The Top 5 Best Studio Monitors On A Budget

If you’re looking for the best studio monitors on a budget, look no further, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I'll recommend five of the best studio monitors that won’t break the bank.

When it comes to studio monitors, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a good pair. In fact, there are plenty of great options available for less than $500.

So, if you’re looking for a great pair of studio monitors without spending a fortune, read on!

Defining Your Needs

The first step in choosing the best studio monitors on a budget is defining your needs. What kind of music do you make? What kind of space do you have to work with? Answering these questions will help you narrow down your choices and find the best studio monitors for your particular situation.

For instance, if you’re working in a small room, you’ll want to focus on studio monitors that don’t take up a lot of physical space. Conversely, if you’re working with bass-heavy music, you'll want to choose monitors that can reproduce low-frequencies accurately or have a sub-woofer option.

Once you know what you need, you can start looking at specific models.

PreSonus Eris E3.5 3.5-inch Powered Studio Monitors

Price: $99.95

The PreSonus Eris E3.5 are one of the best options out there for budget studio monitors. These monitors deliver plenty of power and punch for their size, and they won’t take up a lot of space on your desk. Plus, the E3.5’s have a nice, flat frequency response, so you can be confident that you’re hearing your tracks the way they actually sound.

The PreSonus Eris E3.5 monitors have acoustic tuning knobs allowing for +6 or -6 dB adjustments for both high and low shelves. This is helpful depending on where the monitors get placed within the room. They also provide 1/4" balanced and RCA unbalanced inputs. One nice feature is they only require one connection from an audio interface as the monitors are connected together via gaged speaker wire.

If you are looking for cheap studio monitors that will produce an accurate sound, then you should consider getting the PreSonus Eris E3.5s.

Features

• 3.5" woven composite woofers (Accurate bass response and low distortion)
• 1" ultra-low-mass silk-dome tweeters (Keep's harshness in check for a balanced sound)
• Onboard acoustic tuning controls
• 50 watts of Class AB amplification
• Aux input for a phone connection or other audio source
• Headphone output for an additional listening source

Pros

• Compact design
• Flat frequency response
• Focused sound
• Great price

Cons

• 3.5 drivers are too small to reproduce deep bass (However, they do a good job for their size)
• No XLR input connectors
• More geared toward gaming and audio enjoyment as opposed to mixing and mastering

Buy On Amazon ➡️ CLICK HERE

JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitors

Price: $270

The JBL 305P MkII 5-inch powered studio monitors are a high-quality pair of speakers that are perfect for any home studio. These speakers provide clear and accurate sound reproduction, making them ideal for mixing and mastering. They also have a sleek and modern design, making them a great addition to any workspace.

The JBL 305P MKII's have an input sensitivity switch that goes between +4dBu and -10dBv. They also have a boundary EQ and HF trim built-in to fine-tune the sound for the environment of the room. Lastly, being a powered speaker, there is a volume knob on the back to dial in the level just right. Input-wise, the user gets the option of either XLR or 1/4" connections.

When looking at the best studio monitors on a budget, the JBL 305P MKII's have everything you could possibly want.

Features

• JBL’s next-generation transducers deliver optimized transient response and enhanced linearity for reproducing sound accurately
• Patented Image Control Waveguide (This provides a wider sweet spot when listening and mixing)
• Patented Slip Stream low-frequency (Accurate bass response at all playback levels)
• Custom Class D amplifiers provide 82 watts in total power
• Sleek and modern design that will stand out in any studio

Pros

• Compact design
• Accurate sound reproduction (Even at low levels)
• Wide sweet spot
• Sleek and modern design
• Both XLR and 1/4" inputs

Cons

• None

Buy On Amazon ➡️ CLICK HERE

KRK ROKIT 5 G4 5-inch Powered Studio Monitors

Price: $378.00

The KRK ROKIT 5 G4 5-inch powered studio monitors are a great addition to any home studio. These bi-amped monitors are the only DSP-driven ones on our list making them a great option for mixing and mastering. The science behind these monitors helps take the acoustics out of the equation making them work in many more environments.

