Price Paid:  $10.00 from craigslist

Summary:
This is for the Monitor One - first version. I read about them on this site. Got these little guys off some dude leaving town, along with the Aiwa all-in-one he was using - for $10. Yup! They were beat up, but working. So coughed up 10 bucks and put the Aiwa out immediately,(people put and pick up stuff off the street in San Francisco all the time - we call it sidewalk shopping), and brought these inside and hooked them up to my Proton D940 - a pretty sweet receiver.

What I noticed: First off - these things are hefty! Which is always a good sign. Very impressive for something I see for $100 used consistently. Also - kinda cool looking, another plus.

I hooked them up....wow. A LOT of sound coming out of these little things. And really seemed to present all the music that was there - ie. flat response I suppose, especially compared to all the home audio stuff I'd been using. But just the amount of sound - REALLY impressive. Bass response also - for such a little thing. Pretty much all you could ask. Now it wasn't until I got them home that I noticed that one of the tweeters was blown. No big deal - I paid $10 - I was glad to cough up for a new tweeter - which are still available at this point $34 including shipping. (I think it took 5 biz days.) But I'll tell you something...

With these things set up poorly, with one tweeter blown, listening off axis,(bad tweeter away from me) - I heard a song I'd heard a ton of times. Never paid any attention to it before - just thought it was un-notable in every way. Boring - some lame no-talent guy. But hearing it through these hooked up to my Proton, I noticed myself listening to it. After it was over, I was shocked - THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD SONG! lol. No - it wasn't the detail presented, necessarily. Or the soundstage or flat response etc. It was that these monitors conveyed the FEELING of what this guy was doing - his emotion. And THAT is why I started getting stereo equipment in the first place - to get that.

Needless to say - I'm not an audiophile. I'm not even really an audio enthusiast per se. I was going to put casual listener - but there's nothing casual about my listening. I love music. Now soundstage, imaging - all that crap - it's great. It can be amazing, I know. But I don't give a rats @ss about that stuff really - in the end I'm into music, ie. expression - that's what I love. Played in school bands through college - and however well executed something can be - or however thick someone's attitude - if there's no feel - it's crap. And these cheepo monitors delivered that feel,(and the Proton). Maybe all monitors do - have no idea. But these things made me realize what a good artist some guy is who I thought was just boring. Anyway...

They play pretty well at low levels. So they'll be my night speakers - when I don't want to wake anyone up with my Cerwin D-5 cranker speakers that even quiet go through the walls. Highly recommend for how cheap they are, how small they are, and how well they perform. Am no fool - if someone knows something notably better for $150 or less used - tell me. (fstliferdr@yahoo.com). Other than that - I'm going to enjoy these very much.

They get 4 stars because I'm personally not qualified to give them 5.

Thanks Alesis and the reviewers on this website.

Strengths:
Heavy. Cool looking. Fairly small. TONS of sound for size. Seem to give it all to you. Convey, with right electronics I guess, the EMOTION of a song - key. An amazing deal, either at $10 or $100 - as I see them for used all the time. Play fairly loud, and also quietly.

Weaknesses:
Mmm. Maybe a little hollow sounding. Honestly, for $100 used - there aren't any.

Similar Products Used:
JBL L36, Cerwin VS-120, Cerwin D-5, ADS L420 (awesome with a warm amp), and PSB 50R's. Marantz 2238, Proton D940, Luxman R405, and a late 80's Onkyo.

Price Paid:  $200.00 from B&H

Summary:
Unlike some of the previous posts, my purpose of getting these dudes was for casual PC listening. However, after sampling many of the dire offerings in that category I elected to go with a pair of competent monitors. My next decision was to opt for passive monitors as opposed to active ones. I coupled my Alesis monitors with a matched set of B&K ST3030 power amp and AV2000 pre-amp along with Adcom GDA 600 external D/A converter. Considering the reputable neutrality of B&K gear and my ability to drive 400wpc at 4ohm, I have better than average electronics than these speakers were designed for. They can be driven fairly hard with good electronics. In terms of performance, I agree pretty much with all of the above. Very revealing when placed correctly, and a tad fussy with electronics requiring a stable/well balanced pre-amp and gutsty amplifier. Very steep crossover roll-off allows for incredible layering and virtual lack of sonic masking that plagues virtually all Hi-Fi speakers in the same price range. The drawback is the Alesis are somewhat harsh in their vocal rendering, and a bit 'dry' over-all, somewhat like older B&W's of years past. In most cases this is an advantage when studio mixing, especially when you want to flag poor bit compression and artifacts with conventional digital mastering, which the Alesis do brutally. Othwerwise, I'll stick to well attentuated ribbons and metal domes for 'lounge' listening where I don't want vocalists to all sound like they are on day 100 of a 101 day concert tour. One aspect of the Alesis I found interesting was their very wide dispersion, which allows for a generous sweet spot and somewhat exagerated sound stage. While they are at their best in the 'sweet spot', they are great speakers for off center listening. The rear porting is something I have no mercy for. Typical of most rear ported designs the Alesis requires very picky rear wall placement to avoid mid bass reinforcement and muddying the sound field. Oddly, I found mine sounded best when placed just an inch or so away from the rear wall which tended to dampen and disperse the rear porting. Still, no matter where they were placed the bass extension was quit remarkable and very clean. Looking at my digital sound graph I can see where lesser recordings used smaller monitors where the Alesis showed the dynamic gap.

