10 Best Studio Monitors Under 500 Dollars

Whether you’re building a recording studio, or just getting into music production, all true audiophiles need a good set of studio monitors. Whether you aspire to create your own music studio, or you just want to blast some pure quality music the way the recording artists intended, you need a great set of monitors. If you are creating a mixing studio on a budget, you are indeed looking to find the best quality monitors at the most economical price. In this survey, we attempted to find the best studio monitors under 500 dollars.

It goes without saying that you are welcome to spend as much money as you want on music equipment––but the $500 price range represents a sweet spot: a perfect intersection of price and performance.

How We Reviewed The Monitors On This List

We reviewed the selections in our best studio monitors under 500 dollars list on a variety of factors:

Sound quality
Accuracy
Cabinet size
Frequency response
Power output

We gave our overall impression of sound quality and indications of durability and construction of the monitors. We concluded each of our surveys with a list of pros and cons regarding that monitor.

Overall Price Range Of The Following Suggestions

This list is for the best studio monitors under 500 dollars, but the pricing sometimes refers to two monitors and sometimes only refers to one.

When you make your final decision based on our list of the best studio monitors under 500 dollars, make sure that you are clear whether your purchase includes one or two monitors.

It’s worth noting that tore expensive monitors usually are larger with greater power output and higher frequency range.

What We Reviewed

Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor

This classic Yamaha studio monitor features the iconic white woofer emblematic of Yamaha speakers since the 70s. Note that the purchasing price for this speaker is only for one speaker, not a set.

The speaker features an 8-inch cone woofer and a 1-inch dome tweeter.

The monitor box is 14 X 16 X 21 inches and is compatible with wall, ceiling, and baton brackets.

The port system is an advanced design that allows the speaker to reduce the vortex while still creating very accurate bass reproductions.

The power output is 120W, and the frequency response is 38Hz to 30kHz.

Edifier S2000pro Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers

These are attractive, solid, and weighty speakers that come in a faux wood grain body.

The purchasing price includes two speakers.

They measure 20 x 16.9 x 14.3 inches and weigh 21.7 pounds each.

The speakers feature flat diaphragm tweeters and 5.5-inch woofers. Sound quality is good overall, but these speakers lack the crisp clarity of other speakers in our survey.

The total power output is 124W.

The purchase price includes multiple connection cables.

It’s worth noting that these are also Bluetooth-compatible—so you can easily connect them to your mobile devices.

KRK ROKIT 8 G4 8″ 2-Way Powered Studio Monitor

This is a stylish, compact speaker that includes an 8-inch, glass-aramid composite woofer, and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter.

The unit measures 11.73 x 10.83 x 15.50 inches and weighs 26.5 pounds.

Note that the purchase price is for a single monitor.

Power output is 100W, and the frequency response is 35Hz to 35KHz.

These are great speakers that offer plenty of power and reproduce a crisp and accurate sound. Consider adding the KRK 10s 10″ powered subwoofer to fill in some of that missing low-end.

KRK ROKIT Powered 10-3 Pair Mid-Field 3-Way Powered Studio Monitors

These things don’t mess around. Great for the serious music producer. This is a very large monitor that measures 21.5 x 12.8 x 14.4 inches.Each speaker weighs 46 pounds.

The power output is 140W, and the frequency response is 31Hz – 30KHz.

The speaker features a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter and a 10-inch glass-Aramid composite woofer. The speaker also has a 4-inch midrange driver that helps create a fuller, richer sound. These are great monitors that produce an accurate sound with a lot of power—ideal either for mixing or casual listening.

JBL Professional 305P MKII Studio Monitors

Replacing the first gen JBL LSR305, this is a compact and affordable speaker that creates a good sound at an economical price.

The speaker is 15 x 13 x 10 inches and weighs only 10.4 pounds.

The monitor features a 5-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter.

It has a power output of 41W, and its frequency response is 43 Hz-24kHz.

The smaller frequency response is because this is a smaller speaker that cannot move the same volume of air as a bigger speaker.

Sound accuracy is very good, and these speakers represent a great monitor to meet a limited budget.

Focal Alpha 80 8″ Powered Studio Monitor

This is a durable and attractive, all-black studio monitor.

The unit measures 20 x 16.5 x 14 inches and weighs 20.7 pounds.

The frequency response is 40Hz to 22kHz, which is smaller than some other monitors on our list but still covers the auditory range of human beings. The 6.5-inch combination woofer/midrange speaker has a Polyglass cone in a laminar port.

Automatic standby mode turns the speaker off when they’ve been inactive for 30 minutes. Its power output of 140W gives you plenty of volume potential.

