As a professional audio engineer, you’re probably already well aware that having a reliable and high-quality pair of monitors is one of the most crucial things that you can have in your arsenal to make sure that your mixes are accurate, precise, and ultimately enjoyable.
We have reviewed a wide range of monitor speakers in the last two years, and today we’ll be going over the best studio monitors under $1000 you can buy in 2024.
These are the best studio monitors under $1000 to buy:
- Adam Audio A4V
- Genelec 8010A
- Focal Alpha 80 Evo
- Kali Audio IN-8 V2
- Dynaudio LYD 5
- Focal Alpha 65 Evo
- KRK Rokit 10-3 G4
Adam Audio A4V
Crystal clear
Long time readers of ours may already be familiar with our favoritism towards Adam Audio, and the A4V’s performance only reaffirms our opinion.
This monitor delivers a great amount of clarity and detail in the mid to high frequencies, and showcases excellent power handling and little to no harmonic distortion at higher volumes.
While its lower frequency range only reaches around the 52 Hz mark, the bass reproduction is surprisingly good. Although, a subwoofer might be worth looking into if you want more representation of the low sub-bass region while you mix.
Some folks may find the default settings to be a bit bright, which is understandable, but we find this to be to its benefit. Overall, the Adam Audio A4V is an extremely solid investment at under $1000 for anybody seeking a high-quality monitoring experience.
Check out our full Adam Audio A4V review
Genelec 8010A
Precise and compact
Some of you may already be familiar with Genelec, which has been one of the top leading monitor manufacturers for the better part of the past 40 years.
The 8010A are of the smaller models the company has to offer, and while you may think $700 for a pair of 3-inch monitors may be exorbitant, true professionals and masters of audio would disagree.
These are some of the most accurate monitors available for this price point, and while the frequency response only reaches down to 67 Hz, you’d be surprised at how tight and focused the bass actually is.
While a subwoofer may be the next investment for you, the Genelec 8010A offer amazing tonal balance and incredible stereo imaging, making them well worth the money.
Check out our full Genelec 8010A review
Focal Alpha 80 Evo
Amazingly accurate
Here, we have an impressive flagship model, the Focal Alpha 80 Evo, which is a great option for professional engineers seeking a capable monitor with rich sub-bass reproduction. The monitor features an aluminum inverted dome tweeter as well as a Slatefiber cone woofer.
The Slatefiber cone woofer, for those of you who aren’t aware, is created from a composite material consisting of recycled carbon fibers and thermoplastic polymer. This provides the monitor with more rigidity and damping, resulting in accurate and detailed sound, particularly in the midrange.
The monitor provides excellent dynamics, a neutral tonal balance, and a frequency response from 38 Hz to 22 kHz. We can gladly recommend it to anybody.
Kali Audio IN-8 V2
Best bang for buck
This monitor boasts amazing performance in the mid and high frequencies. Its price is also ultra-competitive.
To quickly touch on some downsides, the electronics produce a bit of noise (which is unfortunately common for some Kali monitors) and the bass response feels somewhat blown out and sluggish.
Despite these flaws, the IN-8 V2 is overall, an extremely capable monitor. Its imaging and mid-range clarity are fantastic, which makes it super reliable when it comes time to mix.
Although the bass response may not be ideal for some, the IN-8 V2 is ultimately worth consideration, and we’re happy to recommend it.
Dynaudio LYD 5
Accurate and reliable
The Dynaudio LYD 5 offer near flat frequency response as well as excellent directivity and low distortion. While its bass response may be somewhat lackluster, its upper bass boost compensates for this rather well.
Larger models in the LYD series may have improved bass response, although the price point on those disqualifies them from being on this list.
Overall, despite this minor flaw, the LYD 5 is a well-designed monitor that offers a truly impressive performance for its size and price point, making it one of the more solid choices under $1000.
Focal Alpha 65 Evo
Neutral and clear
The Focal Alpha 65 Evo delivers a neutral and clear performance, as well as stronger bass response than what most speakers can offer at this price point.
We found its overall performance wavered on the bright side of things, but this was easily corrected with a few tweaks on the rear controls. The Alpha 65 Evo has a frequency response of 40 Hz – 22 kHz, which is more than enough for most common mixing applications.
There was some harmonic distortion present at higher volumes, but not enough to deter us from recommending it.
KRK Rokit 10-3 G4
Tried and true
The KRK Rokits have long been a popular choice for producers due to their consistency and affordability. Obviously, they’re not without their downfalls, and to our ears, the overhyped and excessive base can be rather deceiving, making it challenging to achieve an accurate mix, especially for non-EDM genres.
That being said, their coloration can be learned overtime, which paradoxically makes them oddly reliable. Well, they might not be the best studio monitors available, they do offer a decent level of sound quality and consistency for the price.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve gone over our under $1000 picks, let’s just reiterate that there isn’t a right and wrong here. The most important part of finding a good pair of monitors is finding the best pair that works for you.
Everybody’s ears are different, so not every monitor is going to be as helpful to you as it might be to somebody else, and forget about how subjective taste is.
If your budget isn’t a plump, there are plenty of worthwhile options we didn’t mention that you can find for cheap. Check our best cheap studio monitors guide.
However, you get what you pay for, and if you’re a professional producer or musician, it’s worth the investment to hear every detail in your mix.