Studio Monitors Buying Guide

Which monitor is better, Powered or un-powered?

Studio monitor placement guide

Does price affect the quality?

If you are passionate about guitar, vocals or any other musical talent, then definitely you have a suppressed dream about setting up your own recording studio. Apart from of your passion, the recording studios have great earning potentiality. Before few years back, setting up a studio is difficult because numbers of outboard processors, multiple recorders and other equipment simply puzzled you. But those days are gone. Now a day, the massive development of analog and digital electronics offers you an easy life.

Recording monitors are the essential component of any studio. But you have a question in your mind -

Which monitor is better, Powered or un-powered?

The answer is, the powered monitors are self-powered, it comes with built in speaker cabinet. That is why, you need not to purchase amplifier separately. Where as, un-powered monitors need extra power amplifier.

You can use un-powered monitors by connecting the line-level outputs into mixer to a power amplifier and then run speaker wire to the monitor. It is another cost effective solution, if you already have powered amplifier. Managing monitors is simple, but managing and connecting through power amplifier is bit tricky. So, while you are going to use it, you must check the following issues –

- Ensure proper cooling: make sure that, DO NOT block any front rear or any other air vents

- Proper cable with right gauge,

- Careful when you establish a connection, select signal source and control the output level.

Studio monitor placement guide

Well, you want to keep your speakers, from where you will get the smoothest and most prominent sound. The best and recommended pattern of setting up the speakers is – put them in an equilateral triangle. Means all the lets of the triangle is same in length. Additionally, you need to keep your monitors upright and vertical.

What is "Bi-amplification"?

In case of un-powered or passive system, single amplifier replicates the complete audio spectrum. The low frequencies are quickly lined up and in amp’s headroom. Where as, higher frequencies ride along on the lower frequency waveforms. They can be ripped off even the high frequencies may not be clipped. So, separating high from low through active electronic crossover called a bi-amplification. Usually this involves two different amplifiers.

Does price affect the quality?

Yes, a good and powerful product must have a handsome price like few thousands of dollars. There are numbers of manufacturers like – Genelec, Adam, Mackie and other spending huge amounts to develop the enhance their product’s quality and design. Their research involves, perfect imaging, smooth frequency response, low frequency enhancement and many more…. It is a good idea to purchase a better one rather than cheap one.

Monitor management product

Usually, most of the studios designed with exclusive mixing consoles and monitoring capabilities. But if you are new in this domain, you must incorporate a monitor management product like – Mackie Big Knob, PreSonus Central Station like manage tools. The new generation monitor management tools are rack mounted and some are desktop units. So, select your product according to your needs.