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JackLudden
Published on 08/09/08 at 07:53
These are a pair of entry-level, home studio active monitors. When I bought them I wanted a step up from desktop computer speakers that could represent the highs and bass that you lose with speakers like that. I was using them for my home studio - just recording some of my own music at the time. They are active, so they require no external amp. I had them hooked up via XLR to my soundcard, playing from a windows DAW.
SOUNDS
The frequency response is not all that neutral. Since they are only 5 inch speakers, the bass is not that well represented. I also found that when you tried to turn up the speakers to high volume to hear the bass better, everytime you'd get a mass of bass energy, such as a kick drum or loud bass note, everything else seemed to temporarily attenuate in the mix until the bass energy subsided. Now that kind of happens psychoacoustically normally - but there was definitely something happening there that this speaker could not quite handle very well. The highs are not that smooth, although the imaging is fair. Not great, but fair. The sound on this speakers also sounds somewhat muffled, which makes me think there's a deficiency in the high mids and/or highs. The transients in the mids are okay, but again they become a bit of a problem when you have a lot of bass energy.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought these speakers about 3 years ago, but have sinced gotten a pair of JBL LSR4328. What I liked about them is that they are so cheap, that the improvement in sound that you can when going from desktop computer speakers is a no brainer improvement. Frankly, when I bought them, I didn't hear as well as I do now, so they sounded great at the time. This makes me say that these might be a good pair to get for the home recordist looking for their first pair of active monitors. What I liked least is that the sound quality is simply not very impressive - it's just not accurate. The bass problems coupled with the muffled highs make me think that these could be a problem to mix on. That said, for the price, these are probably still a good buy for the home studio as you get accustomed to critical listening. I wouldn't get them again now, but I did enjoy them for a year or so after buying them.
SOUNDS
The frequency response is not all that neutral. Since they are only 5 inch speakers, the bass is not that well represented. I also found that when you tried to turn up the speakers to high volume to hear the bass better, everytime you'd get a mass of bass energy, such as a kick drum or loud bass note, everything else seemed to temporarily attenuate in the mix until the bass energy subsided. Now that kind of happens psychoacoustically normally - but there was definitely something happening there that this speaker could not quite handle very well. The highs are not that smooth, although the imaging is fair. Not great, but fair. The sound on this speakers also sounds somewhat muffled, which makes me think there's a deficiency in the high mids and/or highs. The transients in the mids are okay, but again they become a bit of a problem when you have a lot of bass energy.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought these speakers about 3 years ago, but have sinced gotten a pair of JBL LSR4328. What I liked about them is that they are so cheap, that the improvement in sound that you can when going from desktop computer speakers is a no brainer improvement. Frankly, when I bought them, I didn't hear as well as I do now, so they sounded great at the time. This makes me say that these might be a good pair to get for the home recordist looking for their first pair of active monitors. What I liked least is that the sound quality is simply not very impressive - it's just not accurate. The bass problems coupled with the muffled highs make me think that these could be a problem to mix on. That said, for the price, these are probably still a good buy for the home studio as you get accustomed to critical listening. I wouldn't get them again now, but I did enjoy them for a year or so after buying them.