Just wanted to weigh in and say that if you’re like me and on a pretty strict budget you can get KRK’s off eBay all day long. I just got through losing 5 autions in a row but now I’m the proud owner of some new-in-box RP5’s with warranty cards. I paid $175 shipped!!! 
I’ve only listened to CDs and such through them so far but I’m really excited and pleased. If you’ve got the patience you can find a similar deal I’m sure.
one question regarding buying stuff on ebay
how does it work??
do you pay through paypal or??
because i cant use my visa electron credit card with paypal,so this is just to know how it works,as theres alot of good deals on ebay.
im thinking on getting some active tannoys in the near future
I set up one credit card on the paypal site (separte account from your ebay one, can use it anywhere). When you make a purchase with paypal, they pay the amount and then bill your credit card so you really only ever give money to paypal. I haven’t used it a lot, only 4 times on ebay and few more at other places but I haven’t had any problems.
EDIT: Sorry, didn’t read your post quite right. I’m not really clear on what options you have if paypal won’t take your credit card. Of course, you could make sure whatever auctions you’re looking at would take money orders?
BTW, somebody “mis-listed” a Prophet 5 not to long ago for something like $2.99 (LOLZZZ!!!). It was taken down pretty damn quick!!! 
I did mix on bose speakers also (those with angled tweeters).
everytime I heard the experts saying that I must upgrade.
the funny thing is that I was so used to the sound that I could mix to their character (but had to listen on other setups to hear the ‘gabs’)
nowdays I have genelec monitors, I know they are to expensive for the topic starter, but I can really recommend them.
If you save some more money and get them for a good second hand price you are fit for live.
• fwiw > supplemental info on speakers
What determines if a Speaker is good or not?
Active & Passive Monitors – Which are better?
Speaker placement for optimum listening spot
complete list of Eddie Bazil (Zukan) tutorials
• keep in mind your unique acoustic situation
for once, i’d agree with a salesman… Yamaha HS80s are a pretty solid choice
buying the right monitors is very tricky… it’s easy to blow a lot of money on a pair which make your music sound amazing, but those can be the hardest to mix on because they won’t let you know what’s wrong
i’ve got a few £thousand worth of monitors here, and 90% of the time i prefer to mix on Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro’s these days… i find it easier to produce well balanced mixes on them because although the response and accuracy isn’t going to be the same as a high-end studio monitor; high-end studio monitors need high-end room acoustic treatment (and suitable rooms) to avoid huge problems you’re not even aware of most of the time with phase cancellation and standing waves and things
I’ve mistaken myself here : the guy didn’t told me about the KRK RP5 and RP8, but about the Prodipe Pro5 and Pro8 
But nobody speaks about it here, and yesterday i’ve read a good test on the Pro8 (audiofanzine.com). Maybe some of you know these monitors ?
For now i think i’m going to buy one of these three : Yamaha HS80, Prodipe Pro 8, or KRK RP8 (or 6 ?)
Edit : i’m going to test the HS80 this afternoon, and i’ve prepared some CDs. 
I’m going to test the three first tracks of Go Plastic (Squarepusher), and some tracks of Aphex Twin (Mt. Saint Michel Mix+St. Michaels Mount and some other Drukqs tracks ; Ventolin, Alberto Balsam, and Girl/Boy Song).
This is not very varied, but i don’t know what else i could chose… Maybe One Hot Minute (Red Hot Chili Peppers) but I’ve listened to it many less time than Drukqs or Go Plastic for example… Anyway, a friend comes to test it with me and he’ll bring some rock and jazz stuff i think
(sorry but i’m just realizing that i’m telling you my uninteresting life)
anybody looking for monitors right now should check out Tannoy Rveal Active 8D. They have VERY attractive price at Thomann right now. 188 EUR for 1 monitor. The offer wount last long though…
Ive owned a pair of KRK RP8’s for about 1 year now, I am extremely happy with them, Ive heard genelec, mackie, yamaha side by side with the KRK’s and they perform extremely well, especially considering the price.
Dont get anything smaller than 8’s though, the low end on RP5’s and 6’s are very artificial.
Shoot for the RP8, a nice flat clear monitoring system. Plus they look amazing, and I think they just redesigned the RP series also, so you can probably pick up an older set for a great deal.
That person should inform himself before saying such things,
you WANT a flat response… a “Neutral” sound is IDEAL for mixing. If you were to mix on a speaker system that colored the sound in certain areas, you would have a deficiency in those areas when played on another system. Mixing on flat systems ensures your mixes will translate better to other systems for consumer playback.
I’ve been in the market for a set of budget monitors for a few months now.
