Studio sound: TOP 5 compact studio monitors

The first revision of the JBL LSR monitors became a popular hit in the oversaturated market for inexpensive studio monitors. Literally all music magazines like SOS and Future Music unanimously praised them for a hitherto unseen combination of professional sound and affordable price. As a rule, inexpensive monitors always made some compromises, while the 305 sounded honest and pleasant, fully meeting the requirements of the studio. Five years later, JBL has updated the line, redesigning the dynamic drivers and making more flexible low-frequency equalization.

Externally, these are all the same speakers with a recognizable lacquered front panel, a large bass reflex port at the back, a built-in class D amplifier and a branded waveguide, which was previously used in more expensive M2 series monitors. Its unusual shape ensures better coherence between the speakers and creates a more even sound field. Thanks to this monitors are not too capricious in the positioning of the listener. Roughly speaking, being a little to the side of them, you will hear exactly the same sound as in the perfect position. This somewhat simplifies the options for installing monitors in a room. Adds variability and a modified Boundary EQ switch that allows you to adjust the low frequencies depending on the room and the position of the monitors themselves. The treble switch, which allows you to add or remove 2 dB to the "tops", remains the same.

Like the first revision, the 305P MkII uses a small fabric tweeter and a 5" polymer cone mounted on a rubber surround. In terms of sound, this is still one of the most interesting options in the low-cost segment: the timbre is even and neutral, but without dryness that tyres the ears. Despite the small size of the woofer, the bass is clearly distinguishable, it has decent power, pressure and structure. For this, they are so loved by producers of electronic music, where powerful bass is as important as water for fish. At the same time, the upper frequencies sound clean and pleasant, although they are slightly lacking in detail. This is a feature of all fabric "tweeters". In general, these monitors have a fairly balanced and versatile sound, so they are equally respected by techno producers and pop music connoisseurs.

Oh yes, in addition to the 5 and 8-inch models, the MkII now has a more compromise solution with a 6-inch speaker. So choosing the right option for the room is now even easier.

At one time, 50 Cent and The Game had a hit "Hate It Or Love It", which perfectly describes the history of Rockit monitors. They are either loved with all their hearts, or just as much hated. They are loved because of a well-recognized sound with a powerful pronounced bass, a failed middle and a noticeable color. For example, Rockit was popular among DJs for whom listening to new records at home was no less important than working in Ableton or Cubase. They hate them for exactly the same reason: when working and mixing in Rockit, everything plays juicy, powerful and provocatively, but as soon as you turn on the demo on more expensive and honest monitors, all the enthusiasm disappears somewhere, and hitherto imperceptible jambs with equalization, panorama and dynamics.

Now the good news. All of the above was more relevant to the first three revisions of Rockit. In the case of the G4, KRK did an A+ homework and got rid of a lot of old problems. The signature aggressive and bassy disposition remained, but the sound became more even, honest and detailed. Now it looks more like proper studio monitors than hi-fi acoustics with a noticeable color. Plus, a built-in limiter was added to protect the amplifier and speakers from accidental overloads and those who like to “heap to the maximum”. When overloaded, the limiter simply turns off the monitors.

The second major difference from previous models is the equalizer LCD screen on the rear panel. Instead of the usual 2 dB step switch, we have a comprehensive DSP with 25 room settings. The equalizer works in tandem with the proprietary KRK application, which, using a calibration microphone, allows you to analyze the acoustic design of the room and adjust the sound of the speakers, taking into account all resonances, dips and reflections. On the one hand, this is a more complicated process than just flicking the treble and bass switches, on the other hand, such a point setting allows you to get a relatively honest sound even in an unprepared room. Although, if you don’t feel like messing around, you can simply look through the presets and choose the one that suits your frequency response and name.

Well, as usual, a powerful price factor plays on the side of Rokit. $200 per monitor is the price of good computer speakers, and in this field KRK is more likely to compete with ultra-low-cost monitors like M-AUDIO BX5 D3 and Mackie CR3 Price from 5 880 up to 6 590 ₴. And against their background, Rokit 5 look much more advantageous. On the other hand, in the same price range, there are super-popular JBL 305P MkII Price from 7 229 up to 9 425 ₴, which are supported by a higher-level sound and branded waveguides. Whereas the KRK benefits from a sophisticated EQ and a front bass reflex which makes it easy to install indoors.

Owners of Mackie's MR series monitors call them the most underpriced monitors under $300. The fact is that the old models of the company cost a lot, and in terms of a combination of factors they lost to popular models from Adam or Dynaudio. Therefore, the new MR went “below the radar” and did not often get into the tops. But in vain, thanks to the combination of an affordable price, high-quality sound, an advanced acoustic correction system and proprietary logarithmic bells, the model turned out to be very successful. Not for nothing in blind tests, many reviewers often put MR higher than eminent models with a price tag one and a half to two times higher, which says a lot. Although, the well-advertised JBL 305P MkII Price from 7 229 up to 9 425 ₴.

Let's start with the logarithmic waveguide - Mackie's proprietary design, which was previously used in the HR and XR series monitors, and now first appeared in low-cost-level models. In practice, such a waveguide provides an ultra-wide “sweet spot”, that is, you will hear the same sound both sitting in the perfect position of an isosceles triangle (note: both monitors and the listener are at the same distance, ears at the height of the tweeters), and standing somewhere to the side of columns.

The next feature is the Acoustic Space acoustic adjustment system, which allows you to choose one of three options for installing monitors depending on the room. The first option is when the monitors are close to the wall at a great distance from each other. The second option is close to the wall, but at a short distance. Third - monitors in a narrow position at a distance from the wall. Given that the MR524, like many monitors, has a bass reflex at the back, this adjustment system greatly simplifies their placement in a room / studio and better control of the low frequency range. And for the "top" on the rear panel there are simple switches in +2, 0 and -2 dB.

