This article will guide you to one of the best studio monitors under $100 that’ll reliably match your requirements. These studio monitors are built well enough to offer you a wide range of possibilities. You can either listen to music or mix your songs on them.
Studio monitors have a flat frequency response and do not add any color to the original audio. It makes them extremely handy in audio-related professions like music mixing and mastering. On top of that, they can also be used to listen to songs of the highest possible quality.
The studio monitor we will look at incorporates some of the most vital features while staying within budget.
But, before you go any further, it is best recommended to look for specific features in a studio monitor. It helps to ensure that you get maximum results from your pick.
Let’s go through them, one by one.
Also check: Best budget studio monitors – This Year’s top picks!
QUICK SHOPPING TIPS
These are some of the most crucial things that you must check in a studio monitor. These five tips are taken from one of my article that lists 11 important things to consider before buying a studio monitor.
To make things easier, I have juiced that entire article below in 5 points.
1) Power Requirements
There is a massive difference between a high-powered and a low-powered studio monitor. You can close your eyes and tell which pair of the monitor has high power.
Therefore, at number 1, we have the power requirement of a monitor as one of the most vital features when mixing or listening to music.
A higher-powered monitor will sound louder, spit out more bass, and balance all the frequencies well.
So, look for the highest-powered monitor for good performance.
2) Ported Vs. Un-Ported Studio Monitors
A ported monitor comes with a hollow opening either on the front or backside of the speaker. The main task of a port is to provide improved low-end response.
On the other hand, an un-ported monitor requires an additional sub-woofer as it poorly performs on low-end frequencies.
3) Active Vs. Passive Monitors
The monitors can also be differentiated in terms of an amplifier.
Generally, you’ll see an inbuilt amplifier on an active monitor, making them hassle-free and easy to use.
Passive Monitors, on the other hand, need an external amplifier to power up. Whether you go with active or passive monitoring speakers depends solely on your personal preference.
However, I would recommend you get an Active Studio monitor simply because most music producers use such speaker systems.
4) Room Size
The size of your room largely determines the size of monitors you will need.
A small room needs small to medium studio monitors, whereas a large room requires an extensive monitoring system.
For large rooms, an active monitoring system under $500 can do the job pretty well.
5) Balanced Output ports
The output ports determine the quality of the audio you are going to hear.
A balanced port that uses 1/4″ TRS Cables will give you a much better audio quality than RCA unbalanced connections.
Moreover, a balanced output port produces less noise and maintains high audio quality over a considerable distance. The RCA connections are more prone to picking up noise from the surroundings if you make a long connection.
Related: 11 Things to consider before buying Studio Monitors!
Best Studio Monitors Under $100
Here is a quick look up of all the best studio monitors under $100 for music production and listening to music.
| Best Studio Monitors Under $100 | Power(W) | Balanced input ports |
| PreSonus Eris E3.5 | 50 | 2 |
| Mackie CR3 | 50 | 0 |
| Edifier R1280T | 42 | 0 |
| Donner Monitors | 40-50 | 2 |
| Moukey 3” Monitors | 30-40 | 2 |
| Behringer MS16 | 16 | 0 |
| Samson MediaOne BT3 | 20 | 0 |
| Singing Wood BT27 | 54 | 0 |
| Samson MediaOne M30 | 20 | 0 |
| Edifier R33BT | 10 | 0 |
Let’s see some of the best studio monitors under $100, one by one.
Related: Best Studio Monitor Pairs under $200!
1) PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5″ Near Field Studio Monitors
- The reviews speak for themselves!.Waterproof : No
- The only true studio monitor for multimedia, gaming,…
- Now comes included with Studio One Prime and Studio Magic…
Last update on 2023-09-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 1 inch,
- Woofer size – 3.5 inch,
- Back firing acoustic port,
- Knobs to control High and low end frequencies,
- Balanced ¼-inch TRS and 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Front panel volume controls and AUX in,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Power: 50W.
A deeper Analysis
The Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors are among the most popular choices of many artists and audiophiles when picking the best studio monitor under $100. Without any doubt, in a tiny budget, these are the best studio monitors for mixing and mastering.
The Eris 3.5 is packed with a one-inch dome-shaped tweeter and a 3.5-inch woofer. Both these speakers give Presonus studio monitors a power-packed performance. The outer covering of the monitor is made from vinyl plastic making them pretty lightweight and easy to carry/portable.
Furthermore, the Presonus Eris 3.5 is very accurate in sound reproduction. The speakers’ treble and bass are balanced and do the job well enough to give you an excellent sonic representation of the audio tracks. If you are not satisfied with the bass or treble of the speakers, you can adjust them accordingly with the help of knobs present on the rear side of the monitor.
