Best High-End Professional Studio Monitors For 2018
26th Mar 2018
Music Matter Lists The Best High-End Professional Studio Monitors Available In 2018 For Mixing & Mastering From Premium Brands Such As Focal, Genelec, Adam & More.
Searching for those perfect monitors for your studio can be a daunting process. Picking up a pair of standard Yamaha NS-10s are a thing of the past and now there are a plethora of studio monitors ranging from multiple monitors in one towards monitors that can really handle a high SPL output, we are completely spoilt for choice. Studio monitors are an imperative piece of kit when setting up an audio environment, whether that be a studio or a post production suite, you ideally want to hear a piece of audio as it was originally intended and anyone after that accuracy in reproduction should be after the best on the market.
But the best of the best aren't cheap so why would you splash the cash? Well a studio monitor is usually made up of a woofer, tweeter, crossover and an amplifier, and once you seperate the different components it's relatively easy to understand where each monitor puts it's money. If you want to handle the deepest of low frequencies that last longer then you'll want a large amplifier in an even larger cabinet but still contains that professional audio quality with not too much rumble. If you need a completely flat frequency response so that you have no unwanted surprises when it comes to the EQ then you'll need to invest in monitors that can reproduce frequencies between 1-4 kHz consistently and without fail. Want to pump up the volume without any distortion or extra noise? Then you'll need speaker cones that can handle huge sound pressure without making the overall sound crunchy. Other areas also influence the cost such as room correction, EQ handling, power output, but if you want to have a monitor that is capable in all these fields and also suits you and your own specific needs then you perhaps need to look higher up the studio monitor ladder.
Here at Music Matter we aim to make the choice a little easier for you, we have compiled a list that features the very best in high-end studio monitors, we have looked at each monitor in the list and why it deserves a place on our list; effectively they're game changers, they redefine everything there is in audio monitoring and sound reproduction, they reveal what other monitors miss and they provide you with the power to make critical mixing decsions with confidence.
1. Genelec 8351 APM Studio Monitor
The unconventional and delightfully compact 8351A Acoustically Coaxial Smart Active Monitor (SAM™) is a revolutionary achievement in three-way monitor design.
The 8351A combines Genelec's breakthrough Acoustically Concealed Woofers (ACW™) technology together with their Minimum Diffraction Coaxial (MDC™) driver and Maximised Directivity Control Waveguide (MaxDCW™) to produce controlled directivity over a very wide bandwidth. Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM™ 2.0) computer control allows for repeatable, consistent performance over flexible proprietary network. Genelec AutoCal™ measures and automatically align every monitor on the network for level, timing, and equalisation of room response anomalies.
Providing identical performance in both vertical and horizontal orientation, the 8351A delivers outstanding monitoring accuracy for music studios, post-production houses, edit suites, radio, TV and outside broadcast applications.
Genelec 8351 APM Key Features
Music Matter Recommends:
A rare breed in it's own right, the Genelec 8351 Studio Monitor is so far apart from it's other high-end competitors due to it's unique coaxial design, best in class technology & all in a fairly compact size for it's nature.
Order The Genelec 8351 Today:
2. Adam Audio S2V Studio Monitor
The S2V is a classic two-way nearfield monitor designed for use in small-to-medium-sized control rooms.
The 7-inch bass driver, newly created from the ground up for the S Series, covers frequencies ranging from 35 Hz to 3 kHz and delivers a powerful, distortion-free low-end with a wide dynamic range. The carefully refined S-ART tweeter, handbuilt as ever at the ADAM Audio factory in Berlin, works seamlessly in tandem with the newly developed HPS waveguide, creating absolutely precise imaging within a generously proportioned sweet spot.
The S2V’s compact dimensions belie its impressive power. A 300 W Class D amplifier drives the woofer while a 50 W Class A/B unit handles the S-ART tweeter; the combined output produces SPLs of up to 120dB per pair.
Adam Audio S2V Key Features:
Music Matter Recommends:
The Adam Audio S2V studio monitor offers exceptional care & attention to detail both in terms of hardware & the audio quality, it displays the best lower-frequency control we've heard for quiet a while.
Order Adam Audio S2V Today:
3. Focal SM9 Studio Monitor
This monitoring speaker establishes itself as a reference thanks to the precision of the stereo image, its capacity to reproduce each of the micro details of the audio signal, as well as unconditional respect of the original dynamics.
One of the major SM9 innovations lies in the fact of offering 2 monitoring speakers in only one and unique cabinet. The SM9 is thus composed of 2 monitors: a 3 way monitor and a 2 way monitor.
Focal SM9 Key Features:
Music Matter Recommends:
The Focal SM9 Stuido Monitor's 3-Way monitor system provides a level of performance that cheaper studio monitors can't even come close to. One of the only monitors in the world that has a passive radiator system so worth a buy even as a collectors piece.
Order Focal SM9 Today:
4. KRK V8S4 Studio Monitor
The KRK V8S4 Studio Monitors utilise Kevlar for both the woofer and tweeter, which ensures extremely smooth midrange definition without colourization and a pristine high-end with tight, controlled low-end.
When combined with the bi-amplified design, the V8S4 monitors deliver a wide sweet spot and superior imaging that is perfect for mixing, mastering, recording and playback applications alike.
KRK V8S4 Key Features:
Music Matter Recommends:
A strong performer within its price bracket, built to last & some serious low-end to boot, the KRK V8S4 is one of the most entertaining monitors to have in your studio.
Order KRK V8S4 Today:
5. Event Opal Studio Monitor
Opal represents the culmination of numerous patented technologies Event has been developing for years that they've now brought to fruition. To start, the Opal's 2-way driver design is nothing but world-class. Its EX8 driver boasts an impressive 30Hz-10kHz response with a high-power neodymium motor.
Opal's ULD tweeter with rotatable wave guide is also worth note, as it blends beryllium with the extremely powerful neodymium motor for incredibly high SPL capabilities without the problem of distortion. Take your monitoring to the next level with Opal!
Event Opal Key Features:
Music Matter Recommends:
The Event Opal Studio Monitor goes above an dbeyond when Bringing true-to-life sound reproduction of the original audio source.
Order Event Opal Today:
High-End Studio Monitor Comparison Chart:
| 8351 | S2V | SM9 | V8S4 | Opal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF Driver | 8.5" / 150W | 7" / 300W | 11" / 400W | 8" / 200W | 7.1" / 270W |
| MF Driver | 4" / 120W | NA | 8" / 100W | NA | NA |
| HF Driver | 0.75" / 90W | 2" / 50W | 1" / 100W | 1" / 30W | 1" / 50W |
| Power | 360W | 350W | 600W | 230W | 220W |
| Max SPL | 110dB | 120dB | 116dB | 118dB | 111dB |
| Freq. Response | 32Hz - 40kHz | 35Hz - 50kHz | 30Hz - 40kHz | 35Hz - 19kHz | 35Hz - 22kHz |
| Dimensions (mm) | 452 x 287 x 278 | 346 x 222 x 338 | 320 x 490 x 390 | 435 x 284 x 347 | 295 x 450 x 273 |
| Weight | 19 Kg | 11 Kg | 35 Kg | 14.4 Kg | 21.2 Kg |
