Our Guide To The Best Studio Monitors: Finding Accurate Monitors

In this article, I have hand-picked my top 10 choices for the best studio monitors.

Let me know which ones are your favorite in the comment section below!

Short answer: Studio monitors produce a more accurate (flat) sound.

Studio monitors are speakers that are designed in detail for the sole purpose to have least amount of distortion and a flat output. Their main use is to deliver accurate playback in a recording studio.

Standard consumer speakers are meant to amplify a sound as loud as possible. They are tweaked to produce a more artificial sound, commonly with a boosted low frequency.

Short answer: Yes! If your purpose of buying studio monitors is to hear tracks as they were intended to be heard than they are the way to go. Just don’t expect a huge amount of bass.

They are great for not only producing top-quality sounds in a studio environment but also for everyday listening.

On the other hand, not all studio monitors are excellent for loud listening and will most likely produce subpar results compared to home theater systems.

Studio monitors are definitely not what you’d want to use for parties and events. Even if it’s a small party.

These speakers usually have a lacking bass frequency as well. Many producers also purchase a studio subwoofer to improve the low frequencies.

You’ll find plenty of audiophiles that use studio monitors to listen to their vinyl records and high quality audio files. The reason being is so they can hear music the way recording engineers and artists intended it to be heard.

Browsing through Amazon reviews of studio monitors, you’ll notice a lot of casual listeners talking about how when they started listening to their music using studio monitors, they heard instruments that weren’t audible before-hand.

Short answer: Yes. A PC/Mac’s sound card only outputs consumer-level audio.

Using an audio interface along with your studio monitor is an ideal choice if you want to get the best quality sound possible. 

However you can also utilize your built-in sound card for the time being if you’re really on a budget.

The major difference between a built-in consumer sound card and a professional audio interface is the sound value of the Digital to Analogue Converter or DAC. The better the quality of the DAC, the cleaner and smoother the generated audio will be.

Professional audio interfaces use pro-level line outputs that increase the signal to noise ratio and deliver much cleaner sound.

Some also use the balanced outputs that use wiring to reduce the noise on the audio cables.

If you are recording while listening to music, you will require a precise level of latency otherwise the material you are recording might lag behind what you are listening to due to the delay.

The best audio interfaces reduce the latency between the monitor and the speaker and pass the sound around more efficiently.

Also, if you plan on connecting MIDI devices to your computer (without a MIDI-to-USB converter) and even plan on plugging in your guitar, an audio interface will make that possible.

Furthermore, audio interfaces produce a cleaner sound and also work at higher sampling rates and bit depths than the average consumer sound cards and are needed to connect instruments.

Short answer: 5-inch woofer with a 1-inch tweeter. If you can buy bigger speakers, then go for it! Just don’t go for monitors with a bigger woofer that are available for a lower price than the smaller-woofer monitors. That’s usually a big red flag.

The size of the studio monitor you want to use for your recordings depend on the size of your environment and the level of usage.

If you are producing your mixes in a small space, you will get more precise and better results with smaller studio monitors.

However, if you are working in a large recording studio then you require appropriate monitors to balance your audio.

A monitor with a 5-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter is perfect for most beginner bedroom producers.

The KRK RP5G2, manufactured by Rokit is a highly respected, economical and accurate studio monitor.

Whenever you’re creating your very own home studio, investing in an accurate pair of monitors becomes a priority.

People are generally looking for ergonomic, economic and user-friendly studio monitors that won’t cause much hassle for them.

Rokit has developed this studio monitor with all this in mind. The RP5G2 is a self-powered studio monitor which means that you won’t have to go through the hassle of matching power amps to the monitor (it’s all built in).

In addition, the monitor comes with easy-to-use frequency controls which can customize the monitor to any room or setting.

The monitor has been ergonomically designed and can easily detect & fix common monitor placement issues like, for example, bad acoustics.

Coming to the technical side of things, you’ll notice that the classic glass aramid woofer is still there but inside it has been remodeled for a more neutral performance.

KRK has redesigned and improved its previous models and incorporated the results in the RP5 G2 making high-end diffusion more directional and cutting down many phase problems.

As a result you’ll witness clearer impressions of wrecked instruments like guitars and cymbals.

Presonus is a well-established industry player when it comes to studio equipment.

In recent years, they’ve added Studio Monitors to their list of specialties and have left a heavy mark with their top-of-the-line monitors like the Presonus Eris E5.

The E5 may be the smallest of all speakers that Presonus has produced but it is definitely a catch for the price tag.

The E5 is a fully customizable solution for your playback needs and delivers highly accurate sounds with a tight bass & clean upper ends.

No matter which music genre you belong to, the E5 will provide you ample amount of controls to play with until you’re satisfied.

The controls, when used in conjunction, will allow you to produce an accurate linear response and simulate various environments.

You will benefit greatly from this as you’ll have a better outlook at how your music sounds in different environments which means you can adjust it beforehand.

Presonus is also very serious when it comes to your safety and meets all the environmental standards like RF shielding, temperature control, soft start u

A 2-way bass-reflexed studio monitor, the HS8 may carry a slightly heavy price tag but it truly delivers premium quality sound with absolute transparency.

The audio performance is heavily supported by a carefully designed mounting system.

The woofer gives accurate, low-end response due to the extraordinary performance of the magnet while the extra thick tweeter frame ensures cancellations of most interferences.

