Alesis Monitor One Mk2 Studio Monitors User Reviews at zZounds

"Awesome." submitted December 4, 2006

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Sound: Natural sounding highs to lows. A little underemphasized low end. A tad muddy mid bass when there's a lot. A bit of distortion at high mid to high listening levels. I compared this unpowered monitor ($199) with a Alesis RA150 amp ($199) next to a Alesis M1Active 620 monitor ($399). The monitor one MKIIs won. - The M1Actives has better reign over bass frequencies but was too boomy and despite the controls on the back, I couldn't make the boominess acceptable. The monitor ones don't have a lot of bass at all but aren't boomy. - The M1Actives have tinnier high frequencies. Vocals sounded hollow through them. The monitor ones do a very good job with vocals, very natural. I play a piano synth through both and noticed the same. - The M1Actives have low level hiss without any input and no gain. Unacceptable to me. The RA150 amp has very very little hiss in comparison. I'm a little bewildered at Alesis. If you have Alesis Monitor Ones ($199) + Alesis RA150 amp($199), shouldn't that be comparable in every way to Alesis M1Active 620s ($399)? Why do I find the unpowered monitor + amp setup better? Feature: I like how the text on the front wraps around slightly so you can turn them on their side and they still look right. The connections on the back are angled a little out to make it a bit easier to connect. Ease of Use: It's a speaker Quality: I've had mine for two years. No problems. Value: The shining part of this speaker is value. Yeah it has it's shortcomings but for $200 it's unbelievable. Overall: It doesn't change my life but subjectively I love them. I could get more expensive speakers if I wanted but I'd have to spend a LOT more before I thought I had a significant upgrade.

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"Get reliable mixing results - go for Alesis!" submitted October 16, 2007

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Sound: They have very detailed sound, you can really "listen into" mixes and find out most problems. The stereo imaging of these speakers is awesome; you can easily find the place of each and every instrument within a track with a huge sense of space. Frequency response is also fine - flat and reliable with a resonable low end, detailed mids, and a soft, authentic high end. Feature: It doesn't have any special features - a simple pair of speakers capable of producing very good results. Ease of Use: They come with a printed manual which explains how to position and install the speakers. Quite straightforward, so if you're new to sound engineering it will give you a good starting point. For professionals it may also give some specific tips about using this particular set of speakers. Quality: They are very strongly and precisely built. The downside of their massive construction comes out when you have to carry them yourself - I thought I would never get home... :-) Value: They not only worth the money but also contradicts the generally accepted viewpoint that concerning monitors you get what you pay for. Compared to some E-MU or Dynaudio speakers they perform surprisingly well; I must say even better. Manufacturer Support: I asked for some detailed information about the product before I bought it and Alesis answered within 24 hours. They seem to have a quite nice customer support. The Wow Factor: It was mainly an addition to my existing studio setup. Of course I wanted them, though. Overall: I think I couldn't have chosen a better pair of monitors not only for this amount but in the same technical category. If you want a highly reliable studio monitor for your project studio or a "B setup" for your existing control room I truly recommend you to go for these.

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"With a subwoofer, these are just the ticket. Without a subwoofer -- use a little EQ and these speakers will knock your socks of" submitted May 2, 2007

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Sound: The sound of these monitors will blow you away for the price. With my experience with them so far I can see only one thing that someone might complain about: With out a subwoofer to go along with them, you won't have enough bass unless you EQ these speakers. With a subwoofer, these speakers are just the ticket, as they let the sub do the work for the low frequencies, while cutting through nicely with their mid and high range. If you don't have a subwoofer, you can EQ these and get still get a very excellent bass response out of them. That's what I've been doing and I'm really really pleased with them. I tested them accross a bunch of different songs while playing with the EQ and I found a sweet spot that seems to do justice to all of the songs I tried and then some. I leave the mid to high frequencies where they are (flat) and EQ to the low end. Driven this way they respond excellent and very truthfully. And they have that wow factor when you do this. People will be impressed with how much bass you can actually get out of them. Feature: Pretty basic, just connect your speaker wires to the back. Ease of Use: You need a little bit of EQ in most situations to get great sound. Unless you have a sub woofer of coarse. In that case, you should be totally fine without any EQ. Quality: They're very simple, passive speakers so no frills, just sound. Value: This is where they win hands down. Excellent, excellent value. Manufacturer Support: So far so good, no problems yet. The Wow Factor: They look really nice. It's fun to watch the cone. The words around the cone look classy.

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"Alesis - On Stage in my Studio." submitted June 14, 2004

By a customer from rocklandmaine.net

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Music Style: Rock/Pop/Acoustic

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Sound: Very sweet high end and the bass end is present, but not overpowering. Feature: Hmm.. well they include a cabinet and drivers, so I assume the cabinet finish may be a "feature". Semi-gloss and magnetically shielded. Quality: These babies could sell each, for what they are as a pair. I wouldn't have a problem with that. Value: See "Quality". (No sense repeatin' myself.) The Wow Factor: Will make a great addition to my already - equipment laden - mixing setup. Own a set of Alesis Point Seven's, and they have been great, but need more precision in audio than the old .7's can deliver. Overall: These will keep me entertained for a long time. In complement to my Alesis .7's, I should be able to duplicate the entire human hearing range with sonic clarity. I've been very loyal to Alesis, and they've been good to me in return. I thought twice about buying a comparably priced set of M-Audio, Event, or JBL's. This purchase is a no-brainer.

