So first of. I'd like to say, that the best thing you can do before purchasing any sort of studio monitors or even studio headphones would be to head on over to a local Guitar Center or something of that sort and A/B a bunch of options. It's proven to be the best way to get exactly what I've been looking for.
But, anyways,
I was looking for some small 5" monitors so that I could compare mixes from small to large monitors. After A/B-ing a bunch of monitors (Yamaha HS50's, Mackie MR5 MKII's, M-Aduio BX5's, KRK Rokit 5's) at the local Guitar Center I found the Tannoy Reveal 501a's to be my favorite. I ended up going on Google Shopper and finding them for $155 a piece and got Guitar Center to price match. Sweet!
I wasn't really surprised until I got back home, set them up with some Auralex Mo-Pads and I'm blown away by how crispy and tasty the sound is for being in the $300 range. For having just 5" woofers it's amazing how much bass there is. It's actually very tight, and big for their size, but it does allow me to find some faults in my mid frequency range on some of my random tracks.
Just wanted to let you guys know. If you looking for a good pair of ~$300 monitors the Tannoy Reveal 501a's are great!
Still do keep in mind though, everyone has different ears, musical tastes, and so on. Take some of your favorite music, head on over to a local music store that has the monitors your interested in, and give them a listen.
I hope this helps some of you guys in some sort of way. Thanks!
- Ezra -