Alesis Elevate 5 | 40-watt 5" Active Desktop Studio Monitor Speakers with Elliptical Waveguide (Pair)

These arrived on time and without defect I really wasn't expecting much at a price point of only $150 a pair, and being that they are only 5 inch speakers, wasn't expecting to get blow you out of your seat sound, but that is exactly what I got!, these monitors are great they are a decent size larger than most of my friends studio monitors and the sound is great after the initial break in period there is a Bass Boost switch on the back of the unit though, I would not use it for mixing or track playback ever it defeats the purpose of the mix and mastering process in my opinion it will leave you with an improperly mixed track that will not translate well to other listening mediums, I use these unit with the following set up in my home studio Windows 8 Laptop--->Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface--->ASIO Driver--->Monitors L/R then I turn the monitors all of the way up and use the Focusrite to adjust the volume via the master volume control knob on the Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 and this works very well, and these are definitely quality monitors if you are setting up a home studio and are questioning getting these over a more expensive pair stop looking and buy these now! They are the best monitors in this price range and even some of my colleagues who have spent 3x as much on their studio monitors are jealous and wish they would have bought them a pair of these instead, as far as what is included in the box upon shipping is a left and a right speaker the main speaker will have the volume knob and on and off switch on the back of the unit, the power cord a set of headphone jack to RCA adapter cables (I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS) and one 6ft 1/4 inch TRS to TRS cable for connecting the two monitors together as the main powers the other this cable is ok, but the length is highly inadequate and will need to be replaces with a balanced cable of no more then 10 feet in length so that you can place the monitors where they need to be and still maintain a quality sound I also picked up a set of balanced 1/4 TRS to TRS 9 inch cable NEW in the box from guitar center as well for only $12 so that I can keep the sound as quality as possible for the best mix, Over all buy these monitors they will not disapoint you, at this price point.

So far, so good.I'm not an audiophile, but I know that these speakers/monitors are definitely much better than any desktop speakers I've experienced, and close to the other mid-high speakers on my turntable setups.I have a decent BT compact stereo speaker that I've been using for music and audio, and these are so much better for separation and definition (of course).If you're going to use them for actual mixing in a studio, I'm not sure if these are right monitors. I'm just using them as workspace speakers and I'm more than happy with the definition and the sound reproduction.The Alesis Elevate 5 monitors are billed as near field monitors (meaning you probably don't want to use them as general purpose speakers on your stereo across the room) and in that function, they perform admirably.The manual has a diagram with the speakers and the listern as points on an equilateral triangle (eg each side is the same distance).The only con I have is the the patch cord to go from the right (active) monitor to the left (passive) monitor is EXTREMELY short (maybe 3'). As a reference, that pretty much allows you to place the monitors on either side of a 16:9 27" monitor and not much else. I'm not sure who just has a single monitor setup anymore, but that's what they give you.I've ordered a longer patch cord (GLS Audio 10 Foot Guitar Instrument Cable - Right Angle 1/4-Inch TS to Straight 1/4-Inch TS 10 FT Black Gray Tweed Cloth Jacket - 10 Feet Pro Cord 10' Phono 6.3mm - SINGLE) and expect it in the next few days to give me a little more freedom on monitor placement in my workspace.I should have ordered a longer patch cord when I ordered these monitors, but I figured I'd check to see if the supplied patch cord work for my needs (it did not). So if you want to place the monitors more than 3' apart, do yourself a favor and buy a longer patch cord with your order.Also, keep in mind that these are monitors, not your run-of-the-mill speakers, which means their job to reproduce the sound with as much fidelity as possible, not to make the music warmer or better for listening enjoyment. Having said that, you can always add a pre-amp to warm things up, but I don't mind hearing everything the way it is from the source. This may not seem like a big deal, but you'll be able to tell the difference between well-engineered tracks and those that have been mixed with not as much care.So, great monitors for desktop workspace (maybe even a bit of overkill in sound reproduction), not sure on actual studio mixing using them, and if you can get them for under $150, a great deal.(I'll update the review if there is anything that happens allow the way that might help someone thinking about buying these monitors)

Out of the box, these monitors are light and easy to set up (I use industrial velcro instead of the adhesive pads that come with them). The cables that come with the monitors are abysmally insufficient, so have your own (if you're a musician or audio guy, you already should).The audio from these monitors has a very good sweet spot, very responsive volume knob and rivals the audio quality of more expensive brands. For the money, you just can't beat it. These aren't long range monitors, however. Use them at your production desk or up to 6 or so feet away.THE ONLY REASON why I didn't give these 5 Stars (I don't nitpick about included cables since I have an ample supply) is because after 20 minutes of use, I would get audio dropouts. I would have to power off the monitors and power them back on to get my audio back. At first I thought it was my software, then I thought it was the MacBook Pro built-in output, so I switched to my interface to run audio out. Same issue. I tested the monitors with several devices and cables and found it truly was the monitors.I have a replacement set on the way and I contacted Alesis customer support to ask if this issue has come up with the Elevate 5's before and it's basically unheard of. They couldn't find anything in the service logs or in the FAQ's that even came close to the issue. I will test the new pair when they come in and update the review. This SHOULD BE an ISOLATED incident since I can't even find another Amazon review with the same issue.Stay tuned.