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"You looking for inexpensive and good?" submitted October 2, 2004

By a customer from onebox.com

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Musical Background: Active musician, recording engineer

Music Style: Folk, Rock, Hip Hop, Whatever Moves Me

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Sound: Admittedly my first experience with near fields and I know there are more expensive kinds, but for my home studio, which is small they work very well. I've mixed two cds worth of original tunes on them now and translation factor (how the final product sounds on other players, home stereo units, boomboxes, etc..) is very good. I mix down on these, I'm reasonably assured the mix will travel. Feature: Solid, basic. Wish the things had grills, but that's just a vestigial need left over from days when I still lived in the swamp. I'll live without grills.... Quality: Product is very well made. Snobs tend to rate these lower end Alesis (and Alesis in general) low. Oh well, you got a lotta bucks? Then what are you looking here for? Value: Very good value. Manufacturer Support: This rating is what I hope if I ever need service. Been using these for about eight months now. No problems. Knock on wood. The Wow Factor: Sure I want 'em. I bought 'em, didn't I? Overall: I like these because they're a) inexpensive b) good. You looking for inexpensive and good? Buy these.

6 of 7 people (85.71%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Bang for Buck. Period." submitted November 4, 2011

By a customer from gmail.com

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Musical Background: Recording Engineer/Mix Engineer

Music Style: Hip Hop, RnB, Pop, Electronic

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Sound: I like the sound of these babies. I've worked on Genelecs, Mackies, and Behringer before these. I was on a tight budget when they were purchased, so I did a lot of research for "bang for buck" monitors. These did not let me down. As has been said, they are a little shy on the low end, but everything else is pretty good for the coin. More about the low end. When I first began mixing on these, I found that my mixes translated well with the exception of the low end. I burned a lot of reference CD's before I got used to what was going on in the particular room I was in. I've since moved to a different room (bought a home), and have had that room treated with OC 703 bass traps and broadband absorbers I built. Next, I bought KRK Ergo. I have been having little to no problems with my bass translating now. I do a lot of referencing on ear buds and car stereos. When a song goes from my studio to either of these, they sound like I expect them to sound now. If you're looking for bang for buck, get these. Be aware of the low end (get yourself a good refrence CD to learn what is the "proper" amount of bass you should be shooting for), and treat your room to get the best out of these babies. Feature: Um, I guess the only real feature is that they are ported. According to the manual this was done to improve bass response. The bass response could still be better, so I guess having the port is great considering what they would've sounded like without one. Ha! Ease of Use: Quite easy to use since there is not much to do but connect them. Quality: I think the quality is quite good for the money. I've had them for over five years and they have given me no issues. Even when I crank them up occasionally, they have continued to function great. Value: Value? This one is easy. 10. For $200 you can't go wrong wit these. Manufacturer Support: Didn't know what to do here. I've not had any issues so I've not needed any support. The Wow Factor: I'll give 'em a six here. They look nice, but could be a lot sexier. The look functional more than good. Overall: Overall, I'll give these an 8. Low end response is important so I have to ding them there, and the lack of real sex appeal gets them another ding.

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Alesis Monitor One Mk2 Customer Review submitted November 2, 2011

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Sound: fantastic!!! is there a better word? Feature: i had alesis amp and god it was so crystal clear...better than worlds most expensive sound at a gr8 price Ease of Use: just plug and listen..hassle free Quality: want to hug the speakers and go to sleep

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"Good for a reference monitor only!" submitted February 5, 2005

By a customer from yahoo.com

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Musical Background: Engineer

Music Style: All

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Sound: These monitors sound good for the price but are not 100% accurate for mixing! Sure... your recordings will sound great in the studio but the real test lies in how good the mix sounds when played on other systems outside the studio! Good mids and nice high end but the lower frequencies are not at all accurate. What you end up with is a great sounding cd on the system it was recorded on but real BOOMY mixes elsewhere! These monitors are excellent when used as a reference but spend the extra money and get a pair of REAL STUDIO MONITORS if you want truly accurate mixes!!

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Alesis Monitor One Mk2 Customer Review submitted April 17, 2004

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Sound: These being my first set of real monitors, cant really compare to other brands, but they are a big step up from home stereo speakers. Nice and accurate, I've remixed a lot due to the flows home speakers dont point out. Feature: These are work well stand alone, but if you are doing more styles like hiphop, etc. You may want to consider getting a separate subwoofer.

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"Alesis Mk2 - a great value for the money and your ears" submitted November 24, 2011

By a customer from mac.com

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Musical Background: 20+

Music Style: jazz funk, electronic, hip hop

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Sound: Well so far, so good. I was looking a mid-grade passive speaker product to add to my project studio. The Alesis Mk2 fit my budget. I was slightly afraid of what I was getting because of the low price but they've actually improved my writing and mixing tremendously. Feature: These speakers are sleek and professional looking; heavy and of good quality. I love the simple design. Ease of Use: Once you have all of the set-up elements in place, the Mk2's are easy to operate. I was disappointed that ZZounds did not have a comparable amplifier option available with this speaker. You buy the speakers inexpensively but HAVE to purchase an amplifier and cables in order to use them. Quality: Simple design, sleek, and solid. Value: This product is wonderfully priced and makes sense for your project studio IF you already have a power amp and cabling...... which could easily add and addition 350.00. Manufacturer Support: yes The Wow Factor: price Overall: so far so good. I'm satisfied overall.

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