They have a flat frequency response and do not add any extra boost of color to the sound. Hence, these monitors are widely used in mixing and mastering audio tracks. For this reason, you’ll see that many newbie artists or home studios have a pair of Presonus Studio Monitors.
Related: Best Studio Monitors under $500 that are feature loaded and offer a true audio response!
Remember that these are near-field monitors. Near field monitors have a limited sound spread and must be not be kept at longer distances from the listener. Additionally, a near-field studio monitor placed far from a listener will give a fragile sound profile.
Therefore, it is mainly recommended to keep them at your desk with subwoofers pointing directly at your face while the PC stays in front of you. If you are connecting it with a TV, do not separate yourself too much from the range of speakers as they are not designed like a regular speaker.
All in all, Presonus Eris 3.5 is one of the best studio monitors under $100.
Pros
- Presonus Eris 3.5 is probably the best studio monitors under $100,
- They can be used for gaming purposes due to clean audio,
- The tweeter is comparatively large compared to other studio monitors,
- Ultra light-weight and compact.
Cons
- The build quality is Vinyl plastic.
2) Mackie CR3 Studio Monitors
- Professional studio-quality sound
- Front-facing headphone jack auto-defeats speaker output
- Flexible inputs – 1/4”, 1/8”, and RCA
Last update on 2023-09-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 0.75 inch,
- Woofer size – 3 inch,
- Back firing acoustic port,
- Front panel volume control,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Balanced ¼-inch TRS and 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Power: 50W.
A deeper Analysis
If you are on a tight budget for setting up a home studio, Mackie CR3 studio monitors can kick things off in a precise way. They have clean and very close audio, making them sound best in close proximity. The Mackie monitors are another best studio monitors under $100.
As I said, you can use them as standard speakers, studio monitors to mix and master your music or for gaming purposes.
The casing of the monitors is quite sturdy, and the design looks good as well. One of the speakers has an inbuilt amplifier that powers the other speaker unit. Therefore, no additional amplification is required, and you can play them right off the box.
Related: Best studio monitors for Small Rooms or Studios!
The monitors have a pretty good sound profile with a punchy low-end response. For a beginner setting up their home studio or for an audiophile looking for accurate speakers, Mackie CR3 can turn out an excellent budget-friendly option.
Also check: best studio monitors for home studio!
Furthermore, the monitor has basic features like RCA connections, balanced 1/4″ TRS inputs, and a volume knob to set up gain levels.
Pros
- Easy setup,
- Compact design,
- Powerful bass response.
Cons
- There is no knob to control high and low frequency response as in Presonus monitors.
3) Edifier R1280T Active Near field Monitors
- Item Package Dimension -16.99999998266L X 11.899999987862W X…
- Item Package Weight – 11.9490546004 Pounds
- Item Package Quantity – 1
Last update on 2023-09-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 0.5 inch,
- Woofer size – 4 inch,
- Front firing acoustic port,
- 4 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Knobs to control High and low end frequencies,
- Side panel volume controls to control high and low end frequencies,
- Power: 50W.
A deeper Analysis
The most notable thing about the Edifier R1280T monitors is how they hold their ground even at high volumes. This monitor pair stays very grounded and produces very clean and crisp audio.
The Company claims that the monitor system’s overall wooden and grey plastic design is inspired by the retro theme. I don’t know about the theme, but it does match well with most home and studio interiors.
Edifier R1280T has a port on the speaker’s front side, allowing you to crank it up to the wall without any bass issues.
In terms of sound quality, it produces a loud enough signal for a small room and for a medium room. The bass remains punchy enough to feel it inside your body, and the tweeters do a fantastic job as well.
A drawback I see with the input ports is that there is no 1/4″ TRS balanced port in the Edifier R1280T which can be a bummer in music production or mixing and mastering.
There are four RCA connections on the back of the monitor and one port to connect the other speaker to the first one. The volume knobs, low and high-frequency adjusters are located on the side of the active speaker.
The monitor also comes with a remote control that can mute, increase or decrease volume levels. However, it does not include ON/OFF, play/pause features.
Pros
- Very clean and crisp audio reproduction,
- Great for small and medium rooms.
Cons
- No Balanced port for balanced connections.
4) Donner Studio Monitors 3″ Near Field Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 1 inch,
- Woofer size – 3 inch,
- Back firing port,
- Back panel volume controls,
- Front panel headphone and AUX in,
- Front Panel AUX IN & headphones IN,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- switch to control High and low end frequencies,
- 2 Balanced ¼-inch TRS and 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Power: 40-50W.
view the price of Donner Studio Monitors on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
Donner is outstanding in terms of making budget-friendly products like their audio interface Donner Live-jack Lite. Nonetheless, the Donner 3″ studio monitors are not less than any studio monitors we saw above in this article.
