So, can you use studio monitors for regular speakers? Okay, that’s a nice question to ask. Let’s say you head into a speakers’ store to shop for a regular home speaker, but you ending loving the ones you saw in the “Studio Speaker” section and you’re thinking if it’s just you go home with a pair from the section?
Well, our guess, may be right or wrong, but for whatever reason, you need a speaker, and you’re stuck between choosing studio speakers to act as regular ones, here’s what you should know.
Table of Contents
Can You Use Studio Monitors As Regular Speakers?
The simple answer is YES, but then, there are a lot of things you need to know, regarding the type of sound you can get from regular speakers designed for home use and studio monitors designed for studio production purposes.
Apparently, all speakers are not designed the same way; they are categorically designed to serve different purposes. That’s why there are different types of speakers in the market – so you could pick the one that is best suited for your audio need.
Basically, for home audio needs, HiFi speakers, tower speakers, bookshelf speakers, and other types of speakers are the best options. But when you talk of studio production use, definitely, you need some specific speakers, and that’s where “studio monitors” come into play.
Before moving on with this article, let’s clarify the difference between these two types of speakers: Studio Monitors and Regular Speakers.
Studio Monitors
As the name implies, studio monitors are designed to be used in the studio where audio/sound production tasks are done. It typically has just two drivers, a tweeter and a woofer driver; however, some units have up to three drivers.
This type of speaker is fine-tuned to produce flat sound. That is to say, studio monitors produce flat frequencies so that you can get cleaner sound for mixing, mastering, and other studio purposes.
Regular Speakers
On the other hand, regular speakers can be HiFi speakers, bookshelf speakers, wall speakers, and many other types of home speakers you know.
These speakers are default-ly designed to produce more bass output or more specific frequencies – all in a bid to deliver immersive home entertainment. They are typically meant to be used indoors and can be integrated with home theater systems.
What Happens When You Use Studio Speakers As Regular Speakers?
Basically, nothing is going to happen – it’s not like you’re not going to hear any sound or maybe you’d find it difficult to connect the speakers to your systems.
However, what happens is this; when you buy a pair of studio speakers to use at home, they would not produce the level of sound regular speakers would have given you.
A typical pair of regular home speakers are liable to outperform a pair of studio speakers – in a basic setting – but if you can tweak studio speaker (let’s say you’re a sound expert), you can possibly make a pair of studio monitors to outperform regular speakers.
Note: A typically quick difference between studio monitors and regular speakers is that the former usually comes as “Active” speakers, while the latter comes as “Passive” speakers.
Passive speakers require an amplifier or external audio mixer to function at their best, but Active speakers have built-in audio mixers or amplifiers. Regardless, you still find home speakers that have built-in amps.
With what’s said above, studio speakers would playback your sound, but won’t add any uniqueness such as improved bass output and the likes. So, if you’re looking to enjoy a cinematic home audio experience, studio monitors are not a great buy.
Can You Use Home/Regular Speakers As Studio Speakers?
Okay, reversing the question, is it possible to add regular speakers to your studio setup? Yes, it’s absolutely fine if you want it that way.
However, you must understand that regular speakers may not deliver the best pure sound so that you can pick out imperfections from your audio mixing, mastering, or other jobs.
When you use regular home speakers in a studio, you have to pay very much attention to spot the imperfections – but is not so with studio speakers, because they reproduce your sound just as they are with no further tuning or adjustments.
What More?
One thing is certain, different people listen to sounds with different expectations. A typical music consumer is after the sound quality and bass output, while a sound producer is after flaws and imperfections that could be made better by remixing or remastering the sound.
That said, some people would prefer to use studio monitors as regular speakers, while there are others who will choose to use regular speakers in their production studio. It all points down to the need and the person playing or outputting the sound.
You can shop for either of these speakers online via Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc., or offline at a trusted audio equipment store.
Summary
Much has been said already and it all points to the conclusion that you can use studio monitors as regular speakers, and vice versa.
However, you must understand that both types of speakers perform differently and are actually meant for specific purposes.
In addition, if your speaker suddenly blows out due to whatever reason, there are possible ways to fix a blown speaker – don’t be too quick to discard it.
Alternatively, instead of using regular speakers for gaming, there are some speakers that are specially designed for gaming; they come with high bass and produce a crisp sound that recreates a game theater environment in your room.
For audiophiles and music enthusiasts, MyHomeSpeaker provides you with reliable comparisons and reviews of various types of speakers you can use in different environments, including portable Bluetooth speakers.