Best All Round
- Focal Professional Solo6 Be Studio Monitors - Black/Red
- Unparalleled frequency response thanks to a W-composite sandwich cone
- Inverted-dome tweeter to give extreme precision
- Equipped with a potentiometer, which allows you to adjust the woofer and tweeter levels
- Price not available
Have you been looking for the best studio monitor speakers? If so, you know that it can be a challenge. There are several brands out there, so which has the best reputation? Does weight, size, and material matter? It could. Fortunately, you do not have to worry because we have made the process of finding the best studio monitor speakers easier than you can imagine.
To save you time, we have done all the hard work. We have looked at some of the most popular studio monitor speakers to determine which are the top 5 on the market.
Here are the Best Studio Monitor Speakers
Focal Solo6 Be Powered Studio Monitor
The Solo6 Be is a studio monitor that combines all the elements that the Focal brand is known for. In fact, this studio monitor has the same elements of the highly respected 2-way Twin6 Be, but in a smaller package. As with the Twin6 Be, the Solo6 is extremely clear and it has extended frequency response. This sweet studio monitor can reach from 50Hz to 40kHz, which is well beyond the range of our natural ability to hear.
On top of this, the Solo6 Be has a great neutral sound even with a compact design, and you can easily adjust the rear settings. This allows you to take it from one studio to another, and then tailor the settings to the acoustics in the room.
A subwoofer is not required for this, thanks to the superior quality, but you might need to keep some restraint when getting too high in the volume department. The MDF cabinets are veneered, and they weigh a bit over 24 pounds. However, they look good, too, and have a dark red side panel, dark body in black, and some metal accents, which really make these look as good as they perform. The port is slotted and mounted in the front, so you can put this studio monitor speaker close to the wall, which is convenient, as they are a bit deep at almost a foot.
This is truly one of the best studio monitor speakers on the market, and it doesn’t matter if you are a professional or simply an audiophile, it has all that you need to mix, record, and master.
- ✓ Unparalleled frequency response thanks to a W-composite sandwich cone
- ✓ Inverted-dome tweeter to give extreme precision
- ✓ Equipped with a potentiometer, which allows you to adjust the woofer and tweeter levels
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- ✗ Has a forward sound, which not everyone might like
- ✗ Some people find that this studio monitor speaker does not have enough bass
KRK RP5G3W-NA Rokit 5 Generation Studio Monitor Speaker
- This Bundle contains 2 items: Pair of KRK RP5G3W-NA Rokit 5...
- Bi-amped, class A/B amplifier offering large headroom and low...
- Proprietary waveguide optimized for superior imaging
- 1 Soft-dome tweeter provides pristine clarity and extended...
- High-frequency adjustment tailors the system to personal taste
The KRK RP5G3W-NA Rokit Studio Monitor allows users to get a natural balance of sound with whatever you might be listening to. When purchasing this product, you will get a pair of studio monitors, which allow you to get great balance and a lower distortion level while creating outstanding imaging.
The reputation of this brand is extremely high in the industry, and the products are well-known for delivering the highest of expectations to its customers. Professionals, including artists, producers, and recording engineers have been choosing this monitor for years. Why? Because KRK is well known for these high-quality products that allow for mixing and mastering hit records around the globe.
The Rokit 5 has a 50W two-way amp that is built in. It delivers 20W to the tweeter and 30W to the woofer. The amp has been designed to ensure a completely accurate sound with the minimum amount of noise. There is no distortion to speak of thanks to the huge headroom and the 106dB SPL. There is a high and low frequency tone control on the back of the panel, too, so you can easily adjust when you need to.
This studio monitor speaker is a great choice for pros or those who simply have amazing systems at home. It is accurate and clear, and you can trust the sound that you will get out of this studio monitor.
- ✓ Comes with a full bundle of two speakers
- ✓ Large headroom and low distortion
- ✓ Has a high-frequency adjustment, which allows you to mold your sound to your personal requirements and taste
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- ✗ It can take a few tries to find the “sweet spot” regarding placement
JBL LSR305 Studio Monitor
- MkII series features next-generation JBL transducers, new...
