Looking for some cheap, fair-sounding monitors for my KPA?

This is not something simple to answer and everyone has his own taste and preference.
So, based on my own, I have the Genelec 8030 as my main studio monitors and the KRK rockit 5 for back ups.
I use my DAW and my audio interface mixers for playing along and recording.

Please provide info on your budget, that will help our mates here to be more specific with their suggestions.

iKey-Audio M808 v2.

2 of them cost around 450$ and they are fantastic....

I'm planning on picking up a pair of Yamaha HS80Ms, they cost around 5-600 EUR and they seem to be the best in terms of price/value, and they are 8". My next plan is getting an interface that I can mix in my PC with (my current Line6 Pod X3 Live can do this, but I don't need the pedalboard format anymore) and this is the solution for backing tracks.

I have a pair of Yamaha MSP 5 and i love the way they sound.
Quite cheap, i paid something like 130€ for both used on Ebay.

Yamaha HS80M. I don't think anything can touch them in the price range.

the value of good monitors cannot be overstated.
you should go to a good musicstore that has studio monitors on display, bring your fav CDs, maybe even some of your own stuff and LISTEN.

also, invest in some monitor pads to de-couple them from where ever you're placing them, otherwise you'll most likely get unpleasant resonances in the low mids/bass.

I personally like Adam speakers, but YMMV.

enjoy! buying monitors is very exciting.

p.s.
don't forget to check your local second hand market. If you can listen to the monitors before buying them, you can get great deals from studios that upgrade their equipment etc.

Quote from hoth

Yamaha HS80M. I don't think anything can touch them in the price range.

Plus that. The Yamahas follow on from the NS10s - look on any studio footage and you'll see those white drivers in a high proportion. A fair bit more neutral than the KRKs (at least to my ears when I tried various actives - KRK, Yamaha, Mackie, Roland.)

I have the HS80s in a studio setting and HS50s for ipod etc - the 80s have quite a bit more bass and volume than the 50s. However I guess that depends on where you are going to put them - the 50s have more than enough volume/bass for most domestic rooms

Quote from guitarnet70

iKey-Audio M808 v2.

2 of them cost around 450$ and they are fantastic....

Seriously, those get my vote.
If you can, give these a try!
I played Davide's KPA through his M808's, and it was just two classes above the Alesis M1 Active MK2 that I have at my place.
IMO, those could easily cost double the price for how they sound.

Gould quality monitors really take the KPA to another level IMHO...

Quote from 01000100

you should go to a good musicstore that has studio monitors on display, bring your fav CDs, maybe even some of your own stuff and LISTEN.

also, invest in some monitor pads to de-couple them from where ever you're placing them, otherwise you'll most likely get unpleasant resonances in the low mids/bass.

This is the way to go, IMHO.
No one can indicate to you what to buy, except yourself. It is your money, your ears and you are the one who'll be listening through them after all.

All suggestions above are fine, still a perfect pair for someone maybe the worse for someone else's ears.
Narrow you options down from what the members here suggest and go and give them a listen.

well i'm considering myself whether i should get a PA speaker instead of monitors? what differences would these make with the kemper other than volume?

Does one have a distinct advantage over the other?

Quote from novocaine

well i'm considering myself whether i should get a PA speaker instead of monitors? what differences would these make with the kemper other than volume?

Does one have a distinct advantage over the other?

For home/recording purposes the monitors are a better choice, IMHO, unless you need it also for live use.

Quote from guitarnet70

For home/recording purposes the monitors are a better choice, IMHO, unless you need it also for live use.

Yeah i'd think Monitors may be more suited for home use. I've heard how loud PA speakers can go and wonder how ppl use it in their rooms. But that said, they are versatile for gigs and practice.

Cheap and better than fair sounding for a crazy low price, my Behringer B2031s that I bought 7 years ago are excellent.

Yeah I know, everything Behringer is supposed to be sh*te, well, not these studio monitors.

Quote from Dathudo

Okay thanks for the replies..

I've found a pretty deal (i think) on the local second hand market.

Just one other question:
If you want to plug the KPA right into the studiomonitors, what output do you use then?
I was thinking "Master output" ?
There is also a "Monitor Output", but I haven't got a y-splitter around here, and the master out offers left/right xlr..

Also: can you use both the master out xlr and the master out jack section at once? In that case, why would you want to use "Monitor out". I know that this output offers "no cab simulation" while the master output is unchanged, but is this the only difference?

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http://kemper-amps.com/page/re…mplifier___Downloads.html

Page 22 of the KPA Manual basics and profiling
"Master out section (1)
This is your MAIN STEREO out. Use these outputs to connect to a mixing desk in a rthe front of house mixer in a live situation. These outputs deliver the entire rig: ampThe outputs are symmetrical and you have a choice of XLR or quarter-inch jack. a GROUND LIFT to prevent a hum loop. "

Quote from novocaine

well i'm considering myself whether i should get a PA speaker instead of monitors? what differences would these make with the kemper other than volume?

Does one have a distinct advantage over the other?

Hi,
in my experiences PA active cabs pay less attention to the linearity and consistency of the sound when compared to studio monitors, they focus more on punch, dynamic, warmth. This having been said, a better-made and more expensive monitor or cab will more than likely sound better than a cheaper counterpart.

It's true that (paradoxically) no FRFR system plays like another (!), and it's also true that every musician looks for something different in the sound colouration they like best. So it's important to ask on forums, but it's also important to try them with your own stuff and get accustomed to how they sound and how (and how much) they need your music system to be tweaked in order to couple at its best with them.

1/4 and XLR remains active at the same time. The main purpose of the monitor out is the cab defeat and the independent volume control, handy when you wan to use amp and cab onstage.