[AverageJoe]

Yeah, what where said is the best advice, always buy the best you can afford, and try them out at home.

Unfortunately, money is a reality, and many 'beginners' don't have the relationship with a pro audio store that affords them the luxury of taking stuff home.

However, all the big stores offer some kind of return policy which can be effectively used as a try-out period.

Concerning the review referenced earlier in this thread, I've always been wary of that review- it seems to list the monitors almost backwards from many reviews I' ve read and my own personal experience.

The Beringher mon's have some good things going for them but do a search and count the number of DUC'ers who have had them break on them!

I have Tannoy Reveal passives and I love them. They are a great monitor for the price. I have never noticed the drivers going crazy like that reviewer did. Keep in mind he's a DJ/Dance guy, and they have much larger low end requirements than most!

With any monitor that size, low end has to be either lost or faked. I think it's better to have it lost, then I can get a sub and add it (which is what I did). Many people think that the Mackie's have low end problems for this reason.

If I were you I'd consider the passive Reveals with a Hafler Trans-Nova p1500 amp which can be had for around $200 on eBay when they show up. That amp is pretty amazing for the price.

Again, it's all speculation until you try them though!