by Steve Cunningham
My old faithful Yamaha NS-10M studio monitors are dying. I noticed that the foam surround in the right woofer is starting to crack, and Yamaha doesn’t make the woofers anymore. I suppose I could look on eBay for replacements, but buying speakers sight unseen doesn’t seem very smart. Time to look for some new nearfield reference monitors, preferably powered ones since there are so many really good active monitors on the market, and ‘cause I want ‘em (that’s why!).
The holiday bills have arrived, so I’ve decided to focus on monitors I can buy on the street for less than 600 bucks, and hopefully a lot less. I also want to stick with 5"-6" woofers to get a fair bass comparison (this will be important later). I corralled a few pairs of monitors that meet that criteria, set ‘em up in my studio (aka The Cave) and gave ‘em a workout using several months of RAP CDs (thanks Jerry!).
A word of caution about evaluating studio monitors... first and foremost, the choice of studio monitors is a highly subjective and personal one, not unlike choosing boxers or briefs! While it’s a good idea to ask around and see what others use and like, remember that you gotta listen for yourself — the opinions of other people (including yours truly) may point you in a good direction, but only you can decide what sounds good to you. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).
JBL LSR25P COMPACT BI-AMPED MONITORS
The JBL LSR25P monitors aren’t new, and in fact have been around for about four years. The enclosures are die-cast aluminum finished in a gray powder coating, and measure 6.8 x 10.6 x 9.5 inches deep. A circular rocker switch in the bottom left-hand corner of the baffle turns the speaker on, and a rotary volume control at bottom right sets the monitoring level. A green LED above the volume control lights up when powered, but flashes red if either amplifier clips.
The rear panel has the amplifier’s vertical heat sink fins at the top, and JBL cautions that the speakers should not be used horizontally. The lower portion of the back is recessed, with XLR and phono connectors plus an AC power jack at the top, mounted in such a way that speaker wires will hang vertically down from the connectors. This lets you mount the LSR25Ps flush to a wall.
Inset into the rear panel are also four dip switches that alter the frequency response of the speaker to suit your installation. The first switch introduces a high-pass filter at 80Hz, to help match the speaker with a subwoofer. The second switch modifies the low-mid frequency response to compensate for wall-induced boundary effects — engaging it cuts about 3dB at 225Hz. The last two switches boost and cut the high-end response up or down by 1.5dB above 2.3kHz (which is also the crossover point), and can be set to taste. I left these flat for the duration.
Two input connectors are provided, with the electronically balanced XLR expecting to see +4dBu signals, and the unbalanced RCA looking for -10dBV. With the front-panel volume control turned full up, input signals at these levels generate an output of 96dB SPL, with a maximum peak level of 109dB SPL.
The one-inch titanium-composite tweeter used in the 25P is exactly the same as the one employed in JBL’s larger (and much more expensive) LSR32 and LSR28P, and is driven by a 50-watt power amplifier. The low-frequency driver consists of a relatively small 5.25-inch paper-coned driver, driven by a 100-watt power amplifier. The cabinet has two ports that vent to the front below and to either side of the tweeter to help the bass response, and the enclosure is magnetically shielded so you can set it next to video monitors without ill effects.
In use, the LSR25Ps are definitely light on the very low end and won’t deliver thumpin’ bass, but that’s not to be expected from boxes this size. But above 80Hz they are sweet, and present a well-balanced sound in the midrange and high end. The stereo imaging is very precise, and the sweet spot is quite broad — you won’t find the sound changing as you move your head around while listening.
If you like your playback really loud, you may be disappointed with the LSR25P. But listening at normal levels in The Cave, they provided plenty of level without ever causing the LEDs to blink red. The 25Ps are very clean and open sounding with very low distortion throughout the frequency range, even when the level is cranked.
