Monitor/Bookshelve speakers? Differences?


Could someone enlighten me about the differences between the two? So far, I've looked into Monitor speakers due to the reason that they are use in musical recordings and mixes, also, I looked at regular bookshelves speakers and all I could gather is their crossover differences between the 2. Price comparison, Monitors are somewhat cheaper and have more toys to play with such as built in amp, etc. Bookshelves are well, simple. Just a xo, tweeters and mids.. Scratch Head we all have differences taste, listening preferences, etc but I would imagine that you could do more with monitors, correct me if I'm wrong..

Now can Monitors be used for "audiophile music listening" or just recordings etc alone? Hmmmmm Wink
chgolatin2
Both can be great. A true bookshelf speaker is designed to be placed in a tight space while many good monitors will sound best on a stand several feet from any wall. Most bookshelf speakers are not ported/vented, some may be front ported. Most bookshelf speakers will lack some bass due to size and placement.
So, where do you plan on placing your choice? If you plan to use stands, consider some floorstanders also. Don't think of putting rear ported speakers on a bookshelf.
I think true monitors tend to be more neutral and linear in their response - more accurate; whereas "bookshelf" speakers tend to be "voiced" a bit to sound more appealing in a domestic setting - they often have a bit of a mid-bass "bump" to sound a bit richer for example. That is my sense of the basic difference between the two approaches. Recording engineers can't afford to be "fooled", at home it is sometimes nice to be "fooled" a bit.
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