Hi guys,

Looking for a few opinions/advice on what is a subjective topic but I'd still appreciate to hear your reviews....

I am looking for a new set of speakers for home use. My studio setup includes a Tyros2 but also a karaoke setup, so I like to have a fair bit of volume.

I have been impressed by the reviews of the Roland CM30 cube monitor speakers, and I would be intrigued to hear what differences there are or how they compare to the likes of the....

Alesis M1 active 520
KRK RP5 ROKIT
Behringer MS40

Stein....

I own two ROLAND CM30's & love em for my super small jobs, but....
this is a super subjective topic....with so many Monitors on the market its really boils down to "PERSONAL CHOICE" with your own ears..I would really suggest you try to go out and demo a few different models A/Bing with "YOUR" keyboard and make a serious selection choice as it pertains to YOUR NEEDS. Reading & talking wont solve anything when it comes to speakers of any kind. Have a great Thanks Giving I wish you luck in your selection.

I just bought a CM30 yesterday and I love it. I have a set of Alesis M1's in my recording studio and I love them also. For recording I think I prefer the M1's. But I'd never take them out on a gig. The CM30 really puts out a clear and ballsy sound. I would definitely recomend the Rolands for a louder, more in your face setup. I'm getting another one tomorrow so I'll have a stereo pair. I'll try them as recording monitors and let you know what I think.

Ciao,

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

While Donny is, of course, correct, I will have to agree with Joe. I own two of them and they have been the best small speakers I have ever had. Unless you are in an auditorium, you needn't worry about enough volume.
Bernie

Another thing.....

Studio monitors are made for that specific purpose and most have NO obstructional grills, etc, to obscure the sound...where as the CM30's is more of a multipurpose unit that can be used in many more situations....on the other if you really want good studio monitors check out the

Mackie HR Series Monitors...
http://www.digitalconsole.com/products/studiomonitors/index.html

Actually, as these ARE only 30 watt amps, I would recommend turning them up at the store (if they'll let you!), and putting a bass heavy style through them that you use (you DID bring along YOUR arranger so you know what you are listening to, didn't you? ), and then stand back about 30' if you can.

Up close and personal (like nearfield studio monitors) sounds pretty decent on almost anything, but push ANYTHING this small hard, especially bottom end, and stand back a bit, and you may find them a bit lacking. For teeny tiny rooms and background levels, these may indeed be the bee's knees, but I would take bernie's 'anything short of an auditorium' quote with a grain of salt...

These are 30 watt amps. Your home stereo is probably three or four times more powerful. In fact, most arranger built-in speaker systems are considerably more powerful!

Try before you buy, and CRANK IT...!

Diki please dont try to make them more then they are, ....I have always said that the CM30's are great for small jobs nothing more or less....they fill MY Needs and sound Great in that situation. Why even say to put heavy Bass thru them they werent created for that? If that's what someone needs then when they try them they'll make a decision for their needs...if you need that much Bass add on a Sub also like cass does.....these are lightweight, small and powerful enough to do the job period.

The CM-30 is a great 30 watt multi-channel, multi-purpose amp. At 30w, it is far louder than on-board speakers, for some reason. A pair of CM-30's are great for a small to medium space. Is it a good recording monitor, I don't know. i do know they are priced right, and as you read you can see that many of us who bought one also bought another.

I like their versatility and portability. I feel that for in-house use 2 of these would be more than enough to meet most people's needs. I would not suggest you buy them until you try them, especially if you are looking at recording monitors - kind of like comparing guinea pigs and gerbils, if you know what I mean.

Thanks a million for all the replies guys. I really appreciate it and the feedback from CM30 owners is certainly very positive.

I'm actually the manager of a music instrument retailer but unfortunately we don't really stock small monitor style speakers

I am actually hoping to get a Roland RD700sx digital piano so I want something punchy that will allow me to simply plug this up and a mic and crank the volume up at home and get back to ENJOYING playing rather than pressing buttons, learning the ins and outs of new VSTs etc..., but thats another story for another day!!

Thanks again guys, I'll make my decision very soon and report back with my findings.

Cheers
Stein67

You might also want to consider the Roland AC-60 or AC-90 amp AC-90 . It's more expensive, about $750-799, but it's a one-piece dedicated acoustice amp/PA. I feel the CM-30's offer more inputs and a feature or two, but no effects.

The CM-30's are great for something in their class. They are not a replacement for a good solid amp with maybe a 12" or 15" speaker. It depends on what you are looking for. An RD-700 would sound very good and tight thru CM-30's in a home studio.

