
M-Audio EX66 Active Reference Monitor (200 Watts, 2x6 in.)
Two 6 in. custom linear-piston woofers. 1 in. titanium dome tweeter with wave guide. 37Hz -- 22kHz frequency response.
Overall User Ratings (based on 30 ratings)
Submitted November 10, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com
"Underrated diamonds in the pack"
I plan on keeping these for many years. If I blew them up I wouldnt hesiate to buy another set. Now my mixes are as they should be.
Sound
It took me about a month to understand these monitors. It was only when I read Butch Vig used them and then went and bought some of his productions things became clear (in my mind). What I didnt understand at first was how accurate these monitors are. I had been using a set of KRK V8s and Event ASP8s for about a year and mixes werent translating well at all. With the events bass was always to light, vocals to low. With the KRKs not enough mids and a generally unbalanced mix such as vocals to low, drums to loud. Anyway when I got the EX66s the difference in sound was like night and day. Every single detail of a mix could be heard on the EX66s which I definitely wasnt used to with the KRKs and Events. That (strangely) is why it took a month for me to understand the sound of them. I was still mixing as if I were using my previous monitors.
Their magic for mixing vocals. Far to often with vocals regardless of monitors you end up mixing them to low. Not so with the EX66s. You want to be able to mix instruments and vocals as you would like to hear them..Right? Of course you do, and thats exactly what you can do with the EX66s. Synth and guitar lines are wonderfully lively, full of presence...they just spring out at you in a very musical way. I make indie electronic stuff and I can honestly say that unlike many other monitors I have tried these EX66s excel at both. The events were hopeless at indie guitar stuff and the KRKs were hopeless with electronica. Another really great thing with the EX66s is you can mix at very low volumes as well as loud...cool. The sound filed (sweet spot) is excellent. Theres none of that move your position by one foot and the sound goes pear shaped.
Although M audio dont make a big point of it (but they should have) is these speakers have been designed with less than stellar rooms in mind which I would imagine many people have. They can sound excellent in the worst of rooms which is a big ++ point imo. Of course if your room is treated then WOW...you will really start hearing audiophile quality. I didnt have my room treated but a few months after I got these I did some work and I cannot recommend that enough for any studio regardless of your monitors.
My only critique of these is the mids are a little bit loud. But there is a switch on the back which allows you to reduce the mids by -2db. Excellent. If you have them against a wall (even though their rear ported) you can set a switch to qtr sace. Theres also half space and full space depending on where you want to position your speakers. Very versatile for sure. Theres a low bass cut off from 100hz to 37. Great if your in a flat like me. I cut the 37hz button when working in the evening because the bass can go really low.
I have read on some forums people saying stay clear of M audio speakers. I think they are snobs and have probably never tried them. I notice they all run in packs and recommend the same speakers over and over again. Beware of what those people are saying. Try and listen to them first, but remember their very very accurate. If Butch vig uses them to mix on you can be sure they have something cool about them.
Incidentally. I was playing Justice Cross album on them the other day and wow. I hadnt listened to that album for nearly two years and I could hear exactly what was going on like i had never been able to before. I could hear the details of that heavy compression they use and could tell they were using analog compressors because the compression their using just cannot be had from plugins. Something I wasnt able to tell before.
Features
Digital inputs, jack and XLR inputs. Good chunky volume control, and a wealth of buttons to tune the sound to your room
Ease of Use
Their speakers, easy
Quality
Excellent build quality
Value
I bought mine a two years ago for 900 uk pounds which I thought was a total bargain then. Ive seen them now for around 650 a pair. A steal if you ask me. You wont get anything as detailed and accurate as these for the same money.
Manufacturer Support
havent needed any
Musical Background:
producer musician
Musical Style:
indie electronica
5 of 6 people (83%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted March 3, 2008 by a customer from millikin.edu
"These are the best out there."
These are perfect for amateur or professional. If you can afford them, you won't be disappointed! Trust me.
Sound
The sound is even and clear. It brings out things I could have never heard from my old ones. The bass is very accurate...it really fills the room when it's supposed to.
Features
The thing for me that is most helpful is the space setting. I don't have them setup in a huge control like some who own them might. They are in a dorm room so I keep it on the "Quarter" setting. It really helps because with it being a small room and having a roommate I can still listen accurately and not bother the rest of the building. haha (which these are easily capable of)
Ease of Use
I had a slight problem with setting the volume of each speaker, since they have their own control. With my room being so small these speakers when set at "0" on the back are waaaay too loud. I finally have found a happy medium around -13, but the best part is the quality of the sound is not compromised at all when turning the volumes down. Good job on that M-Audio!
Quality
These speakers are made extremely well... I often get nervous of knocking one of the 4 mid-woofers though, but as long as you're careful it's not a issue. It's nice the tweeter has a guard on it though. I feel like if you take care of these speakers they could last you many many years. These would be appropriate for on the road too. If you read in the manual they are made to withstand very harsh conditions of heat, cold or humidity among other things. I don't have any experience with taking them on the road thus far though.
Value
I think the price may be a bit high on most sites...It's a good speaker though and definitely worth what you pay. Compared to other high end monitors.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't had any problems yet.
The Wow Factor
I think as far as how they look... They are the coolest speaker out there..... The design being so unique and clever...how could you NOT have to have these?
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Jazz, Rock, A Cappella, Alternative
14 of 17 people (82%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted February 10, 2009 by a customer from comcast.net
"Oh Yeah These Rock !!! I can truly hear the difference. Great Job M-audio !!!"
Verified Purchaser
zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
Since these are a major upgrade. These monitors should meet my needs fine for the next five years.
Sound
Fantastic distortion free sound. I have been using the M-audio BX8a monitors for a few years. They sound good but are a little rough on my ears. The EX-66 monitors are easy listing. The sound is so smooth and clean. I can clearly hear everything in the mix. Fantastic set of studio monitors.
Features
They included what I needed. The acoustic space switch is the most useful feature for me.
Ease of Use
Easy as can be. Great set of instructions included also.
Quality
The build is just breathtaking. They are built very solid and flawless.
Value
Worth every penny. They cost double what my other monitors cost but the sound difference is something I can really hear. So in my book they are a bargain.
Manufacturer Support
Well I haven't needed it yet for the EX-66. I have called M-Audio in the past and they were very friendly and helpful.
The Wow Factor
Technical marvel for the ears and eyes.
Musical Background:
Film
Musical Style:
Audio and SFX
4 of 5 people (80%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted March 27, 2013 by Jules L
"ex66 - pretty good but moving on"
Had mine for two years or so. Did alot of production work on them - all good but time to improve.
Always a slight hiss coming out of them when they are turned on -don't iike this. the other major problem is that the lower mid bass and bass are some what misleading - these go hard down in the 50-80hz but don't think they are putting out accurate frequencies in that range - prob need a sub to improve bass accuracy.
Pointer here - today while tidying up the studio I found s pair of circular foam surrounds from some SEAS tweeters - I tried blu tacking them around the tweeter of the EX66 - they kind of sound better more directional - which is a good thing in my room...maybe I'm onto something here.
Based on what I know now I would prob go the yamaha HS80s
Musical Background:
Raggamuffin Producer/MC/Drum Programmer - 10 years
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.