PRICES

FOSTEX PM1 MK2 $1199 (PAIR)
TAPCO S5 $870 (PAIR)
MACKIE MR5 $499 EACH
BEHRINGER MS40 $280 (PAIR)

We are sorry to say this but this is one area where you really do need to avoid the cheap stuff. To get a real idea of how your finished project is going to sound, you need to invest in some really good speakers. Those computer speakers are no good, it's a bit like doing up a car's engine only to fit pushbike tyres to it. Ollies preferred speakers are the Mackie MR5's.

FOSTEX PM1 MK2

Exceptional audio performance matched to jaw-dropping good looks.
Fostex strive to design and build studio monitoring systems which enable you to experience your unique sound in all its dimensions. And through tireless research and development, endless measurements and real-world listening tests, Fostex’s engineers have achieved this in the form of the beautiful second generation PM-Series.

Capitalizing on Fostex’s supreme knowledge of acoustics and speaker engineering, and now offering a brighter, tighter sound, these studio monitors are designed inside out to provide the best monitoring experience, with minimal resonance, sparkling highs and rich, deep lows.

And, with new ‘high-gloss’ front baffles, they look as stunning as they sound.

Perfectly proportioned and offering the type of clear-transparent sound that singles out a great speaker, the PM-1 is capable of producing extremely high SPLs accurately across the full audio spectrum. With 120 watts of bi-amped power and a bass response that’s full and dynamic and a crisp high-end that sparkles with vitality, the PM-1 delivers the type of sonic quality that’s usually the domain of monitors costing thousands. Features a UFLC 25mm soft dome HF unit, 160mm LF woofer and input gain control.

  • The LF drivers have been developed to obtain extremely pure music reproduction by employing the latest technology in cone material.
  • The cone uses a mixture of cut and milled fibers that are made from aromatic polyamide. It is then impregnated with resins to simultaneously achieve high rigidity and optimum damping.
  • The cone also has an olefin film thermally adhered to its surface to control frequency response and to establish long term reliability.
  • The center dust cap is made of non-wood cellulose material and is also impregnated with resin.
  • The voice coil is made of super high purity copper wire to achieve extremely low distortion.
  • The20mm soft dome tweeter employs Fostex’s UFLC technology (Poly Urethane Film Laminated Cloth) to achieve light weight and high stability performance.
  • The amplifiers are precisely calibrated to match the performance capability of the drivers
  • Magnetically shielded for proximate setting to video monitor

BONUS - PM0.5-Sub MkII
Designed ideally for use with the PM0.5, the 110 watt, 200mm driver PM0.5-Sub produces precise, low frequency reproduction and an excellent deep bass output. Easy to set-up (just a single gain control and phase reverse switch), the combination of a pair of PM0.5’s and PM0.5-Sub provides superb sonic quality at an affordable price. ONLY ONE LEFT.

 

TAPCO S5

It's no secret that Mackie makes some of the best sounding professional studio monitors in the world. Now that uncompromising design expertise is available at an entry-level price with the TAPCO S·5 Active Studio Monitor. The S·5 features rich, accurate sound, with excellent stereo imaging and a "sweet spot" you just won't believe possible in a monitor this affordable.

 

Exceptional sonic performance
The S•5 active studio monitors may be small, but they're designed to be transparent, producing uncolored sound for critical desktop monitoring in home recording studios, video editing suites, and home theater systems. The S•5's two-way bass reflex design provides an amazingly flat frequency response and benefits from complete system integration with active crossovers, dual 60-watt power amplifiers, precision drivers (5.25-inch LF, 1-inch HF) and a custom-tuned, ported cabinet.

Adjustable, to work any room
Every room is different. Variables like size and shape, furniture, doors and windows, carpeted or wood floors, and where you sit when you listen, all combine to determine what you hear. With the S•5, we included some fine calibration controls to let you adjust the low (+2, +4 dB below 100Hz) and high (+/- 2dB above 5kHz) frequency response to correct any bad influences caused by the room. More importantly, these controls help to ensure that the great sounds you get with the S•5 also sound great on your home stereo, in the car, and anywhere else your music is played.

Protecting your investment
We know people want to blast their monitors for long periods in less than laboratory conditions, so we added some extra circuitry just to keep your S•5s performing their best. The S•5s are tuned to maximize efficiency, but they can get hot when used in the real world. If the electronics get too hot, separate thermal switches activate and shut down the high and/or low frequency amplifiers until they cool down. An Over-excursion filter, just before the low frequency amplifier protects the woofer from shredding itself when the low-end is driven to the maximum. These extra protections ensure long life and monitors you can count on to have your back at all times. Finally, we've adding magnetic shielding to protect your computer display or television from being permanently being tweaked from the powerful magnets found inside the S•5.
 

