Almost Urgent Studio Monitor Decision

[Raddons]

Hey all. I was looking at the Guitar Center savings for today's Presidents Day Sale (lmao) and I saw that they had an Alesis Elevate 3 pair on sale for $50. I know that monitors are not something to cheap out on, but this would be a huge improvement from my POS Logitech computer speakers and my POS unbranded headphones.

I was saving up for a pair of Sennhiser 558's, but I would rather mix on monitors anyway. Does anyone have any expirience with these and can say something about them? The sale only lasts today!

[Icky]

I owned similar speakers (3' woofer as well) and I can say they sound a lot better than logitechs but they won't give you any deep bass. They're also definitely not as good as real monitor speakers, but for 50 bucks I'd say take a listen at the store and see if you dig them. Mine were actually surprisingly good for their price and size.

[Raddons]

Oh yeah, checking the frequency response shows it has pretty much the same range as my Logitechs. I'll actually see if I can go to the store today. If not they say they have a 30 day return period online.

Thanks dude!

[itroitnyah]

I'd personally just wait until you can afford a really good pair of monitors. According to 4thImpulse, anything under $500 isn't much worth it, I guess. Plus monitors are supposed to last you a long time since they're invaluable and stuff.

[the4thImpulse]

^ yea, from my personal experience buying stuff for music production buying cheap has never really worked out for me. That said $50 isn't all that much either, it's easy to get another $50 back than say $300 from the low, low end monitors. If you like the sound go for it, it's not much of an investment but when you are looking at serious monitors to last don't go cheap.

[Raddons]

Oh yeah, of course. I wouldn't be getting these for a long term use. I just need something to hold me over until I can get something of a higher level. I appreciate it!

About to go out and try them now.

[itroitnyah]

Alright, tell us what you think of them

[Raddons]

Okay, I placed an order. I should have them in by Friday. If I don't like them they have a good return policy. I'll be sure to review them in this thread.

[Raddons]

Got them in last night and broke them in then and this morning. Give me a week with them before I can do a bit more of a concise review.

[itroitnyah]

It's now been a bit longer than a week Have a good review for us?

[Raddons]

Okay, I am by no means a pro and these words should be taken with nothing but a grain of salt (and maybe a glass of water to wash it all down).

These monitors are defiantly a cheap upgrade for people who are working on something such as low end Logitech speakers such I was before I bought these. I was super skeptical at first, because I know monitors are not anything you should cheap out on, but for fifty bucks, cmon.

They come in a real simple box with a start up guide and instructions, the monitors themselves, and the proper cables. I turned the bass boost off and powered them up.

I noticed they had a 3-4 hour break in period, and I didn't think too much of it. I decided to play a bunch of different types of music through them, starting with the Balloon Party album (shut up) just to see the bass response these things got, and to compare the more indie stuff with commercial productions.

Well, there is a reason they have a break in period! The first few hours the bass is super muddy and super drowning. I played Icky's "Interrobang Pie Invades Equestria" and "Everfree" because I felt they would be nice to really test how these things handle bass, something my old speakers didn't. It was super painful to listen to at first. Infact, everything was. I pushed through it for a bit and went to bed.

The next day they were pretty much broke in. What I noticed first, while you don't get really deep bass, the bass and low mid frequencies are really defined. And this is while listening to just stupid fandom songs I really like. All across the board, nothing really sticks out as overpowering, with the exception of maybe the highs SLIGHTLY (if at all). (I'm actually currently listening to the latest sgap song and the response is really well all around the spectrum).

Of course though, they're not made for listening. I've mixed a bit of stuff on them, and it's one of the more pleasant mixing experiences I've had. Much better than the Logitechs, because no frequencies stick out in particular. It's much easier to pan better on these as well! I'd say it's almost fun mixing on these, cause I get to hear mixes I've started before I got them in a whole new way.

Points:

[list=]NOTE THE BREAK-IN PERIOD
Frequencies start at 80hz
Bass boost you generally want off while mixing (duh)
Good response on your lower mids[/list]

I mean, yeah they're not perfect, but hell, I got them for 50 bucks. You can't beat that.

Negatives: I don't know how loud you plan on getting these but they WILL distort at a point and BAD. I mean, you have to be listening pretty damn loud for them to distort. I generally have them at about 1 o clock and do volume control from my computer.

edit: I also have them resting on some microfiber cloths at the moment, seeing as the bass resonates quite a bit.

[itroitnyah]

Alright. They definitely won't be something that I'll be getting even if they were really good, but it's good to hear that they're good

[Raddons]

Have a good review for us?

They definitely won't be something that I'll be getting

( ͡º ͜ʖ ͡º)

[itroitnyah]

haha xD I know, I'm pretty ironic like that. It's just always good to know if products are reliable, I guess.

Yeah, I'm going to be buying a set of Yamaha HS80M's when I have the money, lol. But somebody is going to find this review helpful, right?