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Best monitors for trance-production under $800?

I'm getting my vacation money any day soon + some money someone owe me, so i'll get around $800.

I've got a JP8000, KORG Karma, SB Audigy External Platinum (I know, I know...) and Sony MDR-7506 studio monitors (headset).
Now it's time to expand a little bit more. I need some good monitors.
I'm currently using a Logitech Z-5300 5.1 speaker system. It's really good for movies and listening to music, but I'm not sure about production.
Is it necessary to buy some new studio monitors?
If so, which ones?

All help will be highly appreciated!

BUY A PROPER SOUNDCARD FIRST....NO POINT INVESTING SO MUCH IN MONITORS USING AUDIGY.

i'm using an echo mia midi soundcard (i think about $150-200US) and i've been plugging my Event tr-6 monitors lately ($400US) and damn does it sound nice. i did hardcore research and for that price bracket i couldn't be happier with the choice i made! get rid of audigy. audigy is a fine soundcard for the everyday listener, but not producer. i think the echo mia midi and the comparablely popular m-audio audiophile 24/96 are great soundcards in the cheaper range that get the job done!

edit: and yes you DO need monitors, because you need to accurately hear the music, not enjoyabley hear the music.

im also lookn at monitors,

im usin the same speakers i think but i just bought myself a terratec phase 26 and now i want some proper monitors to run off em.
i got my terratec for 250AUD$.

im lookn at spending up to 600AUD$, preferably about 400

quote:

Originally posted by tonkproject BUY A PROPER SOUNDCARD FIRST....NO POINT INVESTING SO MUCH IN MONITORS USING AUDIGY.

Erm im using Creative 128 PCI and a Crappy old PC for my productions
and Soundcard wont change MUCH AT ALL how ur monitors sounds like...
basiclly soundcard helps to reduce the latency and few other surround crap things...anyway u can get urself a monitors but do it by testing ur room Acoustics since if ur monitors might sound weird its NOT beacuse of the soundcard , its about acoustics to trying to get the dryest sound...

@ tonkproject: I said "I know, I know..." :P

@ djbruuen: I was thinking of spending a little more, but might just buy both a soundcard and monitors.

As for soundcard I've been looking at a M-Audio.
I don't feel the need for buying a new card. I got just enough inputs for my hardware and enough outputs for my speakers. Actually, all my outputs and inputs (except 2) are in use. :-P
Those "high-end" soundcards in a reasonable pricerange that I've seen don't have enough inputs/outputs.

Here's what I need:
Input for a couple of studiomonitors (dunno what plugs they use)
3x jack (headsets and computer mic)
2x analog (jp8000 and karma)
1x mic (studio mic)
2x midi

quote:

Originally posted by Perry Erm im using Creative 128 PCI and a Crappy old PC for my productions and Soundcard wont change MUCH AT ALL how ur monitors sounds like... basiclly soundcard helps to reduce the latency and few other surround crap things...anyway u can get urself a monitors but do it by testing ur room Acoustics since if ur monitors might sound weird its NOT beacuse of the soundcard , its about acoustics to trying to get the dryest sound...

Keep telling yourself that. MWAHAHAHA

Actually this is so untrue, latency changes. But other soundcards have other dynamic properties, other D/A and A/D converters and another frequency response which results in a different (and most of the time a rather coloured) sound.

Anyway, any budget card from a respected brand has superiour audio quality compared to the soundblaster/audigy series... The M-Audio Audiophiole 2496 for instance. It's cheaper than the audigy and it really does sound a shitload better.

For instance, I've got this shitty sound card on this pc right here, the bass is way too load on everything. I don't have that problem on any other pc with a decent sound card... or is it just me? wait... no.

And to answer our dear topicstarter... Go to the audio shop with some cd you know from the top of your head... Have a listen on the speakers they sell, and take the set which has the most transparent sound in your opinion. That's the best way to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by tonkproject BUY A PROPER SOUNDCARD FIRST....NO POINT INVESTING SO MUCH IN MONITORS USING AUDIGY.

