So you’ve decided between DJing with digital decks, vinyl or a controller, you know what genre you’re going to play, and you might even have chosen your DJ name. But obviously, regardless of your DJ set-up, you’re going to need a decent set of speakers too.
As ever, there are multiple monitor choices on the market for every conceivable need and requirement, but this round-up is specifically focusing on monitor speakers for home use or for a small DJ booth.
Full club/bar sound systems with the power to fill a large professional space are an entirely separate part of the audio market that I won’t be covering here.
Instead, I've reviewed ‘nearfield’ monitors: speakers that are specifically designed to sit on a desk or stand and operate within a metre or two of the listener. Nearfield monitors are ideal for the home DJ set-up and for any home DJing task you can think of, from simply practising your mixing or listening to your latest tunes, to recording or live-streaming mixes. Some of the monitors below might even stretch to rocking a small afters too.
If you want to know what my top pick is, I've put the KRK Rokit RP7 G5 at no.1. This is the latest version of a well-respected monitor and for the price, you'll get great performance.
To help you navigate the range of sizes, styles and prices available, I've included a FAQ section below. So whatever your particular DJ set-up is, you should be able to find the ideal monitors for your specific requirements, taste and budget.
Top picks
The KRK Rokit RP7 G5 is the latest in a much-loved series and is ideal for dance music DJs. Its feature set is excellent and it has built-in EQ, room analyser and three voicing modes.
The M-Audio BX4 are an excellent pair of budget DJ speakers and offer impressive highs and decent bass. They're easy to set up and feed of a single power connection.
The Pioneer DJ VM-70 offer both a neutral sound and a more bass-forward approach. This is thanks to the built-in DSP, with high and low EQ controls that can boost or cut frequencies.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you're a dance DJ looking for a solid speaker: These speakers boast a great sound and also have three voicing modes.
❌ Avoid if you don't dig a wasp-like colour scheme: OK, I'm nitpicking a bit here, but the distinctive KRK colour scheme won't be for everyone.
Build quality rating: ★★★★★
Features rating: ★★★★★
Sounds rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
KRK’s Rokit range of nearfield monitors has been extremely popular in the bedroom DJ and producer community for over a decade.
Now in their fifth incarnation, the KRKs are particularly well suited for dance music, boasting a sound that’s reliable enough for producing but with enough heft and low-end power to suit DJ sessions too.
In addition to the included graphic EQ and built-in DSP-powered room analyser to address any sound issues in your listening space (KRK provide a free app to help), the G5s now also come with three voicing modes.
Mix mode provides the flat, uncoloured frequency response needed for mixing, Focus emphasises the mids for detailed analysis of vocals and instrumentation, while Create is a more ‘flattering’ sounding mode for playback.
For producers and DJs working with dance music genres in small-to-medium spaces, these are extremely useful, practical tools.
With an excellent, DJ-targeted feature set and good quality sound, the KRK Rokit RP7 G5s are hard to beat at this price.
Best bass
✅ Buy if you want to add some flexibility to your DJing: The ability to flip between a flat production to more bass makes this a versatile option.
❌ Avoid if sleek design matters: The DJ VM-70 are big chunky things - and that might not be for everyone.
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Features rating: ★★★★½
Sounds rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★½
Pioneer DJ is a dominant force throughout the DJ market, producing industry-leading CDJs, DJ controllers and DJ mixers.
When it comes to speakers, the company might not have the same pedigree as some other brands on this list, but Pioneer certainly understands the needs of modern DJs, and the VM range comes up trumps on that front.
The pitch here is that these monitors can offer both neutral sound for music production duties and ‘club-like’ audio close to what you’d expect in a DJ booth. This is done through built-in DSP, with high and low EQ controls that can boost or cut frequencies to create a punchier or more bass heavy sound.
The result is a set of monitors that makes it convenient and easy to flip between a ‘flat’ production set-up for when you’re working on tracks, and more ‘vibey’ sound when you're in the mix or listening to your favourite tracks.
Best compact
✅ Buy if you want a compact speaker that delivers excellent audio: These speakers are a great size and the audio is clear and balanced.
