Help and Advice for setup

[mugglewump]

Hello everyone,

I have a little dilemma at the moment and not knowing much about the in's and out's I would really appreciate some expert advice here.

Basically, I'm a music lover, soon to be getting a new PC. I have a vast CD collection but also an equally vast MP3 collection. Now I've previously put up with pretty average multimedia speaker systems and want to take my audio a step forward.

I have decided to buy a nice external soundcard (EMU 0404) and then possibly buy some half decent 'active' monitors. Now my question is this:

I'm coming at this from a music lovers POV, but my friend who is a producer keeps telling me to get some active monitors as they are the best quality. I'm a little concerned however at what i've read about them being flat and lacking warmth and colour which is what I want from a speaker.

I don't have lots of money to spend (under £200) and am just wondering what people could reccomend me in terms of a monitor that is good for listening to music, or any actual HiFi speakers that are active. I don't klnow if maybe I should go down to the troute of a cheap amp and some pasive HiFi speakers either, but knowijg nothing about impedance and all that would prefer something I can just plug in.

Would love to hear what people think,

many thanks,

J

 

[infinia]

I've a friend who uses these.

BEHRINGER B2031A TRUTH ACTIVE STUDIO REFERENCE MONITOR PAIR

IMO fairly decent sound.
might not fit your budget but can be had here for USD$340 or lower.

 

[sreten]

Hi,

there are are a pair of the Truths in a second-hand Music shop in Brighton.
(Can't remember its exact address but its the upstairs of a clothes shop)
(north end of Sydney Street I think)

Around £150 I think, not bad at all for fully active 8" bass/1" treble.
They look (I think) significantly larger than the model above.

Can't find them presume they are no longer made, but the styling
is similar to the model above, both based on Genelec monitors.

/sreten.

edit : could be a pair of these :

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may01/articles/behringertruth.htm

 

[sound_prodigy]

I own a pair of Alesis MKII studio monitors and am currently using them for the exact purpose that you are looking for. Their tonal clarity and response is excellent in my opinion. As far as pleasant sound quality, they are amazing.



- I would definitely go the route your friend reccomended.

 

[lndm]

I would tend to agree with your friend, but suggest you consider whether this would suit your listening circumstances (close quarters listening for example).

I notice you have some concerns about warmth and colour, I often find that what I wan't is usually a blend of what I think I wan't and what others before me have discovered .

 

[infinia]

The review in the link posted is a bit dated 5yrs.
On the newer version the 8" driver unit has changed to a polyprop cone. The are heavily discounting a new pair so they may have gotten better or?. IMO still pretty good value for this price point. I'd be leery on used monitors unless it was from a granny.