5 inch or thereabouts front ported monitors

[ajay_m]

Hi folks
So this weekend I decided to replace the HF amp chip on my Tapco S5 monitor that had taken out a tweeter. All seemed well after repair and after the previous experience this time I put a dummy load across the HF channel and did some testing. Still ok, so I swapped out my last good tweeter and tested. Still good last night so I placed an order for two spare tweeters. You know what's coming. Turned it on this morning and it promptly took out my last tweeter. So whatever was wrong wasn't the power amp and at this point it's crazy to carry on - so I'm scrapping them and getting new monitors.
BUT
Now the immediately obvious choice at my budget level was the Adam T5Vs. But my monitors are mounted on shelves on the wall and the S5s were only about 220mm deep. The Adams are nearly 300mm deep which means when I need to walk around the back of my desk to get at cabling or whatever they'll be a nuisance, but more importantly they're rear ported and not supposed to be mounted flush against the wall; the S5s were front-ported.
So at the approx £300 price point of the T5Vs, can anyone recommend any front-ported monitors that aren't as deep as the Adams but have a neutral voicing, I don't want anything like the Yamahas with their hyped midrange.
Alternative is that I *can* put the Adams on my desk, I guess, thinking about it. They'll chew up a fair bit of space but it's mostly just clutter anyway at present. They do seem a very good choice at the price point. Hmm....

[Arpangel]

Given the money you have to spend, I'd be looking at the Presonus Eris E5 XT or preferably the 8
IMO, they have a nice balanced sound for the money, but no doubt others will chime in.
I tried a few in this range, and to my ears they sounded fine for the money, they didn’t have any obvious flaws, liken a few others I listened to.

[Drew Stephenson]

At that price, and front ported, the Eris, KRK Rokit 5s (never been a huge fan myself but haven't auditioned any for a few years), Tannoy Reveals 502, Tannoy Golds (probably a bit pricey), Focal Alpha 50 (probably a bit bulky and pricey)...
Probably all should be on the consideration list.

[ajay_m]

I've been reading some reviews that praise the Kali LP6s as well. Do you feel the Eris monitors are better in terms of overall neutrality?. Always been a bit leery about Presonus gear though personally I've never owned anything of theirs but the "friends don't let friends buy presonus" meme presumably has some foundation in user experience.

[ajay_m]

And btw it's not that I can't afford more expensive monitors but pragmatically with both tinnitus and a left ear that struggles beyond 8KHz and a right ear going out to maybe 11-12KHz I have to realistically understand that my hearing is on the way out in my mid 60s and I'm not going to be able to justify the acoustic improvements. Headphones still work pretty well but being off axis with speakers I do struggle to pick up the high end alas.

[sonics]

The newer PreSonus Eris 5XT sound pretty good for the money. The Kali LP6 has been recommended but I've not heard them yet.

[Aled Hughes]

I haven't tried the cheaper Adams but I do have the new A4Vs and I quite like them. Quite a bit over budget though, and I don't know how the T5V compares.

I haven't got much experience with speakers in that price range, but I do have a pair of IK iLoud Micros, and they're quite impressive for what they are, though quite a bit smaller than what you're looking at. Would sopmething like that and a good pair of headphones sort you out?

Or just spend it all on decent headphones... £300 will get something tasty!

[tea for two]

And btw it's not that I can't afford more expensive monitors but pragmatically with both tinnitus and a left ear that struggles beyond 8KHz and a right ear going out to maybe 11-12KHz I have to realistically understand that my hearing is on the way out in my mid 60s and I'm not going to be able to justify the acoustic improvements. Headphones still work pretty well but being off axis with speakers I do struggle to pick up the high end alas.

I highlighted the 8kHz.
After reading your post I lobbed oorrff everything above 8kHz on a pseudo orchestral piece I did. I could hear the harps strings voices fine just that they sounded somewhat boxy. Wasn't as bad as I thawd it would be. I could make tunes with 8kHz.

For speakers I'm also on the lookout for 5inchers so shall await your views on those you chose.

[forumuser931182]

How about the Mackie MR524’s. Sort of a Tapco offspring. Rear ported unfortunately but only 220mm deep I believe.

[Wonks]

Have sent a PM.

[Arpangel]

At that price, and front ported, the Eris, KRK Rokit 5s (never been a huge fan myself but haven't auditioned any for a few years), Tannoy Reveals 502, Tannoy Golds (probably a bit pricey), Focal Alpha 50 (probably a bit bulky and pricey)...
Probably all should be on the consideration list.

Drew, I had some of the earlier Eris 5's, best of the bunch for me at the time, but!
They were "almost there" but not quite, great sound, for the money, but there were a couple of issues, mechanical hum from the transformers, that was annoying, plus, noise from the drivers, hiss, so I sold them and bought my Behringer 3031's which I still have after about 10 years, no issues, sound fine, still working!
I'm sure the latest Eris are fine now though,