Anyone using active monitors (speakers)?

cyberguypr

I am close to finishing building my home office (full post coming soon) and am looking to make a decision on speakers for the battlestation. I've always wanted to go with active monitors and been eyeing the following: Mackie CR3/4, Audioengine A2+, M-Audio AV40, JBL LSR305, and KRK Rokit 5. Does anyone have experience with any of these?

tedjames

I'm using Behringer Truth powered monitors similar to these:

Behringer Truth B2031A | Sweetwater.com

I do a lot of home audio (recording, editing, etc.) work, and these are great.

Cisco Inferno

I do alot of home studio work.

If you want a bang for your buck, get the JBL LSR305's they are much more flatter in response to the KRK Rokit 5's.
Those are KRKs are kinda boomier and colored in the mid range.
I have the JBL's and they are insane. JBL makes club speakers, not KRK.
I would definitely choose them over the Rokit 5 or the Yamaha HS5.

To me the JBL's 6 inch driver compares more on par with the YamahaHS7. (I've listened to both)
Also, they have very lenient tweeters on the LSR line. They allow for a wider "sweet spot". makes good living room speakers too.


Make sure they are on foam/stands to get the most out of them. So that desk vibrations dont annoy you.

For audio interface, you can get away with a 3.5mm to rca splitter.
But if you want to do some studio work you will need an external audio interface that does all the processing without latency.

I have a question though, what is your room size? Bigger is not always better when it comes to audio.

Let me know if you have any questions.

logisticalstyles

I use the KRK Rokit 5 and it suits my needs perfectly.

Kore

I also use Rokit G5s and they are great. I think they have a new design now too.

My working space is 10x11 and I never had to turn them up too loud. I did it once and I definitely felt the BASS.

cyberguypr

Room is 9x15. Arrgg! Looks like I missed the sale on the JBL's.

capwap

I'll second Cisco Inferno's opinion on the LSR305's that they've got a more neutral response than the Rokits. I've never owned the Rokit 5's, but I have owned Rokit 6's (was happy to get rid of those), and I have demoed the 5's. The JBL's are a much better buy--and honestly, in that price range, you probably won't find anything better than the LSR305's.

The AV40's are nice for what they are. I put a set with my mother's computer, and she likes them. They're a good, clean, self contained active monitor setup if you don't want to worry about having a monitor control station or passive volume control. While I'm just a casual listener and not studio engineer, I could probably safely say no one is going to use the AV40's for mixing as the low end isn't going to be there. But for music listening, they're lovely.

My current monitors are Dynaudio BM5a MKII's, which I absolutely love. The clarity is unbelievable. Sometimes when I'm watching a movie or a show, I'll hear a sound (like a knock at the door) that I swear didn't come from the monitors. For music listening, they're crystal clear and musical in the most lucid way I've ever experienced. I actually found myself listening to a lot of music I normally wouldn't listen to, just because of how crisp the vocals and midrange are.

Dynaudio has a new version out now, the MKIII, but I haven't had a chance to give those a listen. I believe ProAudioStar has the best deal on them, and the new version comes with IsoAcoustics stands. Also, I've used Dynaudio speakers in my car as well (back when I used to do car audio), and I never found anything better. I can't say enough praise about this company.

But no matter what you choose, your environment is going to play a big role in how your monitors will sound. As Cisco Inferno said, use some foam underneath each monitor, or use dedicated monitor stands. Also, try to keep them at least a foot away from the wall (not always ideal, I know), and consider bass traps on your walls as well. Putting a little effort into room acoustics goes a long way.

capwap

As an addendum, if you do decide to go the route of the LSR305's, check out zzounds's deal on them with the SM Pro Active Starter pack: JBL LSR305 Powered Studio Monitor, Pair, with SM Pro Audio Active Starter Pack The active starter pack comes with a passive volume attenuator, cables, and foam bases. So you'd likely save some money going with the package deal.

cyberguypr

Thanks for the input. I lucked out and found the red edition of the LSR305s for $200 a pair. Quickly grabbed them as they match my whole black/red theme perfectly. I'l roll the dice on acoustics as the room has already been designed and approved by my obsessive compulsive self and there's just no way I will change anything. I've been working on this room since January and it needs to be done ASAP before I go crazy.

capwap

cyberguypr wrote: »

Thanks for the input. I lucked out and found the red edition of the LSR305s for $200 a pair. Quickly grabbed them as they match my whole black/red theme perfectly. I'l roll the dice on acoustics as the room has already been designed and approved by my obsessive compulsive self and there's just no way I will change anything. I've been working on this room since January 2014 and it needs to be done ASAP before I go crazy.

Ah good deal. I'm sure the red edition looks very nice. I made a second post in here, pointing to a deal on the LSR305's, but it was submitted for moderation, so just ignore that one if/when it pops up.