In fact, the upper mid-range is the real strength of these speakers, which deliver a lot of resolution and clarity in this region. The high treble is well controlled, but the lower registers are noticeable by their absence — if you have to have “chest thump,” then a decent subwoofer should make a world of difference. Since I’m replacing speakers that have absolutely no low bass, I don’t miss the deficiencies below 80Hz, which are at least smooth and predictable. Meanwhile I found the LSR25Ps deliver as much clarity in the low-mids and midrange as do the NS-10Ms.
The LSR25Ps do sound like JBL speakers, so if you’re a fan of JBLs then you’ll definitely like these. Unfortunately they’re also priced like JBLs, with a suggested retail price of $399 each — street price is below $300, but that’s still substantially more than other 5-1/4" woofer-driven speakers.
M-AUDIO STUDIOPHILE BX5
The M-Audio BX5 is two-way, compact active monitor built around a one-inch silk-domed tweeter and a 5.25-inch polypropylene cone bass/mid-range driver. Each driver is fed by its own 38-watt power amplifier, with a crossover frequency of 3kHz. Measuring 9.85 x 6.54 x 7.88 inches, the cabinets have rounded corners and are finished in a black plastic laminate. Both drivers are recessed into the baffle, and the silver mounting ring around the bass/mid-range driver features a blue LED to show when the monitors are switched on. These enclosures are also magnetically shielded.
The rear panel is home to a bass port and input connectors on both TRS balanced 1/4" jacks and XLRs, both governed by a single volume control. AC power is via the usual IEC jack... unfortunately the power switch is also in the rear, which is inconvenient if you like to turn off your speakers now and again. The frequency response is spec’d 56Hz to 20kHz, which sounds optimistic for a small box. Sensitivity is 90dBA at one watt and one meter, which is plenty for nearfield monitoring purposes.
A three-way slide switch adjusts the bass response for boundary effects, offering 2dB or 4dB of low-cut shelving. Another slide switch adjusts the bass response directly by selecting 56Hz, 80Hz or 100Hz low-cut values. A third switch allows the high end to be set flat, boosted by 2dB or cut by 2dB, and there’s also a presence in/out switch to add mid-range boost. I left all these switches set to flat for evaluation purposes.
In use, the mid-range and high end are detailed, while the silk tweeter manages to keep the high end reasonably smooth, so that you can use them for extended periods without experiencing undue fatigue. Although no maximum SPL is quoted, these little speakers are capable of playing much louder that I’m capable of listening to them, with little loss of clarity.
As I auditioned them, I was initially very impressed with this detail in the mid-range and high end. But the more I listened, the more it appeared that what I was reacting to was a general lack of low-end (which I expected), and a very steep bass roll-off (which I did not expect). Ported speakers inherently have a fairly steep roll-off, often preceded by a significant peak, but the bass end of the BX5 seemed truncated more than most speakers. To my ears the low-frequency response has an unusually steep roll off — presumably a combination of the port tuning and driver protection circuitry — and the result is somewhat misleading at the bass end. I suspect that the addition of a properly calibrated subwoofer would help solve this, but I was still surprised at how quickly the bass disappeared, so much so that it became annoying.
While the speakers did an acceptable job in portraying both male and female voiceover tracks in terms of tonality and detail, they fared less well with bass-heavy production elements and effects. With complex mixed imaging material, the speakers tended to present a rather thin and confused impression of what was going on in the lower octaves. The problem was primarily one of inconsistency. Unfortunately, relocating the speakers to put them closer to walls, although changing the overall spectrum in the expected ways, did little to change the inconsistent nature of the low bass.
The M Audio BX5s are good and useful speakers, and their small size makes them ideal for use in desktop systems where there is little space available. Magnetic shielding is becoming less of an issue as flat-screen monitors become more prevalent, but it’s still a welcome inclusion. They are well built, definitely priced right, and represent good value for the money. But unlike other small speakers in this range, the low-bass issues here make some sort of a subwoofer almost mandatory. It’s not that the low bass diminishes, rather it’s that it disappears so quickly and without a trace.
The M-Audio BX5s carry a suggested list price of $399.95 a pair, and can be found on the street for under $300. For more information visit www.m-audio.com.
