M-Audio BX5a's Any Good?

A hot topic amoung studio engineers is always which type of speakers are best to mix with. Everyone has their own personal preference regarding the perfect speaker that's for sure. Should you spend money on a great sounding pair of speakers that have their own unique sound? Just because they're expensive and can make a mix sound good doesn't mean it will sound good on other speakers.

It would be crazy to epect a great all around mix using only one pair if monitors. You need a crappy pair because most people listen to music on this kind of system, whether in a car, portable player, headphones etc. Maybe not really bad system but we're not talking about audiophiles here.

You need another pair that are pretty good with no coloration in the tone, but a nice natural response. We can find such speakers that fit the description here and at a very low price too. Tthe M-Audio Studiophile BX5a's fit into this type of reference monitor.

This is a company who knows this market and do a good job with many, (not all) of their products. We're reffering to the average everyday home studio and not the gear that's in the $1000's and up range.

Geeze, if we all had to spend that kind of money our home studios would never get done.

The Difference is in the BX5a's Bi-Amps

What you won't find in lower speaker models such as the M-Audio AV40's is the bi-amp system. This means that both the high end and the low end speakers have their own dedicated power which makes for a much better efficiency in frequency response. That's how you get a good sounding speaker right there. Cheaper speakers use only one amp to deliver power to both tweeter and lower end speaker of the monitor.

Considering that the M-Audio Studiophile 70 watt BX5a's cost about $100 more than the AV40's it's well worth the difference when you hear these two studio reference monitors side by side.

The M-Audio BX5a's come in the 75 watt model and also a 130 watt model which is called the BX5a Deluxe.
Regardless of which studio monitor you'll be using on your upcoming mixes, wattage rating aside, don't by-pass the bi-amp!

Read more about the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a and other and check out more studio recording equipment.