a special promotional publication

Transcription

THE INTERNATIONAL
BUYER’S GUIDE
A S P E C I A L P R O M O T I O N A L P U B L I C AT I O N
F R O M T H E N E W B AY M E D I A G R O U P
MONITORING &
HEADPHONES
2013
P RO D UCE D BY
AUDIO MEDIA
In association with:
I N T E R N AT I O N A L E D I T I O N
Studio Monitor KH 310
pure energy.
The new KH 310 three-way Studio Monitor.
A member of the Neumann Studio Monitor Line.
www.neumann.com
www.sennheiser.co.uk
+44 (0)1494 551551
@Sennheiser_UK
contents
4
The Ten Monitoring Commandments . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
Surround Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 MONITORS Dynaudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 MONITORS EVE
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12 MONITORS Focal
Professional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14 MONITORS Genelec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 MONITORS JBL
Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18 MONITORS KRK
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20 MONITORS PMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22 MONITORS PreSonus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24 MONITORS PSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26 MONITORS Sonodyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
28 MONITORS Unity
30
Welcome to Monitors & Headphones 2013,
an overview of the professional monitor
and headphone market for the production
professional.
This is an updated and refreshed collection of promotional
articles looking at 15 of the world’s leading monitor and
headphone manufacturers and their product ranges. Inside
you’ll find the stories behind the drivers – the ethos’ and design
ethics that go into producing these critical audio production
components, and details of the products themselves.
Monitoring provokes much debate, much passion, and
possibly more subjective wrangling than any other node in the
signal chain. Whether it’s the box, the magnetics, the materials,
the electronics, the room, or even the ears that make the
difference, the term ‘reference’ is never used lightly amongst
those who rely on hi-fidelity, accurate and natural voicing, spoton transients, and a little ‘something’ extra.
Hopefully this guide will provide a good foundation
for your monitor and headphone buying homework during
2013, and push back the boundaries of your considerations.
To complement the profiles, we’ve articles from renowned
Acousticians Andy Munro and John Storyk about the finer
points of surround speaker placement, and the ‘Monitoring
Commandments’, plus a special headphone primer feature with
expert advice.
This, and the other Buyers Guides in the series (Microphones,
Recorders, DAWs, Consoles, Live Sound Technology, and Live
Sound Application) are Audio Media projects, designed to
help you find your way through the information explosion
and find the product that suits your needs. Audio Media is an
internationally distributed magazine that deals with professional
audio production in film, TV, radio, music, games, and stage.
It’s available in both print and digital editions. For more details,
go to www.audiomedia.com.
Paul Mac, Editor.
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headphones Buyer’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31 HEADPHONES Audio-Technica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32 HEADPHONES KRK
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUDIO MEDIA www.audiomedia.com
(UK) Tel: +44 (0) 1354 669960 - Fax: +44 (0) 1354 669965
Sales Manager
Graham Kirk
Editorial Manager (Europe)
Lanna Marshall
g.kirk@audiomedia.com
l.marshall@audiomedia.com
Editor In Chief
Paul Mac
Design & Production Manager
John-Paul Shirreffs
p.mac@audiomedia.com
jp.shirreffs@audiomedia.com
33 HEADPHONES Sennheiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34 HEADPHONES Ultrasone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
XXXOCNFEJBDPN
35 MONITORS & HEADPHONES Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part, whether
mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to
ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither NewBay Media nor the Editor can be held responsible for its
contents or any omissions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork.
© 2013 NewBay Media. All rights reserved.
++++SURROUND OPTIONS++++SURROUND OPTIONS++++SURROUND OPTIONS++++ SURROUND OPTIO
Ten Commandments
We set John Storyk a challenge – to suggest a set of ten monitoring commandments. Note that the
order isn’t significant, and of course, there will be exceptions.
1. Monitoring does not happen in a vacuum.
A speaker must complement the environment
that it will be placed in, both in size and in
position. If you need one commandment, this
would be it!
2. Monitors have personalities.
There is no getting away from that concept.
Every year, I am amazed that a new ‘improved’
crop of monitors is introduced to the pro audio
community. The fact is that many of them
really sound great! But like cars or fashion,
not every monitor is perfect for every listening
experience. We need to remind ourselves of
this. When I am asked to recommend ‘the best
monitor’ my response is usually (after getting
a bit of programming information about the
use), to list a family of recommended monitors.
Choosing a monitor is like choosing a mate.
You need to listen to them carefully and make
sure that you can live with them. This is a very
personal decision.
