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moosers
Published on 02/03/10 at 17:49
The M-Audio Studiophile SP-5B are a set of active studio monitors, designed for use in home studios. These are the newer versions of the BX5s, as far as I know, and they have a lot of similar characteristics. These have both XLR and 1/4" TRS outputs, and are self-powered, so you don't need any sort of external power amplifier. The SP-5Bs in theory can be used for any sort of purpose in the recording studio, but I've only used them for monitoring and doing editing, as they aren't suitable for mixing in my opinion.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Studiophile SP-5Bs is pretty much right around where you would expect them to be. Since they are very compact and not big at all, they don't pack much of a low end, making them unsuitable for mixing. However, as far as for editing and monitoring goes, they work great. They would also be suitable for A/Bing mixes if you wanted to use them exclusively for this type of purpose in tandem with a larger set of monitors. There is really only so much that you can expect from the SP-5Bs in terms of sound quality once you consider the size and the price, but the sound definitely exceeded these expectations for me.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are in the market for compact, cheap set of active studio monitors, in more situations than not, the M-Audio Studiophile SP-5Bs will get the job done. However, don't expect to be able to do any real mixing on them beyond setting up mixes or editing, as they just don't cover the full frequency spectrum adequately enough to be suitable for accurate and true mixing. Other than this, I can't complain too much about these speakers as the price is one that is really hard to beat. If you've got a small studio and are just looking for a decent set of monitors to hear out of, without the expectation of being able to do full mixes, I'd definitely check out these and the older models of these, as they are pretty similar in make up and sound.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Studiophile SP-5Bs is pretty much right around where you would expect them to be. Since they are very compact and not big at all, they don't pack much of a low end, making them unsuitable for mixing. However, as far as for editing and monitoring goes, they work great. They would also be suitable for A/Bing mixes if you wanted to use them exclusively for this type of purpose in tandem with a larger set of monitors. There is really only so much that you can expect from the SP-5Bs in terms of sound quality once you consider the size and the price, but the sound definitely exceeded these expectations for me.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are in the market for compact, cheap set of active studio monitors, in more situations than not, the M-Audio Studiophile SP-5Bs will get the job done. However, don't expect to be able to do any real mixing on them beyond setting up mixes or editing, as they just don't cover the full frequency spectrum adequately enough to be suitable for accurate and true mixing. Other than this, I can't complain too much about these speakers as the price is one that is really hard to beat. If you've got a small studio and are just looking for a decent set of monitors to hear out of, without the expectation of being able to do full mixes, I'd definitely check out these and the older models of these, as they are pretty similar in make up and sound.