Reference Monitors

Not sure if this is the right place to start a thread but it is about recording.
I am looking for some great reference monitors I was told but a sound engineer that the Mackie HR824Mk2 was the best out there.These are 700 monitors a piece which I am sure are worth the price.
Does anyone know of these on sale or recommend some others at a better price?
The type of home recording I am doing is only pre production and I don't think I require these. I am willing to pay for them but I am looking for the best value too.

I'm not familiar with the Mackie monitors. A few years back I purchased a pair of Yamaha 5" HS50M Powered Monitors and I think they sound fantastic. I've mixed on other monitors, and prefer these by far. Very "flat" response, which is what you want, (the speakers do not favor certain frequencies, but instead give an even representation of what you're mixing).

The built-in power feature is nice in terms of keeping your setup simple; no power amp required.

cool thanks

I also have those exact same yamaha monitors and they do a very good job. A very good bang for the buck like they say.

Here's a tip from a blog I read regularly: Three Tips for Choosing Studio Monitors

Key statement:
"Choose Monitors That “Fit” Your Room...Despite the obvious suggestion by some to get the biggest speaker you can afford for the purposes of better bass response, I say forget all that. Choose a speaker size that better matches the size of your control room. If you have a typical spare bedroom in a house or apartment then you likely don’t need anything bigger than a pair of 5 inch monitors. In fact, I mix on 5 inches in my own studio."

The suggestion regarding the Mackie monitors is a suggestion of what the ideal would be but in the end, 1400 clams is a lot of dough that can be spent on other things.

Buy what you can afford.

I have a Klipsch THX subwoofer/satellite set up that cost me under $250. When I mix, I turn the sub down completely and have only the satellites to use a monitors. They are great monitors for me in my multipurpose needs. I wouldn't suggest it as a dedicated studio monitor set up but the point is, you can make any good speaker/monitor work.

Here's a review for the 'under $300' range: Link