3. Determine the real maximum required levels
and the real frequency range these levels need
to respond in.
For instance, monitoring for a TV broadcast
mixing suite (typically in the 200-300 square
feet range) will require a very different monitor
solution than an urban music tracking and
mixing environment (typically twice as large
and requiring levels in excess of 110dBC at the
listening position).
4. Nearfield monitors are not automatically
accurate.
Beware of their often-limited frequency
response (particularly below 100Hz) as well as
the tendency to incorrectly position them on a
console bridge. This location will often result in
the most common of all problems – first order
comb filter generating early reflections, thus
causing a time domain shift and ultimately
frequency response inaccuracies. To avoid comb
filtering do not position nearfields on top of the
furniture or console! If space is limited, angle
them upwards to reduce this effect. Poorly
positioned nearfield monitors tend to lead
to mixes with excessive time effects (reverb/
delays) since the direct sound is heard with
more presence.
5. In setting up for surround, start with ITU.
This is particularly true with respect to
equidistant positioning of all monitors in both
horizontal and vertical axes.This can often be
difficult, but try to start with this geometry in
mind. If the distances are to be non-equal, it
is usually better to have the surround speakers
further away (compared to the front speakers).
Adding delay for closer speakers (moving
them further away) sounds less natural due
to room reflections that cannot be controlled
electronically.
6. Understand SBIR (speaker boundary
interference).
Although we could go back to commandment
#1, this is worth a separate entry. Most
monitors in free field will exhibit a tendency
for lower frequencies to radiate in an omnidirectional fashion. This tendency will cause
phase cancellation and reinforcement to
happen as speakers are located near stiff
boundaries (corners in control rooms, for
example). Locate speakers away from corners,
or if not possible, then use appropriate rear
speaker absorption to compensate for this
effect. Even better, soffit mounting will
naturally eliminate this issue.
7. If possible have all monitors at ear level or
slightly above.
This is the safest way to eliminate first order
reflections from consoles and similar mix
position horizontal surfaces, and thus will help
eliminate harmful comb filtering effects.
8. DSP control is not a bad component in a
monitor system.
In fact, in most instances, I would encourage
it. People often claim that incorporating these
types of added electronic (tuning) devices is
inappropriate. However, there are virtually no
monitor systems today that do not include
some kind of electronics within the system.
In the past, tuning got a bad rap, not
necessarily because of bad electronic devices
(although some were awful!), but more
often because of poorly executed tuning
protocols. Tuning requires an entirely new set
of Commandments (new mountain top to
come down from), but good DSP control that is
sensitive to both frequency and time domain
issues can truly add a wonderful dimension to
the accuracy of a monitoring system in a welldesigned environment.
9. In final calibration (tuning) do not use 1/3Oct
band EQs; try to use a parametric.
A DSP system will allow for asymmetrical
parametric creation (a very cool trick that
requires some practice). More advanced DSP
systems will also allow for time alignment,
which of course is particularly useful with a
bass management sub (becoming more and
more common in studios).
10. Do not chase reflection anomalies.
These time domain issues are particularly
noticeable at higher frequencies. DSP control is
much more useful at lower frequencies and in
cut mode rather than boost. Before advanced
tuning or calibration, make sure that the basics
(consider them mini commandments)
are in place:
6\PPHWULFDOSRVLWLRQLQJRIPRQLWRUVLQ
all axis.
/HYHOVQHHGWREHHTXDO
3KDVHPXVWEHFRUUHFW
&RPSRQHQWVDUHQRWGDPDJHG
Don’t waste time on commissioning and tuning
until all these items are addressed.
John Storyk is an Architect and Acoustician, and Co-Principal (founding partner) of the Walters-Storyk Design Group. He has provided design and
construction supervision services for the professional audio and video recording community since the 1969 completion of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric
Ladyland Studios in New York City, and has since been responsible for over 2,500 production facilities.
WSDG is a worldwide, full-service acoustics and audio/video design firm, specialising in critical listening and viewing environments of various types, now
celebrating its 40th year in practice, and employing over 50 professionals in six offices across four continents. www.wsdg.com
MONITORING COMMANDMENTS
4
Perfectly Angled
The Pinnacle of Desktop Monitoring
From the handcrafted Dynaudio drivers to its
beautiful exterior, DBM50 is born to perfectly
reproduce your desktop mix and truly represents a revolutionary angle in desktop mixing.
