People often get confused by the term “monitors”, even after they realize that the context is audio equipment (and not televisions or computer displays). There is a huge market in home studio monitors and for good reason; they can be absolutely crucial in proper mastering and production of any respectable audio. Monitors and speakers are not interchangeable. All home studio monitors are within the category of speakers, but not vice versa.
A speaker is anything that fits within the many types and styles of fundamentally simple technology that reproduces sound. In that respect, even your earbuds are nothing more than tiny little speakers inside cute little plastic cases. To go a step even further, microphones are actually just reverse speakers.
Monitors, however, are specific types of speakers that have a flat response designed for accurate ‘virgin’ reproduction of sound for mastering and production purposes. In other words, whatever sound they play is absolutely untouched and unaltered in any way. This is necessary in order to engineer the exact feel and desired tone such that it sounds as intended across all listening devices.
What this obviously implies is that many consumer speakers actually do alter the sound in one way or another. The portable Bluetooth speakers often have less low-end and sound more tinny in an effort to cut weight and increase battery life. Subwoofers are simply speakers that are very specially designed to produce booming low-end but they’re pretty crappy if not used in unison with two or more small speakers for the mid and high frequency ranges.
So if you’re considering purchasing home studio monitors, be sure to be informed. If you can, try them out in person and bring your own familiar music to use for testing.
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