( 5 reviews )
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 17 2009
I have two pair of these plus one BX10S 10" Studio Monitor Subwoofer, all driven by an M-Audio ProFire 610 FireWire Audio Interface. (I bought the first BX5a pair, tried them out, loved them; and bought the second pair a week later.) I use the system to create both stereo and 5.1 audio. I don't have any games installed on this computer, so I don't know how the setup sounds with other folks stuff; but the clean, flat, uncolored output helps me adjust my own mixes. The BX5a Deluxe has a very flat frequency response, produces crisp (not punchy) bass, and the highs extend beyond my hearing range, according to my dog. When coupled with the BX10s subwoofer, the bass is both crisp and punchy. 70-watts from each speaker is more than sufficient in my studio, which is 16 feet square. The surprising feature, documented in user manual but not mentioned in "feature" literature is: The internal amplifiers of the BX5a "sum" the TRS and XLR inputs if both inputs are receiving a signal. This feature allows me to create 5.1 surround with just four BX5a's (plus sub). When my software is sending 5.1, I have the ProFire 610 configured to send the Front-Left / Front-Right to the XLR inputs of two BX5a's, AND simultaneously send the Center channel to the TRS inputs of the same two speakers. A personal drawback, which is just my own `tardism, is that I'll spend hours working on the perfect game track / sound effects set, only to discover that none of the nuances I worked so hard to perfect (and clearly evident on the BX5a's) are even audible on tiny 1" laptop speakers.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 12 2009
I compared these with the M-Audio AV40. I decided on these. They sound great. They're very clean and as other reviewers noted, a little directional. They are monitors. The cones are open and exposed, so I can't recommend them around small children. Their construction is solid with precise fit and finish. I really like them. There are a couple things you need to know about these before you decide to purchase them. First, they don't come with cables. They accept standard XLR (3 pin) male plugs or standard 1/4 inch patch chord for the clean, balanced, installation needed in a recording studio. I purchased my cables from a local guitar shop (Guitar Player). Adorama sells special XLR stereo sets with a 3.5mm stereo pin for computers. That's a better set up than the two individual XLR cables and Y-adapter I picked up (less connections). This site (Amazon) lists them as "HOSA STEREO 3.5mm (M) - TWO XLR(M), 3m (9.9 ft.)". They also offer a 6 footer. If my cable set up gets noisy, I'll order one for myself. Second, the speakers are a bit larger than your typical computer speakers, but not unwieldy. While I was at the Guitar Player, they had the BX8a speakers on display. They were a bit bigger, and also sounded very nice (hard to listen to them over the constant cacophony of disjointed, (bad) guitar and drum players). The final consideration is that each speaker requires its own power outlet. Keep in mind that they are 70 watt, so make sure you shut them off when you're not using them (unless you like burning 140 watts for nothing :-) ). If you can accommodate the power outlet and cable requirements, these are well worth it.
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Posted: Mar 4 2009
I did my homework on studio monitors before getting these and based on what I heard in guitarcenter and read about online, these monitors are the best bang for your buck. they are very heavy duty and solidly built as well as powerful. The kevlar cones are awesome and I won't worry about blowing them out like paper cones do! I have a smaller studio space and I sit about 4 feet from them and out of 1-10 on the volume dial a 2 or 3 is PLENTY loud, almost too loud being that close. The sound is pure and clean, better with them on some Mopads like I have. 1/4" TRS and XLR input gives you options and each one is independently powered giving strong signal and no pass-through latency like you sometimes get with a passive speaker in a pair. Unless money is a major issue it is worth buying these over the M-audio AV40's. Also, the BX8a's are just bigger versions of these. Unless you need major volume or that extra smidgen of bass for whatever reason, these 5a's will handle anything you throw at them. I have them on Mopads like I said and I'm using monster 500 studio patchbay cables running direct from my Tascam US1641 monitor out L/R. I'm using them mostly for mixing Bass guitar and drums in my studio after recording and the bass is plenty capable on these. The speakers sound just like my huge amp does minus the EQ's of course. i don't hear any frequency loss or lack of presence from me playing through my amp and playing back what I've recorded on bass guitar. Drums are crisp and I can't say anything bad about these speakers. These are the BX5a Deluxe speakers which are the new version of the old BX5a's. If you're buying BX5a's, make sure they are the deluxe ones as amazon has a couple different listings under m-audio BX5a.
