Looking For The Best Monitor Speakers for Home Studios?
Here’s a look at our favorites, including our top pick – the KRK RP5G3-NA Rokit 5 Generation 3 Powered Studio Monitor.
When you’re building a home studio, it’s important to keep a reasonable budget in mind. That’s why we’ve put together the 5 best monitor speakers for home studios, because while there are a lot of great studio monitors available, it’s vital that you don’t overspend on feature you don’t need in your mostly hobby home studio.
If you’re just getting started, meaning you’ve only been mixing for a year or so, then you need monitors with clarity and just enough volume for you to hone your skills and mixes. It’s not necessary to go out and purchase the most expensive set of home studio monitors just because you want your setup to look fancy. Besides, most monitor speakers nowadays look great regardless of their price point.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the 5 best monitor speakers for home studios.
KRK RP5G3-NA Rokit 5 Generation 3 Powered Studio Monitor
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The Rokit 5 powered studio monitors are well known for their heavy use in the industry. Rokit’s are typically the starting point for a lot of producers who are just starting out. Their design is very modern, they allow for a very large amount of headroom without any distortion, and the proprietary wave-guide system optimizes these monitors for superior sound imaging.
The KRK RP5G3 Rokit 5 is a little more expensive than our other options, but you’re getting a higher quality product that’s practically a bedroom studio standard at this point. The Rokit 5’s even feature low pass filter, and high pass filter adjustment knobs on the back of the monitors so you can tailor in the sound to your own personal taste.
With over 115 positive customer review, it’s easy to see why these are so popular for home studios. Users have said that these speakers are everything they could have asked for and more. One customer said he was immediately satisfied and productive after hooking the Rokit 5’s up to his DAW. One of the best parts about these monitors are the aforementioned low pass and high pass filter knobs, because adjusting these knobs allows you to tailor the sound to your specific room. Also, the front bass port design of the KRK RP5G3 allows for a more exact bass sound while you’re mixing.
Mackie CR Series CR3 – 3″ Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors (Pair)
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With over 950+ positive review you really can’t go wrong with the Mackie CR Series CR3 – 3″ Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors. These monitors will provide everything you need to make a great mix, and even enjoy music or watch YouTube on the side. These monitors are built to studio expectations in both their design and sound quality.
The Mackie CR Series CR3 also boasts an ultra wide frequency range so you can mix your with laser like precision. These speakers are built for work, entertainment, and whatever else you can throw at them. These monitors also have a sub woofer input so you can hook one up for extra bass. Users have quoted these monitors as having amazing sound in a small package.
Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers – 2.0 Active Near Field Monitors
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Next up is the Edifier R1280T studio monitors, they are offered in the style of a classic wooden speaker cabinet. These affordable project speakers resemble more high monitors, at a budget price. With over 300+ positive customer reviews it’s hard to pass these monitors up. The Edifier R1280T powered speakers feature 2 aux inputs, a remote control, studio sound quality and a wood finish.
The Edifier’s are known for producing robust, full, and rich bass notes which is helpful if you’re using these monitors without a sub woofer. Users are saying these these are great little speakers, an awesome sound for $100, and quite possibly that these are the best speakers overall for the price. Check them out for yourself.
M-Audio AV42 | 20-Watt Compact Studio Monitor Speakers with 4-inch Woofer
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Next up is the M-Audio AV42 these studio monitor speakers are compact but pack a powerful punch. These babies are half the price of the Rokit 5 listed above, so if you’re looking to save some money then these speakers will get the job done.
With over 183 positive customer reviews you can’t go wrong with the M-Audio AV42 monitors. These are entry level speakers designed for the hobbyist in mind, they’re light weight but still allow you to enjoy the professional standard of audio quality you’d expect.
The M-Audio AV42 uses intricate and superior wave guides to provide superior imaging and detail to your audio. Essentially the M-Audio AV42 gives you all the amenities of a higher end studio monitor without the massive price tag. Users have agreed that these studio monitors are great sound for the money.
PreSonus Eris E4.5 2-Way Powered Studio Monitors
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The PreSonus Eris E4.5 2-Way Powered Studio Monitors are a great choice for a small studio setup. These speakers are lightweight (13 pounds) and are perfect for someone with a budget in mind who wants high sound quality, whether for their personal stereo system, or mixing. The PreSonus Eris E4.5 even features controls for changing frequency response ranges, essentially this mean sthat these speakers enable highly accurate mixing.
These professional acoustic adjustment controls allow the PreSonus Eris E4.5 to perform well in any room, so you won’t have to worry about setting up bass traps or doing any extensive sound treatment in your home studio. These speakers are perfect for anyone on a budget, who wants the features of a high end system. With over 194 positive customer reviews, users have reported being blown away at the excellent high range. Buyers have also reported that these speakers are great for TV’s as well as home studios. In this regard, the PreSonus Eris E4.5 may be the most versatile option on our list.
Takeaways
Our list of the 5 best monitor speakers for home studios was hand curated by our team at Music Store Central. We believe these 5 picks are a great starting point for anyone looking to purchase a new set of monitor speakers. If this is your first set of monitors, then it’s probably safe to go with a $99 pair of speakers until you know what you’re looking for in the sound quality department.
As you continue to mix and listen to music on your monitors, your ears will become more adept at picking up the subtleties of the sound imaging and quality of the frequencies. You’ll absolutely know it when you’re able to hear these nuances, so until then sticking with a budget pair of $99 monitors is likely your best bet.
I started Music Store Central with one simple goal, to help answer all the questions that I know other musicians have. I wanted to make buying new instruments and gear for your passion completely effortless.