Add the optional Volume Box for hands-on
Master Volume control.
dynaudioprofessional.com
Surround
options
Are you Blur or Oasis? Are you ambient, or direct? Of course, the first question might be better posed as
‘music or film’, but the simple matter of speaker positions does still seem to create some ill-reasoned
loyalties and extraordinary myths. We turn to Andy Munro, to clear the whole mess up…
Setting up a surround monitoring system is
fraught with issues – acoustic room treatment,
bass management, and speaker positions
are just a few. It’s that last one that causes a
special bit of confusion – particularly if your
work isn’t wholly music or wholly film sound.
Of the myriad of surround speaker positioning
protocols, it does seem that two are particularly
prevalent: ITU–R BS.775–1, and the ‘cinematic’
set-up, with early detail in the Dolby Surround
Mixing Manual. The main differences are the
positions and angles of the surrounds. ITU
has the surrounds on the imaginary circle
around the listening position, angled directly
at the sweet spot (all source equidistant from
listener), while the cinematic version has the
surrounds on the side walls, pointing inwards
and positioned above the listener (thus the
surrounds are more ‘ambient’ than ‘direct’).
Of course, there are more variations, especially
when it comes to larger rooms and Dolby
certification, and so on.
So this doesn’t get out of hand, it’s best to
ask an expert. Andy Munro, of Munro Acoustics,
has designed some of the most highly-rated
surround rooms for both film and for music
around the world. We spoke to him about not
only the placement of speakers in a multichannel environment, but also the philosophy
of surround mixing in general. It seems that
you can’t think about monitoring without
considering mixing... Which is probably as it
should be.
Audio Media: Is the world reaching a
consensus on surround system monitor
positions or is it fragmented? Which should
we choose and why?
Andy Munro: “It depends on the room as much
as anything... If it’s a music control room and
it’s a music mix, then I would definitely go for
the ITU arrangement – the classic 5.1 with the
surround speakers at 100-120 degrees from
the normal zero angle. But if it’s anything to
do with post production or film and so on, then
I would as much as possible try and go for the
cinematic arrangement.
“The idea of the cinematic one basically
is that the surround channels cover a much
bigger area. The thing about the ITU
arrangement is that there is a sweet spot – a
mix position. Nobody else is going to get
anything like a surround mix; so if you’ve got
people sitting at the back of the room on a
sofa or something like that then they’re going
to hear the surround speakers first, and then
everything is going to be out, timing wise.
“With the cinematic set-up, no matter
where you sit you hear the front speakers
before you hear the rear ones, which as you can
imagine isn’t that easy in a small room.
“It’s all to do with time delays really,
and I think surround sound is very much
misunderstood by a lot of music mixers
because of that, whereas film people tend to
understand it very well and are very subtle
about their surround mixing. They tend to use
a lot of reverbs and a lot of diffusion to ‘delocalise’ the sound.
6
SURROUND OPTIONS
“The best surround mixes, that I’ve heard
in music anyway – which tend to come out
of Nashville – use a lot of reverb and a lot of
de-focusing on the rears. If there’s one thing I
cannot stand it’s someone blowing a trumpet
behind my left ear. I find it very disconcerting
indeed... to the point where I really don’t like
listening to 5.1 in that way. I like listening to
classical music in 5.1 if they somehow manage
to capture the ambience of the hall and create
the right reverb balance. It can sound fantastic.
“I remember hearing a Radio France
transmission years ago that was, if I remember
rightly, on a DTS or Dolby demo disk in the
early days of DVD. It was so good it sent shivers
down my spine. It was recorded in a cathedral
in France and I thought ‘that’s it... if that’s the
way surround can be done then it’s just going
to be a huge success.’ Unfortunately, apart
from a few opera DVDs and so on, not many
people are doing it.
“The speaker arrangements and all of that
are really secondary to getting the concept
right. Actually thinking, ‘why do we have
surround – why do we have multi-channel’?
The whole point is to put you into a space.
It’s not to do circus tricks like in the old
ping-pong days of stereo. The whole idea is
to put you into a space and make you feel that
you’re there. That’s it, that’s the be-all and
end-all of it. Okay, in the cinema you might
have special effects like someone creeping up
behind you or whatever, but that’s very rarely
used; and the reason it’s rarely used is because
it’s very hard to get everybody to experience
the same thing.”
>
In the ITU (music) set-up, the surrounds are pointed directly at the sweet
spot ‘ears’ at an angle of between 100 and 120 degrees from centre.
time-aligned (equidistant) with the front speakers. In the film mixing
arrangement, the surrounds are positioned above the listener and should
not get closer to the listener than the front speakers, for a more ambient
and sweet-spot-tolerant monitoring arrangement.