BEHRINGER B2030A
The Behringer B2030A is a ported, active two-way nearfield system, with a 6.75-inch bass/mid-range driver teamed with a 0.75-inch tweeter. The B2030A has a 75-watt amplifier driving the bass/mid-range unit plus a 35-watt amp powering the soft-domed tweeter. Both drivers are set into a molded baffle that incorporates a tweeter wave guide to control directivity, and both drivers are magnetically shielded for use near video monitors.
These speakers are built to hit a price-point, and are constructed from plastic-laminated MDF (a high-density particle board), though this is actually a good thing because of its density and self-damping properties. Cherry-wood veneer it ain’t, but the overall impression is clean and good-looking. The bass/mid-range driver consists of a polypropylene cone with roll surround mounted in a cast aluminum chassis. The bass ports are separate slot-shaped molded inserts set into the baffle on either side of the tweeter.
There’s an active crossover set at 2kHz, and the speakers are also designed to be used with or without a subwoofer. Separate high- and low-frequency limiters protect the drivers, and there’s an automatic standby mode that puts the amplifiers into sleep mode if the speakers aren’t used for more than five minutes. They wake up almost instantly on receiving an audio signal.
At the rear of the cabinet, which measures 12.5 x 8.4 x 8.33 inches, is a choice of XLR or TRS jack inputs, plus an AC power connector and a power switch — again on the back — which is inconvenient. These are all mounted on the amp chassis, with the AC and input connectors on the underside. Two LEDs are set into the front-panel baffle, one for power and a second showing the limiter has engaged. There are slide switches to adjust the frequency characteristics of the speaker to suit different installations. At the low end, the response can be flat, -2dB, -4dB, or -6dB, which the manual says is to accommodate a subwoofer. A second switch compensates for boundary effects, while at the high end, the switch positions are +2dB, flat, -2dB, or -4dB to suit the response of your room, but the manual doesn’t say what frequencies are affected.
The B2030A’s reported frequency response is 50Hz to 21kHz. However, no decibel limits are given, so this is meaningless. Where size does matter is in sound level, and the B2030As can generate up to 113dB per pair at one watt and one meter. Yup, they’re loud.
With all the EQ switches set flat, my first impression was that the monitors sounded slightly harsh. This situation improved noticeably when I dropped the tweeter level by 2dB, so it is important to adjust the EQ settings to match your room and monitor positions. Once that was set, the speakers delivered a reasonable performance given their budget price. I found that the subjective depth of bass was less than I expected based on the specs, while the high-end sounded somewhat forward and in-your-face.
The B2030As do not have the clarity or openness of the other two monitors I auditioned, nor the sometimes-painful level of detail of my NS-10s. As a result, they are the least likely to become replacements. At least with the Yamahas I could always hear the balances between the voiceover, the music bed, and the production elements clearly enough to stay out of trouble. The B2030As seem to make things sound good, but not accurate.
Considering their price, the B2030As offer good value, and can be made to perform well provided that you’re willing to fool with their placement and experiment with the EQ switch settings. They deliver plenty of level in a nearfield environment, unless of course you feel like you have to monitor at Spinal Tap volumes. For a secondary pair of speakers they’re great, but they’re not replacements for the NS-10s.
The Behringer B2030As carry a suggested list price of $339.00US per pair (prices may vary in other parts of the world). US street price is around $280. For more information, visit www.behringer.com in the US, or www.behringer.de elsewhere.
DIDJA BUY ‘EM?
For now, no.
While none of these speakers is suitable for mixing bass-heavy hip-hop, the JBLs were the best five-and-a-quarter woofs in this group. They’re also the most expensive by a factor of two. For the $600 that the JBLs cost on the street, I could go with M-audio’s 8" BX8s, but I wanted to keep the woofers at like sizes for fairness.
I’m just impressed that there are good-sounding active nearfields available at these prices — as I recall my Auratones were not that much less than are the B2030As. Nevertheless, the search continues... for now...
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