Your final sentence is exactly what I'm looking for Cassp. As I said I will also have the karaoke hooked up for a bit of a laugh from time to time but a good quality sound with a bit of ooompph is what I want for the house.

Everything runs through a vs1680 so the effects aren't an issue and although they would also be used for monitoring new material I want something that will be acceptable in a few scenarios.

Thanks again for the reply.

If you aren't gigging with these, and just need them for home speakers for the arranger and your computer music system, I would NOT recommend these at all. Try to get the best near-field monitors you can. I use a pair of Mackie HR824's at home, but there are many very good ones for less money - if you can get them at dealer cost, though, I can't recommend them too highly!.

You've already spent a FORTUNE for the T2. Why hobble them with a budget set of speakers..?

Hi Joe, Where did you get your cm30s and how much?

Thanks,

Jim

Because the Tyros2 left him near broke? lol Just kidding.. Get what makes you happy. If you feel they are sufficient for your needs who are we to tell you different? Sorry Diki. But Diki brings up a wonderful point and that is since you've already spent an arm and a leg on the Tyros2 why not get some speakers that do the Tyros2 justice? Yamaha has some new MSP5/7 Studio series speakers that are very highly rated (although they are XLR connection type only so you would need to run the Tyros2 through a Mixer with 1/4" inputs and XLR outputs or get some cable adapter accessories that fit the bill) but I'm sure they would do your Tyros2 proud. But once again these are only opinions and advice from the outside looking in. You must be the one to determine if a certain set of speakers suit you personally for your specific purpose. If you have found that in the Roland CM-30's then more power to you.

Best,
Mike

$175.00 at most dealers.

You's aren't too far wrong with the ££ With me eyeing up a RD700sx and getting married next year I'm probably heading for the divorce courts already!!

The Mackies are supposed to be a stunning speaker but unfortunately out of my price range at the minute, however I was veering towards these.....

http://www.dv247.com/invt/21992/



They get great reviews for the ££/performance. However, I was interested in the CM30 after hearing the user reviews from here.

Decisions, decisions.....

You can hear some of the CM-30 fans say that they use them with a sub... so you have to factor that into the total cost if you want full sounding monitoring.

Once you add that, several pretty darn good nearfields become a viable answer, or even some good quality 2.1 nearfield systems...

By the way, I am NOT trying to tell anyone that already IS happy with the CM30 that they have made a bad decision... Just point out to someone that HASN'T made up their mind that there are alternatives. Quite a few of the CM30 users are using them as top cabs in a 2.1 system, and others as a monitor (while they already have a main PA), so they aren't all using them the way that Stein67 intends. For all MY home monitoring needs, I use a good set of nearfields, which have the advantage of being DESIGNED for the purposes he says he needs, including recording work. Sadly, I don't think you'll find the CM's (or just about ANY live gigging amps) to be as flat as reference monitors. Why spend nearly $400 on something you COULDN'T rely on for accurate recording monitoring..? Only a bit more, and you have something that will do ALL of your needs, Stein...

I don't think you've heard (actually read) any of the CM-30 owners say that they are the be-all end-all of powered speakers. What we all say is that they are surprisingly good for their size and cost. No one has said that they are equal to or surpass near-field monitors. Stein67 asked about them and we all have given him our opinions. I would trust that he is intelligent enough to figure out what will work best for him. It is probably better to speak of the CM-30 in the same sentence as the Mackie SRM 150 or the Alesis 100 or even the powered Hot Spot. This is where it belongs and where it will stand out.

For the life of me I could never understand using a Logitech computer speaker system for gigging, but some members have sworn by them. I find the CM-30 something small and light that will fill a particular need I have in small spaces. I go downstairs and blow my brains out playing thru just my two CM-30's, but I also like the bigger sound my Kustom KMA100 gives me some days. And other days it might be the Mackie 808s with my 12" floor monitors or even the i300's. Whatever works...

$175.00 best bang for the buck for sure.

All valid points guys, so thanks for taking the time to reply.

I currently have a pair of Absolutes and the deficiency in quality is becoming apparent with age They served their purpose when I was looking for a pair of budget monitors quite a few years ago, so it definitely is time now for an upgrade.

I'll take all opinions on board and let you's know how I get on. Cheers.

Diki, good points. I have the unit, and am happy with it as a monitor, but your suggestions for a home studio monitor system are right on. Would not recommend these little guys for that purpose. I'd take Diki's suggestions seriously.

Make great little powered monitors for live work, though.

Russ