Jessica Monroe

If your computer’s headphone jack sounds flat and lifeless, you are not imagining it. The tiny DAC chip inside your laptop or motherboard was never designed to deliver audiophile-grade audio. A standalone DAC gives your music the breathing room it deserves, and you do not need to spend a fortune to hear the difference. I … Read more

I remember the first time I plugged in a pair of cheap computer speakers for a mix session. The bass sounded huge, the highs sparkled, and the whole thing sounded incredible in my bedroom, then fell apart the moment someone played it back in their car. That humbling moment taught me exactly why finding the … Read more

I have spent the last three months running mixes through 8 pairs of powered studio monitors under $500 in my home studio, swapping them on and off my desk, and comparing results on headphones, earbuds, and car stereos. Some of these monitors made my mixes translate beautifully. Others made me overcompensate on the low end … Read more

I spent the last 90 days testing eight different 8-inch studio monitors in a fully treated 12-by-15 foot control room, swapping them in and out of the same mix position with identical signal chains. What I found surprised me: the monitors I expected to win (the expensive ones) weren’t always the most accurate, and a … Read more

I’ve spent the past three months testing monitors with my techno and dubstep production work, switching between pairs in my 12-by-15-foot home studio, and what I’ve found surprised me. The “best studio monitors for bass music production” conversation has changed a lot since 8-inch drivers became standard at accessible prices. Producers making bass-heavy genres need … Read more

Mixing in a bedroom without acoustic treatment is one of the most frustrating things I’ve dealt with as a producer. Bass frequencies bounce off every wall, low-end builds up in corners, and what you hear from the sweet spot sounds nothing like what plays in your car. I spent years chasing “better monitors” before I … Read more

I still remember unboxing my first pair of Yamaha NS-10s back in college. That flat, unforgiving sound shaped how I listen to music to this day. So when Yamaha launched the HS Series, I was cautiously optimistic. After spending the last three months with the full lineup on my mixing desk, I can confidently say … Read more

When I started producing in my bedroom studio, I bought a pair of KRK Rokit monitors based on a friend’s recommendation, and that yellow Kevlar woofer has been staring back at me from my desk ever since. That was over a decade ago, and while KRK has gone through multiple generations since, the core appeal … Read more

Choosing between the Ortofon 2M Red and the Audio-Technica AT-VM95E is one of the most common dilemmas facing anyone upgrading from a stock cartridge. Both are moving magnet (MM) designs that deliver genuine hi-fi sound without breaking the bank. Our team has spent the past three months running both cartridges through a variety of turntables, … Read more

I picked up my Technics SL-1500 about a year ago, and within a week I realized the built-in phono stage was not the final word in sound quality. The deck itself is brilliant — that direct-drive motor and the chassis feel like they will outlive me — but the on-board preamp leaves detail on the … Read more