In the ITU (music) set-up, the surrounds are pointed directly at the
sweet spot ‘ears’ at an angle of between 100 and 120 degrees from
centre. time-aligned (equidistant) with the front speakers. In the film
mixing arrangement, the surrounds are positioned above the listener
and should not get closer to the listener than the front speakers, for
a more ambient and sweet-spot-tolerant monitoring arrangement.
>
Audio Media: What would, for example,
be the effect of doing a music mix on a
cinematic set-up?
Andy Munro: “You’d probably end up with more
ambience. I’m assuming you’re talking about
a mix specifically for surround rather than one
that’s going to get folded down... That’s the
other thing. If you’re going to do a mix that’s
got to be mono and stereo compatible you’d
better make sure you’re monitoring it as you
go long so you don’t create ridiculously phased
mixes. But that’s always the big danger with
surrounds. If you fold it into the main mix it
can all go horribly wrong.
“It’s a tricky business. But the real trickiness
is in the delivery of the product rather than in
the studio.
“That’s one of the good things about
the ITU set-up. Because all the speakers are
basically equal and equidistant to the mix
point, if you’re sitting at the mix point and
you do your fold-downs – even with the bass
management fold-down and so on – you can
hear very well what the phase relationships are
of all the five channels so you can actually hear
if something is going wrong. So in a mastering
situation
I would
definitely
say use the
ITU set-up
with zero
delays on
each of the
speakers so
you do hear
everything exactly
in-phase at the mix
position.
“As far as the cinematic
set-up is concerned it’s almost
the exact opposite, where you want
the surrounds to be as diffused as possible so
when you fold them back into a main mix it
just becomes ambience. That way you can’t go
too far wrong. But if you start putting discrete
stuff into the surround channels and it’s
not timed right then you’ll create all kinds
of problems.”
Audio Media: And problems become more
acute when it comes to the bigger distances
in theatres?
Andy Munro: “In the best theatres, for
example, where they’ve got multiple pairs of
surround speakers, each with their own time
delays and everything is timed correctly you do
end up with this quite pleasant mishmash of
ambience. Because not only are the speakers
you’re hearing closest having the right time
delay, all the other ones have a different delay
so it’s all kind of mashed together.
“In a small room or narrow room, especially
where you’re near the surrounds, quite a few
people advocate the bi-directional speakers
now, where the sound is firing to the sides and
not directly at you. Basically, instead of having
a single driver that’s pointing forwards – a
conventional speaker – you have two drivers
aimed left and right. They are directing the
sound away from the on-axis position. At the
on-axis position they sometimes arrange it so
SURROUND OPTIONS
you actually have a null.
“I’m not saying that’s necessarily a good
thing, but sometimes it’s a good way of getting
diffusion and avoiding having a surround
speaker fired straight into your ear.
“Of course, this is stuff that happens
at the point of delivery – it’s not necessarily
something you’d want in your dubbing
theatre.”
Audio Media: If you were an audio pro
who, like many these days are a jack-of-alltrades, doing a little bit of music, a little
bit of sound-for-picture, and other things
besides, which way would you swing –
ITU or cinematic?
Andy Munro: “I’d go for the standard ITU set
up, but I would also issue a big warning not
to do anything too funky in the rear channels.
Stick by the rules and keep it as diffuse as
possible. If you can sit in the sweet spot and
locate anything in the rear channels then
you’re probably doing it wrong. In other words,
surrounds should be as de-localised as possible.
“That way, no matter where it’s played
back, it’ll work. And at the same time, when
you’re doing that, check it doesn’t all fold down
into something that’s got a huge hole in it.”
Audio Media: Discrete or virtual centre?
Andy Munro: “The centre speaker in a big
space does give you a very solid centre image.
Whereas in a smaller space I actually prefer a
virtual centre image. If I’m listening to classical
music – and a lot of classical guys agree with
this – you’re much better off with a proper
front stereo balance, just left and right, rather
than trying to balance it across three speakers.
Somehow the centre speaker just doesn’t give
the same effect as having a virtual centre
image in stereo. It’s something to do with the
perspective of the sound and the way it feels.
It doesn’t feel natural to me.”
7
+ + + + DY N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + DY N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + DY N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + D
The BM Series family.
The Truth,
The Whole Truth,
And Nothing But...
Dynaudio Professional monitors are designed to speak the truth. You get exactly what you need for
your mixing – an exact reproduction of your mix – no more, no less.
