The Best Studio Monitors for Home Music Studios

Ensuring the highest possible quality is vital to your musical creations. Especially if you’re aiming for pro status at this… And studio monitors are virtually the epicenter of it all. These are an important tool to use during your mixing and refinement processes in order to really fine-tune those sonic details. Here we take a look at what are some of the best studio monitors for home music studios.

While all those professional studios tend to splurge mega big bucks on a set of monitors…because they can… We’re looking at monitors within your budget that can help produce a sound just as professional. But quickly, before we dive into our recommendations…

Factors to consider when choosing the ideal studio monitors

Budget – Studio Monitors can really get pricey. We’re talking thousands of dollars for a single set. Conversely, It is also entirely possible to get monitors as low as $90. But you very often get what you pay for. You need to give some very careful thought to how much you’re willing to spend. That said, there are some really awesome quality speakers that won’t necessarily break your bank. We’ll cover these.

Size – The size of you monitors really matters, more so in relation to the size of the room, you’re using as a studio. Simply put, don’t go oversize in a really confined room. In this case, you’d be at risk of increased sound reflections and adverse effects on your sound perception and judgment. Ensure that you choose appropriately sized monitors for your studio.

Bass Response & Flatness – Keeping the above in mind, you also want to consider the bass response of your monitors. For instance, larger 8-inch woofers would deliver much more bass than 5-inch woofers. How relevant is this to you?In addition to this, the speakers you choose need to deliver a very flat response that delivers the sound as is. Not enhanced sound. You need the true sonic value to be able to determine what to fix during mixing.

The Best Studio Monitors for Home Recording

1. The Yamaha HS-8

Yamaha is a frontier brand with a long-standing reputation to show for itself. The HS-8 studio monitors are a great testament as to why. Yamaha’s signature white woofer has found its way into being hailed an industry standard.

These 8-inch woofers are said, by users, to offer a truly flat and honest sound, allowing for better sonic precision during your mixing process. One of the standout features of the HS-8 monitors is the inclusion of Room Control and High Trim switches. This is wonderful especially for smaller studios, as the Room Control functionality lets you manage the bass build-up that could cause undesirable reflections. High trim also assists with the management of potential flaws to the acoustics by either raising or cutting off higher frequencies where necessary.

Overall, these speakers are great to consider as far as the best studio monitors for home music studios. You get a truly professional performance, industry acclaimed performance at an awesome value for money. For more check out the Yamaha HS-8 monitors on Amazon.

2. Adam A7x

One of the big leaguers out there, and incredibly understandable when considering the performance of these 7-inch woofers. The A7x model is Adam’s most renowned monitor, delivering amazing accuracy as a result of their pronounced flatness.

These monitors have the astonishing ability to reproduce the highest and virtually inaudible frequencies as a result. This basically means that every sonic detail is laid bare through these monitors, as they boast a frequency response ranging as high as 42Hz to 50Hz. They also offer a powerful and accurate bass response, according to users. Physically, these monitors feature a solid build made from fiberglass, carbon, and rohacell. In all, these babies have the stamp of approval by audio engineers and pros in the industry, but they come at a little bit of a cost.

Have a look at the Adam A7x monitors here on Amazon.

3. KRK Rokit

An extremely popular set monitors. It is very likely you’ve seen these around at one time or another…

The 5-inch monitors are particularly ideal for very small studio setups, like a bedroom studio for example. (Read more about small/bedroom setups here). They come at an awesome value for money as a set and are widely reviewed and lauded due to their increased popularity.

An 8-inch version of these monitors is also available, ideal for larger setups. These monitors are known to be used by popular electronic dance music producers, possibly as a result of their awesome bass delivery. These are definitely worth considering while making your decision on the best studio monitors for home music studios. They deliver a widely renowned performance and aesthetic at a cost that won’t break your bank.

Have a look at the KRK Rokit 5″ monitors here on Amazon.

Alternatively, check out the KRK Rokit 8″ monitors on Amazon.

4. JBL Professional 305P MKII

Another set of monitors on the budget-friendly side of things. However, the entry-level pricing here should not deter you from their crisp and flat sonic delivery.

For up and coming music producers starting off in smaller studios, these 5-inch woofers are very ideal. You might, however, want to consider bigger monitors if your work environment is larger.

For very bass-heavy mixes, you might want to consider the accompaniment of a subwoofer to render those lower frequencies better.

For more on the JBL Professional 305P,  have a look at reviews and prices here on Amazon.

If you’re looking to add a great set of subwoofers to go along with these, take a look at the JBL LSR310S on Amazon.

5. Genelec M040

To compete with the Adam A7x monitors, this set of monitors is another high-end brand in the game. If the money is permissible, then these are another set to consider as far as the best studio monitors for home music studios.

A step up from the previous M030 model, these monitors offer more powerful amplification. The 80W bass and 50W treble make for a top of the range performance in terms of the lack of sound distortion involved. They offer a room response compensation, much the Yamaha, only more advanced. Sonic values and frequency responses are delivered with incredible detail and clarity through the 6.5-inch woofers. The M040 offers a big league professional performance with a much broader listening area.

They offer a frequency response of 44Hz to 21Hz as well as optimized amplifiers.

For that pro status editing and mixing, check out the Genelec M040 on Amazon.

These would really be preferable at an intermediate to professional level.

6. Mackie CR3

A wonderful set of speakers on the more cost friendly side of things. The Mackie CR3s offer a studio-quality performance and design, ideal for smaller music production settings as montors encompass 3″ woofers. They deliver an impressively wide frequency range, spanning between 80Hz to 20kHz. The studio monitor speaker has been constructed with professionally robust components, also featuring front panel controls. The front panel features an aux input for smartphones and tablets, as well as a headphone out. It also features a volume knob that also functions as an on and off switch.

The speakers are particularly good for defining the clarity in both instrumental and vocal performances. It offers crisp stereo separation as well defined details for your studio refining. The one downer that can be mentioned for these speakers is that, despite crisp clear studio-quality performance, the do lack depth in terms of the bass. You may need a powered subwoofer in addition to this speakers.

Check out the Mackie CR3 monitor speaker set here on Amazon.

7. Neumann KH120A

So, you may be more familiar with Neumann as brand more in relation to microphones in terms of music studio gear. However, we’ve added these babies to our list of the best studio monitors for home music studios for fact that you can truly expect the same professional grade quality in the form of these monitors. These are a smaller piece of German engineering with a powerful impact in performance. The Neumann KH120A monitors offer a 5.25-inch composite woofer, offering a great deal of punch and performance for its size, all the way down to 52Hz in terms of frequency response.

The cabinet has a wonderfully structured uniform aluminium front baffle. The inside of the cabinet features a non-parallel construction, designed for the reduction of of internal standing resonances. This essentially performs the function of a much smoother and precise reproduction in the lower frequency range.

Learn more about these monitors and check out user reviews here on Amazon.

That’s it for our best studio monitors for home music studios

For more recommended gear and reviews, check out our resources page here.