Studio Monitor Reviews

YAMAHA HS50M Active Studio Monitor

2011-02-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, sorry for the downtime. Busy with University and filling in for my friend's old band in preparation for a tour in March, but that's another story.

Today I'd like to show you a studio classic, the widely respected
Yamaha HS50M active studio monitor.

This two way monitor is priced individually and puts out 70 watts of power on a single side. Definitely a powerful number to say the least. Individual amps are used for both the woofer and the tweeter. The volume pot is tucked away on the back of the unit, along with XLR and TRS inputs for standard connections.

The speaker casing is attractive, with a distinctive 5" woofer and a 3/4" tweeter encased in a bass reflex system to make the low end that much punchier.

On the back end of the speaker, hardened audiophiles are bound to be impressed with the EQ switches available. There are switches to scoop or boost the mid-range by 2dB for your engineering preference, a room control switch which can reduce unwanted resonances in your studio by cutting out the lower and mainly unused frequencies, a high trim, which obviously reduces the higher frequencies and a low cut to adjust the lower end of the spectrum to your liking.

You really have to hear these speakers to believe them, and they are available for a very reasonable price on Amazon.com. Click the picture to see more. Cheers!

PS. Here is a link with a price for two units.

Tannoy Reveal 501A Active Studio Monitor

2011-02-16T00:29:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple days!
Today I've been looking at the lovely Tannoy Reveal 501A monitors.
These things flaunt a frequency responce of 64hz-30khz.
The power amp puts out 60w so that's 30w a side! Quite a loud pair of speakers for your money! As a bonus, you get a trim switch which helps you adjust the monitors to your environment or listening preferences.
The volume control is also neatly tucked away at the back alongside the Balanced XLR and unbalanced jack connectors.
These are quite chunky, at a height of 30cm, but this is necessary to get the maximum amount of resonance as some of you audiophiles may know!
Check them out on Amazon.com now!

ADAM Audio A7

2011-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

Today, I got something in a little pricier than my previous review subjects, the stunning ADAM Audio A7 Powered monitors.
Although pricier than my previous reviews, the clarity is something else on these things.
They feature a carbon fibre woofer and a solid structure.
You have a choice of an unbalanced phono or balanced XLR input, as well as some fixed EQ controls in the back, so you can fiddle with the overall sound a little which is a nice choice.
These monitors offer a 46hz to 35khz frequency response which is ambitious, but you can feel the lows in your belly, which is always nice!
Each side features an independant 50 watt amplifier which allows for these speakers to push a whole lot of air with an impressive level of clarity.
Have a look at these babies on Amazon.com right now! (Price is individual)

Behringer Truth B1031A

2011-02-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to bring your attention to one of Behringer's finer works: the Truth B1031A. Featuring an attractive yellow woofer cone, and contoured design, the outside box looks a little hot-rodded, which makes a nice break from the usual black on black schemes usually seen in studio monitors.
The 8 inch woofer is in fact built out of kevlar, giving it a lot more endurance. This explains the lack of protective mesh.
Asides from the endurance of the actual cone, the kevlar material helps handle the high energy levels required to reduce distortion from high bass levels at higher volumes which is a nice touch.
As standard, these are magnetically shielded and feature A/B amps which put out 50w HF or 100w LF. These things pack a punch. Check out more information now at Amazon.com

Yamaha MSP3

2011-02-07T03:53:00.000-08:00

The Yamaha MSP3 is an elegant set of monitors I managed to get my hands on last week.
It is a compact set-up, featuring a 10cm woofer and 2.2cm tweeter. These beauties are active so no external amplification is required, making the MSP3s ideal for home studio enthusiasts or producers on a budget. The compact size allows portability, and the logical inputs on the back (XLR, phone jack, RCA) make the user experience more friendly.
Although small, the MSP3 puts out 20 watts of power, reasonable for medium sized monitoring areas or studios.
Ceiling and wall mounts are also available (sold seperately), showing that these monitors are serious with a big sound and a hard, accurate punch.

For the studio enthusiast in a small area, the MSP3 is a valuable addition on a budget. Take a look at them on Amazon.com now. They are retailing for an incredible $164.99!

Review: M-Audio Studiophile AV-40 Powered Speakers

2011-01-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last week I got my hands on a pair of these beatiful M-Audio Studiophile AV-40 speakers from Amazon.com. Boasting an extended frequency range for a reasonable price and featuring a solid fiberboard construction, I thought they were definitely worth a once-over.

Straight out of the box, they look fantastic and feature 1/4 inch jack outputs that can connect directly to your soundcard, mixer or audio interface, phono ports to connect to your hi-fi, and loads of other extras which I'll get onto shortly. Solidly built little numbers, they are sleek black and feature a 1 inch tweeter and 4 inch woofer, and include a bass-port in the back to project the lower frequencies. If this isn't enough, there is a bass boost switch, which I personally find to be overkill, but all you bass freaks might enjoy it.

As I mentioned, you can connect this product to almost anything, there is a convenient headphone out on the front of the interface, so no more rooting around the back of your set-up to plug in your cans. A 3.5 mm input right next to this enables easy iPod or mp3 player connection which is pretty cool.

For more advanced looks at this mean set of speakers and what comes in the box, check it out on the provided link on Amazon.com now.