Ableton Forum

I am looking for some powered studio monitors that are smaller but still pack a punch and have nice clarity
for mixing electronic music and sound design for film.

The cheaper the better but i need a good level of quality.

Here are the ones I have found so far.
GENELEC 6010A & 5040A = Height_19.5cm - 1.4kg
DYNAUDIO BM 5A COMPACT = Height_26cm
EMES KOBALT = Height_27cm - 5.6kg
KRK ROKIT 5 G2 Series = Height_27.6cm - 6.3kg

Theres also the GENELEC - 6010AWM / 6010APM / 6010ASM.

Or the Genelec 8020A or 8020B ?

But not sure what the difference is betwen these genelecs.

But they are small so that is good.

Any other small studio monitors around that are solid ?

Cheers
B

it does come with a sub but the blue sky exo system is cheap and small if you can fit the sub

I've heard lots of people rave about the KRK Rokit 5, and have heard one myself that is outstanding. That said, I've not heard any of the others to compare it against. Any advice would be great from those in the know - I need a good set of monitors.

Get Genelec forget the rest. 8010 are nice but more of gadget/toy, you need at least 8020 ( and expand later with sub)

i love the sound that comes out of the krk's, you'd be happy to, get em.

I have the KRKs and they are good but very mid-rangey. You have to know them to make good mixes. If you turn up the highs on them to make it sound correct on them, the highs are too loud on other monitors. Same with the bass obviously since the woofers are small.

Basically, they're good once you learn their limitations.

rikhyray wrote:Get Genelec forget the rest. 8010 are nice but more of gadget/toy, you need at least 8020 ( and expand later with sub)

Yup, I'm also a 8020 fan. I listened to them before buying my 8030 speakers. I was really impressed with the clarity and directness of the 8020s and sounded a lot like the 8030s across the midrange and treble, but obviously the bass didn't go as deep at all. Amazing sound considering their tiny size. Definitely audition them if you get the chance.

Another thing maybe you have to consider if space is the main consideration is the physical depth of the speaker and any distance you need to keep between the back of the speaker and the wall behind. E.g. the Dynaudio is 9cm deeper than the Genelec 8020. Just mentioned it in case it's a consideration...

to add to your list...
I recently borrowed a number of small monitors.. including the Genelecs. Dynaudios, Adams, Focals.. etc...
I was utterly blown away by the Focal CMS series. I bought a pair of CMS 65's for our editing suite at the studio and I took home a pair of very small CMS 50's. The CMS 50's are brilliant. I don't think there is better value and my mixes translate very well to my main studio. They're built like tanks and in Australia, their price is comparable to all the others you have mentioned and miles ahead in my opinion.
Dimensions with spikes : 289.5 x 190 x 201mm (11.4" x 7.5" x 7.9")
Dimensions with table stand : 299.2 x 190 x 201mm (11.8" x 7.5" x 7.9")
Net weight : 7.7kg - (17lb)

corneliusw wrote:to add to your list...
I recently borrowed a number of small monitors.. including the Genelecs. Dynaudios, Adams, Focals.. etc...
I was utterly blown away by the Focal CMS series. I bought a pair of CMS 65's for our editing suite at the studio and I took home a pair of very small CMS 50's. The CMS 50's are brilliant. I don't think there is better value and my mixes translate very well to my main studio. They're built like tanks and in Australia, their price is comparable to all the others you have mentioned and miles ahead in my opinion.
Dimensions with spikes : 289.5 x 190 x 201mm (11.4" x 7.5" x 7.9")
Dimensions with table stand : 299.2 x 190 x 201mm (11.8" x 7.5" x 7.9")
Net weight : 7.7kg - (17lb)

I was about to buy Focal CMS 65, but went for Focal Twins. I can tell you Focal quality is awesome. They sound soooo good. Unlike small Genelecs (at least in my opinion), Focals are really easy to use for music listening too, they're not that bright in the good way. I mean, they are bright, but not fatiquing. This is just my opinion anyway, but try out Focals. They are really good.

Focal makes some great speakers, thinking about upgrading to some Solo 6's here....

The Solo 6's are awesome. Strangely, I was not sold on the Twin's. I felt the bottom end wasn't as clear as the solo's.. however,I didn't get to try them in my room. I'd be keen to give them a crack again. The main room at my studio has Focal SM11's and can safely say, these are some of the best monitors I've used. You'll be happy to know the small CMS50's sit very well against the SM11's and translate really well in most mastering rooms. The best part about all the Focals is that they don't fatigue your ears. They replaced my Genelecs and Adams and I must say, I never think that my ears are going to bleed after an all day session!

So Genelec 8020's / KRK Rockit 5's are the two most popular...

The Genelecs are smaller so thats cool.

What about the FOCAL CMS50 ?

corneliusw wrote:You'll be happy to know the small CMS50's sit very well against the SM11's and translate really well in most mastering rooms. The best part about all the Focals is that they don't fatigue your ears.
They replaced my Genelecs and Adams and I must say, I never think that my ears are going to bleed after an all day session!

Thats pretty cool to hear.

Ben_Binary wrote:So Genelec 8020's / KRK Rockit 5's are the two most popular

that's like saying Mercedes and Honda are the most popular.

not everyone can afford Genelecs, shit, there are times when not everyone can afford M-Audio, I'm not trying to be a snob, just talking shop.

Rockit KRK - $300 PER PAIR
Genelec 8020 - $500 EACH


KRKs are popular entry level monitors. Genelecs are a step or two up from there. you should go have a listen at your local store, bring a CD that you think sounds great (content aside) and are very familiar with.


agreed on those Genelecs, I've heard them, nice bang in a small package.


quality monitors have lower ear fatigue. it's good to read that the Focals are easy on the ears, I imagine the Genelecs are as well.