Oh and Corteoz, about this... don't you worry about your audigy too much... It's basiccally the absolute minimum for producing BUT your sound will drastically improve by getting monitors anyway. I had monitors on my audigy once And I know quite a few of people whom have a load of release even without monitors and a audigy card. So It's not that bad... On the other hand there are soundcards which are better and cheaper than the audigy.

Storyteller is right. A good sound card is just as vital as a good pair of studio monitors. Most important things to listen for are an accurate representation of the stereo image, resulting in a sound that is wide and deep, with clear transients and, of course, a flat frequency response.

The D/A converter has to convert the signal from digital into analogue form, and how it does this greatly depends on the quality of the sound card. Some of the best converters in the world will cost you thousands of dollars (http://www.apogeedigital.com for example), and there's a reason for that.

Anyway, Corteoz, there's a review of some monitors under $1000 here that might give you some ideas.

Do you actually need monitors or will speakers do (what is the difference?)
Ive just bought a 140W NAD Amp, and some 300w speakers - all for around �100 - was this a waste of money?
Should I have really got some active monitors instead?

MP

Well, the trick with monitors is that they give an honest representation of what you're playing. The idea behind monitor speakers is: if it sounds good on monitors it sounds good everywhere... Unfortunately that isn't entirely true, but in many cases it is!

quote:

Originally posted by MessiahProject Do you actually need monitors or will speakers do (what is the difference?) Ive just bought a 140W NAD Amp, and some 300w speakers - all for around �100 - was this a waste of money? Should I have really got some active monitors instead? MP

if you bothered reading a bit higher up, you would of read the answer to your question, but i guess i like wasting my time posting this shit on the board

quote:

Originally posted by djbruuen if you bothered reading a bit higher up, you would of read the answer to your question, but i guess i like wasting my time posting this shit on the board

I read it all - where does it say the difference between monitors and speakers? All I can see is that someone said you need to accurately hear the music, not enjoyabley hear the music.

But what is the difference between monitors and speakers??????
They look the same?!!
and does using an active monitor straight from your soundcard mean clearer sound ,whereas an amp may alter it?


That is mainly directed to djbruuen who seems to be stuck up his own arse and cant be bothered answering civally when people are asking for advice

If you're getting monitors make sure you get some good cables.. for the longest time the weakest link in my setup was the cables. And that goes for most people.. I have an RME soundcard and all my hardware was connected to the card using 5 dollar chepo cables. Cables to my monitors were also 5 bucks. So one day I finally upgraded to 29 bucks each, so 60 for a stereo pair CDN and specialized monitor cables. It finally sounds the way it should hehe So don't forget some good cables.. you don't wanna have good soundcard, + monitors and shitty cables..

quote:

Originally posted by MessiahProject I read it all - where does it say the difference between monitors and speakers? All I can see is that someone said you need to accurately hear the music, not enjoyabley hear the music.

thats the answer! computers speakers usually accustom to the nitorious smily face eq to give a more enjoyable listening experience (studies have proven having two speakers side by side one with a flat eq and the other with a smily, the avg person will take the latter).

when you make a song, that will not help you. you need flat ACCURATE response so you know what the music will sound like on every system (its not always perfect, but its pretty close (5" models lack bass though), and thats why many professionals have more then one set for comparing purposes.

Alesis M1 Active Mk II is a good choice for that price range, some say its an "industry standard"

anyways, i think my monitors does lack a bit of bass.. I have one set up in the left corner and it produces alot of more bass than the other, but im satisfied as I enjoy that bass very much..

any opinions?

quote:

Originally posted by djbruuen (studies have proven having two speakers side by side one with a flat eq and the other with a smily, the avg person will take the latter).

Haha, whenever I'm in an electronics store, I always walk past the stereos and set them all to 'flat'.

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