MIKEY9966 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 hi as I have said before I really like the pod 500, I as so have a zoom g5, I am looking to buy studio monitors, my question is would I buy 2 way or use 3 way monitors, and whatnsize is best 5,6,8,10? So my set up will be pod 500 on right zoom g5 on left and black star ht5 with wofer in the center I have tried this and all I can say is wow, the sound and options make so nice, I use a arc spliter to pick what I want on, this is a home set up not ment to be moved around. I am looking at the new m audio m3 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueViolince Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Two way is fine for home practice. As for woofer size, that depends on the size of your room. 6" is fine for a normal bedroom. If you're in a dorm or otherwise smaller space, maybe 5". I wouldn't go any bigger, because you're getting into the price range of a decent frfr, which would be better than studio monitors, imo. You also would get exaggerated bass response with larger monitors. I use 6" krk rokits, which I got for mixing. I also have a power engine 60t, but it's too bass heavy in my current room arrangement. I usually play through di, so I stick with making adjustments through the krks, and practice through headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKEY9966 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 What is a frfr? So I am thinking m audio m3 6, would a 3 way not be better then 2 way seems to be the way monitors are going, the price of a 3 way has come down in recent years, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueViolince Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Full range flat response, which is the new thing for modelers. I would do a side by side comparison of the two way and three way, and use whichever sounds better. More speakers is not always a good thing, especially when they try to fit too much into a small enclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtipton Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I'm using the powered JBL lsr305's (left and right) through the 1/4" lines and it sounds very very good with plenty of power. Guitar Center had a buy one get one 1/2 off deal in February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonelForbin Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I am looking at the new m audio m3 Yeah, I was looking at the M3-6 and the M3-8 also. Still haven't made up my mind, but I can say, that it helped ALOT to get into a store like Guitar Center before buying, and take a look at the actual size of these various speakers. In terms of two and three way, the M3 uses an 'in line' mid range and tweeter setup, which may or may not be a good thing. M-Audio also has a two-way series that are lower $, the 'carbon' series. The 5" are $150/each, the 8' $250/each. I did a *ton* of research on monitors, here are a few in that more 'affordable' price point, all are two-way except for the M-Audio M3 series - of which you will want to read up on the reviews of that, and take a good look at how the tweeter and the mid-range speaker are mounted on top of each other. http://www.sweetwater.com/c405--Active_Monitors Presonus Eris5 5", $150/each JBL LSR305 5", $150/each KRK Rokit 5 5", $150/each Yamaha HS-5 5", $200/each Yamaha HS-7 6.5", $300/each M-Audio M3-6 6", $250/each Focal CMS40 4", $425/each M-Audio BX-5 5", $150/each Tannoy Reveal 802 8", $280/each Mackie MR8mk3 8", $250/each Line6 L2t 10", $850/each And a whole slew of others. As was mentioned above, for example the price of the KRK 10" is $500/each! However, the KRK 10 is a "true three way", meaning the three speakers are independent of each other in the casing. FRFR means 'full range flat response'. Take a look also, at the type of EQ controls on the back of the monitors, and also take a look at the type of inputs. For what it's worth, my guy at Sweetwater said the JBL LSR and the Yamaha HS series are both good options; however it's going to depend heavily on what you intend to do with them, and how much you can spend. Take some time to both look at them in person, and listen at the store, and get a sense of what you like, and what your budget can handle. In my case, I was going to get the M-Audio M3-8's, but they were out of stock, so I ended up going down a totally random other route, and bought a pair of the Line6 L2t's.. The guys at Sweetwater were super helpful, and they did recommend that I look at Focal, which for the most part, are crazy expensive. The reason I went with the L2t's is, I can use them at home for monitors, for mixing and for playing the HD500 and other gear through (acoustic guitars, drum machines, Eleven Rack, etc.) while also being able to use them for live stage monitors, or even as main speakers for solo / duo or smaller type gigs. They cost a fair bit more than the M-Audio, JBL, Yamaha, KRK price point. But for me, now that I have those L2t's, and having seen how big the 8" and 10" monitors were, I would be likely to go with around the smaller, 6" size studio monitor whenever I get around to revisiting that idea. M-Audio also has a lower priced two way monitor series, in the $150 to $250/each price point. I think the M3-8 were $350/each? The KRK Rokit G3 8" are around $250/each. There is also a bit of difference between studio monitors designed to be "neutral" and "totally flat" for mixing, like the Yamaha HS5 and HS5 ($200/each for the HS5 and $350/each for the HS8) - vs - for example, the KRK, which are designed to have more "hype", and may not be suitable for mixing, but might be great for listening to music, and running the POD into. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Great post, ColonelForbin! You certainly did your research. If I may suggest..... keep a link to this thread/post in your files. This or related questions come up fairly often in this forum. It would be a great help to others down the road if you can quickly post a link to your excellent summary info here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbenham Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Colonel, Nice reply. If you ever do renew your search, give the Mackies a good look. I've owned the M-Audio BX-5 and BX-8. Had to do repairs on both sets after warranty. Sold them and picked up the 6" version of the Mackie you list. Build quality feels like it's in a different league. I wasn't sure about the sound at first, but once I put them on isolation stands the sound really opened up and came to life. They sound great with the POD, keyboards, and any drum programs I've run through them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNRage Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Alesis M1 Actives are actually pretty decent. I have them in my bedroom studio. They only cost 80 bucks and are easily worth double the price. They also function as an audio interface but I don't use them for that as they're only USB 1.0.. But to most people, that wouldn't matter. I tried them out as an interface and they worked just fine. I was only able to tell a difference on my reference system when playing back recordings. Great little bedroom monitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akeron Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I use Yamaha HS5 at home. Use the switch on the back or better, treat your room, or you may wonder why your recordings sound so much different from what you hear from the speakers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonelForbin Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Here's a little update; I ended up going a good bit more budget than originally intended, because instead of buying monitors, I ended up getting a pair of L2t's and an M20d... Anyway, I was in Guitar Center last night to look at a vocal fx pedal, and instead bought a pair of M-Audio BX5 studio monitors; they currently have them on sale for a stupid low price, and so I went for it. They sound great, I will be doing casual mixing with them, possibly play some guitar via HD500 into them, play our Roland keyboard through them, and listen to music, Spotify, etc. They are on sale right now for $80/each, marked down from $150/ea.. I am going to go return a pedal after work that I bought at G.C. recently, and get two more! M-Audio BX5-D2 - sale at Guitar Center Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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