Some previous discussion:

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/speakers-of-choice-for-montage?viewallreplies=1
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/montge-buying-advice-please?viewallreplies=1
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/montage-volume-low,-using-jbl-lsr308-8-powered-monitors?viewallreplies=1
https://yamahasynth.com/forum/best-monitor-speaker-stereo-for-live?viewallreplies=1
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/sound-quality?viewallreplies=1

I like the Yamaha DXR10 speakers used in a stereo pair.

If you need some extra bottom end then a single powered subwoofer:

DSX12 or DSX15 can be added.

DXR10 has the best performance/weight/size for my use.

The sound quality is stellar!

Craig

+3 when you count

Tones
https://yamahasynth.com/forum/best-monitor-speaker-stereo-for-live?viewallreplies=1#reply-2056

Two DXR12 speakers will do nicely. I have used that in the past and they have plenty of power but also sound good at lower levels as well.
They were much easier on my ears than some other options that I have used in the past.

and Joel
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/speakers-of-choice-for-montage?viewallreplies=1#reply-11081

DXR12 or DXR10 or DBR 12 or DBR 10. for PA (stage using).

Within the previous discussion are other recommendations - something other than the DXR series - with +3 (or more) and the tally for the DXR series may be higher.

Hello Chris - depends how critical you are. The Yamaha DXR10s will set you back way over a Grand, so if you've just bought your Montage and are married, stand by for a fight! In the less rarified world of home hobbyists, would you believe my little Sony hi-fi yields acceptable results for most Pfs, while the addition of a Behringer mixer (€94) has improved my ancient Alesis M1s (€300) to equally acceptable levels. Of course the more you spend on speakers, the better the results should be (I stress 'should') - but get your hearing tested first!

Hi Rod, yes I have just bought a Montage and are married so no way can I get away with spending over a Grand on speakers 🙂 . I am currently playing my keyboard through a mono Behringer ultratone K900FX and wondering whether or not something like a pair of Behringer B2031A studio monitors would be any improvement. I do not gig and play purely at home for my own entertainment in my man cave.

I have but one question for you: what music do you currently listen to in mono?
Answer should be, none. Your car radio is stereo, your computer is stereo, every possible hand-held playback device, even your phone is stereo. Even your flat screen TV is stereo. You'd be hard pressed to make a case for mono in your situation. Especially in the man cave!

Go for the best stereo monitors you can get away with! But music, like life itself, is stereo. 🙂

Seriously, in a Live situation you can't always get stereo going (it's a bigger effort to be sure) but for creating music at home, get yourself a good pair of studio monitors.

The monitor question always comes up. Like any electronic sound/music reproduction device, it is only going to sound as good as you are able to accurately reproduce the sound waves.

Mono is totally out of this conversation since that would result in very poor reproduction quality. I can hear the distortion now.

Your synth can cost $100,000 but if you attach $50 monitor/speakers you'll get $50 worth of sound quality. Attach $300 monitor/speakers and you'll get $300 worth of sound quality. Attach $1,000 monitors/speakers and you get $1,000 worth of sound quality. Diminishing returns might kick-in at some point around $2,000 (for a man cave) but basically the Montage is the brain and your monitors are the heart/soul. You don't want a big brain but with no heart and soul.

I'd also add that without a clean, accurate, and nicely powered sub-woofer then you're only getting about 1/2 of what Montage has to offer in entertainment pleasure. You want loads of clean, quality power not for loudness necessarily but for clarity, sonic precision, transient reproduction capability with zero distortion. Not to mention all of the other stuff such as acoustic room treatments, monitor positioning, stereo imaging etc.

Think about this. Some teenagers will invest literally thousands into their car stereos/amps/speakers. Hundreds of watts with massive magnets and the volume of their car is how much? In contrast, we musicians will buy a Montage and then settle for $200/$400/$600 monitors for a much, much larger space. The teens are kicking our butts on this one.

I recommend you save up for a system so that when you play the Seattle Strings performance, then the Seattle Strings will be sounding just like they are playing in your room. It doesn't just make some of the difference, it makes all of the difference.

