Monitors are important parts of any audio setup because the sound they make has a direct effect on the quality of recording, processing, mixing, and other parts of making sound. Even though there are high-end professional monitors on the market that can cost a lot, there is a silver lining: you can get great studio monitors for less than $500. These options are easy on the wallet and have the amazing ability to faithfully reproduce sound without making any unnecessary changes.
Most people will opt for near-field monitors that are a few feet away from you. Near-field monitors are best for accurate reproduction. Also, a good pair of far-field monitors will cost a lot more than $500. For most who know what they need in terms of performance and features, a monitor set in the $500 range offers the best value. Some of the absolute best monitors on the market today can also be found here. However, these added features mean that you have another layer of things to consider when making your selection.
Check the List Of 12 Best Studio Monitors Under $500
Edifier S2000 Pro
It’s not often that we find studio monitors that break out of the standard design mold. While some brands take a bit more liberties than others when it comes to aesthetics, nothing even comes close to what Edifier has created with the S2000 Pro Series. Needless to say, aesthetics are a big part of the S2000 Pro Series.
Aside from looks, you’re dealing with a great setup here that consists of a 5.5″ woofer and a pretty powerful tweeter. Performance wise, these speakers are pretty good all things considered. Edifier has taken things in a new direction with Bluetooth support and optical and coaxial inputs in the I/O cluster. If you’re looking for something special, look no further.
JBL LSR308
If you’re familiar with the JBL brand, you probably know that their speakers are among the best in the world. It’s as simple as that. However, what most people don’t know is that JBL also makes some good studio monitors. One example of this is the JBL LSR308. The JBL Speaker LSR308s are the larger siblings of the LSR305s, which have performed extremely well in the field.
The LSR308s are similar in performance, just larger in every conceivable way. We’re talking 8″ woofer drivers, massive but carefully engineered waveguides, and plenty of power. JBL offers these speakers with both XLR and TRS connectors and has all kinds of acoustic controls, including HF and LF trimmers and more. In short, LSR308 in professional quality.
Yamaha Hs8
The Yamaha HS8s are perhaps the best option Yamaha has to offer from its HS line, but they are not perfect. Exaggerated highs and attenuated mids leave them with a smiley-face behavior more suited for secondary reference monitors.
The Yamaha HS8’s frequency response extends from 38 Hz to 30 kHz. In theory, this is a wide enough range for any producer trying to get a full picture out of their mixes, even if they don’t have a subwoofer. However, we found the sound to be a bit overblown in the high frequencies and skimmed in the lower mids.
PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5
On the back of the left Eris 3.5 are flexible inputs with jack and RCA jacks, as well as a headphone output and a stereo mini-jack (for smartphones and the like) on the front of the same speaker. These connectivity options make these speakers a better and practical option for casual music enjoyment.
The treble really comes through here, perhaps a bit too much on occasion but you can use the HF control on the back to tame the treble if it gets too harsh. Overall, there’s detail here even in the lows that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from speakers of this size and especially this price.
Swan Speakers T200C
The T200C is a stylish, high-performance active computer speaker with high-quality audio output and Bluetooth transmission. It uses active electronic filter technology and is equipped with a 5-inch long-throw aluminum-magnesium alloy woofer and a 20mm metal dome tweeter.
The T200C uses a master/slave speaker configuration. The master speaker has a two-channel preamplifier and a mono power amplifier. There is only a mono power amplifier in the slave speaker. The audio or Bluetooth signal is fed into the master speaker and output as a single-channel line to the slave speaker after signal processing.
Edifier S2000MKIII
S2000 Pro is a major upgrade and revision of Edifier’s flagship S2000 desktop 2.0 loudspeaker, twelve years after its introduction. S2000 Pro uses Edifier’s proprietary flat diaphragm tweeter and 5.5-inch aluminum alloy cone unit.
