Advise about near field monitors

[matiasca]

Hi, I'm looking for a cheap 5.1 near field monitoring system. In my country is very hard to get something decent for less than 1000 U$ and that amount of money isn't in my budget right now, nor any job that require that quality for now.

My three options are Mackie mr624, JBL LSR305 mkII, and M-audio Bx5. I have a pair of m-audio bx5a, and they aren't the best, but for the price are good, the main problem of them is that I hear very very flat in terms of field and deepness, compared to my mackie mr8 mkII the sound on the m-audio semms to have no-deepness, on the other side i like the highs on them, a bit harsh but not a problem for me. I had a subwoofer to pair with any of the options so the low freq response is not the mail problem.

I would like to know if anyone has the same perception about the m-audio.

And on the other side, what monitor would you recommend?

Thanks!

[TNM]

I think the JBL out of those three., but damn this is a very subjective topic.

[Southsidemusic]

Agree with TNM. JBL305’s are a great choice for their price and even against more expensive monotors so if I didn’t have enough in the budget I would get the 305’s anyday of the week

[matiasca]

Yes! but thanks for the input. I know it's very subjective but, in general terms I think that there are a few rules that everyone of us are taking in count, at least in general like floor noise, hiss, harshness.
I'd read that the JBL sometimes has a little noise coming out from the HF, but my Mackies do have too, and at one meter it doesn't matter.

[matiasca]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

Agree with TNM. JBL305’s are a great choice for their price and even against more expensive monotors so if I didn’t have enough in the budget I would get the 305’s anyday of the week

Thank you!

I'd read very good comments about JBLs.

[albee1952]

I give a +1 to the JBL's. I had LSR305's(Mk 1) and other than the input sensitivity being a bit low, the sound was maybe better than any other product in that size(certainly better IMO than KRK or M-Audio). I am happily mixing on LSR306 Mk II now but will probably add a Presonus T10 sub(which stomps everything near that price) though I will likely add some DSP to tailor the response to my room(thanks to SMAART Live).

The Mackie's are solid, but a bit long in the tooth

[musicman691]

I know some would consider them a bit large for nearfields but I've been using JLB LSR308's for about 2 years now; my wife got the Yamaha MSP5's I had before. Took a little while to get them set up right for my space but I find what I do on them translates quite well. And really that's what one wants isn't it?

[Bob Olhsson]

The idea that a speaker can be too large for a room is utter nonsense.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

The idea that a speaker can be too large for a room is utter nonsense.

I've been told by some of the cognescenti here that the 308's were a bit large for typical mix rooms. Like I said it took a bit of work to get them setup right for my situation but clients have been happy with the end result.

[TNM]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

The idea that a speaker can be too large for a room is utter nonsense.

IKR.. This myth keeps being spread around yet when you go to a professional control room, they usually have maybe even 5 sets of monitors, and often one MASSIVE one in a small room.

The key is to treat your room properly and sit at the correct position to the monitors. Well that's how I was always taught anyways.