Now about the most important thing. Mackie MR524 sound just fine. Especially considering its price. They have a clear and accentuated low end, a detailed midrange and surprisingly silky and detailed high frequencies. The sound balance is perfectly adjusted, clear localization of instruments in space, no dips and humps in the frequency response, so they are equally suitable for working with hip-hop, pop, rock and dance music. In all cases, a high tolerance of mixes is ensured. And despite the honest nature, they show themselves perfectly during normal listening to music. There is no “monitor” dryness from which ears get tired. Oh yeah, unlike most monitors, the MR series doesn't have an optimal volume, they sound the same at 10% and 90%. It is convenient if, for example, you work at home late in the evening and do not want to disturb your family.

The French company Focal has made its name on premium speakers, but with the boom in home studios, it has redefined its priorities and released two-way Alpha studio monitors, which on the one hand are based on Focal's patented technologies, and on the other are designed for buyers on a limited low-cost. Alpha immediately stand out for its unusual design: the MDF case is finished with black vinyl, the convex side walls give them an unusual rounded shape, and on the bottom of the front panel there is a pair of original dual bass reflexes. And between them flaunts the company logo, which is highlighted in white when the power is turned on.

The monitors are built using the technology of separate amplification of sections - separate amplifiers (class, A and B) work in the low-frequency and high-frequency channels with support for Auto standby mode. As for the speakers, here, as always with Focal, everything is cunning and unusual. The woofers are made from Polyglass, a proprietary material that has proven itself in the company's Hi-Fi acoustics. In fact, it is a thin paper with an adhesive layer, on top of which a layer of glass microspheres is sprayed. Speakers made from this material are stiffer and lighter than polypropylene and single-layer Kevlar, which in practice provides more accurate sound transmission. In turn, the Alpha 50 tweeter is an inverted (concave) aluminium dome, which creates a better coil-to-radiator grip, reducing distortion and giving out an honest “top” without color and parasitic overtones.

If we move away from technology to subjective sensations, then the Alpha 50 is primarily distinguished by a clear tonal balance at almost any volume. These are very fair and balanced monitors with reliable reproduction of timbres, which is exactly what is needed for studio use. In terms of character, it's open and airy, the complete opposite of KRK 's bass power and excess. The only bad thing is that in some cases the bass is frankly lacking here, especially in comparison with the older one Focal JMLab Alpha 65 Price from 13 930 up to 16 254 ₴. However, during the operation, a small trick was discovered. The high-pass and low-pass filters are located on the rear panel and are not set up in the usual way: if you add a little bass and remove the highs, then the sound becomes completely indistinguishable from the older Alpha models. Moreover, readability remains approximately at the same level, and the number of misses during mixing, if it grows, is hardly noticeable.

The only inconvenience is that the monitors do not have an external volume control, and the power reserve itself is more modest than other 5-inch models. An additional 6 dB can be obtained using the button on the rear panel, but again, not everyone knows about this, so on the forums you can periodically find criticism in the spirit of "they play great, but there is not enough bass and volume." Although, this is not a question for the monitors themselves, but for the people who use them.

The A Series and its sister AX have become living classics, giving producers and engineers the signature sound of expensive Adam monitors at a reasonable price. And even after 10 years, they are very popular and often appear on studio videos of famous musicians. The secret of success here is quite simple - Adam actually completely copied the branded speakers of top models, and saved on trifles.

So, the A5X uses Rohacell's proprietary "honeycomb" diffusers made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. The use of this very light but ultra-strong material prevents resonance phenomena, resulting in a speaker with excellent dynamic and impeccable sonic characteristics. As a nice bonus, we have a serious power reserve of 100 W and an increased cone size (5.5 inches versus the standard 5), which, together with a dual front bass reflex, allows you to produce a noticeable bass.

However, the main object of adoration here is not him, but the proprietary X-ART ribbon tweeter, capable of sounding frequencies up to 50 kHz. The essence of the technology lies in the fact that the coil is the membrane itself, made in the form of a corrugated tape, on the surface of which a conductive layer is applied by a snake. Due to this, in comparison with traditional designs, the sensitivity is increased, the uniformity of the frequency response is improved, distortion is reduced, and the efficiency is increased by 2-3 times.

As a rule, five-inch monitors are evaluated primarily by the quality of mids and highs, and the A5X is fine with them: clarity and detail are at the highest level, without any dips, artifacts or the ubiquitous spurious overtones at the crossover frequency. When mixing, any EQ changes are clearly audible even in a very rich mix. If anyone had fears of a lack of low frequencies, we hasten to reassure them. Low frequencies in monitors A5X are present in excess even in the neutral position of the bass control. Apparently, Adam got burned on previous models and decided to pile on the bass so that no one would have a reason to complain. At the same time, the bass here has a clear structure, articulation and detail. It's not that "lots of bass" like the old KRK monitors, when everything buzzes and merges into mush.

Against the background of all this, the minus of the monitors is the capriciousness of the monitors to the placement and acoustic design of the room. Still, in the late 2010s, the bedroom studio boom wasn't quite as pronounced yet, and Adam was more likely to keep in mind mid-range producers who have some kind of studio with finished walls, bass traps, etc. If you If you plan to write and mix music in a typical bedroom with a carpet and a couple of curtains, it's not certain that the A5X will sound exactly as described in the lyrics. It is likely that it will be easier to save money and take excellent Mackie MR524 Price from 8 568 up to 10 710 ₴ or Kali Audio LP-6 Price from 11 459 up to 12 499 ₴, which are designed to work in unprepared rooms and boast effective acoustic correction systems.