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M-Audio BX5a Monitors $199/pair at Sam Ash


keybdwizrd

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the link says $150 per pair. good deal .

 

 

Yes, I see that Musicians Friend has added a "sale today" of an extra $150 off, making it a really good deal online. I just purchased a pair from MF and will return the ones I have now to Sam Ash.

 

Obviously retailers are closing these things out... bargains to be had!

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Maybe I have tin ears, but I like the way these sound. I've been listening to various selections from my iTunes library on them and am impressed. My keys sound very nice as well.

 

I listened to a ton of different monitors at the store today. I spent a lot of time listening to the Yamaha HS50m's. They are FLAT as flat can be. I think if you can make you mix sound good on a pair of those, it'll sound good on anything. Maybe if I was a "pro" I'd want those, but most of the time I just want to play my synths and have them sound nice through the monitors. These BX5a speakers provide enough color so that I don't feel as though I am playing through something as dull as cardboard.

 

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My buddy's got the BX5as, I have HS50ms, and his roomate has the 8" version of the HS. I prefer the Yamahas over all, really for anything. The BXs have coloration to the point of almost a squashed sound (as if that makes any sense). It's hard to explain, but I'm not a fan. I would rather have 8" model for bass response alone, but paired with a sub and set up well, the 50s do a great job for mixing.

 

Still, $150 a pair? $300 and a sub for the new home theater? ;)

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Wow, that looks like a Yamaha MoX. Congratulations!

 

What do you think of 1.) its keys when playing piano [obvisouly it's a synth-action board], but is the feel "heavy" enough in that you don't feel like you're playing piano on a "toy"? 2.) its rather limited polyphony [64 voices max] 3.) the lack of aftertouch, 4.) its onboard audio interface [if you use it]

 

But most importantly, do you see yourself making songs entirely on it? In other words, do you like the sounds in general?

Thanks a lot!

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But most importantly, do you see yourself making songs entirely on it? In other words, do you like the sounds in general?

Thanks a lot!

 

 

And how is the keyboard compared to original Motif? I see you've had one of those also. In my opinion the keyboard of the first Motif is the best synth-action keyboard I've tried.

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Sound aside, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST THE BX5as.

 

I work in a video/audio production house (inside an ad agency), and when the faciility was put together about three years ago, 6 workstations were outfitted with those speakers (thats a dozen speakers). Over three years, at least half of the speakers have broken. We even brought in an electrician to make sure the power was ok. But that wasn't the problem, the speakers just fried themselves.

 

About six months ago, we stopped having them repaired, and I recommended we switch to the speakers I've used at home for a few years...KRK Rockit 5s...cheap, but pretty darn good.

 

Anyways, I can't emphasize enough what a nightmare those BX5a speakers have been.

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But most importantly, do you see yourself making songs entirely on it? In other words, do you like the sounds in general?

Thanks a lot!

 

 

1) This is a synth action keyboard, and I'd give it a B+. I have played worse, and I have played much better, but not on an instrument this inexpensive and lightweight. I prefer synth action keyboards, but it is not pianistic in any way.

 

2) I have not noticed any limitations regarding polyphony. No doubt this would occur if I tried to sequence all 16 parts at the same time with sustain and whatnot, but I haven't noticed anything so far.

 

3) Yes, I wish the keyboard had aftertouch, although in the past I have used it sparingly. But I have other keyboards with aftertouch, so I can always use those to trigger the MOX.

 

4) I have not used the onboard audio interface.

 

5) Regarding the sounds - it is the sounds that made me buy the MOX. I previously had a Korg M3 61 that I'd been able to buy new for about $1,400. I sold the M3 (with its marvelous keybed) for $1,200 so that I could get the MOX6 instead. (I had previously sold Roland Fantom XR and Motif Rack units to buy the M3.)

 

I previously had an original Motif 6 that I bought new in 2002. I guess I became very attached to many of the Motif patches, and Yamaha has carried over most of my favorites to the newer models. I liked the action on the original Motif, but I played the crap out of it for many years (and gigged with it, too) and it was literally starting to fall apart.

 

If I had the money, I would LOVE to have a Motif XF6 or XF7. But they're just a ton of money, and the MOX gives me the XS sounds in a much more affordable package.

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Sound aside, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST THE BX5as....


 

 

 

Can't speak for the 5's, but I've got a fried pair of DX4's that I used just for computer listening. They lasted almost a year before self-destructing. Don't know what's wrong with them, but when I turn them on, they immediately blow fuses. Not worth repairing, IMO.

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I liked the way mine sounded. Had them for just over a year when one of them started to crackle. Sold them and got some Yamahas.

 

I would consider buying these again just for listening purposes. Don't trust maudio stuff for pro work, everything I've ever gotten from them has broken after a year.

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I liked the way mine sounded. Had them for just over a year when one of them started to crackle. Sold them and got some Yamahas.


I would consider buying these again just for listening purposes. Don't trust maudio stuff for pro work, everything I've ever gotten from them has broken after a year.

 

 

Have heard that a lot from companies like M-audio and Behringer. I have owned a few things from both and my concerns have always been out of the gate, bad quality and sound quality to begin with.

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I've been using the original BX8 monitors now for several years and I feel like I should be embarrassed when I say I like them. My understanding is the original BX's had a bit more flexibility with the trim switches on the back - where the BX8a's do not have this. I use them for as both my mastering and my "man cave" speakers for playing other music and they've always sounded excellent to me, but I will say that the bass is a little "sloppy" at times, which may be my only complaint. That said, it is time for a new pair of something else. How are those Yamaha HS80M monitors for both mastering synth music and playback of other commercial music? I have heard the Adam A7 and Mackie 824 and they both were too tight sounding for my ears, not terrible just not preferable... probably because I'm used to sloppy bass.

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Alright, I returned the M-Audio BX5As to Sam Ash and got my $216.00 refund ($199 +tax).

 

The new pair arrived from Musicians Friend ($149 with no tax and free shipping). So I saved myself a few nickels.

 

I haven't owned much M-Audio gear - I have two USB audio interfaces from them... both have worked without any problems... I've had one of them for 8-9 years. I also have a couple of inexpensive MIDI controller boards. No problems there either.

 

Hopefully, these new speakers won't cause me grief. There are certainly some less-than-stellar online reviews, but dozens more with four and five stars. It seems like you can look up anything electronic these days... there are always a percentage of people who say that theirs arrived DOA or went on the fritz after a month or a year or whatever.

 

In any case, these speakers sound damn good, especially for $149/pair!

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