I have been doing a lot of reading on various forums about the best sub £500 studio monitors, and have narrowed it down to 2 options: The Yamaha MSP5's and the Equator D5's. I have seen a lot of comparisons of different monitors but never these 2 specifically.

I am basically looking for the most accurate monitors for making beats and mixing and would appreciate any feedback, plus-minus points and general comparisons between the 2 sets. I'm in the UK so these are around the same price range over here (£350-ish).

This is my first post, so do excuse any forum faux pas that I may have naively stumbled into. Thanks for any help in advance.

Never heard the Equators but you cannot go wrong with those Yammies IMO.

Thanks. The Equators have received rave reviews from every source I have read thus far. Are there any downsides to the MSP5's?

Has anyone heard both sets and could give a comparison?

I worked a year with the MSP5. (12 titles album) So I'll give you my 2 cents.
Everything sound good on those monitors, even when it's not mixed. They are very amazing on this. So I think they give a great vibe for composing. You can hear everything too. Weird thing is the bass, you hear clearly a sub bass line or low kick that doesn't exist on many 7". I think they add a shitload of harmonics.
Last thing, they are really meant to be nearfield, the sound fall at your feet at 2m. Also when you are 2 peoples in front the yammies, the one who is at 1m lost his ears when the other one is at 1.20m (2 hands) listen at a correct level. That can be very annoying for tracking an instrument.
It's possible to make a cool mix but I believe they don't make a better job than other monitors. At least my mixes translated ok on most details to my home hifi system. (but not bass). I know also the msp7, it's a lot worse, nothing translated. Very amazing sound thought.

So are you saying that the MSP5's aren't very accurate or true sounding? A lot of people say that these speakers are very accurate and expose a bad mix.

Anyone else had experience with the MSP5's or the D5's.

I mixed with the Yamaha MSP5's for about 3 years and enjoyed them. They are accurate. The bass is the downside. It just isn't a big enough woofer. But once you get used to them you will learn how to tell how much bass is there. It's a matter of experience. I suppose the same would go for any other monitors as well. My advice is to listen to both the Equators and the Yammies and decide which one you like better. Think about which ones will be easier on your ears in the long run.

Thanks for the info. I know the bass on a woofer that size isn't going to be booming, but I would rather have that than something completely coloured and deceptive like I've heard the Rokits are. I am more concerned about accuracy, I can just reference the lower ends on my headphones.

Still no one who has used the D5's? I would have expected someone to mention them, with the amount of hype they have received over the last few months.

Anyone?

I have MSP 7 and Q10. I favour Q10. Q10 have bigger sweetspot. On MSP 7 I stress my neck. If you have to put your monitor higher, D5 is a more suitable ones.

Do you mean higher in volume or physically higher? I would be putting them on my computer desk which is about ear level.

Which of the 2 (MSP5, D5) are the more accurate in your opinion?

i would like to know the answer to this too.

im looking for some monitors under £500.

ive been searching for 2 years and still nobody can give a clear answer.

I am also interested in the D5's at the moment. Had to sell my HS50's when I moved overseas. Just comparing the freq response charts, it looks like the D5's might have a bit better bass response then the MSP5's, but then again, charts don't tell you much about real world performance.

Lol 2 years, I think it's about time you take a gamble and pick a pair.

I know its all based on opinion but from what I've read, these are the best 2 sets in the price range. If only someone had heard them both together and could give some sort of comparison.

Do not go by anyone's opinion on this site. Once you get them home you'll find their advice won't hold up. Just look at the tech specs and company reputation. The MSP5 is going to better than the D5s. The Equators have a hyped high end just by looking at their site specs.

If you are going to get a small monitor, check the JBL 25p!
JBL :: Product

Have you considered these Emotiva Airmotiv 5s. (also in 6") They have a ribbon and look pretty flat.
airmotiv 5 (pair)

Also realize that you narrowed it down to two monitors nobody cares about much here. You have to ask yourself why and how that would be useful.

It's not just this site but multiple forums where I have gathered opinions. I can't find anything negative about the D5's (apart from some rumbling at the bottom end, which has been fixed now).

Why does no one on here care for the 2 sets of monitors I posted?

I will look at the links you posted me when I get home from work tomorrow, Thank you!

maybe you could find out which set holds its value better over time and factor that in your decision as well.

I wrote wrongly, I have the Q8. My Q8 is better in near-field better than my MSP7. Me and my speakers is about 1m apart. If normal speaker is the good height for you, MSP 5 may perform better unless you wanna lift D5. Other reason I switch to Q8, cos of the built too. Because of the shipping, my Q8 is actually about US$200 cost more than MSP7. Basically, I am paying more too have a few Hz down below.

My reading also led me to the same two candidate monitors: MSP5 & D5. Since almost a year has passed (hope this thread's not too stale), thought i'd repeat the question:

Has anyone heard (or better yet, worked with) both the Yamaha MSP5 and the Equator D5?

I have a small 2nd-bedroom-type room, not yet treated. I'm thinking 5-inch monitors (maybe 6), front-ported or sealed, accurate. I do mostly acoustic jazz & jazz-influenced electronic stuff.

Thanks!

I've owned both. I think you would be satisfied with either one. The MSP's have a little lower bass extension and the D5's have better imaging and perhaps details. Both translated well. Neither of them were fatiguing but the MSP's seemed better suited if you just wanted to listen to music, but not colored. My 2cents.
Get some room treatment.

Thanks qbury! That's good info, tells me what i wanted to know. Now i'm favoring the MSP5's since i do sometimes just listen for pleasure in that room too.

And "for sure" on the room treatments! In that room speakers almost have to be near corners. My current passive PMC LB1's are way bassy in there - kinda fun, but even though i've had them for years i still have probs with translation. So will start with bass traps and go from there. Probably need to think about getting a decent RTA ...