The HS8 is a bi-amplified speaker set which means you won’t be needing separate amplifiers for it.

The power & speakers are in fact integrated into one unit that delivers consistent, superior performance in almost every listening environment.

One particular feature of the HS8 is extra-large magnets. These magnets work in conjunction with the sophisticated circuitry to give you a uniform, tightly controlled flux field that will give you extremely soothing response. The magnets are similar to the HS5 but are bigger and integrated at a higher level.

Lastly, the HS8 is extremely portable and you can take it just about anywhere as long as it’s used with a good enough audio workstation that can handle its raw power.

The controls will allow you to adjust it for almost any surrounding and you can get started right on the road, without wasting any time.

Part of Mackie’s CR series, the CR4 is a portable and reliable studio monitor that provides high quality audio playback in home & studio environments.

The pair comes with a passive speaker and with an amplifier powered speaker, either of which can be set as the left or the right speaker.

The CR4 hosts a 1/8’’ stereo input that is perfect for connecting mp3 players or even an iPad (if you are a tablet producer) to your studio monitors.

In addition, a ¼’’ rear input allows you to connect the more traditional audio sources.

All in all, the CR4 is a premium quality studio monitor which will keep its word in terms of delivering but at the same time won’t break the bank.

It’s ideal for all your needs, including home studio, multimedia creation, broadcast and post-production.

Previously, we talked about how the RP5 monitors produced an excellent. If you want even more quality for your home studio, check out the KRK RP8G3.

The RP8G3 is the largest, most powerful model in the entire Rokit series. It is a 2-way powered speaker that flawlessly pushes 100 watts out of an 8-inch woofer at an extremely impressive max SPL of 109dB.

The RP8G3 is highly customizable like its predecessors and offers separate high & low frequency adjustments which will allow you to cruise through +/-2dB of padding.

This will serve pretty handy when you’re thinking of making fine-tune adjustments.

The I/O system is pretty straightforward, making it easy to use. The rear houses a ¼ inch balanced TRS input, a balanced XLR input, as well as unbalanced RCA input.

The 8-inch woofer is made out of Aramid glass composite handling 75 watts while the remaining 25 watts are taken in by the 1-inch soft dome woofer.

Belonging to the same range as the 305, the LSR308 is another outstanding piece of engineering from JBL and comes at an extremely sweet price.

The studio monitor delivers extremely rich lows yet creamy smooth highs which makes it hard for any music producer to ignore it.

The LSR308 also comes with stereo imaging which it inherits from JBL’s flagship monitor.

This gives it incredible sound like the 305. In addition, it also features a ported design which is incredible for music producers looking to reduce turbulence from their recordings.

JBL also makes your job easier by providing you with a wide sweet spot that can reduce variation in your sounds when you haven’t customized the monitor in the best possible manner.

The LSR308 handles any room smoothly by providing you consistent sound throughout the room without any uneven marks.

​“Music is all that matter​s.”

This is the tagline behind which the Mackie MR mk3 has been designed.

Mackie MR mk3 studio monitors have been designed from start to finish in a flawless manner so that they deliver sound of the highest quality to your ears.

The MR mk3 has a number of optimizing features like enhanced waveguide for a wider sweet spot, custom-tuned rear porting and extended bass response.

Moreover, like most studio monitors, the MR mk3 also offers extensive customizability and complete control over your acoustics.

You can easily feed more bass in the system by pumping up the low end by 4dB.

The MR mk3 will truly give you control over your productions and without any hassle you’ll be able reveal the true character of your recordings. And that is what you deserve.

Trusted by more musicians & recording professionals than any other studio monitor, the M-Audio BX8 D2 is an elegant studio masterpiece that continues to bag awards and praises for its enduring quality.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re recording, mastering or mixing, a studio monitor is an essential requirement.

But you don’t want just any studio monitor.

Accuracy is paramount when buying one. The BX8 D2 is extremely accurate and delivers everything you’ve mixed/recorded without leaving a single trace behind.

The monitor comes loaded with the latest-generation Kevlar drivers as well as waveguides that ensure rich, defined sounds that will truly serve as music to your ears!

The BX8 D2 is not just built for the advanced user but also for the hobbyist who has a passion for music.

A wide variety of customizations will give you ample chance of playing with the technicality of your recordings, easing your transition from a beginner to an intermediate.

In addition, the BX8 D2 has a Class A/B bi-amplified design that reserves separate power amps to high/low frequencies.

This will give adequate headroom to even the most dynamic of mixes and give you pin-point surgical precision.

The JBL LSR305 is a perfect solution for any audio engineer or music producer looking for a reliable, multi-purpose studio monitor.

The LSR305 is excellent for mixing music, editing videos or virtually any other task that requires accurate, delicate sound manipulation.

The studio monitor has been designed with sophisticated features which have been passed on from JBL’s flagship M2 Monitor and has earned the acclaimed of several audio engineers like Frank Fillipeti.

One such critically acclaimed feature of the LSR305 is its image control waveguide which helps it preserve sound to its original quality.

In simple words, you will not only be able to hear everything clearly but will also be able to make sonic judgments on the go.

Most audio producers check their mix at low volumes to get a better idea of their overall balances, but many monitors out there don’t support this as their bass isn’t powerful enough at low levels.

You won’t face this problem with the LSR305 which uses Slip Stream low-frequency port for handling such issues.