Superior Tools for Critical Monitoring
In film, post, gaming, broadcast and music
productions, consistency, predictability and
reliability are key. Add to this networkability
and central control, and you’ll know why
studios throughout the world rely on Dynaudio
Professional technology.
Choosing Dynaudio Professional, you not
only get 20 years of innovative speaker and
driver technology, you also get integrated
TC Electronic digital signal processing.
This combination offers you the best of
both worlds, making Dynaudio Professional
speakers second to none.
Three Main Ranges – One High Standard
Clarity and consistency come as standard –
the question is, how versatile do you want your
AIR 12
Powerful two-way nearfield speaker – 8-inch
Woofer and 1.1-inch
soft dome tweeter.
The latest addition to
the AIR family. AIR12
suits all sizes of control
room and OB vans,
and its high-precision
amp/ driver system
(+/- 0.2 dB accuracy) ensures complete
consistency with the entire AIR family in a
variety of stereo and 5.1 set-ups – remote
controllable via the AIR Remote or the
included AIR Soft application.
DSP room adaption allows for
perfect customisation for any
room construction and its intermonitor level calibration feature
ensures consistent levels in all sessions.
8
set-up? Dynaudio Professional has two
extensive ranges of DSP-powered and analogue
near-field and mid-field monitors: the AIR series
and the BM series, including the brand new
Desktop Monitor DBM50. Further, for ultimate
main monitoring solutions, you should go for
the M series.
AIR
It makes great sense to compare the AIR
sound with any other speaker you own or
are considering acquiring. We both encourage
and support this. Contact your dealer or
our representative in your country to
arrange a demo.
Bear in mind though, that an AIR system
is not really comparable to conventional
monitors. On top of ultimate precision and
sound, an AIR system offers flexibility and
convenience previously unknown in monitors.
Achieving similar functionality and features from
conventional monitors requires the addition of
a number of external boxes such as Monitor
Matrix Controller, Bass Management Crossover,
external EQs and delays. This obviously adds to
the system price, and moreover often degrades
the signal path. With an AIR system everything is
integrated and matched – it’s right there for you
to use from the menu on the front of a mastermodule speaker via a 32-segment
LCD display, or through an optional
dedicated hardware remote, or
an optional dedicated software
application (Mac and PC). The user interface
allows for storing and recalling factory and
user presets taking into account THX and Dolby
recommendations, reference levels, lFE sensitivity
and so on.
THX Certified
AIR monitor systems are THX certified for use
in PM3 rooms.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
BMC-2 – How Pro Can You Go?
BMC-2 is TC Electronic’s latest digital
audio conversion and monitor controller.
With it you can enjoy the luxury of
controlling your audio levels at all times
and during unexpected drops or computer
crashes. It also offers digital inputs,
iCheck (to check audio compression), and
calibrated listening
for headphones and
active speakers.
BMC-2: your pro
DAC and monitor
control!
M3XE
M3XE is the ultimate main monitoring solution,
combining world-class driver and cabinet
technology from Dynaudio Professional with
cutting-edge signal processing and amplification
from Lab.gruppen, Lake, and TC Electronic.
The Dynaudio Professional M3XE monitor
system takes monitoring to a whole new
level with a
significant
upgrade from
its predecessor
– the renowned
M3A 3-way
monitor.
To top it off,
the speakers
are powered by
two of
Lab.gruppen’s
highly
esteemed
PLM10000Q
amplifiers.
monitors 2013
Y N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + DY N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + DY N A U D I O P RO F E S S I O N A L + + + + DY N A U
Award-Winning Speaker Technology
Don’t just take our word for it. Over the years, Dynaudio Acoustics monitors have won numerous prizes and awards.
AIR 12
2009 Remix Technology Award
in the Monitor/Speaker category
BM 12A

2008 Remix Technology Award
in the Monitor/Speaker category
BM 6A
Future Music’s Gear of the Year
2001 Award
BM 6A mk II
Electronic Musician 2008
Editors’ Choice Award in the
Monitor Speaker category
2007 TEC Award nomination in
the Studio Monitor Technology
category for Outstanding
Technical Achievement
m.i.p.a. 2003 Award in
the Nearfield Studio
Monitor category
DBM50
Pro Sound Network Best of
Show Award (NAB 2012)
Electronic Musician Editor’s
Choice Award 2013
AIR series
Producción Audio – for Best
Studio Product of the Year 2003
Future Music’s Platinum
Award 2001
Recognition like this goes to show that great products can help produce great art, as Dynaudio Acoustics monitors are used by the most
demanding studios, engineers, producers, and production environments throughout the world. The list counts:
Apple Audio Labs, Cupertino/California
and Paris/France
BBC Radio & Music, London, UK
Danish Broadcasting Corporation,
Copenhagen, DK
Sporting the newest and most pristine
Dynaudio ESOTAR² driver technology, M3XE
takes over where most other monitor systems
give up. With unsurpassed attention to detail,
underpinned by an impressive 20Hz-22kHz
frequency response and beyond 133dB SPL,
M3XE leaves no room for desire in terms of
Vienna Symphonic Library, A
Paragon Studio, Nashville, US
AIR Studios, UK
Half HP Studio, JPN
resolution, range, or sheer power.