With a good and solid outer body and crispy and pretty loud gain levels, the Donner studio monitors provide an excellent value for their price.
It has a BT pairing option, balanced 1/4″ TRS input ports, and RCA unbalanced ports for quick connections. On the front side of the active speaker unit, you can also find AUX and Headphone outputs.
The frequency response is mostly flat, making it easier to mix and master songs to near perfection. And the power of this monitor is quite phenomenal as well.
It has got all the essential features that make it perfect for a budget studio setup. Nonetheless, these speakers can also be used to hear music, with TV or PC.
Since the Donner studio monitors have not been in the market for a long time, it is tough to say how well they perform in the long term.
Pros
- Another great budget monitor,
- super clean high ends,
- Punchy low ends,
- Recommended for studio setups or gaming environments.
Cons
- switch to control High and low end frequencies.
5) Moukey 3” Active Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 1 inch,
- Woofer size – 3 inch,
- Back firing acoustic port,
- Treble and bass control knobs,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- 2 Balanced ¼-inch TRS and 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Front panel has volume controls, on/off and connection type, headphones IN,
- Power: 40-50W.
view the price of Moukey studio monitors on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
The Moukey 3″ Studio Monitor resembles closely to Donner 3″ Studio Monitor. It has a highly tamed high end that mixes decently with the low and mid-range frequencies. However, the speaker feels pretty weak on low end and you may need to increase it manually.
In terms of its features and connections, everything is well-differentiated in Moukey Monitors. The front panel has volume control, an on/off switch, a headphone output, and a knob to switch between various connections such as TRS or RCA.
For anyone willing to set up a beginner and basic home studio or want to pair a monitor with a computer, the Moukey 3″ monitors can be a good enough choice if you have low expectations. It is not as great as Eris 3.5 but can fill the void.
The rear side is where the heart of this monitor belongs. The active speakers have 1/4″ TRS inputs, RCA ports, bass, and treble control knobs and outputs to the passive speaker unit.
Based on the type of connection on the rear side, you have to adjust using the front port knob.
Pros
- Very well defined set of features,
- Perfect for small rooms and home studio setups.
- A good and balanced sound profile,
- It can get very loud.
Cons
- High end sometimes feel out of control and need tweaking,
- The bass is comparatively lower as compared to Presonus Eris 3.5″,
- Small woofer size.
6) Behringer MS16 Active Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- 1.5″ Tweeter size,
- 4″ inch woofer size,
- Front ported speakers,
- Feature loaded speaker system,
- 2 unbalanced RCA connections,
- Headphone connectivity available,
- Separate control knobs treble, bass, volume levels,
- Power: 32 Watts.
check the price of Behringer MS16 on amazon
A deeper Analysis
The Behringer MS16 powered monitors may not have the most outstanding build quality. But, they are cheap, active monitors that can serve the primary purpose of listening to music in a good enough manner.
The lack of balanced connections and the overall sound profile makes it unfit for mixing or mastering any type of music.
It is front-ported, has a 1.5″ tweeter size and 4″ woofer size that pumps the volume levels high enough for a small room.
Moreover, it is best to pair the Behringer MS16 with a computer or a TV where you are not concerned about the overall audio quality.
So, why buy the behringer MS16 speaker systems?
I would not recommend these monitors to anyone who wants to set up their home studio or want a monitor for mixing and mastering their music.
It has a lot of sonic imbalances that can mess up your mixing process. So, never go for Behringer MS16 monitors if you are a music producer.
However, for a thin segment of consumers with a limited budget who want to listen to music, this pair can serve the purpose well enough.
Pros
- Serves the basic purpose of listening to music,
- It has versatile connection options.
Cons
- Humming sound can be heard when nothing is playing,
- No balanced output connectivity options,
- Manual adjustment of bass and treble is necessary.
7) Samson MediaOne BT3 Active Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 0.75 inch,
- Woofer size – 3 inch,
- Back firing acoustic port,
- 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Frequency response – 50 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Front panel volume controls, headphone and AUX in,
- Power: 20W.
view the price of Samson MediaOne BT3 on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
If you want an excellent general-purpose speaker for your bedroom or to pair up with your computer, Samson BT3 will not hurt your pocket. For a price so low, it is speaker packs a punchy performance.
These speakers can conveniently listen to music, online surf videos, or watch movies with an impressive clean stereo sound. The same is the case with playing games.
The rear side of the active speaker holds all the necessary parts you need. There are RCA ports, outputs to a left passive speaker, and the power button. The bass firing port is also located on the rear side of the speakers.
