M-Audio: BX8 Reference Monitors

The BX8's are low-cost, self-powered monitors with an 8'' woofer and a 1'' silk-dome tweeter. Each monitor has two 65 watt amplifiers, one per driver. The rear panel features four switches (Acoustic Space, High Freq, Mid-Range, Low Cutoff) that allow you to tailor the sound of the monitor to your room's acoustics. Inputs (both XLR and 1/4'') are also on the rear. Out of the box, they are fairly big and heavy (20 lbs. each, which is to be expected from powered monitors). They were very easy to set up, except for one small detail: like many other monitors, the rear panel volume knobs are not detented. This is not a problem if you are running them wide open, but I had to cut the volume to match my other monitors. Even though there are markings, it was still hard to match each side since the knobs turn rather loosely. Detented volume controls should be a standard feature on all self-powered monitors since matching the volume between left and right speaker is critical for proper stereo imaging. [But then again, it's easy enough to set left/right levels by listening to a mono source, and a detented volume control would require extremely precise alignment. -Ed] On first listen to a couple of commercial CD's, the monitors were very bright. I used the high-frequency control to cut the highs by the 4 dB maximum. They were still on the bright side, but this revealed great detail in the high end. There was also a beautiful depth and clarity, but they were a little light in the low mids. The BX8's have plenty of power. If you're tracking a loud rock band who wants it loud in the control room, these will definitely fit the bill. I did two mixes on them and took the mixes to another listening environment with different speakers. The balances between instruments translated pretty well. The vocals were a little light, and the high end was a little muffled on the other speakers, reflecting the brightness I heard from the BX8's. Overall, considering the affordable price, I think you will have a hard time finding a better pair of self-powered monitors, with 8'' woofers, capable of putting out this much volume. And if your room is making your mixes consistently bright when you listen to your mixes elsewhere, these would be a good pair of monitors for you. ($599 pair MSRP; www.m- audio.com)