so getting a stereo aux back to my in-ears is a snap. I have complete control of my own monitoring with an iPad and the sound through the Westones is great. So much easier on the voice too.

 

[Biggles]

I ended up buying a pair of Eris 4.5 for £140.

With each being 25W it is more than enough for the occasional home use and with them being so small they are far easier transported to venues for the Video Presentations that my Wife or I occasionally does.

Tone response has proved to be pretty good and using them as a PA with guitar and bass gives a pleasing result. Not tried cranking them up yet but will do to see how they cope.

Yes, they are a compromise but for one that I am happy to make as is my old damaged back.

The low cost means that I retain a further £110 in the kit kitty for more goodies.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[paulmapp8306]

I ended up buying a pair of Eris 4.5 for £140.

With each being 25W it is more than enough for the occasional home use and with them being so small they are far easier transported to venues for the Video Presentations that my Wife or I occasionally does.

Tone response has proved to be pretty good and using them as a PA with guitar and bass gives a pleasing result. Not tried cranking them up yet but will do to see how they cope.

Yes, they are a compromise but for one that I am happy to make as is my old damaged back.

The low cost means that I retain a further £110 in the kit kitty for more goodies.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Aaaahh

I was just going yo say go for Adam tv5s 270 a pair from gear 4 music, less if your happy to shop at thomann.

Imo best speakers you can get in that price range, but too late now.

I'm also considering offloading my a5xs for a similar price as I really want some neumann kh120s.