BehringerTRUTH B2031A High-Resolution, Active 2-Way Reference Studio Monitor, Black

This is my first pair of studio monitors so I cannot compare these to anything else but to me they sound amazing, they have brought a whole new dimension into my music. I got these mainly for music listening because I'm a sucker for sound quality but I also do a bit of mixing as well. I get very clear sound at all frequencies with the flat response and the bass is especially crisp and punchy!Pros:Great Price!Great clear sound!They go very loud (up to 113dB)Nice design/solid construction (I can turn these up very loud and still hardly feel any vibration on the cabinet)Ease of connection, RCA,1/4 inch and XLR inputs make this very flexible whatever you are using it for.Many switches at the back for optimising the equaliser depending on where you place your speakers, be it near a wall or in a corner.Built in limiter in case you get a bit heavy handed on the volume :DCons:Slight hiss from the tweeter when the monitors are switched on even when not connected to an audio source ( can only hear the hiss when you get close to the monitors).Small pop when you turn the monitors on and off, not a problem when using them obviously just something I picked up on.Also one thing to note is that these monitors are rather large but this is a given with the 8" woofers so just make sure you have room on your desk or buy some monitor stands.

for the size, POWWWAAARRR kills it, the headroom and response ranges create a very loud, nice open sound, with bi - amping and decent ad da conversion, hook up via usb is an excellent solution, be aware of ground looping on the 1/4 inch input jacks, an HD400 for the quarter inch inputs is a must, 150 watts is a huge amount of power for a set of monitors this small, and hell, do these things pump up, the base response is detailed as hell, and the highs very snappy, a little mid ground is lost, and requires tuning via eq to bring back into focus, investment is also needed when it comes to cabling and a dehummer, so budget that if requiring use of the 1/4/XLR inputs.The sound is crisp, low, open and clean, and very loud, when used with the onboard USB input, the conversion rates are 24 bit, 96khzUsing the mono inputs with a M-Track hub, subzero 8 and an HD400 creates an impressive sound, the ultra high resolution response really helps to drive out the 24 bit, 192khz sound from the M-Track, so if your buying these, be prepared to spend some money treating the input, the speakers deserve to be heard at full fidelity, and its definitely an upgrade from the USB input, your ears will hear the difference.Would i gig with just 150 watts, no, but for a house party, these things pump along quite nicely, and shine as a studio/dj solution for most users, and all for half the price of similar 150 watt models.The are little known, as behringer pushes the "Truth" series more, but these "STUDIO" versions are just as well made, have a little higher, open sound, with a tighter response, for half the money...

I gave this 4 stars because I assume there will be a variety of buyers looking at this. It's really important that you know what your intended use is before you buy. For me and my intended use, it's probably 5 stars. The overall verdict is if you're not buying them as studio monitors, you won't like them.Here's my honest breakdown:Again, these are studio monitor speakers. If you're looking at these as a mid-range product for the intended use of music production then they are excellent. Sure, there are products 3 times the price that are better, but these speakers are a great choice if your budget is anywhere between £100 - £200. Crystal clear, good frequency range, a really true and surprisingly big sound and that's without using the USB connection, which is really loud.If your intended use is for gaming, movies, DJ monitors or even casual listening then look for something else. There are no frills, no added bass, no reverb, no delay, no surround sound, chorus or any other effects. Essentially, nothing that gets in the way of a true sound for music production - which again, it does very well. If you wanted a dual purpose speaker and did also use these for gaming and movies, you'd probably catch some sounds that the average speaker doesn't and the sound is big, even if it's not as full as other types of speakers. I'd actually expect them to be great with a record player as enthusiasts will love the raw sounds it picks up on vinyl.To answer some specifics about the product:I received a pair (as in two speakers, with a cable to connect the first and second speaker)They don't come with a 1/4 inch to RCA/USB etc. (depending how you connect to your PC)They are a little bulky so check the dimensionsThey have a fair amount of power behind them - which was a nice surpriseI use the 1/4 inch connectors, the USB is absolutely insane loud, in my opinion too loud for music productionI use FL Studio as my DAW and haven't noticed any latency when connecting them directly to my laptop although, I prefer running them through my mixer where I also have a second pair of speakers (DJ monitors) and can switch between the true sound and layered sound. There is a fraction of a delay this way but most people wouldn't notice it. The frequency range is fine for most music styles, you'll probably have to pay more for a wider range.For entry/mid-level music production - these are brilliant and probably one of the best in their price range. You won' be disappointed. For anything else, they're loud and perfectly clear - but most people want loud and loaded with effects.