❌ Avoid if you want a pure DJ speaker: The Adam Audio T5V are more reference monitor than DJ speaker, so another option from the list might be better for you.
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Features rating: ★★★★½
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
Adam Audio is a well established and highly regarded name in the studio monitor realm. Their high-end speakers are common in the studios of pro or established producers, many of whom swear by the brand’s products.
These are one of the most affordable pairs of speakers Adam offers, making them ideal for DJs who want studio quality but don’t need the power and clarity of a top end monitor. Despite the price and compact size though, there’s a lot to recommend about these.
Imaging and separation is excellent, and the rear panel EQs make it easy to shape the sound to suit your room. The HPS waveguide creates a broad horizontal sweet spot too, which is likely to suit DJs.
The option of both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (phono) inputs – with a selector switch – is handy too.
If you’re looking for a speaker purely for DJ purposes and want lots of bass power, there are arguably better options at this price point. But for a monitor you can trust for production but will also suit DJs, these are a great choice.
"The T5V delivers plenty of clarity, decent imaging and volume from a pretty compact footprint. A tidy package, at a good price."
Read more: Adam Audio T5V review
Best budget
✅ Buy if you want to save money but still get top performance: The M-Audio BX4 have great highs and impressive bass. For the price, they're hard to beat.
❌ Avoid if you want more bass: Other speaker options will give you more bass, but that's not surprising given the price.
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Features rating: ★★★★
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
Unlike some compact budget options when it comes to DJ speakers, M-Audio’s BX series offer the look and power of a proper pro studio monitor.
And when you take into consideration the price point, the M-Audio BX4 offer impressive highs and decent bass response – even if the sub frequency range doesn’t go as low as other speakers in this round-up. This makes these speakers particularly well suited for dance music.
Both balanced and unbalanced inputs are provided (a pair of TRS jacks and RCAs respectively). In practice, the BXs are very easy to set up and with only one power connection and stereo inputs, cabling is tidy.
You can also specify left/right on the active monitor, so you can position the active speaker to whichever side suits.
For the price, you really can't go wrong and are a great option for DJs on a budget.
"Compact and convenient, M-Audio’s new BX monitors expand the appeal of this established range and do so at an incredible price."
Read more: M-Audio BX3 and BX4 reviews
Best portable
✅ Buy if you're a DJ on the move: These have Bluetooth support and offer big sound from a portable unit.
❌ Avoid if you're based in one place: Your cash is better spent elsewhere if portability isn't relevant.
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Features rating: ★★★★★
Sounds rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
Pitched as "the smallest active studio reference monitoring system in the world", IK’s compact speaker set-up is specifically designed to be wedged into tight spaces or packed away for use on the move. While these aren’t going to cut it as a speaker rig for a sizeable studio, they’re a significant cut above consumer-level speaker systems and offer a good level of power and sound quality for their price.
All of which makes these a great choice for more mobile-minded DJs. Since they’re highly portable and offer conveniences such as a single cable connection and Bluetooth capabilities, these make a great pairing with a laptop and compact controller for a DJ set-up you could conceivably fit into a (large) backpack.
"The iLoud MTM is a remarkable feat of audio engineering in bringing such a surgical level of detail at in such a small format. It makes an ideal choice for those with crowded desks, and those who want to dive deeper into their mix."
Read more: IK Multimedia iLoud MTM review
Best design
✅ Buy if you want some of the sleekest DJ speakers on the market: I love the contrast between the solid walnut base and black housing - and they sound as good as they look.
❌ Avoid if you're on a budget: Those good looks come at a hefty price..
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Features rating: ★★★★★
Sounds rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
LA-based brand Output is one of the newer members in the monitor sphere, but these speakers have pedigree nonetheless; they’re designed and created in cooperation with beloved speaker brand Barefoot Sound.
With a high price point, the Output Frontier are a fair investment, but you get great quality for your money. The 6.5”/1.25” coaxial aluminium alloy drivers offer a superbly flat response which is usually reserved for a much higher-end speaker.
Call me shallow, but my main reason for the Frontier’s inclusion here is their look. Output is a stylish brand and these are some of the best looking speakers around, particularly thanks to that solid walnut base – which also helps to isolate the speaker.
