Published on this page in the GuitarFella archive — what our editors chose at the time, not a lab test.
Last Updated: October-02-2018
It was all change in the sub-$300 speaker category this autumn! We removed several popular models which had seen big price drops and, to fill their places, we added some new additions. These included the awesome ADAM Audio F5 and two excellent compact entries – the IK Multimedia iLoud and the Audioengine A2+.
Things are getting serious! Alright… not that serious, but as we start looking at dropping up to $300 on a pair of monitoring speakers, we know we have moved past the complete beginner zone.
Regardless of your skill level – whether you are a professional or an enthusiast – finding the right set of
studio monitors on a budget can sometimes be a little tricky.
So today we are going to check out some of the best models in this mid-range category and talk about what they have to offer the audio buff. As we are about to see, there are many reasons why $300 monitors are so popular…
5 Great Studio Monitors Under $300:
What Can $300 Studio Monitor Speakers Offer Over Cheaper Ones?
As you move up the price ranges towards premium studio monitors, you can certainly start to expect more for your money. While the $300 category isn’t exactly the high end of the market, the monitors for sale in this range should be a significant step up from the
monitors under $200. Let’s take a quick look at some of the improvements you can expect:
Transparency
The first and probably most important improvement is transparency. When you enter the sub-$300 price range, you will find that manufacturers try their best to make their monitors as flat as possible. As any producer knows, transparency is key to delivering an accurate piece of quality audio. This is why these are monitoring speakers, not general consumer speakers.
Cheap monitors deliberately don’t aim for this transparency, because the majority of users interested in a cheap set of monitors will usually want to use them for general purpose music listening as well. Therefore, a good portion of models found in the sub-$100 range will have a significant bias, often in the lower end. Naturally, $200 should get you a set of speakers with more transparency, but it’s only as we enter the $300 range that things become flat enough for pro-level mixing.
Hardware
It’s usually easy to tell the difference between $300 monitors and a lower-priced set by looking at the build and components on offer.
The overall build is going to be more robust, while the aesthetics are sometimes more interesting and stylish. Spending around $300 will usually see you end up with a stylish pair of speakers that will look cool in most studio setups.
In terms of transducers, cheaper monitors come with low-frequency drivers that are up to 5” in diameter. However, many of the low-frequency drivers in today’s category are anywhere from 5” to 8” (unless you opt for a travel or compact model), while tweeters remain at around 1”.
Connectivity
Another area where you will find tangible differences is connectivity. Many budget speaker sets will feature RCA ports and maybe some 1/4” TRS ports. An average $300 set of studio monitors will retain these, while expanding that selection to include XLR connections, while some come with USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity for ultimate convenience.
How to Position Your Speakers
Are you planning to just open the box and dump your speakers onto the nearest table? Good luck getting the best out of them! To ensure that you achieve the best sound quality and accuracy from your speakers, it is worth considering where in the room you position them.
We always say that the main thing to remember when it comes to speaker positioning is that symmetry is key. Ensure the two speakers and yourself form an equidistant triangle. By this, we mean that the first speaker should be the same distance between both the second speaker and your head.
Talking about your head, another important positioning tip is to keep the speakers at a level that is in line with your head (preferably your ears), so that the high-frequency tweeters are shooting straight towards you.
Finally, ensure that the speakers are not stuffed into a corner. This is because sound reflects off everything in the room to some extent and, if your speakers are placed too close (around 50cm or less) to a rear wall, then the sound will reflect off the wall and become a bit muddy due to the artificially enhanced bass and mid-range.
To summarize – have your speakers at ear height, at an equal distance away from yourself and each other, and not too close to a corner!
How Do $300 Monitors Differ Compared to a High-End Set?
We have discussed the difference between a $300 set of monitor speakers – like the models on our list – and their cheaper counterparts. So how do $300 speakers compare to more expensive studio monitors?
At first glance, there isn’t much difference in the size of the transducers, with anything from 5” to 8” still the norm in the low-frequency drivers. However, the quality of these drivers significantly improves as you add more money to the mix. This means that you won’t run into distortion when you begin pushing the speakers to their limits. High-end speakers will also be incredibly flat compared to sub-$300 speakers, where some low to high oscillations still occur.
Of course, we also have the build quality and overall design of the cabinets. The quality of the MDF used, the way it is crafted and the design of the ports will all have an impact on the sound you get and the higher-end studio monitors have these areas perfected.
The Final Word
While a $300 set of speakers aren’t going to
the best monitors on the market, they offer a serious step up in quality and performance compared to budget speakers.
The speakers we have shown you above are definitely among some of the best you can get at this price range, and will be of interest to keen audio producers of all levels. Of course, be sure to read reviews, watch videos and – if possible – listen to your shortlist of speakers in action before you make your final decision!