The cutting-edge combination of Lab.
gruppen, Lake, and TC Electronic processing
technology forms the ultimate backing for M3XE
and ensures unlimited power and the tools for
optimising any room to become the perfect
listening environment.
DBM50
The perfectly angled desktop monitor featuring a 7.1inch woofer and a 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter. From the
handcrafted Dynaudio drivers to its beautiful exterior, DBM50
is specifically engineered to perfectly reproduce your desktop
mixes, and truly represents a revolutionary new angle in
desktop mixing. Another key factor that puts DBM50 in the
front seat is sheer quality. Each and every one is handcrafted
in Denmark with attention to even the tiniest detail. Further,
DBM50 comes with the option of adding a sleek controller
that puts you squarely at the helm of volume control in
any situation. You can set
and manipulate levels with
precision and ease, completely
independent of your computer
or DAW. The DBM50 controller provides perfect tracking, which
guarantees spot-on stereo imaging and unrivalled precision.
Sony DVD Center Europe, A
Abbey Road Studio, UK
ESP Studio, JPN
…and many more.
In short, M3XE surpasses any and all main
monitor expectations!
BM
The BM monitors – both in their passive and
active forms – are clean, powerful, and accurate
monitors delivering excellent results every time.
The sound is always transparent and crisp
ensuring the most realistic listening conditions
for a wide array of applications. Comprised of
renowned Dynaudio driver technology, these
monitors have become the standard when it
comes to high performance and transparency.
In combination with the subwoofers, the
BM series is also very well suited for
multi-channel facilities.
Dynaudio Professional
Sindalsvej 34
DK-8240 Risskov
t +45 87 427000
f +45 87 427010
e info@dynaudioprofessional.com
w www.dynaudioprofessional.com
THE INTERNATIONAL GUIDE TO MONITORING & HEADPHONES 2013
9
++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++
Immaculate Sound.
Beautifully Realised.
Detail, balance, accuracy, and versatility – all describe
the relatively recently introduced range of professional
studio monitors from EVE Audio; but what is the secret
of its success? Roland Stenz knows...
In just two years, Berlin-based EVE Audio
has gone from nothing to manufacturing a
complete line of professional monitors, sold
through partners in 53 countries. The first year
culminated in the unveiling of a large and
fully-formed product range at Musikmesse
2012, and since then the company has been
busy building on that impact. The company
founder, Roland Stenz, has years of experience in
electronic and loudspeaker design, and is rightly
proud of the energy and innovations he and
his team have brought to the world of studio
monitoring systems.
To understand EVE Audio, it’s best to begin
with those innovations. Roland Stenz starts by
explaining his choice to use DSP-based crossover
and EQ, rather than analogue internals:
Roland Stenz: “For me, it was a clear decision.
Of course, this technology offers a modern user
interface with encoder control, but the most
important thing is that you don’t have to deal
with the tolerances [component errors] you
get in the analogue domain... The DSP solution
offers much smaller tolerances, and you only
have to deal with the variations in the drivers.
“Aside from this, I wouldn’t say that there are
quality advantages or disadvantages between
analogue or digital systems. In every case,
the complete speaker has to be designed and
manufactured to the best possible standards.
The result is important, but the way to get this
result can be different.”
EVE Audio does all final DSP calibrations at
the factory during the test stage, though there
are also shelving and notch filters available to
the user.
The Full Range
The EVE Audio range of studio monitors is currently made up of eight
full-range models (and four ‘ThunderStorm; subwoofers). The full
range units fall into three three basic types: two-way (tweeter, woofer),
three-way (tweeter, woofer, woofer), and four-way (tweeter, mid-range,
woofer, woofer). All units feature one amplifier per driver with
DSP-based crossover and EQ, plus EVE Audio’s own SilverCone
woofers and RS3 Air Motion Transformer tweeters.
