Hello Composers! Mike here, with a quick guide on the Best Studio Monitors for Your Music Studio.
Having good studio reference monitors are essential for all parts of the music composition and production. From working on and composing the music, to sound design, to mixing and mastering.
If you have great sounding studio monitors that give you the honest and true sound of your sounds and music, you will have a much easier time creating and mixing your final music productions.
But which Studio Monitors should you choose? Well, here is my complete list of recommendations for you (in no particular order):
Best Studio Monitors
- Yamaha HS-8
- ADAM Audio A3X
- Neumann KH 120 A
- Genelec 8010
- KRK Rokit 5
- JBL 305P
- Presonus Eris E3.5
Yamaha HS-8
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
I have used these studio monitors myself for several years, and I am super happy with them.
The sound is amazing, even at louder levels. And I love the white design (I call them my Stormtroopers, haha).
ADAM Audio A3X
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
ADAM Audio has risen up in the ranks of studio monitors, and seem to always get high praise and good reviews among music composers and producers.
This particular model packs a great punch in a smaller size. I especially like that the controls are on the front.
Neumann KH 120 A
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
Neumann has always been about high end quality as a brand, and their studio monitors is no exception.
For example: They are magnetically shielded to reduce interference. And it features a 1-inch titanium fabric dome tweeter.
Genelec 8010
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check on Thomann (EU)
Genelec is one of the brands that is probably most specific to studio reference monitors. And they have been used in many high end music production studios (although in bigger models than this one).
This specific model is very small, but with a great open and clean sound. The body is a aluminium housing which is very unusual, but the design and finish looks great.
KRK Rokit 5
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
KRK has been hugely popular among music producers, especially in EDM, Hip Hop, Beats type genres of music.
This model is great value, with a good low-end for the size, and if you like the yellow on black design you will find them looking really sharp.
JBL 305P
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
JBL has made speakers in all sizes and for all kinds of purposes for a long time. I personally used big JBL speakers back when I was a DJ. And I owned JBL speakers for a hifi system. Naturally they make great studio monitors as well.
This model with the tweeter design actually reminds me of a small PA system speaker. It is magnetically shielded, and features nice manual tweaking controls on the back.
Presonus Eris E3.5
Check Reviews on Amazon (US)
Check Reviews on Thomann (EU)
Presonus is a famous brand in the music production world, for its mixers, audio interfaces, and even its own DAW (Studio One). However, they also make studio monitors, which have become very popular.
This model is small, light-weight, but with surprisingly big sound. And more importantly, exceptional value for the price.
How to choose Studio Monitors?
Here are some guidelines you should consider when buying studio monitors for your music studio:
- Size and Weight of the Studio Monitors
- The Power of the Built-in Amplifier (if available)
- The Frequency Response (from bass to treble)
- Inputs and Outputs (XLR, TRS)
- Manual Tone Control and Adjustments
- Magnetic Shielding or RF interference Shielding