Powered Bookshelf Monitors Recommendations

[SlvrDragon50]

:/ We gave ya some recommendations!

To be honest, everyone is going to give you the same suggestions, Yamaha, Rokit, Mackie, and maybe Tannoys. In the end, you gotta make the decision yourself. Monitors appeal to different people, and the best suggestion is to go into Guitar Center and take a listen.

[LoopCat]

I have a set of these -

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems

Amazing sound quality for the price.

[bc6]

I have a set of these -

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems

Amazing sound quality for the price.

Its funnie that you mention these speakers Ive got 6 sets of the A2's laying around lol, The A5's look wicked for sure.

[SlvrDragon50]

I dunno about Audio Engines as monitors though.

Are they accurate? I always thought they colored the audio.

[LoopCat]

Its funnie that you mention these speakers Ive got 6 sets of the A2's laying around lol, The A5's look wicked for sure.

I have the 5 version and they sound awesome. Great bass response and good detail in the mid's and highs. They have two rca inputs as well if you want to plug your phone in to play something quick or hook it up to a tv without having to unplug your mixer. Having only one power cable (left is powered and feeds the right speaker via speaker cable) is a bonus as well.

I dunno about Audio Engines as monitors though.

Are they accurate? I always thought they colored the audio.

Compared to say Rokits, I would say they are more balanced and have greater detail in the mids and highs and a controlled tight bass response. For DJing I wouldn't recommend a really flat studio monitor anyway. Something that sounds nice or 'coloured' is way more fun to mix on and monitors tend to have a small 'sweet spot' where it sounds good. If I had a bit more space I would have my mixer connected to a vintage HiFi amp and some nice passive speakers.

[SlvrDragon50]

DJing it is definitely better to have flat monitors...

You need to be able to hear all the tiny details. Otherwise, they may sound great on your colored speakers, but the mix could be bad on the PA system.

[atontheproton]

Personally I have the 5" & 8" M-Audio and would trade them both in for a decent pair of 6" monitors.

[LoopCat]

DJing it is definitely better to have flat monitors...

You need to be able to hear all the tiny details. Otherwise, they may sound great on your colored speakers, but the mix could be bad on the PA system.

This doesn't make sense to me. A DJ mixer is usually not flat sounding and is very coloured. For example a xone 92 colours the sound dramatically, so if you had flat monitors for mixing in your bedroom it would depend on the mixers output if the sound was flat or not anyway. A good set of speakers that have a coloured sound can have great detail and let you hear all the elements of a song, it's just that certain frequencies are hyped. When you are mixing live on a PA system in a club you are adjusting the sound to fit the room and the PA system you aren't copying your eq settings you have practiced in your bedroom. It sounds like you are confused with mixing for production where monitors are essential for getting the mix sounding good on a large range of speakers. There is a big difference between a hifi speakers/amps and cheap speaks that are muddy and lack clarity.

[SlvrDragon50]

Definitely want to practice with studio monitors. With colored sound, it can mask nuances because of boosted frequencies and whatnot.

There just isn't the same amount of detail when you're mixing with a sound system with lots of coloring.

Realize that I am talking about practice situations, not when you're in a club.

[LoopCat]

This doesn't make sense at all. As long as the hifi/bookshelf speakers have great 'detail' meaning you can hear all the elements clearly, they will be just as good as studio monitors for practising. The kick drum will be well defined and high hats nice and crisp, plus the real benefit is that they will sound better because they aren't as directional as studio monitors. I'm not talking about a cheap hi fi set up from Kmart hear that sounds like mud.

Just to add to this a good set of hifi speakers have great detail, more than a dj would ever need. We aren't using them for referencing recorded sound sources. Dj's just need something with detailed sound for beat matching.