Hello,

I'm starting to save for some new recording equipment but it's going to be at least 2 or 3 years before I can afford a decent set up (I've started looking into Axe Fx units after you guys told me about them and they are starting to grow on me ).

Right now I have a Line 6 UX1 and when I plug it into my laptop it becomes my soundcard so all my sound comes from the UX1 instead of my laptop - which I don't mind because I use headphones and it's easier to practice when I can hear my playing and the drum tracks both coming out of the heaphones.

I like to use the headphones i but I'm getting to the point where I don't want to have to use them unless I have to - so I started looking into some cheap starter studio monitors.

I came across this:

M-Audio Studio Monitors

The UX1 has a headphone jack, an L/R Monitor In, a L Input and R Input, and finally an L Analog Out and R Analog Out.
If I bought those speakers would I plug them into the Analog Outs and then the sound will come out of the studio monitors?

Thanks!

Hi there - let me help on this one. I have UX2 unit connected to a pair of monitors.
Yes, you need to connect monitors to the analog L and R out jacks.

M-audio monitors are cool budget monitors but I haven't heard the ones you have linked to in action.

From ones I could recommend are those in midrange such as :

KRK Rokit 5 (I use these - they are slightly overkill power wise for my room but sound great and are probably my favorite piece of gear I use every day )
Alesis M1 Active Mk2

Also there should be some nice sounding Behringer monitors in that price range but I can't remember which model it is exactly.

That being said, I think the monitors you have linked on amazon are very interesting and price is great (they are double that price here btw). Do you maybe have a possibility to go to a local store which has them and try them out in action?

They are really small but should sound much better than regular computer speakers for jamming/mixing music on them.
Not sure how much power/loudness you are looking for?

You can get a decent pair of used studio monitors for about $200. So no need to wait for three years. I'd say go for pair of ALESIS MONITOR ONE or KRK 5 or6. You can get those used in good shape really cheap.

I'd say AVOID the monitors you linked to. Those ARE NOT studio monitors. They are really "multimedia monitors" more for playing games and mp3s. I wouldn't trust them to mix anything

Thanks for the advice guys!

I'll look into the suggestions and do some more local browsing to try a find a sweet deal

if you put an audio interface like a UX1 through half decent studio monitors do you get similar sound quality to the sound you get from having them through the headphones?
Just curious as I use the UX1 as well through headphones but I'd like to play more through speakers, why does it sound so different ( crap! ) through regular speakers as opposed to the headphones?

Very good question. I personally don't like to play through headphones much even though I'm often forced to do it. For example when doing some band rehearsals using a mixing board and everyone playing through headphones (so that it can be done in the apartment building). Also I would practice with headphones late at night.

Since I play bass, playing through headphones always sucked. Besides speaker size/frequencies, I'd guess the main factor to why playing on speakers always sounds better is that we are used to listening to our amp this way (via speakers). We expect to hear that kind of sound vs headphones. For example, for me when listening to music it is quite opposite. As I rarely get a chance to listen to music using headphones - this method sounds really cool and more fun than listening to it via speakers. It feels more intimate and I can better hear all the panning tricks in the mix.

Actually, you might ask around here as everyone probably has a pair of studio speakers somewhere they aren't using and could give you a good deal on (I've got two extra pairs myself). Of course the shipping costs might make it not work so it would probably need to be someone in your same country. Where are you located btw? I see on your profile you are listed as being in the United States? Anyone else got some spare monitors they could give him a good deal on?