Studio monitors are a crucial part of any studio or home recording setup, but there are so many options out there that it can be hard to choose the best ones for your needs.
There's also a lot of misinformation out there about what makes good monitors and which ones you should avoid. It can be overwhelming. The truth is that not all speakers are created equal.
The best way is to get advice from someone who has experience with different brands and models of monitors. That person should also have a good understanding of what makes one pair of speakers sound better than another pair, regardless if they're cheap or expensive.
This article will help you make an educated decision about which type is right for your situation and our top picks for the best studio monitor speakers for small room and home studio . Let's get started!
Too Long; Didn't Read - Our Top 5 Picks are:
Best Studio Monitors For Small Room
1. Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers - Best For High Quality At Low Price
Users may be amazed by the great things, this speaker under 100$ segment brings to you! According to user feedback and reviews, this product’s quality exceeds its price in many possible ways.
Edifier R1280T has an outer shell made of MDF wood and black plastic. These materials give the monitor a stunning and sturdy look, a clear message that it is built to last.
Beside its solid structure, the Edifier monitor has a removable front panel, which is its outstanding characteristic.
This factor helps to reduce dust accumulation on the sweet spot and the internal components. It also allows the users to disassemble the panel when necessary.
Another plus point for this product’s modernity and convenience is that it is equipped with a remote control. So, changing the sound when you're away from the speaker is no longer a problem.
Despite its advantages above, this product works only well with mid-frequency sounds, which fluctuates within the 200hz-400hz range. This leads to a major issue: for lower frequencies or heavy bass, the sound may be distorted and unclear as in the mid-range.
Pros
- Bargain price
- Removable front panel design
- Remote is included
- Mid-frequency sound output
Cons
- Don’t work well with low bass.
2. Yamaha HS5I Studio Monitor with Mounting Points and Screws - Bess For Performing Mixed Sound
Creating your personal music tracks is the goal of your life? If it’s true, then this product is worthy of your attention.
Now, let’s take a closer look at this speaker which is an excellent pick for listening to mixed tracks with many combinations of sound. It is able to record your music well without being overwhelmed by the noise.
Next, according to the manufacturer’s recommendation, this product can work in the range of 54 Hz-30 kHz.
Although this is a common and standard frequency range for monitors, the Yamaha HS5I works well with heavy bass rather than high-frequency sounds.
This frequency specification has been tested and confirmed by users. When they use it to play rock music with heavy bass, they all state that the output is smooth and clear.
Much as this speaker has advantages that drive you to love it, but its drawbacks will also cause you concern. Many users depreciate the factor as its output sound is not loud enough for them to hear clearly.
Pros
- High-quality sounds
- Compact design
- Multiple choices
- Excellent for mixed tracks
Cons
- Sound may not loud enough
- High tones can be distorted
3. KRK RP5G3 ROKIT 5 G3 2-Way Powered Studio Monitor - Best For Sound Balancing
If you are seeking a studio monitor that can handle high-frequency sounds while keeping the low-frequency sounds output on a stable range, you shouldn’t ignore this product at all!
It is designed with a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter, making it possible for speakers to emit high-frequency sounds (up to 35 kHz) without being jarred or distorted.
How about mid-frequency sounds? They will be handled easily as a piece of cake as well, which ensures the output will be apparent, realistic, and vivid.
More than that, as mentioned earlier, low-frequency sounds can never make things difficult for this product either.
Although it can't perform as well as other subwoofers, the KRK RP5G3 ROKIT 5 G3 still handles heavy bass flawlessly and, therefore, produces a relatively stable output.
There is one thing about this product that you might find to be a pain though.
Perhaps as a means to reduce electricity consumption, the producer has programmed this product to automatically turn off if you leave it unattended for half an hour (adjust the volume or something like that).
The disadvantages above will be quite troublesome if you have to turn it on again. And, even more frustrating, the best and only solution is to keep it always in working mode.
Pros
- Good at sound balancing
- Compact design
- Reasonable price
Cons
- Turn to sleep after every 30 minutes.
4. IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors Ultra With Bluetooth - Best Solution For Limited Space
Are you interested in a compact studio monitor that allows you to bring it from place to place? That’s IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor!
With its compact size - 5.30 x 3.50 x 7.10 inches, you can place this speaker anywhere, even in limited space, as it certainly won’t take up much of your space.