Strengths:
Very revealing, superb lack of sonic masking, clean bass response, wide sound field. Absurdly cheap price for the performance.

Weaknesses:
Picky rear porting and hence placement. Requires well balanced electronics to drive with efficiency. Proof that silk domes are not neutral in terms of vocal performance.

Price Paid:  $267.00 from Sweetwater Sound

Summary:
I've owned these marvelously accurate and affordable speakers for a year now.If all reference studio monitors are this smooth and accurate to input signals then the majority of consumers are being misled. Stop reading audio magazines for advise on what to purchase.Get out and do your own listening after you've armed yourself with a basic knowledge of loudspeaker theory!Decide if you want accurate sound reproduction or noise makers.If accuracy is your aim then the nearfield reference monitor is the only objective choice for an individual on a budget.The Alesis monitors aren't the only speakers I listen to ,I also have a pair of dynaudio 1.3 monitors that cost me too much to mention.Don't get me wrong,these Dynaudios are better performers than many floor standing models for their detailed sound and smoothness.Stereo imaging,neutral response ,unexaggerated clarity,and treble of the highest order is what you get with these Dynaudios. But when I listen to the Alesis MkII's their isn't much difference in the sound of these true monitors when compaired to the much more expensive speakers.I'am willing to bet that in a double blind listening test the average audiophile would be hard pressed to tell which is the more expensive speaker playing.This goes to show the importance of very flat frequency and impulse accuracy to input signals in which these speakers display in spades.Having lived with speakers that are properly designed I find it hard to listen to NHT's ,Bostons',and other designs that make music formats sound better than they really are.If you want the truth and nothing but truth from your music then nothing out there will beat the Alesis monitor one MkII's(price wise) except another competently designed reference monitor in which accuracy to input signals is of paramount importance.Don't take my word,go out and listen for yourself.Truely affordable and extremely accurate speakers are out their but sadly not from sources most consumers think.You have to get this type speaker from pro audio dealers.They sell to people in which performance matters or major money will be lost due to poor performing products.Accurate hifi loudspeakers are out there but it's hard to find them ,until you do I highly recommend the Alesis monitor one MkII.If accuracy of reproduction matters to you,then these are your speakers.

Strengths:
Clarity,smoothness of frequency response,and surprising bass punch.Very fatique free listening for hours on end.

Weaknesses:
For their size you really have no performance weaknesses.They will absolutely blow away any consumer speaker in their price range.A quick one,two punch they're out!

Similar Products Used:
Dynaudio 1.3

Price Paid:  $249.00 from mars

Summary:
all speakers have ther limit/but with the alesis mk11
monitor there are almost no limitations on what these speakers can do for the price payed.I resently went to a hiFI SHOP TO PURCHASE A NEW PAIR OF SPEAKER TO USE ALONG WITH MY NAD C350 INT AMP/I TRIED SEVERAL DIFFERENT HIGH END SPEAKERS IN THE 2 WAY 6 1/2 INCH RANGE ALL VERY EXPESIVE/IN THE 499.00 TO 1200.00 PER PAIR RANGE/NONE AND I MEEN NONE OF THESE SPEAKER EXIBITED THE EXCELENT SOUND CARACTERISTICS OF THE ALESIS MK11.THESE OVER PRICED HI FI CRAPPERS ARE A RIP OFF/ITS PATHETIC THAT A 249.00 PAIR OF SPEAKERS CAN OUTPERFORM SPRAKERS THAT COST ALMOST FIVE TIMES AS MUCH.DONT FORGET THAT YOUR AMPLIFIER AND SOUND SORCE PLAYES A HUGE ROLL IN SOUND/YES THESE SPEAKERS ARE NERE FIELD MONITORS/BUT WITH THE WRIGHT EQUIPMENT THESE THINGS SOUND GREAT AT LONGER THAN NORMAL DISTANCES FROM THE LISTENER//THESE ARE GREAT SPEAKERS AT A GREAT PRICE/BUY THEM AND THE NAD C350 INTEGRATED AMP AND YOU WONT BE DISAPOINTED WITH THE SOUND/

Strengths:
very flat clean and detailed/

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
psb/yamaha/tannoy/

Price Paid:  $249.00 from Sam Ash

Summary:
An outstanding audiophile value even at $3,000 a pair. Awesome sound cheap. Worth finding the right supporting cast and using save $'s to upgrade source and amplification. Great sound becomes even more affordable.

Strengths:
Alesis Studio One, Mk 2: Extremely revealing, clean, fast, articulate with tight bass to about 40-45. Great for people who like this type of sound.

Weaknesses:
Sound quality is extremely dependent on room placement, amplification, source and media production values. These speakers are revealing. They are near field (recording) studio monitors good for small rooms with a seating position no more than 6 (or maybe 7) feet away from the speakers (not a weakness, this is what they were designed for).

Similar Products Used:
Dynaudio 1.3's and 1.8's.