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Choose powered studio monitors with a flat, honest sound, in a size that fits your desk and room: a pair of 4- to 5-inch monitors for a small room, and larger ones only when the room can carry them. Check whether the listing is one speaker or a pair.
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If you only read one section, read this: one pick for most people, one for a careful budget, one to grow into.
Best overall
A 5-inch powered studio monitor, sold as a single speaker, so you need two for stereo. I want to hear my own touch honestly, so I look for faithful sound over loudness whenever I recommend speakers.
I suggest it for a listener who wants a clear, detailed sound at a desk.
See it on AmazonBest value
5.25-inch near-field monitor. The PreSonus Eris E5 5.25-Inch Near-Field Monitor is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly.
See it on AmazonPremium pick
Matched pair of 5-inch monitors. The Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitors, Pair is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a digital piano in a living room that needs full stereo sound.
See it on AmazonStudio monitors are speakers made to tell the truth about what you play. A digital piano's built-in speakers are made to sound pleasant; monitors are made to show you the unevenness of your touch and your rhythm, which is what a teacher listens for. They are also the right speakers for a desk where you record, listen back and work on music. I list monitors by what each listing says, and I note where a listing sells one speaker instead of a pair.
I recommend this gear because it is what my adult students need to work through my free 41-lesson course and, later, to use with my upcoming method books. I am a concert pianist and a university piano professor, and these are the kinds of tools I look at first when a student asks what to buy.
How this helps you learn: speakers that tell the truth let you hear what a teacher hears, the unevenness in your touch that built-in speakers politely hide.
A pair of 4.5-inch powered monitors for a desk. The M-Audio BX4 4.5-Inch Studio Monitors, Pair is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a small desk and a digital piano or interface that needs speakers.
See it on AmazonCompact powered desktop monitors for a keyboard line out. The PreSonus Eris 3.5 Powered Studio Monitor is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly; this one is the PreSonus Eris 3.5 Powered Studio Monitor.
See it on AmazonPowered studio monitor. The Edifier MR3 Powered Studio Monitor is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly; this one is the Edifier MR3 Powered Studio Monitor.
See it on Amazon5.25-inch near-field monitor. The PreSonus Eris E5 5.25-Inch Near-Field Monitor is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly.
See it on AmazonEdifier MR4 Powered Studio Monitor: powered studio monitor. The Edifier MR4 Powered Studio Monitor is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly; this one is the Edifier MR4 Powered Studio Monitor.
See it on AmazonA pair of 5.25-inch two-way near-field monitors. The PreSonus Eris E5 Studio Monitors, Pair is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a home studio desk and honest sound for recording and practice.
See it on AmazonA pair of 5-inch desktop monitors with Bluetooth. It is a speaker for the house, not for the piano: I list it for the music lover, not for hearing your touch.
I suggest it for a desk where you also stream music.
See it on AmazonA 6.5-inch powered studio monitor, sold as a single speaker, so you need two for stereo. The Kali Audio LP-6 V2 6.5-Inch Studio Monitor is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a careful listener with a medium room.
See it on AmazonA 5-inch powered studio monitor, sold as a single speaker, so you need two for stereo. I want to hear my own touch honestly, so I look for faithful sound over loudness whenever I recommend speakers.
I suggest it for a listener who wants a clear, detailed sound at a desk.
See it on AmazonAn 8-inch two-way powered monitor, sold as a single speaker, so you need two for stereo. The JBL Professional 308P MkII 8-Inch Studio Monitor is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a larger room where small desktop monitors would feel thin.
See it on Amazon5-inch powered monitor. The Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitor is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly; this one is the Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitor.
See it on Amazon4-inch Yamaha powered monitor. The Yamaha HS4 Powered Studio Monitor is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a desk setup where you want to hear your own touch clearly; this one is the Yamaha HS4 Powered Studio Monitor.
See it on AmazonMatched pair of 5-inch monitors. The Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitors, Pair is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a digital piano in a living room that needs full stereo sound.
See it on AmazonA pair of fifth-generation 5-inch powered monitors. The KRK Rokit 5 G5 Studio Monitors, Pair is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a pianist who wants room-tuning controls on the speakers.
See it on AmazonPlace the two speakers and your head at the corners of an equal-sided triangle, with the tweeters at ear height and angled toward you. Keep them a little away from the wall behind them. If they sit on a desk, a pair of foam pads or small stands from my accessories page stops the desk from buzzing.
Play a recording you know well. Honest monitors may sound less flattering than the speakers you are used to, and that is the point.
Studio monitors aim for a flat, accurate sound so you hear what is really in a recording. Ordinary speakers often add bass and sparkle to flatter the music.
Yes, if the piano has line outputs. Connect them with balanced or instrument cables of the right plug type; the cables page in my shop lists the common ones.
No. Headphones are better for quiet practice. Monitors help when you want to hear the room, play for a listener, or mix a recording.
A 3- to 5-inch pair for a desk in a small room, and a 5- to 8-inch pair for a larger room. A bigger speaker is not better in a small room.
Yes. The links go to Amazon.com and open your local Amazon store when the model is sold there: the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Singapore. Models, voltages and plugs differ by country, so on your local listing check for the 230-volt or UK-plug version of a digital piano or a suitable mains adapter, and check that the sustain pedal, bench (keyboard stool) or keyboard stand you want is sold in your country. If a model is not sold locally, the page will say so.
Powered monitors and desktop speakers.
USB audio interfaces for recording piano at home.
Microphone stands, boom arms, pop filters and monitor pads.
Practice any hour without disturbing anyone.
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