Alesis music equipment has come out with some very solid studio monitors — their Elevate 6 series. This is an upgrade from their original Elevate 5 studio monitors which received many positive reviews around the net. In the 6 series you are given the choice between either the active or passive studio monitor. The main difference between the two is the obvious passive vs. active comparison in which the active have a built-in amplifier, (we typically recommend for a studio, regardless of home or professional, unless you want to purchase your own separate amplifier that matches up with it’s compliance). This one made our list in our top 10 best studio monitor speakers article. Let’s see more information.
Main features of the Elevate 6 active monitor
Retail price: $200 (each)- Weight: 15 lbs
- Flat frequency response of 55 Hz – 30 kHz (+3 dB)
- 75 watts of power (bi-amplified)
- Woofer: 6″ silver Kevlar (50 watts)
- Tweeter: 1″ silk dome (25 watts)
- Elliptical waveguides
- High-density wood cabinet
- Dual bass porting
- Edge diffcation reduction with an enahnced baffle radius
- Inputs: one balanced XLR + 1/4″ and 1 unbalanced RCA
- Trim switches: -2dB, 0dB and 2dB (high and low frequency)
- Power-saving auto shut-off feature
Overall build
These are built really well, and with the overall 75 watts of power you’ve got a decent rig here for the price. They aren’t made of cheap plastic and if you take care of them they will last you a few good years. I especially like their make of the drivers — the woofer’s are a nice silver Kevlar that are very solid (seems to be Kevlar is the standard nowadays). If you’re going lower in price with a studio monitor, you’re going to have to sacrifice not only watt power and woofer size but basically the driver make, and anything cheaper than this is a bit debatable. All in all a good investment if you’re looking for an affordable studio monitor that has average specifications.
On the rear panel of the Alesis 6 active, you have a volume control knob, high-frequency and low-frequency trim, a 1/4″ balanced and RCA unbalanced input. You’ve also got your typical on/off switch, AC select and power input cable. Again, an impressive lineup in terms of rear control as we’ve heard of complains of other popular monitors (like the JBL’s lacking an RCA input).
This monitor isn’t lacking anything to be honest, although maybe you could complain about the watts of power but if you want a crazy, above 100 watt monitor you’re looking to spend almost $500 for a pair. These are less than $400.
Sound quality
It’s stated by Alesis that these are +\- 1 in terms of frequency so you’re getting a very flat response here. We loved the accuracy between both the highs and lows. The mids weren’t lacking either — something that sometimes happens with 2-way active speakers.
When we heard a hip hop instrumental song over it the quality sounded very crisp. We’ve heard of some monitors claiming the +\- 1 flat tune but are a little off when compared to others. These do the trick.
Overall verdict
What you’re getting here is an overall solid build of a studio monitor. If you’re on a budget, we do recommend reading our best studio monitor speakers under $500 article. You can also check the prices of the Elevate 6 passive monitor if you either have an amplifier already or would rather go that route. They go for around $50 cheaper retail. You can also read our review on their original Elevate 5 studio monitors — these come in a pair and are around $150 retail (half the price of these), albeit with less powerful features (a 5″ woofer with less-quality drivers and only 40 watts of power per speaker).
All in all, if you end up going with the Alesis Elevate 6 active studio monitor, you won’t be making a mistake, that’s for sure. It’s a safe and secure buy.
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