Best Pairs of Studio Monitors Under $200

Last Update: September, 2023

When you are creating music, it is important to make the sound into the highest possible quality that you can obtain. A lot of money could be spent on different tools trying to achieve this goal, but if you can’t afford everything then a studio monitor may be your best bet. When creating a mix, a studio monitor gives you the best response from the source of the sounds.

There are a lot of different studio monitors on the market and it may be hard to find the perfect one for your style. We came up with a list of some of our top studio monitor choices and what to look for when purchasing one.

More About The PreSonus Eris E3.5

This monitor has you covered no matter what you intend to use it for. Its quality shines through when working on projects related to gaming, producing music, or just simply watching a movie.

What makes this monitor a worthy bang for your buck is how it does not make “home studio” sound. It has acoustic tuning, which gives you high definition sound quality in any room.

A mixture of different sounds goes into creating music; if you have any of those parts off, your song will suffer. It may sound good on some speakers, but on others, the vocals could be underwhelming or the bass could boom too loud. The PreSonus Eris E3.5 150 will give you the true sound of the mix you’re creating, so it will be quality no matter the system you play it from.

Regardless of what your studio looks like, this monitor will give the playback that you are looking for. Its three input options (RCA, TRS, XLR) give you many ways to optimize your sound.

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More About The Mackie Studio Monitor

Multimedia creations and entertainment are what this monitor has to offer. Its studio-monitor waveguide and high-output drivers give you a studio-quality experience for lower cost.

Your setup is completely under your control, with convenient features like the speaker placement switch, allowing you to pick which side of your desk will get the speaker with the volume switch. This monitor also has a display of controls on the front, which puts all your options at the reach of your fingertips.

You can easily plug any device, whether it's your smartphone or tablet, straight into the monitor and begin your listening experience straightaway. No chords to plug in with? No problem. This monitor also offers Bluetooth pairing.

More About The ​Rockville Apm6b

Every aspect of this monitor has had painstaking detail put into its creation. The rubber woofer and curved design eliminate any unwanted distortion that would happen otherwise. The sound quality is also maximized by taking into account the perfect amount of air space needed to build this monitor.

The controls of this monitor also give you a lot of options for the sounds you’re looking for. They come in a pair and each one is bi-amped, meaning there is a separate amp for the highs and for the lows. You can also adjust the high or low frequency independently with the bass/treble controls.

Makers of this model did not skimp out on the design either. There are three different options to choose from: wood painted black or white, or wood with a vinyl front board. They kept the style in mind when creating this product. With this monitor, the inputs, outputs, and panel controls are all located on the back of the system, presenting a sleek, clean, and modern look.

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More About The ​Behringer MS40

Whether you're a music-mixing savant or just someone who wants to hear their favorite songs played at the best quality, this monitor has you covered. The volume dial and bass/treble EQ controls are all located on the front of the system to make your fine-tuning a breeze. This monitor also has a swift hook-up

The ease of the set-up does not mean that you need to miss out on quality. This monitor has high-resolution converters which make for a dynamic sound range. The powerful woofers, high-resolution tweeters, and monitor speakers all work together to bring you an amazing sound quality.

This monitor gives you many options when it comes to connectivity as well. Whether you’re connecting to your computer soundcard, MP3 player, or keyboard, the wide range and dynamics of the sound will still be high quality.

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More About The ​Monoprice Stage Right

This product holds the power that you’re looking for in monitors. Each monitor holds two power amplifiers to help give you the best sound quality possible. A 30-watt amplifier for the tweeter and 40-watt amplifier for the woofer add up to 70 watts of power for each monitor.

Attention to detail went into the creation of these monitors to give you the best sound quality. Kevlar bass drivers allow it to reach lower frequencies without getting distortion, while a 1” silk dome tweeter keeps your mid and high frequencies neutral.

The speakers are created to give a flat frequency response which gives you a true representation of the final product when you are mixing. What you hear when mixing is what your recording is going to sound like on another system.

What Are Studio Monitors?

Studio monitors are so important when creating music because they provide an accurate response to the sounds that you are producing. When mixing together the different parts of a song, your finished product will turn out the best if using a good set of studio monitors.

Each part may sound harmonious with your speakers, but on another set of speakers, it could sound terrible. An example of this is if you have speakers that understate a certain bass frequency, which causes you to boost it. On another set of speakers without this problem, the bass will become too overpowering.

This is where studio monitors come in:

They allow you to produce a product that will transfer onto any other sound system and still uphold that mix of perfect sounds that you created.

Factors to Consider when Purchasing a Studio Monitor

Your Space

The first thing you need to focus on when purchasing a monitor is the amount of space that you have to fit it. Are you going to be working in a high-quality studio room with perfect acoustics, or in the spare bedroom that your son finally moved out of?

Near-field monitors are best for most people, which means you are going to be listening to them from a close distance. This works well for anyone will a smaller space, instead of a large studio.

You also do not need to buy the biggest monitor for the best quality. Based on the size of your room, a 5-inch is capable of producing high-quality music.You only need to go bigger if you have more space.

You also need to take into account the physics of your room. Make sure you are able to place your monitor away from walls and corners, if possible. This will help with the overall acoustics.

Active Vs Passive

Next, you need to decide if you want to purchase an active monitor or a passive monitor. Active means that the amplifier is built in, while passive means the amplifier is not included in the monitor.

While the industry has been using passive monitors for a long time, there are a lot of newfound benefits to active monitors. They cost more upfront, but save you money in the long run because you will need to purchase an amplifier separately.

Remember, if you wish to purchase a passive monitor, your amplifier needs to be a correct match for that type of monitor.

An active monitor will save you money in the long run. It has a fraction of the hassle of a passive monitor and takes up less space in your studio.

Subwoofer

If you are just starting out your music mixing, then you probably will not need a subwoofer. These are tools that handle sounds that go as low as 30 Hz or even lower.

Keep in mind what your projects are before purchasing a monitor with a subwoofer. If you are putting together some tunes that you and your band made to be replayed on an iPod, a subwoofer will not be necessary. If you are creating a motion picture that will be played on the big screen or a song to be played in a dance club, you may want to invest in one.

Depending on the size of your studio workspace, a subwoofer could potentially do more harm than good. Bass frequencies cannot fully develop in a small space; if you have a small workroom, then having a subwoofer will not help you at all. It will create an unbalanced and inaccurate sound.

Your Budget

You should always stay within your price range, but remember to not skimp out when it comes to the quality of your studio monitor. It is possible to find quality monitors at many different price points. So not having enough money does’t have to be an excuse to not get into mixing music. Just remember to try and go for the best that you can afford.

Buying low priced monitors will be cheaper for you upfront, but when they begin to have technical difficulties you may find yourself replacing them frequently. Spending more on your studio monitors will cost you more upfront, but it is an investment that will reward you for years to come.

More is Better

Some of the specs a more expensive monitor can get you is a wider volume range without distortion, a flatter frequency response, a tweeter that gives you more quality highs, and a woofer that gives you more quality lows.

Conclusion

Now that you know some important aspects that go into creating the highest quality sound, it will be easier to know what to look for when you’re shopping for a studio monitor. There are many different monitors on the market, but we have given you some of our top choices and tips to find the best possible specs without breaking the bank.