- Updated HF and LF transducers: new design improvements result in...
- New boundary EQ: restores neutral low frequency response when...
- Sleek, modern design provides a dramatic flair to any studio
- Broad sweet spot: neutral frequency response across a wide area...
- Purchase includes: 305P MKII studio monitor (x1), Power Cord...
You might notice that the LSR305 monitors from JBL look remarkably like any other studio monitor speaker, but a closer look will show you a lot more. First, take a close gander at the area around the tweeters. You can see that the points are rounded and seem like they are buckling in…but this is a good thing! This design is part of the key to the JBL technology that the brand’s monitors are well known for. Essentially, the company claims that the design can break up different audio frequencies for the perfect sound from almost any position. On top of that, the sound is still extremely accurate. This might sound like a lot of hype, but when it was tested to see if the claims were correct, we can say that they absolutely are.
The entire JBL 3 series are exceptional, and the LSR305 fits right in there. The studio performance of the monitors is unmatched, and for the price, it is an excellent value for your money. This is a classic choice for people looking for studio monitor speakers, and the technology, called Image Control Waveguide, is second to none. It allows you to hear every detail and every frequency of any recording, and this option is a favorite of producers, artists, and others in the audio or music industry. When you choose this option, you get a big sound for an exceptionally good value.
- ✓ Increased HF detail
- ✓ Comes with Class D amplifiers
- ✓ Very affordable price and good value for your money
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- ✗ Midrange is a bit weak when compared to other similar products
ADAM Audio A7X Studio Monitor Speaker
The most popular studio monitor from ADAM is the A7X. It is an upgrade of the A7 monitors, and it has all the features that people loved about the A7…except it has an even better sound quality!
This studio monitor speaker has a 2-way, vertical design, and it offers an outstanding balanced sound with a clear midrange, high-frequency reproduction, and a fantastic transient response. When you look at the A7X, you will notice that the large baffle bass reflex ports are perfectly paired with the bass/midrange drivers, which gives this device a lot of power, yet control.
The woofer has a 100W PWM amp, which is combined with a 50W Class AB tweeter amp. This allows a pair of these speaker monitors to create a max SPL of about 114 dB at one full meter. The design and technology are cutting-edge, and each of these feature ADAM’s X-ART, which is a handcrafted ribbon tweeter. It is also a good value for the money, and if you are looking for something for commercial recording or even for a top-notch home studio, the A7X is a fantastic choice.
When it comes to cost, some people might look at the price tag and balk, but the truth is this: you are going to get an exceptional value for your money when you choose these.
- ✓ Equipped with several unique controls in the front and rear of the device
- ✓ X-ART technology makes it easy to create sound that is free of distortions
- ✓ Tweeter allows for improvements on the frequency response
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- ✗ It does not have any magnetic shielding around the woofer
Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor
This could be the absolute best studio monitor speaker out on the market today. It is an extremely accurate option, and since it is backed by the Yamaha name, you can also trust it.
These monitors are a top choice for sound pros across the globe for both mid-field and near-field monitoring jobs. You do not need any additional power amplifiers for these studio monitor speakers, which is a huge advantage. Additionally, you can perfectly match these monitors to any speaker unit used, so you can get amazing performance with any source in almost any environment. Because this studio monitor has bi-amplification, it means that both speaker units can easily function at the best performance level with an exceptional sonic sound and response.
- ✓ The best sound quality is created thanks to a 1” dome tweeter and 8” cone woofer
- ✓ Frequency response ranges from 38Hz to 30kHz
- ✓ Features a built-in amp and bi-amp, which gives the best sound quality
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- ✗ Does not come with cables, so you must buy those separately
- ✗ Requires a subwoofer if you want to listen to a lot of bass
- ✗ Low sound is not great, but mid and high sound is exceptional
Are Mackie Studio Monitors Good?
Mackie is one of the more popular brands available that offer a more affordable competitor to some of the other major monitor and speaker brands. Compared to some of these competitors, users often cite that Mackie studio monitors function well, especially for the price. Reviews often tend to mention that Mackie monitors have a good response in general and reproduce a range of frequencies well.
