They’re the most important and essential pieces of kit by M-Audio and some of the most popular mid-range home studio gear you can buy — The M-Audio BX5a monitors.

As an essential piece of gear for any setup, producing with the assistance of monitors gives you an accuracy and precision to your tracks and mixdowns that even the nicest home computer speakers can’t come close to. The BX5a’s are geared directly toward those looking to get accuracy without breaking the bank.

The M-Audio lists for $399.99, however they can be found for even cheaper.

They have an impressive range of specs, but for the producer looking to go big for less it’s important that the monitors are bi-amplified and passive. This ensures that if you buy the monitors, ideally that’s all you’ll need to get going, without the need for things like mixers and amps.

The BX5a’s meet this requirement and also provide 70watts of power and frequency range of 56Hz-22kHz which you’d be hard-pressed to find at that price.
Even you drum ’n bass heads will be able to cover the ranges you need.

These monitors also feature a Kevlar for the speaker cones. Personally, I was worried that this was somewhat of a gimmick, but when I compared these to an older BX5’s which had regular cones, the bass on the BX5a’s seemed to have a noticeable punch in the bass and depth not found in the BX5’s.
Not much of a difference, but, still an improvement, and you can find Kevlar in some of the more expensive monitors out there. All these features sound nice but the sound quality is ultimately what matters. This where the BX5a’s shine.

My expectation for the monitors was just a decent mid and high with zero low. I was extremely happy when my assumptions were proven false.
Simply put, these monitors give you very good high, a very passable mid and an extremely excellent low, which is surprising at this price range.

The mid may sound a little muddy but I haven’t heard any other monitors at this price range that sound this good and well-rounded. You get a very clear sound and good articulation in the bass.

Little things in breaks and samples that previously were not noticed became apparent; that’s the one thing you ultimately need in monitors. Like most monitors at this size and price though, you won’t get extremely low bass coming through, which may take some aspiring dubstep producers looking elsewhere.

BX5a’s lean toward having some quality comparable to higher end monitors of this type.

I really had a hard time picking apart the negatives in sound quality with these monitors. The build is also extremely nice. They come in an MDF style casing, look very slick and feel very solid and heavy.

They’ll look good in any studio and even if one were to upgrade their monitors they’d have no problem finding a spot to make these fit in.
Although, these monitors are geared toward the mid-range market, producers like French drum ’n bass producer Redeyes and trance legend BT use them.

But bear in mind — these aren’t super-bass bins; M-Audio makes their BX10 Subwoofer to compliment a pair of BX5a’s. At that price though, it’d be smarter to just buy two KRK RP8s instead.

If you want a pair of monitors that will last for years and give you the most bang for your buck, the BX5a’s can’t be beat! Couple them with a pair of Auralex Mopads for support and you got a wicked sound on your hands!