How To Tell Good From Bad Quality Studio Monitors – 2024 Guide

The studio monitor speakers will deliver the precise, unpainted presentation of your melody as much as possible. Be it for recording, mixing, editing, or other related purposes, a high-end audio monitoring system assures that your mix will interpret nicely to vehicle sound systems, headphones, television, and different listening systems.

With the rising demand for studio monitors, many new manufacturers have started producing them. However, some of them deliver the studio monitoring speakers at a relatively cheaper price, and they are often of bad quality. Many people tend to buy them because of the low price without understanding that they are low-quality models.

Do you want to buy good-quality studio monitors that can go well with your budget, music, and available recording space? In that case, scroll down to know the factors that differentiate the good quality studio monitors from poor quality models. You can visit ericsardinas.com to read the reviews of different studio monitors and installation guides.

Top Essential Factors That Distinguish The Good Quality Studio Monitors From Bad Quality Models

Here, we have listed a few aspects that will help you differentiate the good from low-quality studio monitor speakers. In addition to that, you will also know what makes a decent monitor and how accurate is the sound of a good quality monitor.

Take a quick look at the specifications.

While buying a studio monitor set, you will come across plenty of printed terms, numbers, and other specifications on the model like THD, frequency response, SPL, driver sizes, wattage, and more. These technical specs generally give a brief idea of how well the monitor system will work while recording, editing, and mixing.

Frequency range

Unlike the low-grade models, decent-quality studio monitor speakers provide accuracy and a broad frequency range of the recordings. The highest frequency is specified in kHz (kilohertz) and the lowest frequency in Hz (hertz). A frequency reaction of 50Hz to 20kHz is decent enough for several recording tasks.

Though some foul quality models have a 40Hz to 21kHz range, they would not generate these frequencies evenly. In the frequency range, the variation is usually expressed in decibels. In general, a grade of ± 3 dB or less will give an evenly balanced sound.

In case if you are associated with bass-heavy melody like EDM, hip-hop, or deal with 5.1 or 7.1 surround noise mixes, then it is best to go with a studio subwoofer. It is because this can tolerate frequencies down to 30Hz or even less.

Total harmonic distortion (THD)

Total harmonic distortion (THD) is a kind of standard that indicates regular accuracy over than frequency range. The total harmonic distortion specifies how well a monitor can replicate audio sent to it. In several applications, THD correlates to THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise). You can typically encompass noise in the equation when you glimpse THD.

In general, all the audio circuits expand some sound and distortion, but the specific percentage differs from the good from the bad ones. The amount of distortion and noise added by a clean audio circuit will be near zero or roughly around 0.001%. However, a low-grade audio system tends to expand a significant amount of distortion, varying from 0.3 to 1%.

Wattage

In general, the power of your studio monitors is measured in watts. It is not a problem in studio conditions, but you might have to check it out for huge studios or rooms. Most of the time, a good quality studio monitor will have 10 to 60 watts which be enough for a studio the size of a bedroom or home office. In the case of mid-size studios and massive rooms, it is essential to have more than that.

Monitor components

The drivers, cabinets, and electrical circuitry are the three main components of modern monitors. Every component is made to work in tandem with the others. For example, it does not matter how good a driver is if the cabinet is not built appropriately to accommodate it.

Drivers

In a regular monitor, there are two primary types of drivers, which are woofers and tweeters. However, the unique three-way monitor comes with an additional midrange driver as well.

Cabinets

The performance of the drivers in a good quality studio monitor cabinet is maximized. The cabinet is near the driver, and it has to be as non-resonant as feasible in order for the cabinet to have no effect on the output. As a result, high-end and decent monitor cabinets are typically made of solid and firm substances with inner bracing. They are specifically constructed joints to reduce undesired vibration.

Circuitry

Apart from selecting whether you require a powered or unpowered monitor, the types of connections it has must be your primary concern. Make sure to scan the monitor’s inputs to ensure that they will function nicely with your current setup. Monitors typically feature 1/4″ TRS, RCA, XLR, or S/PDIF jacks for hookups.

EQ, room correction, and additional details

Several studio monitors retain some kind of EQ designed into them to assist you to coordinate them to the recording space. In addition, a few come with digital processing to enhance the performance of the acoustic room. These are relatively crucial features. In case of a bad-sounding room, EQ and room correction DSP have the potential to make it better. Besides that, they can highly enhance the performance with a good acoustics sound room.

Bottom Line

From the above-listed information, it is clear that a decent quality studio monitor system will give little to no distortion. In addition to that, it will have a broad frequency reaction, outstanding stereo imaging, clear and high sound levels, and fair noise coloration.

As for the bad or low-quality studio speakers, they would not provide clear distortion and might have lots of errors related to frequency, sound coloration, and volume levels. Due to that, make sure to select only the best quality studio monitors accessible at an affordable price.