The Best Monitor Speakers for Small Studio Rooms & How to Use Them

The Best Monitor Speakers for Small Studio Rooms & How to Use Them

Take a look at our range of speakers: https://www.scan.co.uk/shops/siteshop/3099
Tom takes a look at what type, size and models speakers are most suitable for small spaces and shows how to get the best out of them we also have a quick look at room acoustics and what you can do to best improve a space for the least amount of money.

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40 Comments

  1. Josh Smith on March 28, 2021 at 3:13 am

    Iso apoostics…



  2. orry Fishburne on March 28, 2021 at 3:13 am

    I’m leaning towards the Focal Alpha 50 or the Adam T7V. I don’t like the rear facing port on the Adam though. I have an old pair of KRK Rokit 8 2nd Gen but they are starting to crap out on me. I’m loosing a lot of high end and their volume is dropping, so I’m looking to replace them and I want to get away from KRK as well.



  3. Sforzando on March 28, 2021 at 3:18 am

    I’ve been using the iLoud Micro monitors for about a year. I am very satisfied. The only downfall is there is a bit of port noise on frequencies close to 60 Hz. The bass also disappears below 50 Hz. I would HIGHLY recommend these to anyone no matter if you are in a small room or not.



  4. CS on March 28, 2021 at 3:22 am

    Why does bass cancel out in the center of the room?



  5. Skip on March 28, 2021 at 3:23 am

    Wouldnt headphones solve all these issues? Asking for a friend…😀



  6. TheShyGuitarist on March 28, 2021 at 3:25 am

    What do you feel about the JBL 104s? They are quite affordable…



  7. Runnningonempty on March 28, 2021 at 3:25 am

    WHAT SIZE IS A MEDIUM SIZE ROOM? 12’X16′?



  8. Trevor Goldstone on March 28, 2021 at 3:28 am

    I’ve been using the PreSonus R65s for around 12 months and have been really impressed. I have them on isolation stands in a treated small / medium room. Very crisp, clear, accurate, but still with some warmth. I’d recommend them for smallish rooms 👍



  9. Jerk of Hearts on March 28, 2021 at 3:32 am

    What’s your opinion on the KRK Rokit Rp5 G4? Or the Rp7 for that matter?



  10. Heru Kem Wau on March 28, 2021 at 3:33 am

    What dimensions of a room is considered "small"? I have a 10 foot by 10 foot bedroom that Id like to use. Thanks in advance. Great vid.



  11. Fotek on March 28, 2021 at 3:33 am

    Suprised to not see the JBL 305P/308P or Yamaha HS5.



  12. John Argosino on March 28, 2021 at 3:35 am

    I’m using Adam A7X’s, and I have them pretty much up against the front wall, with just 3 or 4 inches clearance. I found it works great, as the bass ports are on the front, as is the power button…very important!

    One tip I’d like to share is this: if you are going to put the speakers very close to the wall, get right angle power and audio cables! I have my speakers laying sideways, so I bought right angle power cords so the cables aren’t crushed up against the wall.
    For the XLRs, I had some custom cables made using right angle Neutrik connectors, but with the pins turned 90° inside the shell to maintain the correct pin configuration but allowing the cable housing to point down towards the ground. This way, with right angle cables you can pretty much put the speaker almost flat against the wall if needed!

    *A caveat: don’t forget if you lay the speaker sideways don’t forget to buy cables that are mirror images of each other, or you will end up with cables going the wrong direction on one of them!!!



  13. Builder on March 28, 2021 at 3:39 am

    Good video! it should get way more views !

    Room calibration can do wonders! I *sometimes* use my 1300W RMS Yamaha DSR-12s, in a 12 qm room – they were producing amazing standing bass waves – it was ridiculous. After calibration, standing waves were completely gone. Obviously, still not the right speakers for that room, but I do have mostly very small speakers that match the space.

    If you have the choice, build your small small studio from scratch and make it a non-rectangular shape 😀



  14. Runnningonempty on March 28, 2021 at 3:39 am

    O.K. I CA SEE THIS THIS IS JUST ANOTHER PIECE OF SHIT WASTING OUR TIME!!!YOU DONT GIVE ENOUGH INFO LIKE ROOM SIZE!!!MEASUREMENTS!!!…AND YOU DONT ANSWER A DAM QUESTION!



  15. Nils on March 28, 2021 at 3:40 am

    Thanks for the video. What a bummer that HEDD doubled their price from Mk I to Mk II



  16. Naren Duffy on March 28, 2021 at 3:41 am

    Really great video. I’m looking at setting up a small studio soon and will be coming back to this when I start shopping for monitors. Where’s the vid you mentioned on the best headphones for mixing?! Looking forward to that!



  17. KING WIN on March 28, 2021 at 3:41 am

    I’m using focal cms40, what’s your take on them?