The two-way models are: the SC204 (four-inch woofer, 64Hz21kHz), the SC205 (five-inch woofer, 53Hz-21kHz), the SC207 (6.5-inch
woofer, 44Hz-21kHz), and the SC208 (eight-inch woofer, 36Hz-21kHz).
In the three-way systems the woofers work as a complementary
pair, with one taking care of the lower woofer bandwidth and the other
working all the way up to the crossover frequency – where the AMT
tweeter takes over. The three-way models are: the SC305 (double
five-inch woofers, 50Hz-21kHz) and the SC307 (double 6.5-inch
woofers, 40Hz-21kHz).
The four-way systems add a mid-sized, mid-range woofer to the
10
Retweeted
The very special, bespoke RS tweeter that EVE
uses is termed an ‘Air Motion Transformer’
(AMT) tweeter. The folded diaphragm moves in
the same way as an accordion does and pushes
air forwards and backwards – accelerating
much faster than with conventional moving coil
designs. This is not unique to EVE, but as with all
aspects of its products, EVE brings its own ideas
to the technology.
RS: “From the beginning I wanted to use
an Air Motion Transformer, but I had some
ideas about improving on previous designs.
Consistency in production was my main focus,
but also to have a bigger open space presented
at the front interface plate. The EVE Audio
tweeter is much more open than others.
The inner construction also allows a more
precise placement of the folded diaphragm.”
mix, while the dual woofer combination doubles up to extend the
frequency range of these monitors downwards. The result is accurate
bass reproduction, a linear response, and exceptional power and
output (up to 118dB SPL).
There are currently two four-way systems in the EVE Audio range.
The SC407 uses the RS3 AMT tweeter, a four-inch mid-range woofer,
and two 6.5-inch woofers to give a frequency response of 35Hz to
21kHz with a maximum output of 116dB SPL. The larger SC408 uses
a five-inch mid, eight-inch woofers, and has a response from 32Hz to
21kHz at a maximum output of 118dB.
The SC2 range.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
monitors 2013
+EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE AUDIO++++EVE
ThunderStorm: Bass
EVE Audio manufactures a range of
four subwoofer units to supplement any
monitoring system. Every ThunderStorm
(TS) subwoofer has switchable satellite
filters (full range and 85Hz), phase switch,
and variable subwoofer filter frequencies
(50-150Hz) for room and system-specific
set-up. Every model has stereo XLR I/O,
LFE In, and LFE/Sub Out connections;
and comes with a remote control so you
can control system wide volume from the
sweet spot.
There are currently four models in the
ThunderStorm subwoofer range. All units
are powered by highly efficient PWM
amplifiers with the power handling rising
through the models. Woofer diameter and
bass cut-off/response all the four TS units
are: seven-inch, 33-150Hz (TS107); eightinch, 27-150Hz (TS108); 10-inch, 23-150Hz
(TS110); and 12-inch, 20-150Hz (TS112).
Maximum output SPL varies from 102dB
for the TS107, to 112dB for the TS112.
The bespoke design does not end with the
RS tweeter. For ultimate quality and balance,
Stenz needed a fast woofer design as well; the
EVE Audio SilverCone woofer was born...
RS: “The idea was to use a very light but
stiff diaphragm material. It’s basically a
honeycomb diaphragm sandwiched with glass
fibre, plus a smaller, more responsive voice coil.
A bigger voice coil is bad for dynamic behaviour
in the speaker.
“It is very important to have complementary
woofer and tweeter designs. If you have a very
detailed tweeter like the AMT, then you can
sense a ‘gap’ between the tweeter and the
woofer section – like the tweeter is running
alone on top. A fast, dynamic woofer avoids
this problem.”
Further, Stenz wanted to address
short-comings in bass reflex port designs –
a commonly used system for extending the
bass response of a loudspeaker by creating a
resonance below the natural cut-off point of
the monitor.
RS: “I wanted a speaker system with very
good low-end reproduction. For this reason,
I decided to put the reflex ports on the back.
Firstly, this means we don’t have holes in the
front baffle so we avoid mid-range problems
that arise from this – I don’t have to EQ the
speaker so much. Also, I wanted to have a larger
diameter port to stop any port noise, which can
be an issue with other designs.”
All woofer amps in the EVE Audio range, plus
the tweeters in the SC204 and SC205 models,
are powered by PWM (Class D) amplifiers.
This technology is highly efficient, leading to
less heat dissipation and therefore better overall
loudspeaker performance.
What The Reviewers Think...
“EVE has created a pair of monitors that
leave no excuse for mediocrity, they are
simply awesome.”