It also features a number of the latest audio technologies, including a digital crossover, digital power amplifier and lossless Bluetooth transmission. Its excellent mid- to high-frequency performance and deep low-end immersion have made it one of Edifier’s most representative pieces.
JBL (305PMKII)
The JBL 305P MKII is a near-field active studio monitor with a 5-inch cone woofer and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter. Each of the drivers is driven by a 41-watt amplifier that produces a combined output power of 82 watts. It also features an MDF enclosure.
Everyone knows how good JBL’s audio equipment is. From headphones to active studio monitors, JBL always delivers exceptional quality. But that’s not all JBL products offer. They are almost always priced affordably as well. All that and much more can be said about this JBL active near-field studio monitor.
KRK RP7 Rokit G4
The new Rokits are visually a copy of the old ones, with the characteristic yellow Kevlar NF diaphragms, and the new models are also equipped with yellow Kevlar HF units. This time the amplification is Class D instead of the former Class AB design. There is also a brick wall limiter to keep things under control.
On the bottom of the monitor is a thin, high-density iso-foam pad for added comfort. This not only adds to the insulation, but also provides much needed grip on the table. The balanced input, provided via an XLR/TRS combo jack, as well as the power connector and on/off switch are located on the back of the unit.
Mackie XR824
If you know Mackie, you probably know that some of the cheaper monitors look much better than they perform. This is not an attack on Mackie studio monitor in particular, as many brands do this. However, they seem to have stayed true to their reputation of putting form over function. Once you get your hands on models like the XR824, that is definitely not the case.
At the heart of Mackie’s XR824 is a 160-watt Class D amplifier that powers the speakers. You get a single 1″ aluminum tweeter that has been previously anodized and sits in a rather large waveguide. Below that is a huge 8-inch Kevlar woofer that has proven to be a true clinical tool.
Pioneer DJ DM-40
Pioneer’s DM-40 active studio monitors are compact and affordable studio monitors that pack a punch. Even if they are not sufficient for analytical listening, they still have a lot to offer beginners. There’s more to these monitors than meets the eye. Let’s dive into the details and see how this budget option performs.
The first thing you’ll notice is the warm and pleasant low-end. For a small monitor, it’s rich and full. Very satisfying if you like listening to bass-heavy music. The mids and highs are also clean and crisp. Muddy tones are not present and clarity is present.
Yamaha HS5
The HS5 fits into even the tightest control room. And its Room Control filters, which when activated provide a 2 or 4 dB cut below 500 Hz, compensate for speaker boundary effects that would otherwise cloud low-frequency response when the monitor is placed near a wall.
An accompanying High Trim filter boosts or cuts the HS5’s frequency response above 2 kHz by 2 dB to compensate for an overly damped (boost) or lively (cut) room. The HS5’s 5-inch woofer and 1-inch dome tweeter are bi-amplified and have enough power to make a stereo pair of these little guys pretty loud, unless you’re deaf as a post.
M-Audio BX5 D3
When you design an enclosure, the design and quality of workmanship are important. To get the best sound, you have to be meticulous in both areas. Measuring 7.80 x 6.90 x 10.00 inches, it’s not a large enclosure. But it doesn’t have to be. This is a “near field” monitor.
The M-Audio BX5 D3 is equipped with a rear bass port. It is well designed, and the result is a defined bass sound that is very deep. But it also has great resolution and extension. The port is designed to reduce the air turbulence that is often heard.
Final Words
We Hope you understand and like this Article Studio Monitors under $500. Studio monitors are loudspeakers designed for accurate reproduction of recorded material. Unlike hi-fi systems, the output is not controlled. Therefore, they are ideal for musical artists and sound engineers. Studio monitors are great for listening to music.
They are ideal if you want to listen to pristine recordings or pay attention to hidden details. Perfect for audiophiles. Sound is as subjective as art. What sounds good to one person may sound terrible to another. For this reason, it’s difficult to determine the best studio monitor. There are so many variables at play.