I've recently changed to all analog with my mixer and my monitors are all self powered. I bought my JBL monitors/sub used on ebay for cheap. I have 440 watts on the L/R and 450 watts on the Sub. No one says you must spend BIG money for a high end sound.

Thanks BM and David for you replies which have totally convinced me to what I should have, the hard bit however will be getting approval from the wife after spending a lot of money on the Motif . Wish me luck 🙂

When I search for HS7W, I see a place that allows adding 2 used ones (in fact, allows me to add 24 used ones - not sure if the system is working properly to limit vs. inventory unless they really have a bundle of them) and you get just over $40 back in fake money you can spend at the same store. Maybe this can get you some "free" new cables or some other accessory for the keyboard (expression pedal, etc.) Shipping is free and total shows $416 which is about $180 savings vs. new (or $220 if you count the fake money for some other purchase as savings).

... the main point being is maybe you can find a deal, then find the top-tier solution and demonstrate how you're being financially responsible. The HS7 or HS8 monitors are what Yamaha uses to demo the Montage - so this should be fine for home/studio use.

Hello Chris - the Behrinnger B2031A 'Truth' monitors were on my very short list, as were the KRK Rokit 7 G3 and Yamaha HS7, all in much the same price range (€400 the pair delivered), which is not bad. But I look at them and they're much the same size, shape and weight as my old Alesis M1s, and I do wonder just how much better will they really sound? I mentioned getting your ears tested - no joking - I have 30% hearing loss at both ends of the scale, so there's absolutely no point in reproducing sound I can't hear anyway. But your need is greater than mine - mono is not good for a stereo output - so I'd go with with a new pair of monitors - my own tentative choice is the Rokits, because they tend to colour the sound a little and I dislike absolutely flat response.

Hi Rod - Thanks for your reply and I hadn't looked at the Rokit range but they do look interesting as the reviews say that they are not as flat as most. At the moment I seem to have narrowed it down to the Yamaha HS7 or Rokit 6 G3. As I said in my original post I do not want speakers for professional mixing, just for playing live in my room. I play most types of music from ambient through to EDM and do like to hear the bass and am a bit concerned that the HS7's may be lacking in this area. The problem that I have is that there are no longer any music shops in my home town to go and compare speakers so am having to go on other peoples experiences and advice.

You might search ebay for some JBL LSR4328P with room monitor, networking and computer control software. The wave guides are nice and the rubber like surround eliminates any reflections and vibrations etc. My friend has the Yamaha HS series and he is astonished by my system. You should also search for the matching sub.

Here's one pair for dirt cheap for what you get and in the boxes as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JBL-LSR4328P-8-IN-SPEAKER-PAIR-MONITORS-TWO-WAY-SYSTEM-PAK-STUDIO-DJ-PRO-BI-AMP-/122266366572?hash=item1c77a4b26c:g:mQ8AAOSw5cNYTety

The SUB shown here although this one isn't working but this is what it looks like.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JBL-LSR4312SP-12-Linear-Spatial-Reference-Powered-Subwoofer-/152456100628?hash=item237f177b14:g:XSMAAOSwCU1Yt1Fh

Some people complain about the rubber surround, it can be treated, but this is what dampens the vibrations and eliminates the reflections.

FWIW I use Behringer Truth 2031A monitors in the studio - they are useless for gigs and I have just bought a Turbosound iP2000 column outfit for gigs ideal I think as it can be set up using Bluetooth from anywhere in the venue, it can also be linked via Bluetooth to a second column if you wanted stereo, cost a reasonable £845. One third the price of a Bose system yet , in most reviews, better performance.
Peter

Hello Dave - they look good but relatively pricey - at least the asking price does! I tend to stay away from e-bay because of delivery problems in the past, preferring to deal with outfits like Gear4Music and Thomann's - and I worry about being second-hand when that applies!

Chris - I decided on the Rokit 7 rather than the 6 for the same reason - a bit more oomph at the bottom end. I'm not keen on sub-woofers, as the nett effect to me is to 'muddy the waters', but what I lose i depth I gain in clarity' Bit of a personal trade-off.