# 5 inch or 8 inch monitor for bedroom recording?



## jin (Feb 19, 2013)

Hi , Can someone tell me if i should get a 5 inch monitor or a 8 inch monitor. I have heard that 5 inch monitors(like the HS50M) need to be paired with subwoofers to hear the low end but if i decide to buy an 8 inch im afraid that the bass may be too loud for a small bedroom. Any idea which size is ideal for a small bedroom?


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## Hzanco (Feb 20, 2013)

It might depend on just how small your room is, but then again, maybe not. For instance, I write, record, and mix in my bedroom which is about 10ftx10ft, maybe a bit smaller, and has a ceiling between 8 and 9 ft high. 

That said, I use 8-inch speakers and I'm glad that I do, mainly because they are more accurate than 5-inch speakers at creating the frequencies in my mixes. I don't think you really have to be concerned with what will be too loud - you always have a volume knob. You should be more concerned about what will be most accurate. One important and inexpensive thing you can do is to get foam pads for your monitors to sit on, so that they don't sit on a wood/metal/whatever other surface. The foam helps prevent the low frequencies emitted by the monitors from shaking through that surface and distorting your perception of them.

Another important thing you should consider is to get your room sound-treated. Especially with smaller rooms, the way the sound waves bounce around the room and interact with one another means that you're going to hear things inaccurately. The middle of the room is probably the most problematic, which sucks because it's often the most convenient listening position. You can put foam on your walls to help reduce the effects created by sound waves bouncing around. Someone referenced me to this site (sound proofing deadening, acoustic insulation foams, echo elimination, home studio soundproofing foam,) for good deals on foam. For better or for worse, I have yet to sound treat my own room. On second thought, it's for worse, hehe. Getting a good mix is so much easier when you can accurately hear it - that really just requires speakers which accurately produce the sound and a room which doesn't interfere with that sound too much.


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## Rev2010 (Feb 20, 2013)

Why not go in the middle? There are plenty of 7" woofer monitors out there. I use Dynaudio BM5a's as my mains and Adam A7's as a secondary reference and for general listening of music. Both use 7" woofers. I went down from larger 8.75" woofers but those were shitty Behringer Truths which just couldn't give me a great mix. I was apprehensive about going smaller but am truly glad I did. I first tried Mackie HR824 MKII's and there was waaay too much bass in my room even with bass traps in the corners. I returned them and got the Dyn's, ditched the huge bass traps, and everything works amazing in my room. Still have some Auralex Lenrd's in my corners though and in the corners directly behind the monitors since they are a little close to the walls. My mixes instantly got significantly better. I personally wouldn't go lower than 6.5" nor larger than 8.75" in a typical home studio style room. It all depends on your room size and placement so this is all subjective really.


Rev.


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## nothingleft09 (Feb 20, 2013)

I agree with Rev, although I use KRK Rockit 5's. They work well for me and my setup. And if you go with 8" monitors then definitely check the stores return policy before you buy and if the monitors don't react the way you are hoping they will, return them and try something else. That's what return policies are for. It's you're cash find what works best for you and your buck.


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## Djentliman (Feb 20, 2013)

If you absolutely have to have a smaller monitor because of space, the Equator D5's offer a really good deal. Take a look:Equator D5 5.25" Coaxial Studio Monitors w/ Internal DSP for Matched Output and Accurate Voicing. But do not let the price tag scare you, they sell them direct without the middle man like GC or Musician's Friend. Be quick though, i just saw that they are going to increase the price on March 1st which makes me want to kill someone.


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## 7stg (Feb 21, 2013)

I like my Adam a7x's which work great in a bedroom. They can be played at low volumes and remain flat and clear with good low end extension.

Also, look up DIY sound traps with 4" Owens Corning 703.


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## Prime (Feb 21, 2013)

A five inch monitor is pretty small...even eight. Especially if your running anything more than 800x600 screen resolution...probably 640x480.


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## Yo_Wattup (Feb 21, 2013)

Prime said:


> A five inch monitor is pretty small...even eight. Especially if your running anything more than 800x600 screen resolution...probably 640x480.


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## Nitrobattery (Feb 21, 2013)

Prime said:


> A five inch monitor is pretty small...even eight. Especially if your running anything more than 800x600 screen resolution...probably 640x480.




You win the internet


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## 7stg (Feb 21, 2013)

Prime said:


> A five inch monitor is pretty small...even eight. Especially if your running anything more than 800x600 screen resolution...probably 640x480.



I feel ya, you know some times I just use 2 Dell UltraSharp U3011's and have an instance of windows media player visualization for the left and right channel on the appropriate screen. I get amazing mixes this way. and there is no way I would go smaller than a 30" 16:10 monitor, the resolution of 2560 x 1600 is critical for the detail that is delivered. That large screen really helps me see into the mix.


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## flint757 (Feb 21, 2013)

8 inch monitors are typical considered midfield. In the size room you have I wouldn't go more than 6 inch personally. They may sound alright, but you are going to miss something in the stereo mix most likely even if you don't realize it.


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