  18. Peter Mack on March 28, 2021 at 3:41 am

    What do you think of the IK Multimedia micros?



  19. granaff on March 28, 2021 at 3:42 am

    Excellent video



  20. Ace s on March 28, 2021 at 3:44 am

    Damn those genelecs in the background look so good



  21. ProdByXelalex on March 28, 2021 at 3:44 am

    Best video I‘ve seen about this topic!



  22. Leonardo Valenzuela on March 28, 2021 at 3:44 am

    No Kali Audio? Anyways great suggestions.



  23. Wendel Kos on March 28, 2021 at 3:44 am

    m8 this is a great video but missing a fundamental point. If you have a small, almost square room, you will always have a problem with standing waves and low frequencies. There is almost nothing you can do in a standard room against 60hz and lower, so this will always be a problem. And since most producers are focussing on these frequencies: (its the "new sound", always "feels off", they are just not shure, or it doesnt sound as good or as loud as professional productions) there are only a couple of things you can do: 1- GET A SUBPACK + that ikea chair so you can build it in. This is BY FAR the best solution for mixing low end, im surprised this is not talked about more. 2- Get the smallest speakers like the iLoud. 3- Use headphones. All the stuff like diffusion panels, reflexion, isolation and absorption is just rubbish and really wont help getting a clean sound in the low end, because its just too much energy your have to control. Unless you build a pro studio, which can be pretty expensive. Plus you can take the Subpack anywhere you want, even hotel rooms and planes lol.



  24. grosun on March 28, 2021 at 3:44 am

    Damn, I think you guys need to optimise your web placement. I would totally have bought the iLouds off you if I’d known your price matched that offered by tax-avoiding evil Amazon. Thanks for all the tips anyway, super nice instructive video. I’ll be sure to check you out for my next purchase.



  25. Bob Rogers on March 28, 2021 at 3:46 am

    I’m interested in why the size of the room makes a difference in speaker selection.



  26. the doodler on March 28, 2021 at 3:51 am

    Thanks for the vid mate!



  27. Subsonance Sound on March 28, 2021 at 3:51 am

    awesome video!! just watched the audio and video production pc build vid before. subscribed



  28. Sebastian Teh on March 28, 2021 at 3:51 am

    Why are KRKs not making the lists anymore?



  29. Marco Rossi on March 28, 2021 at 3:54 am

    Which usb dac or audio interface do you reccommend for 8010? I am into playing music from PC and dont need to record.



  30. bomberh21 on March 28, 2021 at 3:55 am

    No Genelec 8010? Is this due its limited frequency response? Some of the speakers suggested are similarly limited….



  31. couchcamper on March 28, 2021 at 4:01 am

    I could need ome genral advice for my limited budget and limiting room.

    Situation: I have an untreated 7x4m room with one sloped 7m wall and a couch (every room needs a couch^^) and an assortment of synth on two desktops and a stand (so far, but you may have heard of GAS) and I am using cheap Aiwa "hifi" speakers. Right box is near the corner of the sloped wall, at the other end is the couch.
    I could just not decide what to get, yet.
    I think I won’t need large speakers for the room, but I want to be able to hear bass (the Aiwa are lacking in this regard with 4.5" woofers, and in such a small room!) without going overpowered or to expensive (else I’d just get the genelec xD )
    Would some of those 3" woofer speakers and a sub be better or should I be going with 6.5 inch (plus x) woofers? example: eris 3.5 and sub vs kali lp-6 or fluid audio fx8? What would be, generally, the better way?



  32. MK 187 on March 28, 2021 at 4:01 am

    great video !



  33. Zac Grubble on March 28, 2021 at 4:01 am

    Super video! Thanks much!



  34. Amrit Rao (Official channel) on March 28, 2021 at 4:01 am

    Great video! What are your thoughts on the Presonus Eris 3.5 for Music Production and Mixing in small rooms? I’ve heard they perform better than the 4.5s.



  35. MH on March 28, 2021 at 4:01 am

    If I’m just producing music and not looking to mix too much, would I be able to go for 8" in a small-ish room (3.5m by 2.75m) for the added power in the bass, for vibe reasons, or would it just be too much?



  36. spasibushki on March 28, 2021 at 4:02 am

    hello, GM Ben Finegold



  37. Michael on March 28, 2021 at 4:03 am

    Why not Eris 3.5



  38. Sebastian Baran on March 28, 2021 at 4:04 am

    No talk of diffusers?



  39. David Key on March 28, 2021 at 4:04 am

    Fantastic information but the audio is terrible, love the channel! Just trying to help! Thanks 🙏🏼
    Those t’s and s’s are killing me haha. But again, fantastic information!!



  40. uknowme. wav on March 28, 2021 at 4:11 am

    What about KRK??