Best Budget Studio Monitors 2020
Due to the fact that this is the last piece of equipment in the chain before your ears hear the sound….
Your choice in a studio monitor is a critical one
Mind you, this is an area where you can spend excessive amounts of money
So, it’s important to set some sort of limits for yourself in terms of how much to spend
Honestly, the difference between a $1,500 set of monitors and a $15,000 set of monitors in a home studio environment is not going to be that dramatic for a number of reasons
The primary reason will be your studio acoustics
Granted, if you were in an ideal acoustic environment the difference would be more dramatic
So the general rule of thumb is to spend more on your room treatment than on your monitors
I will get off my soapbox now and introduce your choices
1) KRK Rokit 5
These are the monitors I started out with and they suited me just fine when I was getting started
I think I got sucked in by the pretty yellow cones on the speakers
You have to admit it dresses up as Studio pretty nicely
These are arguably the most popular studio monitors for the home environment on the market today
Most studio monitors in this price range get a lot of criticism
These particular monitors probably get the least criticism of all in this price range
Check out the prices here
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Here are a couple of other decent options to add to your list
2) Yamaha HS8
The Yamaha ns10 was the industry standard for many years
The new Yamaha hs-8 was designed to replicate the original ns10 sound
Just like the rocket KRK the Yamaha is distinguishable by its White driver cone
Well the Yamaha hs-8 does not sound exactly like the old ns10s, they are similar in the sense that they have a heavy mid-range Focus
This is ideal since mid-range frequencies are the most competitive in a mix
Therefore, it’s necessary to have a speaker that expresses mid-range well if you’re going to sort out those frequencies in a mix
There are a number of speakers Yamaha makes in this category
Here is the list and some comparison pricing
3) Event 20/20
Event opal is the flagship product from this company
Many of the features and technology in the event opal have been used in the event 20/20
Improvements in design from the original include lower harmonic distortion and a significant increase in power
Some of the features include
A bass part on the front 4 Truer Bass response
250 watts of power which is a lot speaker the size
According to the company website
The very first incarnation of this particular speaker was used by Francis Buckley to mix Quincy Jones 1996 Grammy award-winning album Q’s Jook Joint
Look here to compare prices
4) Dynaudio BM5 mkIII
You have probably heard of dynaudio in the past
They were established in 1977 and are currently one of the top brands in studio monitors
They have a sophisticated look and a sophisticated sound to match
They are priced in the upper range of the entry-level but certainly have a quality of sound to match the price
Some of their top features include
A proprietary high frequency technology
Frequency filters for low mid and high
A bass reflex cabinet design
Check them out here
5) Mackie HR 824 MK II
Better known for their mix consoles, MacKay is another contender in the studio monitor field as well
The Mackie 824 is a very popular model in the space
One of the standard features on this monitor is the separate settings to control Bass Performance depending on the dimension of your room
Check out the prices here
6) Neumann KH 120
Norman is best known for their high-end microphones
They entered the studio monitor space back in 2010
Their initial offering was the Neumann KH line which features their best-known speaker than women KH 120
Packed with features including
MMD mathematically modeled dispersion technology
Titanium drivers
Composite Fabric in the cone design
Check them out here
Also, check out the KH 120 D which has a number of additional digital monitoring features
7) Adam A7x
The Germans are known for their technology and Adam is a German company that lives up to this expectation
The Adam a7x is my personal choice in a studio monitor
Unique features in the speaker include the X-Art Tweeter and the Dual ported front bass reflex
The specs are extremely impressive in this speaker
Capable of producing high frequencies well beyond the human hearing range
Extremely robust bass response for a small speaker
I have to admit the first time I heard them I was absolutely Blown Away
One criticism I do have is that the Adam a7x 10 to sound a little too nice
Like any speaker, it simply takes a bit of getting used to measure your translation from studio room to other environments
Check out some prices here
8) Genelec M040
Genelec has always had a premiere reputation
While the prices tend to be in the upper range for a home studio
There’s sound and frequency response will certainly not disappoint
There is a reason that Genelec has been considered a premier monitor for as many years as it has
For me, it was a toss-up between the Genelec and the Adam a7x
If you’re looking add speakers in the Upper price range for home studio these will definitely make your list
Key features include
A downward-facing port for the bass
Class D power amplifiers for low energy consumption
Intelligent signal sensing auto power off
Check out some pricing here
9) Focal Twin6 Be
The only 3-way monitor on our list
Sporting two Bass drivers and a single tweeter
While most monitors would have a larger single base diaphragm the Dual cone configuration creates a very tight bass response
This is desirable particularly in small rooms
You may be thinking…..
Wow, these are pretty pricey how did they make the list?
After all, they’re pretty pricey monitors for a home studio
You with I think this would affect their popularity but you would be wrong
If you listen in various recording forums you will see the focal twins being suggested by more other users than just about any monitor out there
At least this has been my experience
Check out some prices below
Last on the list
10) Avantone Mix Cubes
Well I’ll probably not a stand-alone choice for a studio
The Avant owns fill a particular need in the studio environment
Modeled on the Auratone 5c Super Sound Cube
The Avant owns were designed to be a secondary monitor to replicate the sound of radio speakers or ceiling speakers in department stores
There is a need for secondary monitoring to reflect the frequency response of these types of common speakers so often found in public environments
Back in the day, just about every recording studio had a pair of Auratones mixed in with Yamaha ns10 as the standard configuration
Avantone has recreated that in their new mix cubes
Check them out here