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Studio monitors for gaming?

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Rotary

Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Hey guys, I been looking around for some new speakers and i end up ordering some.
Mackie MR5mk2 5-inch 2-Way Powered Studio Reference Monitor

Now this is my problem, I have a X-fi HD

someone told me that i need a balanced soundcard to be able to enjoy them, is that true?

I want to run them with RCA but Im getting told it will have a hissing sound

Can I just get some RCA filters or should i just get a Mbox

All im doing is playing games and other normal pc things.
 
most rca filters will degrade the audio quality, and only reason youd have a hissing is a ground issue, or a sound card / motherboard/case issue

and a good set of monitors should be very well complimented by a good sound card :)
 
Ill have the speakers tomorrow so ill see how well they work, thanks
 
You dont need a balanced sound card....your monitors have RCA inputs on the back. Not only that, but you can get 3.5mm to XLR cables. All they do is convert the balanced signal to unbalanced. You lose the shield, but realistically, your cable run is probably short enough to negate its use. Get a decent quality 3.5mm to RCA cable and have at it :thup:
 
I have MR5 mark 1s. I'm not using a sound card though, an external DAC: a Presonus Audiobox USB. Otherwise I'd have some better input. If you consider selling the card for a box, I can answer whatever questions. :)

I love the monitors for gaming, movies, audio..
 
I hope they sound good over my Bose 2.1s

I like the idea that you guys are giving me some positive feedback because talking to a musician is like talking to a wall. hes saying it will sound like crap
 
I like the idea that you guys are giving me some positive feedback because talking to a musician is like talking to a wall. hes saying it will sound like crap

Whaat? I talked to a musician friend and a rep at Sweewater (where I got mine) and was pushed in this direction. The reason I went this route is because I got fed up with the sound options that the computer field offered. Another good thing with these monitors is you can turn em WAY up before distortion starts, making them great for parties.
 
Well he was saying i have to spend $5000 to get a good system with protools, then he was saying that everything is crap but his stuff lol
after a good hour talk, hes a apple user, not sure if that means anything.
 
bose has there place for certain people... if you want sound quality you should look else where, even the cheapest polk speaker sounds better then the best bose speaker.
 
Hey I know you already ordered the monitors, but Sweetwater.com has them on sale for 129 each..
 
bose has there place for certain people... if you want sound quality you should look else where, even the cheapest polk speaker sounds better then the best bose speaker.

I am going to highly disagree with this. I get harped on all the time for my Bose speakers (in fairness this was before I got into audio at all) because of their "sound quality". Their sound quality is fantastic, the difference is they are priced way too high, for half their price you can get speakers that sound just as good. Bose is unfortunately one of those brands that you pay mostly for the name.

As for the Polks comment, I actually have a pair of Polk monitors that cost twice as much per speaker as my Bose speakers do and they don't sound as great by them selves, they need a sub to back them up.

In short I don't think it's about sound quality so much as it is quality vs. price. If you go Bose you're always gonna get screwed (pardon me) price wise. I just don't want their price to be confused with their sound quality, cover up the brand name and the price tag and the Bose's can be tempting.

@op Mackie's are fantastic, at least the ones I've had all sounded wonderful. They will certainly sound better than your 2.1's even with RCA :)
 
I run M-Audio BX8 D2s and their SBX10 and it's more than fine for gaming. My card is an e-mu 1616m so...not exactly a "gaming" card and it can be a PITA to setup surround, but it works very well.

In your case, you'll be fine.
 
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