Studio monitors

Studio monitors — "loa kiểm âm" in Vietnamese — are built to play music as it is, not to flatter it. That is what you need to produce, mix and check your DJ sets at home: a mix that sounds balanced on honest monitors holds up better on other systems. This category covers desktop and studio monitors from Yamaha, Pioneer DJ, PreSonus, JBL and Genelec.

How to choose:

• Woofer size and room: a desk or a bedroom suits 3.5–4.5-inch monitors such as the Yamaha HS3 (3.5"), Yamaha HS4 (4.5"), Pioneer DJ DM-40D (4") or PreSonus Eris 3.5. In a larger room, bigger woofers or a subwoofer such as the PreSonus Eris Sub8 BT add the low end.
• Connections: check that the monitors' inputs match the outputs of your controller or sound card, and use balanced cables where both sides have them.
• Bluetooth: models such as the PreSonus Eris 3.5BT, Pioneer DJ DM-40D-BT and JBL 104-BT also play music from your phone.
• DJ or production: the Pioneer DJ DM-40D has a switch between a DJ mode and a production mode with a flat response.

Set them up at ear height, in a triangle with your listening position, and a little away from the wall.

Our practice rooms run Yamaha HS3, HS4 and HS8 monitors, so you can hear them at work: book an hour in a practice room. To record or produce you will also need an audio interface — see sound cards.