Just imagine how good these would look paired with a set of 1210s and a rotary mixer? Lovely stuff.
"Beautifully designed coaxial monitors with an excellent pedigree and highly revealing sound."
Read more: Output Frontier review
Best desktop
✅ Buy if you're looking for a pair of good quality desktop speakers: The JBL One Series 104 are a top choice for small set-ups - and affordable.
❌ Avoid if a bigger, more powerful speaker is on your shopping list: These are best for desktop but won't cut it in other locations.
Build quality rating: ★★★★
Features rating: ★★★★
Sounds rating: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
JBL’s compact monitors are small and stylish, making them well suited to squeezing into tight spaces. They pack a surprising amount of punch though, with a good amount of mid-range presence that will help you pick out those kicks, snares and claps.
Connectivity is convenient for a small monitor. Audio inputs, volume control and amp are all in one unit, and a cable then connects to the second speaker. RCA and 1/4” jack inputs can both be used together to connect two sources and a 1/8” input on the front overrides rear connectors.
The main factor to consider for monitors as compact as these is listening height. As they're somewhat short, you’ll likely need to place them on a shelf or stand to get the full effect while you mix. Still, for convenient and well-priced speakers, these are worth a look.
"A stylish, compact monitor that delivers decent sonics, flexible connectivity and solid build all at a very attractive price."
Read more: JBL One Series 104 review
FAQ
What makes a great pair of DJ monitors?
What makes a great pair of DJ monitors, or rather what makes a pair of DJ monitors great for you, depends on what you’re going to use them for. There’s an important difference between studio or reference monitors and home listening speakers. Studio monitors are designed to have what’s called a ‘flat response’, meaning the sound they produce is ‘honest’ to reveal any flaws in the audio being played. Home listening speakers are designed to make the music sound as good as possible, to flatter it, and so they might help to gloss over any such flaws.
So the best home speakers for DJs could potentially fall between these two poles. The precision and clarity of sound provided by studio monitors are particularly useful if you’re putting together mixes for public consumption or radio, or if you’re testing out your own productions and re-edits, but if you’re only mixing at home for your own enjoyment, a set of speakers that will make your music sound great might be preferable.
As home DJ set-ups don’t generally require huge speakers, we’re only looking here at smaller monitors with 5” or 7” drivers, including nearfield speakers specifically designed to be used at close range, and compact and portable speakers too. The speakers in this round-up tend to lean towards studio quality reference monitors but we’ve also included some that offer adjustable EQ settings or different listening modes, allowing you to switch between referencing and listening, tweak the sound to suit your room, or potentially create a more ‘club-like’ sound with a little artificial bass boost.
How we choose the best DJ speakers
Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we think are the best DJ speakers, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are music creators and want others to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and audio performance.
Find out more about how we test music gear and services at MusicRadar.
Why you can trust us
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MusicRadar has been in operation from 2007 and has been helping people on their musical journey since then. No matter if you're a producer, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist, DJ or general music enthusiast, you'll find useful information across the site, while our team of experts and industry pros regularly put instruments and gear through their paces to help you make an informed decision.
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Meet the experts
I'm the Managing Editor of Music Technology at MusicRadar and former Editor-in-Chief of Future Music, Computer Music and Electronic Musician. I've been messing around with music tech in various forms for over two decades. I've also spent the last 10 years forgetting how to play guitar. Find me in the chillout room at raves complaining that it's past my bedtime.
Harold Heath is a UK music writer and author. A DJ since the late 80s, Harold also produced a few hundred singles and remixes and two artist albums, and worked as a performer, ghostwriter and music-technology teacher. His first book Long Relationships: My Incredible Journey From Unknown DJ to Smalltime DJ was published in 2021.
Latest updates
12/06/25: The guide has been updated to include the KRK Rokit RP7 G5 and a top picks section now features at the start of the article. Verdict panels have been added to products where applicable, while all the speakers featured now have "At a glance" panels and star ratings. The FAQ section has been rewritten, while sections on how we choose products and why you can trust the MusicRadar team has also been included. A new "meet the experts" section has been added.
Read more
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