PreSonus Eris E8 8-Inch 2-Way Active Studio Monitor

This is another sleek-looking, all-black monitor set that disappears into the shadows and can fill the room with crystal clear, high-quality sound.

The cabinet is vinyl-laminated, medium-density fiberboard, and measures 9.84 x 11.77 x 15.12 inches.

Each monitor weighs 22.2 pounds.

The speaker features an 8-inch woofer that has a sufficient volume of air movement to create a nice bass experience. The tweeter is a 1.25-inch silk dome.

Its frequency response is 35 Hz to 22kHz accompanied, with a power output of 140W.

This is a good quality, economical speaker set that comes in right around $500 for a pair.

Adam Audio “F7 7” Powered Studio Monitor

This compact port monitor is 9 x 12.5 x 10.5 inches and weighs 19.8 pounds.

It features a 7-inch woofer and a 1.5-inch tweeter.

Its frequency response range is 44Hz to 50kHz, and its power output is 85W.

It comes equipped with XLR, RCA, and TRS input connectors.

Overall, this is a good sounding speaker, but the 7-inch woofer doesn’t quite match the low-end of the larger speakers.

Overall, we thought the price is a little high for the performance, but regardless, this is a good quality unit.

Mackie XR824 Professional Studio Monitor

The Mackie XR824 professional studio monitor is a good performing, but not very attractive monitor.

The black wood grain finish cabinet measures 14.4 x 13.3 x 19.4 inches and weighs 22.2 pounds.

Its frequency response range is 36 Hz to 22┬ákHz,┬áand the power output is 160W.

The speaker features an 8-inch Kevlar woofer and a 1-inch black anodized aluminum dome tweeter.

The speaker also features a low-frequency extension due to the speaker’s ELP bass reflex system.

This speaker performs better┬áin terms of clean, authentic sound than the speakers in the lower price range and is a great choice if your budget isn’t limited.

M-Audio BX8 Carbon Studio Monitor

The M-Audio BX8 Carbon is an attractive, durable, and high-powered mixing monitor.

The 8-inch woofer features a Kevlar curved cone, and the 1.25-inch tweeter┬áhas a magnetically shielded natural silk dome.

Its frequency response is 38 Hz to 22┬ákHz.

The speaker measures 15 x 10 x 12 inches, and each speaker weighs 26.4 pounds.

This monitor has a power output of 130W.

These speakers are capable of matching┬áthe sound quality of much more expensive audio systems.

The M-Audio BX8 Carbon represents a sweet intersection point of price and quality.

Which Are The Best Monitors For Under 500 Dollars? Our Verdict

In our survey of the best studio monitors under 500 dollars, all of the listed monitors create an accurate sound profile ideal for mixing. But…there can only be one “best.”

Our Favorite PAIR of Monitors Under $500

Our favorite PAIR of monitors under $500 was the PreSonus Eris E8 8-Inch 2-Way Active Studio Monitor.(Be sure to order 2, as they’re still usually sold individually)

The PreSonus includes 2 monitors at the $500 price point which allows aspiring audio engineers to rock out in stereo from day one.

The M-Audio BX8 Carbon Studio Monitor is very similar to the PreSonus at the same price range, but the PreSonus provides more at the low end and has a higher power output.

Our Favorite SINGLE Monitor Under $500

Our favorite SINGLE monitor under $500 is the KRK Rokit Powered 10-3 Mid-Field 3-Way Powered Studio Monitor.

This monitor is the only monitor in our ‘best studio monitors under 500 dollars’ survey that includes a midrange driver.

One advantage with the midfield KRK Rockit 10-3 is that it’s larger than your average nearfield monitors, and the midrange driver helps it compensate for just having a single unit. The bass response is much better than that of the Rokit 8, Rokit 6 or Rokit 5.

Maybe you’ve got a budget studio or a small studio. Maybe the room acoustics of your studio aren’t ideal, or maybe there simply isn’t the flexibility for arranging a full speaker set in a way that works. If you don’t have the space for a pair of studio monitor speakers, but you want more than just a pair of reference headphones, the KRK Rockit 10-3 can provide the best bang for your buck.

You Choose

Whatever speakers you choose, consider the acoustics of your room and prepare yourself to spend hours and hours rocking out as you master the craft of audio mixing.

Your monitors are an important part of your home studio, but they need to function well in their given environment. Not every room is shaped the same way. I’ve talked a little bit about how to position your studio monitors to get the best sound in different scenarios, and how you position your monitors can really shape what you hear in the room.

You can also maximize your results by placing the monitors on stands, or by getting a separate subwoofer unit that lets your monitors focus on the upper ranges––which are both perfectly affordable if you shop smart for the monitors themselves.

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