However, due to lack of high power and properly balanced connections, I recommend you stay away from these speakers if your main aim is to mix and master music tracks or related to the audio profession.
Pros
- Bluetooth Connectivity,
- Good general purpose speakers,
- Good for small to medium sized room.
Cons
- No balanced output ports,
- Not fit for mixing or mastering audio tracks.
8) Singing Wood BT27 Active Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 0.75 inch,
- Woofer size – 4 inch,
- Back firing acoustic port,
- 4 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Front panel volume controls and AUX in,
- Knobs to control High and low end frequencies,
- Power: 54 W.
view the price of Singing Wood BT27 on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
The Singing wood active studio monitors are built strong with a wooden enclosure and plastic covering on front and back panels. The audio quality is very crisp and clean, with punchy low ends. The sound profile is enough to rock a small to medium-sized room.
It is one of the most affordable pair of monitor speakers that you can buy without compromising audio quality. The BT 27 speakers offer a great option to connect two lines of RCA connections.
You can pair it up with a smartphone, PC, laptop, TV, or tablet.
The rear end of the monitor comprises two lines of RCA connection, an output to the passive speaker unit, and a power switch. Additionally, the treble, bass, and volume knobs are located on the side of the active monitoring unit.
All in all, the Singing wood BT27 speakers provide excellent value for money. The sound profile is very balanced with low and high ends in perfect complementing each other.
Pros
- A very clean sound profile,
- High powered speakers,
- BT enabled.
Cons
- No balanced connections,
- Not fit for mixing music.
9) Samson MediaOne M30 3″ Powered Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 1 inch,
- Woofer size – 3 inch,
- Back firing port,
- 2 un-balanced RCA inputs,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Front panel volume controls & headphones IN,
- Power: 20 W.
view the price of Samson MediaOne M30 on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
The Samson Media one M30 are pocket-friendly speakers with an excellent overall sound profile. It has mostly a flat frequency response and is accurate enough in actual sound reproduction.
Connections in M30 are pretty standard. It has RCA unbalanced ports and a bass boost switch at the rear side of the active speaker unit. On the front panel, there is a volume knob and a headphone output port for connecting headphones.
All in all, I would not set any high expectations from a speaker of this caliber other than listening to music in small or closed environments. They have good volume levels, making them suitable for listening to audio from, say, youtube or video games.
Pros
- Pocket friendly speaker that still packs a punchy performance.
Cons
- Bass boost makes a slight improvement on the low ends,
- No balanced TRS output ports for stable and high audio quality.
10) Edifier R33BT Active Studio Monitors
Product Specifications
- Tweeter size – 0.5 inch,
- Woofer size – 3.5 inch,
- Back firing port,
- One AUX port present on rear panel,
- Frequency response – 80 Hz to 20 kHz,
- Power: 10 W.
view the price of Edifier R33BT on Amazon
A deeper Analysis
As you cut the price, the features do get impacted. Edifier R3BT adequately illustrates an example of this price-feature relationship. These $69 speakers don’t even have an unbalanced RCA port. The only way to connect these speakers to your phone, laptop, or PC is through AUX cables.
Since the connection is AUX-based, I strongly recommended you not use these speakers to set up your studio. However, an interesting and the most common use case for such a low-level speaker system is to listen to music or, in general, audio.
The Edifier R3BT can be a great companion for your personal use. They do come with good enough sound quality making them suitable to set up in a small room.
I don’t think that it is one of the best studio monitors under $100 but it does the job quite well enough.
The rear side of the active speaker unit houses all the necessary connections to pair it up with the passive unit and listen to audio or music. In addition, the power switch can also be located on the back side.
Pros
- Good speakers for basic requirements,
- Suitable to pair up with a personal desktop.
Cons
- No balanced or unbalanced connections.
Conclusion
These were some of the best studio monitors under $100. Not to forgot the studio monitors with a 1/4″ TRS output port can connect to an audio interface, offering pretty high sound quality for mixing and mastering tracks.
All in all, I hope that this article helped you out. Lastly, do tell me in the comments which speaker you are going to buy.
The article is completed here! The following section focuses on my personal opinions and experiences with cheap studio monitors.
Related: Best Studio Monitors under $1000 – Top monitors in each price category!
However, these monitors are suitable only for a short while. After a point, they all are going to become less effective. They may also begin to sound muddy.
I once used a cheap studio monitor that worked great, and after a while, it started to make weird noises now and then. It also became useless to mix songs because the sound became muddy, and the overall loudness dropped significantly.
Therefore, it becomes critical not to expect anything extra from cheap studio monitors. They are not going to sound great forever. Enjoy them while they are in proper shape.
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