The KRK ROKIT 5 G4s are very simple monitors visually. They have an XLR 1/4" dual connector, a volume knob, and a digital graphical eq on the back. Their best feature is virtual. The KRK App allows for frequency, level, and other acoustical adjustments to account for the room. This is basically like having your own built-in room correction software. The adjustments are not only seen in the app but on the graphical eq on the back of the monitors. NOTE: On our best studio monitors on a budget list, these our the only monitors with built-in room correction

The KRK ROKIT 5 G4s are affordable studio monitors with a great sound that want a built-in room correction option.

Features

• 5-inch Kevlar drivers (Low-distortion for a clean sound)
• Class D power amp
• Built-in brickwall limiter to protect the speakers from clipping and damage
• Optimized high-frequency waveguide (Wide sweet spot design)
• Built-in state-of-the-art DSP (Room correction, EQ, and more)
• KRK app for adjusting EQ settings, crossover settings, subwoofer levels, and polarity settings. This will help with level matching and speaker placement.
• Onboard signal generator. (This will be used to calibrate your system)

Pros

• Compact design
• Wide sweet spot
• Built-in room calibration tools
• Both XLR and 1/4" inputs

Cons

• The monitors could have a flatter frequency response. (The built-in room calibration makes up for this)

Buy On Amazon ➡️ CLICK HERE

Yamaha HS5 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor

Price: $399.98

You can't have a best budget studio monitors list without the Yamaha HS5s. The Yamaha HS5 powered studio monitors are perfect for any recording studio environment from home to professional. With their five-inch cone woofers and one-inch dome tweeters, the HS5s deliver accurate sound reproduction and wide frequency response. There is probably no monitor more accurate on our list when it comes to sound reproduction than the HS5s.

The HS5s have an XLR and 1/4" input on the back along with a level knob. They also have a room control switch that does a 2-4 dB cut at 500Hz and below. Lastly, they have a high-trim switch that does a 2 dB boost or cut at 2k.

It is said that if you can make your mixes sound good on the Yamaha HS5s, then you know they will sound good anywhere.

Features

• Advanced magnetic circuit design
• Dedicated power amps which are perfectly tuned to the tweeter and woofer
• The enclosure design reduces resonance frequencies
• Room Control and High Trim controls allow for fine-tuning

Pros

• Compact design
• Extremely accurate frequency response
• Superior enclosure design
• Both XLR and 1/4" inputs

Cons

• Great for mixing and mastering but not the best for pleasure listening

Buy On Amazon ➡️ CLICK HERE

Avantone Pro Active MixCubes 5.25 Inch Powered Studio Monitors

Price: $499.00

The Avantone Pro Active MixCubes are powered monitor speakers that deliver professional sound quality. These monitors are designed to provide accurate sound reproduction, making them ideal for recording and mixing. The MixCubes feature a 5.25-inch driver, built-in 60w amplifier, and a frequency response of 90 Hz to 17 kHz.

The MixCubes have a dual XLR 1/4" input connection on the back along with a level knob. They also have a ground lift switch making them the only monitors on our list having this feature. These monitors are truly as simple as it gets.

Like the HS5s, if you can get a mix to sound good on the Avantone Pro Active MixCubes, then you know it will sound good on any other device you play it on.

Features

• 5.25" drivers (full-range 8 ohms shielded)
• High-quality Mosfet amplifier in each monitor
• Custom paper cone (Made with New Zealand pulp and mica fibers for rigidity lightweight)
• Amplifier: Class A/B (60 watts)

Pros

• Most compact design on our list
• Cabinets are designed to reduce resonant frequencies
• Radiused corners help with sound dispersion
• Both XLR and 1/4" inputs

Cons

• Great for mixing and mastering but not the best for pleasure listening
• Can't reproduce typical low-end frequencies or sub-frequencies

Buy On Amazon ➡️ CLICK HERE

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Five great pairs of studio monitors that won’t break the bank. So, if you’re looking for the best studio monitors on a budget, any of the models I've listed above would be a great choice.

Do you have any experience with any of the models? If so, let me know in the comments below!

If you found this information helpful, consider subscribing to my blog and buying from one of the links throughout this article. Now, go get yourself some great monitors and make some memorable music!

"Some of the links within this article are affiliate links. These links are from various companies such as Amazon. This means if you click on any of these links and purchase the item or service, I will receive an affiliate commission. This is at no cost to you and the money gets invested back into Audio Sorcerer LLC."