However, one drawback of Mackie monitors that many reviewers mention is that the monitors tend not to be very durable. According to some, parts of Mackie’s monitors stop working shortly after purchase. As a result, in other cases, the monitors simply cease functioning altogether. Obviously, all products have a shelf life, but perhaps the most common criticism of Mackie monitors is that they do not last anywhere near as long as they should. As such, monitors produced by Mackie may not be the best choice for use in an active studio, where one often uses monitors to the extent of their performance capabilities throughout the day.
For the sake of comparison, one brand of monitors that is widely praised is Neumann. The Neumann kh range of studio monitors are said to be some of the best studio monitors available on the market today. They are renowned for their transparent and clear sound, good response, and great build quality. While Mackie Studio Monitors have some great qualities, if you are going to be working in a professional studio then it may be better to invest in some speakers that are going to last much longer, like the Neumann kh.
Are Studio Monitors Better than Speakers?
Studio Monitors and speakers are designed with different types of performance in mind, and they therefore sound and work somewhat differently. It is difficult to say if one type of speaker is ‘better’ than another in this context, because they have different applications. Studio monitors are designed to reproduce the music or audio played through them as transparently as possible. This is because in a studio setting, it is important that the music or audio can be heard as it sounds, so it can be produced or changed accordingly.
The reason for this is that studios are places where people tend to work on manipulating music or audio for a specific purpose. For example, if you are an audio engineer, then a lot of the time you spend in the studio is for you to change the audio you have in some way, in order to make it sound better. Even small tweaks to the volume of a certain instrument can change the way a whole song sounds, so it is vital that studio monitors used by audio professionals change the way the music sounds as little as possible.
Therefore, if you want to buy monitors to listen to music on for pleasure, it is likely going to be better for you to find a set of speakers that you like the sound of. Many different types of speakers have been designed to emphasize some element of the music or audio played through them, and whether this is a good thing is generally just a matter of preference. For example, you might prefer to clearly be able to hear the bass in all the music you listen to. If this is the case, then you would be best off finding a set of speakers or monitors with strong bass response.
However, if you are looking for something to work with in a studio, then it would make much more sense for you to find some of the best studio monitors that you can. Studio monitors might sound flat by comparison, but they are a much better option if you are going to manipulate audio in any way.
Which Brand of Speakers is the Best?
For the same reasons as those mentioned above, it can be difficult to say which brand of speakers or monitors is the best. Speakers are made to different preferences and specifications, and there is therefore much variation in terms of which brands people like best. However, some brands that produces monitors and speakers are certainly known to be the cream of the crop in terms of the quality of speakers and monitors that they produce. These include Bose, Bang and Olufsen and Logitech, just to name a few.
What are the Best Studio Monitors?
With so many brands and models of monitors on the market, it isn’t easy to choose which of the monitors might be the best option to purchase for your studio, let alone decide which is the best of them all. It can also be difficult to define which monitors are the ‘best,’ as consumer needs and preferences can vary greatly. Having said that, there are some clear frontrunners in the discussion of which monitors are among the best studio monitors that are available today.
When people talk about a model of studio monitor and how good it is, they are referring to the performance of the monitors. Transparency is a key element of a good set of monitors, as having a set of monitors that are transparent and do not change the nature of the audio too much is of vital importance when you engineer or produce audio. This is especially true of music.
One set of monitors that has especially impressed us is Yamaha’s HS8 studio monitors. These may be some of the best studio monitors that money can buy. Not only is the response and range of frequencies reproduced hugely impressive, but they are an exceptionally transparent and clear set of monitors. If you want your studio to become the best studio that you can make it, then having such a great set of monitors is going to be of vital importance. It is impossible to say with certainty if the Yamaha HS8 are the best studio monitors that money can buy, but they are a definite contender.
The monitors you use in your studio are of great importance, especially if you want to run the best studio that you can. We hope our overview of some of the monitors on the market today can help you purchase a great set of monitors, and help you elevate your recordings to the next level.
