Speakers, active monitors,...?

starstime · Post by **starstime** » Thu May 21, 2009 8:30 pm

Hi! I have a Korg M3 workstation. At the moment I´m listening to it with headphones. I want to buy a pair of speakers, but I don´t know what kind of item is right for me. I just want two monitors/speakers to connect the M3 directly and listen to it. I´m not going to connect anything else and I want the speakers have amplifier itself.

What kind of item do you think is the best for me? I can spend about 150-190 euros. Are an active monitors right for this or are they just for mixing? I don´t want to get a plain sound... I´ve seen Behringer MS40 as a choice. They´re powered speakers, with trebble and bass knobs.

Sorry for my bad english and thanks in advance for your answer

Rob Sherratt · Post by **Rob Sherratt** » Thu May 21, 2009 10:22 pm

It's a tight budget but in your price range is a pair of Alesis M1 Active 520 monitor speakers. These are listed at 179 Euros for a pair at Thomann:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/alesis_m1_active_520.htm

I was very pleased with mine until an over-voltage spike blew them up (they were smokin' !!). Now I always use a UPS battery based un-interruptable power supply for all my keyboards and audio gear. I recommend you save up for one of those next!!

I currently have Yamaha StagePas 300's but these are well out of your price range. Although there is much more raw power for live performances, the audio quality with the StagePas 300's is not as good in my opinion as the Alesis M1 Active 520's.

Best regards,
Rob

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Fri May 22, 2009 12:22 am

starstime wrote: What kind of item do you think is the best for me? I can spend about 150-190 euros. Are an active monitors right for this or are they just for mixing? I don´t want to get a plain sound... I´ve seen Behringer MS40 as a choice. They´re powered speakers, with trebble and bass knobs.

what you are looking for are 'Active Monitors' (basically 'powered speakers'). I actually have a pair of MS40s myself and they are okay - nothing to complain about. perfectly good for home practising.

the whole point of monitors is that they don't colour the sound (which a guitar or practise amp would), so you could say that they are 'plain', but thats the point, you hear EXACTLY what is coming out of your M3... (well, not 'exactly' but that is the general idea), so they are a perfect reference. its definately what you want for a home or studio setup. generally though, the bass and trebble knobs aren't a good idea because they encourage you to tweak them - you should leave them flat save for a very minimal amount of compensating for the 'sound' of your room.

also, the mic input on the MS40s has a lot of hissing, fortunately that is in the preamp stage so turning the mic level down when you don't have one plugged in eliminates the noise. Behringer don't have the best reputation for quality, but like Korg they are great value for money.

Rob Sherratt · Post by **Rob Sherratt** » Fri May 22, 2009 6:01 am

Comparing the two choices the Behringer MS40's probably give a more accurate sound at low volumes but are 20 W per channel suited for a small room or study, whereas the Alesis M1-520's are 50 W per channel and with less colouring at higher power levels they would be more suitable for a larger room.

Best regards,
Rob

Carmen · Post by **Carmen** » Sun May 31, 2009 6:48 am

I'm using a pair of Fostex PM0.4 Monitors. I've mounted them directly to the legs of the keyboard stand to facilitate portability.

The Fostex PM0.4 monitors are self powered with 18W available in the Low Frequency and another 18 W available for the High Frequency.

Good sound across the frequency spectrum (60 Hz => 22kHz)

They weigh about 8 pounds each.

They cost around 100.00 each, depending on where you are.

I can recommend these for use in a studio or home environment, they have more than enough punch to fill a fairly large room. I can't speak to the accuracy of the speakers, but subjectively they sound reasonably flat across their range.

Carmen

Tronman · Post by **Tronman** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:50 pm

I use my computer sound system: a 100w Onkyo receiver powering a pair of JBL 4311 studio monitors; no coloration at all.

jake88 · Post by **jake88** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:33 am

M-Audio Bx5a's work brilliantly for me, for the most part, but I happen to really like BASS. So, because of that, I got a pair of Bx8a's, which is bassically a larger bass cone.

The 5a's are about 178 euros for a pair.

cotler · Post by **cotler** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:23 am

I have Samson Resolv 65a, which I think are discontinued. I paid less than $300 three years ago, and I've seen them for less than $200/pair recently. They're not bad for the price.

ashboe · Post by **ashboe** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:32 pm

Just coming to this topic a bit late, I understand what an active speaker/monitor is, and I understand what a 'flat' sound is.
At what point would you move away from an active monitor to speakers which use an external amplifier?

Rob Sherratt · Post by **Rob Sherratt** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:51 pm

ashboe wrote:Just coming to this topic a bit late, I understand what an active speaker/monitor is, and I understand what a 'flat' sound is.
At what point would you move away from an active monitor to speakers which use an external amplifier?

Active moniotrs are typically in the power range up to 80W per speaker, and are very suitable for studio and home use. They give good frequency response at these lower power output levels.

At a gig with say 100 to 200 people you will need at least 200W per speaker, and more for bigger venues. That's when it's better to get either powered speakers or speakers with an external amplifier. The higher power rating, the louder you have to play to get good frequency response. High power speakers usually have to be driven at least at 30% of their full power rating to sound good. They do not perform so well at home using low power levels less than 30% of their full rating.

A good compromise midrange system for both home use and use at smaller venues such as pubs and wedding receptions is the Yamaha StagePas 500. It's easy to transport, there are built in sockets for speaker stands, and the amplifier / mixer is integral to one of the cabinets or it can be unclipped and used separately.

Best regards,
Rob

ashboe · Post by **ashboe** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:20 am

Thanks for that response Rob, and for all your responses. It is a real resource to find so many knowledgeable people willing to share.

I have read reviews of the Yam StagePas 500 - I have a Carlsbro MArlin 8400 with 2 cabinet Carlsbro speakers, which I haven't tried with the M3 - stupid really as I have just completed a tour of Humperdinck's 'Hansel and Gretal', as a fully sequenced opera with the M3! Is anyone aware of the quality of the Carlsbro as compared to the Yamaha StagePa 500?

Thanks in advace

sean

a.schemkes · Post by **a.schemkes** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:50 pm

I've been using a pair of behringer 2031 truth for quit a while now, actieve monitors, and the are a good buy for the price. Recently I bought a pair of ZX1-90 from Electro Voice, and I must say the perform a lot better (more dynamic, cleaner highs , but you'll need a (good) amplifier for it. BUT you can also use them on stage and drive them really hard without destroying the sound or speakers.

See also http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=43993

Peter_H · Post by **Peter_H** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 12:37 pm

I too use Behringer Truth 2031A monitors and have no complaints about them, they do the job adequately - Ebay £182 for the pair.
Peter

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Speakers, active monitors,...?

Speakers, active monitors,...?

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