The are quite a few choices when it comes to speakers. This article will help you choose the best set for your needs.
The first choice is active (powered) speakers, or passive speakers. Active powered speakers basically have amps built-in that boost the volume of your music signal. Passive speakers do not and require a separate amp. I personally like using active speakers. No amp needed.
If your setup is in an average sized room, 100 watts is plenty. You'll even do well with 75 watt speakers. 100 watt speakers will blast out 120 decibels at half volume. Under 90 decibels is the recommended monitoring level. 120 decibels is the max to prevent hearing loss. Note: Monitor at 120 decibels or higher for only short periods of time, under 30 minutes a day, to prevent hearing loss.
ACTIVE STUDIO MONITORS
Below are a few different speaker sets that will work very well. Note: The higher the price, the better the speaker.
ACTIVE SUB WOOFER
When using 6-8 inch near field monitor speakers, it is an absolute MUST to have a decent sub woofer. Monitors this size give out very little bass. 50hz is non-existent, and 100hz is very weak. You'll be lost when trying to mix in your low frequency instruments. A nice sub woofer will compliment the speakers above and allow you to hear every frequency range in your music. Below are a few of our recommendations:
AUDIO & MONITOR CONTROL SYSTEM
If your speakers are connected to your audio interface, then you'll have to use the DAW software on your computer to control the volume. With the Presonus Central Station you can connect up to three different sets of speakers and control the volume and speaker choice with a control unit. Many sound engineers like to connect a cheaper set of speakers to the system, to see what the music will sound like to the average listener. This unit allows to quickly scroll through different sets of speakers with the touch of a button. You can also connect a cd player, ipod, etc. to the system. It's a complete audio and speaker control system. Very nice!
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