Recommend me a pair of powered monitors for my Axe-Fx

jdarez

Member
Apologies if this isn't strictly related to my AXE, but the community here seems pretty clued up.

My current setup: Guitars, Bass guitar, Digital Piano and Nord Electro 6D keyboard plugged into AXE FX 3 (my sole audio interface), outputted to headphones and hooked up to my PC as well.

Looking for - A pair of studio monitors

Price Range - Not more than $400

Considerations - I have limited desk space in a temporary studio so I need something small and light (no bigger than a pair of Yamaha HS5s)
- My studio is a small room
- They'll be hooked up as the only output (incl headphones) for my AXE FX for all my instruments (keys, piano, guitar and bass
- Something I can use for everything; PC gaming, music practice and basic mixing.
- Monitors will sit on my desk, directly in front of me

Contenders - iLoud Micro Monitor (size and price is right, just wondering if it can handle my bass)
- HS5 (been a big fan of Yamaha products for ages, a bit large, but they'll manage. Concerned about their performance for PC gaming as I've read some say that they're strictly reference monitors).

Thanks folks
 
Probably overkill, but with that budget in mind, I'd take a look at the Mackie CR-X series. You can add the subwoofer (which will likely be too much for a smaller space, but still...) for $199 or so from major retailers, plus the Mackies have always been solid products for the price, at least for me. YMMV.
 
I agree with RockHopper. I just got a pair of Mackie CR-4X and I am pretty satisfied with them. I have them connected to my AxeFX III (I used it as an audio interface for my PC so I can listen to music) and a CD player. They are small enough to sit on my desk (I have a very small space for playing guitar) but still I was quite impressed by the overall quality of the sound you can get from them. Maybe you can find a better solution considering your budget but still have a look at products from Mackie.
 
Get the Yamahas... I have not owned a lot of monitors, but the Yamahas are the best I have heard, and sound good with anything you throw at them
And if they don't sound good, it's because what you're putting through them doesn't sound good.
 
There are a huge number of threads on monitors, the search function is your friend if you want the most information.

Many of the recommendations here will not fit the criteria is a pair of speakers for $400. But I suggest you not disregard them. If you’re going to have a unit as capable as the Axe Fx III, you should be aware that the single biggest item affecting what you’re going to hear from it is the speaker system you’re monitoring it through. My strongest recommendation is that you double your budget (or more) by saving for a bit or selling unused gear and move up to a more capable set of monitors. I think you’ll be much happier with the sound, and much more satisfied with a purchase you won’t feel needs to be upgraded from the start.

Best if luck however you decide to go!
 
You mention basic mixing. At that point, I'd just go with "desktop" speaker from Klipsh or Logitech's 3.5" 2.1 system. They translate well to every other device. To actually mix in that price range, use Sennheiser HD650 headphones, so when you actually challenge your mix on those mediums, you're not surprised with how much bass you overcompensated for.
 
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