MACKIE MR5

When you’re ready to make the switch to pro studio monitors, there are many things you need to consider. For instance, it’s up to you to create a mix that works on a variety of speakers—one that translates to boomboxes, home and car stereos, even headphones and portable music players. So you need monitors that deliver a neutral starting point, and sound that is clear across the frequency spectrum. You also want monitors with consistent performance, so whether you’re on axis or off, cranking ’em up or turning ’em down low, what you’re hearing is accurate. And you want all this at a reasonable price.

Mackie MR8 and MR5 Studio Monitors deliver truly professional quality and everything you need for critical monitoring—at a price that’s unbelievably affordable. Wide, even dispersion means a broad sweet spot, minimizing funny dips or peaks in frequency response when you move off axis. You get superior bass extension—tight and free from distortion—so your lows pack just the right amount of punch. And to ensure the best sound possible for your setup, the MR Series monitors feature acoustic controls so you can tune them to fit your room. With their Active bi-amplified architecture, wide dispersion, ultra-flat frequency response and outstanding bass performance, you get superior imaging with impeccable clarity, for a truly inspirational, non-fatiguing monitoring experience.

Our MR Series monitors achieve their transparent sound quality thanks to these key design elements:

  • Minimum-Diffraction Molded Baffle: When it comes to baffle design, shape matters; it plays a role in how sound waves travel. Our baffle is precisely molded to minimize diffraction, so sound waves radiate smoothly, and are dispersed optimally. Our precision waveguide is designed to ensure broad, even dispersion, and a smooth transition between highs and lows. The result is a crystal clear image of your mix, with an ultra-wide, even sweet spot. Whether you’re in mix position or not, on axis or off, you’ll always hear an accurate representation of your mix. 
  • Amplifier Design: Amplifiers are the power behind a monitor’s sound, but they can also color it. Unlike with passive monitors, our amplifiers are precisely matched to the monitor design. Featuring our proven Class A/B architecture, the MR Monitors’ amplifiers are meticulously tuned to deliver ultra-flat frequency response, so the sound remains neutral. To compensate for room characteristics, acoustic controls allow you to adjust High Frequency and Low Frequency settings (+/-2dB). Balanced inputs allow you to get the best signal possible, but the option of unbalanced inputs mean you can connect easily to any source. And MR Monitors deliver enough power to handle the toughest source material, at sound levels beyond sane people’s requirements.
  • Cabinet: A speaker’s cabinet is more than just an enclosure—it’s another component that affects the overall quality and character of the sound. Our cabinet features a rear port, carefully tuned to deliver superior bass performance with no audible vent noise.  Because air passes through the precisely engineered curved port easily, there is no distortion, and no build-up of pressure within the cabinet that could affect driver movement. The rigidity of the cabinet’s precision-braced MDF construction also prevents vibration, meaning your sound is always free from unwanted resonance.
  • Transducers: Transducers are responsible for converting your electrical signal into sound, so consistent, unwavering performance is a must if you want sonic clarity. We specifically create our ultra-low distortion steel frame woofers and waveguide-loaded silk dome tweeters to work perfectly in concert with all the components in each MR monitor. You get a precisely tuned monitor that performs with impeccable consistency.
  • pplications MR Series Monitors are ideal for a variety of applications. Use the MRs to empower your mixes in the studio, or to add pro sound to your multimedia, gaming or home theatre system. You can even use them for a great-sounding home DJ rig. The MR5 and MR8 Monitors share the same design, so they function great together, too, making them optimal for multiple monitor setups—just add a Big Knob —as well as surround systems.  For any applications where high quality sound and classic good looks are required, MR monitors are the perfect fit.
 

BEHRINGER MS40

Digital quality for near-field reference! These active monitors feature 24-bit/192kHz D/A converters to accept S/PDIF input. Coaxial and optical jacks provide direct digital transfer from computers, keyboards, and MP3 players with no loss of quality. Stereo miniplug and RCA inputs also available for analog audio.
These compact, super-affordable 2 x 20-watt near field monitors feature ultra-high resolution 24-bit/192 kHz D/A converters, which let you connect digital sources directly in order to eliminate analog line-loss and hum. Connect your computer sound card, keyboard, MP3 & Mini Disc players and enjoy excellent detail and great dynamics. Optical and coaxial inputs to directly connect digital audio sources by S/PDIF interface! The built-in amplifiers offer plenty of headroom, while the powerful woofers and tweeters provide an ultra-linear frequency response. Two stereo analog inputs featuring 1/8 in. TRS and stereo RCA connectors can be used simultaneously or mixed with a digital stereo source. The speakers also feature individual volume controls for both Line inputs plus Bass and Treble EQ controls, and there is a 1/4 in. TRS headphone connector with a front-panel auto-mute loudspeaker function.