My nearest speaker listening environment unfortunately involved a 4 hour round trip, so I figured I could reach a solid conclusion by asking around and reading forums. The major conclusion I derived from my research : there’s an absolute shit load of different options. It’s hard to gauge which opinion is strongest.
I’ve just struck a great deal on a pair of Mackie MR8s. They are on par price-wise to the KRK RP8 and the Yamaha HS80. The MR8s are not quite as well known, but they seem to impress. A handful of times, the KRKs were evaluated as inferior to the Mackies. A few people preferred the KRKs, a few people preferred the Yamahas. Opinions on forums come across as very definitive 
The virtual checkboard of opinions and reviews seem to confuse rather than inform.
I also struggled with the thought of travelling down to Sydney to listen to speakers - what do I know?! I don’t even know what to listen for in a set of good monitors - look at all the range of opinions on the forums! I’ll end up choosing the monitor that sounds ‘best’ which ruins the point of having accuracy in the first place. I have hi-fi speakers for my disco tingle needs.
I now see it like this:
You could argue all day long about accurate sound and good monitoring, but what’s the point if your room is not properly treated? (I’m not in a position to change my room dramatically at this stage). Also, I’m mostly a musician - I’m only ‘engineering’ 5% of the time. If I value the sound, I’m not going to mix my own work! (yes, composing with renoise requires engineering chops.)
Whatever speaker I get, I will learn (along with the room), and eventually trust. Obviously a $10 set of speakers won’t give you the insights required, but I think there’s a point where monitors are actually good enough.
Once the MR8s arrive, I will begin my relationship by spending a good many hours listening to the CDs I know are mixed well. Therefore figuring out the personality of my speakers and the room which they’re in.
I’ll let you all know what I think about my Mackies, and of course in the tradition of the internet, my opinion will be somewhat tarnished with an authoritive and biased tone … just like that dude I read who thought the Beringer Truths sounded way better than the Adams! 
Good post Mick…
yap, thats the way it is. There is no “single brand” that you should get. At around 500 EUR per pair there are a lot of monitors that will get the job done. Thats why we can read so many different oppinions out there. Just get what YOU like the most and there is very good chance you will be ok, be it Mackie, Tapco, KRK, Yamaha, Tannoy, Alesis, Fostex, Samson etc etc…
I have worked with rp6’s for a while, I liked them alot. I don’t have much comparisement material but they are alot better then other monitors I heard (Alesis M1 AKTIV MK2, Adam A5 PRO), imo.
I’d like to add it’s very important to know your speakers well, which will come over time. Knowing your speakers will improve your sound by big amounts 
i really want to get a great pair of cans with solid bass, or if someone makes earbuds with solid bass, that might work, but really i would be less inclined to break the cans.
i really dig the rockit rp8, but it is very loud, so i don’t get much chance to listen through it. (which would actually make a huge difference in my quality)
I found my RP5s to be extremely loud as well. I took 6dB off of each to get them back to normal listening levels with my usual PC volume. I’ve also found that without breaking out the measuring tape and setting the distances and angles on them pretty carefully I get a lot of “phasing (?)” as I lean in and out from the keyboard. I’m also dealing with some volume balanceing that’s probably due to the room (the “loud” side is much closer to the wall).
On the other hand, even being able to notice these things and trying to deal with them is brand-new to me. Like everybody says after getting some monitors: “I’m hearing things I never heard before!” Frustrating but cool at the same time.
• i speak from trial & error
_i use Renoise’s mda Test tone for basic room investigations > sound is one elusive Mø†H@FµçK®
_getting monitors snowballs into becoming an amateur acoustician, with it, numerous expensive tools/accessories and a legion of representatives telling you their brand of candy is sweeter with 0 trans fat
• general questions & tips on making tactical decision$$$
_which role best fits your ability from point A to B > do you have the mental & physical tools
_which role best fits some one else’s ability from point A to B > do they have the mental & physical tools
_map your project in sequential stages and if you can help it, in neurotic detail
personally i’ve accepted that it’ll never sound as good as in my head but i’ll do what’s right to get it as identical as possible
as the saying goes: measure twice cut once
keep saving money and get a pair of real monitors 
wanted to get some budget monitors, but somehow kept working with my crappy tannoy reveals…
i´ve bought a pair of focal solo 6 be about a month ago and that´s a serious improvement,
liked them better then adam p11 and genelec 8040. it´s like having new ears + a sub 
LOL
i mean yeah, if you have unlimited money supply (or you are a gearjunky) then go ahead and buy nearfields for $ 3000+
But if you are average bedroom producer (i bet you have untreated room anyway) and you look for practical value, then you can deal with it much more efficiently and get much more bang for your buck. If you look around then you can get very decent pair of monitors for under $ 700.- and make very good mixes on them.