One intriguing thing about this product is, without doubt, its adjustment switch for placement. You can choose “flat” if you place it on a flat surface such as a table or cabinet, or “desk” mode to clip it to the edge of the table.
Moreover, you can easily take it along with you on trips ince this speaker can be connected to your phone by Bluetooth. This is a commendable advantage as you can use it even without cable or wires.
In terms of sound quality, this product produces a relatively high volume and if you will be surprised by the wonderful output of mid-frequency sounds .
Although the quality is quite unmatched, the design of this product isn’t solid enough. Most parts of this speaker are made of plastic, so yes, when maintained poorly, they can break off
Pros
- Super compact
- Portable
- Bluetooth connection
- Placing adjustment
Cons
- Loose and fragile design
5. JBL Professional C1PRO High Performance 2-Way Loudspeaker - Best For Performing Heavy Bass
JBL Professional C1PRO won’t disappoint you if rock music has always been your passion and you are after something that lets you immerse in the most authentic tune!
JBL is a company that has won the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS in 2017, which proves how good their products are. So, there's no reason to doubt the quality of their products.
Bright, loud, resounding sounds are the prominent factors that make this JBL professional C1PRO popular.
The most remarkable feature of this product is its ability to handle heavy bass like a charm.
Thanks to the high sensitivity level and effective audio filtering of the studio monitor, you don’t need to worry about whether the low-frequency sound will be cracked or unclear! .
Its drawback which needs improving is the increasing connection jacks for this product. The limited number of ports makes the connection with electronic devices complicated and bulky.
Pros
- Prestigious brand
- High-quality output
- Subwoofer - good at handling with heavy bass
Cons
- Limited connection ports
Questions You May Encounter When Setting Up The Studio
1. Do I really need studio monitors?
Absolutely!
Many people believe that there is something so natural about a flat frequency response and broad, wide stereo image. They take pride in the fact that their mixes have fewer effects or processing treatments applied to them than those heard on music charts. These mix engineers are sacrificing sound quality for some perceived sense of sonic authenticity and achievement.
A studio monitor should be able to make high frequencies as loud as low frequencies - this is an indispensable feature while mastering or mixing vocals with over-loud highs, bass guitars with low cut filters, percussion instruments that need a lot of high treble boost to cut through the mix, etc...
But, plenty of musicians produce amazing recordings on their computers using no monitors whatsoever. Once again, the decision lies in the direction you choose.
2. What size studio monitors for a small room?
For a smaller room, the two most popular choices are 8-inch and 6.5-inch monitors.
Although there are usually tradeoffs in monitor size - for example, speakers on axis with the listener might require a larger speaker because of early reflections or standing waves - adding more surface area to the cone does help produce louder low frequencies.
A 10" speaker has about 25% more surface area than an 8", so it is likely to be able to play slightly louder and thus reproduce deeper bass tones (depending on all sorts of specific factors).
3. What is a studio monitor used for?
A studio monitor’s main function is to be a near-field reference speaker system, meaning the sound they emit should sound accurate and neutral at low volumes, so engineers can accurately hear frequencies and their various balances.
Owning a high quality set of studio monitors that you listen to all day changes your hearing in two ways. You begin to understand things about your music that you never knew before (e.g., where is the bass being used too heavily? Where are vocals being taken out?) as well as an overall ability to hear what matters and ignore what doesn't.
A properly designed pair of speakers also means no room coloration or resonances which affects accurate source monitoring.
4. How much should I spend on studio monitors?
"Depends on the size and quality of your studio."
The answer to this question is subjective. What you want to get depends on your ability, budget, and location. However, for some general guidelines:
- If you are targeting a beginner model, I would recommend studio monitors less than $300-$600 each. This should provide good sound as well as useful features such as to monitor height control or acoustic isolation mounts.
- For those looking for more high-end monitor (usually people who already know what they're doing), instead invest in a pair of nearfields that will cost around $700-$1,000 each. That way you'll have better fidelity playback capabilities to boot!
Conclusion
That’s all we want to inform you. Hopefully, the Top 5 best studio monitors for small room we recommended will help you a lot!
In conclusion, the best overall Edifier R1280T which will emit great sound at any frequency to meet your strict requirements!
Last but not least, consider carefully and be a smart buyer!