Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

First, I'm not a music pro. I buy monitors for high quality audio playback at sane prices. Have been running JBL 305s and tannoy 402s for a couple years now. Added MX5s a month ago. This weekend I set up the 305's,402s and MX5's for head to head evaluation. Setup, placed the three pairs of monitors on a table pointed at the listening position ABC left and ABC right so that each pair was equally spaced. Set the 305s at max gain with trims flat. Adjusted the gain on the MX5s and 402s to match the 305s. The MX5s were dialed back to the 9 o'clock position, the 402s ended up dialed down further. I decided the 305s sounded best with the trims set flat. For frequency response, The MX5s matched the 305s very closely with the high trim set flat and the low trim set to boost. The tannoy 402s sounded kind of lacking in the highs so I set the high trim to boost. That is the only trim available on them. I played all types of music. Result, they all sound great and are awesome values. They do sound 'different' however. The 305s sounded very pleasant and open with a wide flat response. The MX5s matched the 305s very nicely in terms of response. The only obvious difference was in the sound stage imaging. With the Stirling's, at times a vocal or lead mixed center sounded like it was coming from a monitor dead center. Like a phantom speaker. The same track seemed to come from a wider space coming from the JBL's. Less precise. The sound stage of the JBL's seemed wider, more open, but with less definition than the MX5s. The sound from the Stirling's seemed narrower but better defined. More over, the JBL's sounded 'wetter' than the Stirling's. The 402's are smaller, and give up some max volume and a tiny bit of bass. But the big difference was that the highs are a bit mellower. Pleasing but less 'exciting'. Less sizzle than the bigger units. Wish I could test the 502s. Verdict, 305s sweetest, MX5s most precise. 402s, mellow gems for smaller spaces.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

- gets low end and high end very well

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Ordered two units for home office/studio. Plenty of power and good connectivity options. Works well for my applications - not a studio pro but do some music and video production for small company.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I did a video review on the MX5 and on the video I use a Zoom H5 (with the X/Y microphone) to record as closely as possible to what I hear through the Sterling MX5 monitors. I have an Apogee Duet that is connected by USB to my Macbook Pro Retina.
Using my Zoom h5 I compare 2 mixes. One mixed with a pair of Beyerdynamic
headphones and a second mixed using the Sterling MX5 monitors. I would not have believed the difference the monitors made in being able to hear the clarity and bass response. The mix is quite different when mixing from headphones then when mixing with the Sterling monitors.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I bought these on a stupid deal so I got 4 of them since the price was good and reviews on them weren't bad. Then when I got them.
Well 2 of them had something clunking around inside.
I opened the backs and the port cone had fallen inside it and rattled around, or I thought it was but it was a second one.
The craftsmanship of this is perplexing, they used a second port cone and turned it around, then butted it up against the one coming in from the hole and taped it then glued it with enough glue that they must have used a half of tube of it, it had dripped all over inside, but it still didn't hold together it because it wasn't designed to be used that way.
I ended up finding a piece of PVC just bigger in diameter than the two port cone ends and I used as a sleeve that fit over each end of the Cone and sealed it together with with glue and shrink tubing around the outside just to make it look professional, like they should have done in the first place.
Why they went to the trouble of manufacturing a half decent speaker cabinet then cut the corners on something that wasn't that expensive is beyond me.
The two port cones will never hold together over time, with the vibrations they will endure they're sure to separate and fall into the bottom of the cabinet.
It was a bad decision on their part.
It also had a loose magnet bar that wasn't secured very well so I had to reinforce that, I'm happy I bought them on the stupid deal or else I'd be Pissssssssssed!
They are decent home monitors but will never compare to my JBL LSR305's which are about the same retail price as these.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Very nice staff. Because I goofed up by only ordering 1 speaker by mistake. The sale was off but they still allowed mr to get the other 1 at the same sale price....CLASSY

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Im no pro I mainly mix music for my podcast whitch is about the music I make I started with the alesis elavate3 witch are ok for listening to music but not much bass so I wanted to up grade but im no rockafella so I saw these on sell checked out some you tube vids wich people had good things to say the bass is way better in these than the 3 inch alesis and I here my mix just as good as I do in head phones I don't know how they compare to expensive monitors since im always broke but I definitely don't have buyers remorse hope this review helps sorry about my illiteracy I used to skip school

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

With this choice I went from Zero to Hero

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I needed something simple and inexpensive for audio editing for voiceovers. These sound good and were simple and trouble-free to setup. Also no interference picked up from a nearby radio transmitter.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

These are good as a reference to go along with at least one other set of monitors to compare your mixes.
To me they sound a lot like the 5" Tanoy's. A Sub goes well with these but for there size they put our impressive bass as well.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Good sounds for the money

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Good Near Field Speakers. These are replacing some older speakers with 4" drivers. These certainly gove a bigger sound and are ideal for mixing at a home studio. At this price point they fit the bill. A commercial studio should probably pass them by, but for the hobbyist they are more than ideal. The inputs are very flexible and accept anything you can wire into them. There are two EQ filters that should fit most needs and the power amps push out enough for the job. These are near field, and should be set right on the desk. As soon as you push away a few feet, you will notice a substantial change, but that's how they should operate. if your looking to fill a room, get a conventional audio system. Overall, for the price (and the Stupid Deal savings) these are a good deal.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Purchased these for my home studio, for recording, keyboard monitor and personal rehearsal purposes. Replaced my Roland keyboard monitor to declutter and improved sound.

Bass is nice and clear and not muddy at all. Highs were a bit bright, but quickly improved with the switch on the back.

Looks great and sounds great too, and a fantastic price point.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I use these in my home audio system with a stereo tube preamp and OPPO universal player and they sound as good as many passive audiophile speakers. I highly recommend them. :)

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

My first pair of powered Studio Monitors, after many and varied types of speakers. I am blown away by the clarity and range of these monitors. You will be too. The price was right, so I pulled the trigger and remain satisfied and pleased with this product. The manufacturer is a well known maker of quality studio microphones and this is their first foray into the monitor market. Not that I would be able to discern whether or not this was their first design or their fiftieth, but I can attest to the amazing quality of the sounds they produce, their clarity and their handling of bass notes is also impressive. For the record, I keep each monitor turned up to the halfway mark, and then I crank them full through my audio interface and the music and podcasts can be distinctly and cleanly heard throughout the whole house, and I use them in the basement... These monitors have opened my eyes (and ears!) to the use of monitors instead of speakers for studio mixing, and even for pleasure listening. Buy them, for a first product, these are amazingly good.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I'VE USED THEM AS MIX MONITORS and SO MANY OTHER MULTIMEDIA PURPOSES.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I wanted small, self powered desktop monitors to replace my decades old EV Sentry 100s and a big stereo amp. These fill the bill, and at the Stupid Deal of the Day price I couldn't pass them up. They match the Mac desktop I use for ProTools recording quite nicely.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Sound Quality is Excellent...!

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

Very clear sound, use them with my DJ controller. Great price.

Comments about Sterling Audio MX5 5" Powered Studio Monitor:

I'm starting up a home studio, so I went to my local guitar center to listen the their speaker selection. I heard the Yamahas, KRK's , M-Audios etc. The Sterlings totally surprised me with the power of the sound they put out, which was louder than the others. Don't get me wrong, the other speakers were also impressive but, for the money and the sound, these were hard to beat.