Looking into getting a pair of studio monitors (M-Audio BX5a) and will probably use them for home speakers a lot too. How well do monitors work for home listening or should I just get some regular speakers for that? Do not have any at the moment.

Studio monitors are designed to give a flat uncolored response (this varies though) compared to typical stereo speakers. The BX5’s are great little monitors but if you listen to anything with a lot of bass or like to listen at loud levels they might seem a bit weak. Look at the BX8’s or maybe adding a sub to the BX5’s if this becomes a problem. As far as being better for just general listening it really comes down to your room response (monitor positioning, room reflections, room size etc.). Personally I’d rather listen to 8” monitors at a lower level than 5” monitors at a louder level.

For the price of the BX5’s you should be fairly happy with them. If not return them if possible. I’ve been using a pair of BX8’s for about 7 years now without any issues. They’re not as precise as Genelecs or Mackies but they work great for everyday listening and music production. KRK makes a great budget monitor as well.

If youre getting a pair of decent monitors, then the only reason i can think of to get some ‘regular’ speakers on top of that, would be as a comparison tool for your mixes, to see how how your sounds play back on normal speakers. Im not really sure why anyone would have any problems listening to music recreationally on their studio monitors, as its in theory going to be the closest thing to the original intended mix of any given song that you can hear without buying the monitors the studio used when they recorded the song?