After reading a lot of threads on these forums I'm going for a pair of JBL LSR2325P monitors. (I went with these because apparently they are good for small non-treated rooms).

My setup will be in a non-treated room (I'm house sharing until I can afford to buy my own place), and the room will be fairly small, around 20 - 25m2.

What is a cost effective audio interface for my setup? I really only need something to plug my monitor XLR cables into and to hook them up to my PC.

I don't have much of a budget, perhaps around $200.

Thanks

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown After reading a lot of threads on these forums I'm going for a pair of JBL LSR2325P monitors. (I went with these because apparently they are good for small non-treated rooms).

False. They are rear ported. Front ports will always be superior in untreated rooms.

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown What is a cost effective audio interface for my setup? I really only need something to plug my monitor XLR cables into and to hook them up to my PC. I don't have much of a budget, perhaps around $200.

Below should be your priorities, in order.

1. Good drivers.
2. Good company history of supporting legacy products (if you upgrade to a new OS, you can still use your sound card, otherwise it becomes a brick that you can't even sell).
3. Good headphone amp.
4. Good analog (not digital) headphone/monitor volume control.
5. ADC/DAC

My next interface will be a Focusrite Scarlett. A 2i2 would be good for you. Avoid anything from Presonus; their drivers are shit and they take forever to release updates.

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Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I've never had a problem with FLs tech support till this day. (I've actually never used it till this day)

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Originally posted by floyd741 i think echosystm is a pretty cool guy. eh pwns robby rox and doesn't afraid of anything.

Thanks, but what do you mean by good drivers? Drivers for what?

And what are some front ported monitors you would suggest in the same price range for the room and budget?

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown Thanks, but what do you mean by good drivers? Drivers for what?

The audio interface...

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown And what are some front ported monitors you would suggest in the same price range for the room and budget?

Adam F5 and KRK RP5 G3.

People shit on KRK, because every dumbass that wanted "mad bass" bought a set of RP8s and they are basically just big hi-fi speakers. RP5 G1/G2 and RP6 G2 have always been steady performers in their price range, but they carry the RP8 stigmata. When all else fails, use your own ears.

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Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I've never had a problem with FLs tech support till this day. (I've actually never used it till this day)

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Originally posted by floyd741 i think echosystm is a pretty cool guy. eh pwns robby rox and doesn't afraid of anything.

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Originally posted by echosystm Adam F5 and KRK RP5 G3.

The Adam's are a bit too pricey. Would it be worth spending the little extra to get the RP6's?

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown The Adam's are a bit too pricey. Would it be worth spending the little extra to get the RP6's?

The new KRKs have only just come out, so no one will be able to tell you what to do. You'll need to go into a shop and listen to them yourself.

Keep in mind bigger is not necessarily better. If you're in a small room, you're probably going to be monitoring at lower volumes. Smaller speakers perform better at lower volumes, because it doesn't take as much energy to get the cones moving.

This is something a lot of people seem to not factor into their purchase. If you look in the studio pics thread, you'll see lots of people with large expensive monitors in a small room. Those people are either making themselves go deaf or their monitors are performing like crap at the volume they're working with.

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Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I've never had a problem with FLs tech support till this day. (I've actually never used it till this day)

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Originally posted by floyd741 i think echosystm is a pretty cool guy. eh pwns robby rox and doesn't afraid of anything.

According to this spec from KRK.. the Rokit 5's low frequency range is 45hz at -10db.

http://www.krksys.com/manuals/rokit...ISH-HIGHRES.pdf

So that means anything under 55hz will start to roll off, surely for trance production this is a big issue due to the lack of clarity with the lower frequencies?

10 print "all KRK Rokits are shit"
20 goto 10

run....

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Originally posted by SonicMeltdown According to this spec from KRK.. the Rokit 5's low frequency range is 45hz at -10db. http://www.krksys.com/manuals/rokit...ISH-HIGHRES.pdf So that means anything under 55hz will start to roll off, surely for trance production this is a big issue due to the lack of clarity with the lower frequencies?

Firstly, specs don't mean much. When you see a pair of speakers with exceptional bass extension for their size on paper, it usually means the manufacturer has just ported the shit out of the enclosure. In other words, by increasing the bass extension, they have actually sacrificed clarity, not improved clarity. The average "producer" knows fuck all about how speakers are actually made though and just buy off specs or the latest Gearslutz thread, so it makes a lot of business sense.

Secondly, people jack off over bass extension far too much. It's not like you're mixing 5 instruments together. All you should have down there is the sub of your kick and the rolled off tail end of your bass. Having speakers that will perform well at your intended monitoring volume is infinitely more important than bass extension. Compare a pair of 5" monitors and 8" monitors at 65db at a typical home studio distance and you'll see what I mean; the bass on the 8" monitors will be sloppy as fuck and that is a much bigger problem than missing out on an extra 5-10hz of bass extension.

When it comes to monitors (or any studio gear really), there's no substitute for knowing what you're doing. No amount of money will absolve you of that. If you want to be like 99% of people, just go and buy the most expensive monitors you can afford that get a favourable review in the latest ComputerMusic magazine. Don't even listen to them first; just buy them off the internet. Most importantly, after you have bought your monitors, make sure you tell everyone on the internet how bad all the other speakers are that you didn't actually ever listen to. This will help to make sure you don't get buyers remorse. On the other hand, if you want to get the best monitors you can for what you're doing, then start reading...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudsp...r_system_design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_reflex
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/

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Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I've never had a problem with FLs tech support till this day. (I've actually never used it till this day)

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Originally posted by floyd741 i think echosystm is a pretty cool guy. eh pwns robby rox and doesn't afraid of anything.

Last edited by echosystm on Feb-12-2014 at 13:20

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Originally posted by clay just a hint, just drop that one it distorts as hell! i delivered it back and got a steinberg u22 instead which while not sound awesome in any way its fairly decent flat and detailed and undistorted. soundscard is hell. when will computers have AES/EBU outs as standard, and monitors have DSP.

Welcome in da club.

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cit. "Back then people danced to a dj set. Nowdays they are recording it with their smart phones."