Mixdown, Australia, SC205 review
“Two things stand out from the off: nicely
controlled, clear bass, and a remarkably
open and deep sound stage.”
Musictech, UK, SC208 review.
“EVE Audio’s SC205 are top class near field
monitors that easily compete with far more
expensive products.”
infomusic.com, Poland, SC205 review
“If you’re looking for monitors at this level
you really should give the SC307 a serious
audition... Smooth control and precision...
an impressive monitor”
Sound On Sound, UK, SC307 review
“...A remarkable addition that is able to
convince ambitious sound creators.”
Professional Audio, Germany, SC207/
SC305 reviews
Stand Ovation
With all this technology behind the EVE
Audio product range, it’s not surprising that the
company is confident its monitor range
will impress.
RS: “In the calibration of EVE monitors I
am very careful to achieve the best balance.
The woofer and tweeter work together
beautifully, and the result is smooth – not overly
exaggerated in either the top or the bottom
ends of the spectrum....
“We did a lot of development in the anechoic
chamber, but we also spent a lot of time
listening to different types of music in different
rooms. When people made comments, we went
back to the chamber and did more testing and
adjustment. You have to factor in the effects
of different rooms – the effects of dispersion,
reflections, and so on, and find the
best balance between the theoretical
±0dB and what happens in the real
world. You need a lot of experience to
make a balanced speaker.
“Overall, I wanted a totally
dynamic speaker. I started from
the tweeter, and then found a corresponding
woofer solution. It is an amazing, well-balanced
solution.”
EVE Audio has a wide range of configurations
to suit different rooms and different budgets,
but it is worth pointing out that there is only
one range. Why is this a good thing? When you
buy an EVE Audio monitor, of whatever size, you
can be certain of consistency – an important
consideration when investing in your studio.
All of this adds up to a high-class monitor
design that will adapt to whatever challenges
you throw at it, across all music genres, and no
matter which model you choose – now, or in
the future.
EVE Audio GmbH
Ernst Augustin Str. 1 a | 12489 Berlin, Germany
EVE Audio GmbH, 27.03.2013, Tweeter RS1
EVE Audio’s RS3 Air Motion Transformer
t +49 30 6704 4180
tweeter – and exploded view.
w www.eve-audio.com
11
+ + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S
Listen to Your Music,
Not to Your Speakers
These few words embody the philosophy of Focal Professional,
the French manufacturer of acoustic loudspeakers and transducers.
From their very beginning on the drawing board in Research &
Development at Focal, our professional monitors are designed to
deliver one thing, at any cost: the absolute acoustic truth.
Focal Exclusive Technologies
The ‘W’ Composite Sandwich Cone
Focal has been developing composite sandwich
cones for the last 15 years. The fruit of that
research, the ‘W’ structure (glass/foam/glass)
used in every Focal Professional product, allows
for a truly optimised response right from the
start, thanks to the precise control of rigidity,
weight, and damping capacity of the cone.
The balance between these three fundamental
and often
contradictory
parameters is
the very basis of
the exceptional
sonic neutrality
of our speakers.
The Be Tweeter
Since the very beginning, Focal has favoured
inverted dome tweeters, but the introduction of
the pure Beryllium dome, capable of covering
five full octaves from 1,000Hz to 40kHz, has
simply revolutionised high frequency spectrum
reproduction. This tweeter’s capacity to
go as high as 40kHz without any artifacts
enables it to reproduce high frequencies with
unmatched speed and transparency. At first
the pure Beryllium tweeter was only available
on the very high-end digital speakers of the
Focal Professional line (SM11), but now it is
also featured on the SM6 series, allowing an
unprecedented price/performance ratio.
Two Monitors In One!
The Focal Professional
Monitoring Range
The SM9 was born
out of a simple idea:
create the most
sonically transparent
monitoring system ever
built. The SM9 features a
frequency response from 30Hz to 40kHz
with an SPL max of 116dB. This monitoring
speaker establishes itself as a reference thanks
to the precision of the stereo image, its capacity
to reproduce each of the micro details of the
audio signal, as well as unconditional respect of
the original dynamics.
One of the major innovations of the SM9 lies in
its offering two monitoring speakers in only one,
unique cabinet. The activation of this monitor
is made by setting off the FOCUS mode on the
side panel. The two-way monitor
(Beryllium tweeter + 6.5-inch
W woofer) offers a frequency
response from 90Hz to 20kHz,
allowing you to check the mix
transfer quality on systems with
limited frequency response in
bass frequencies such as:
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This monitor also allows you to check the
midrange register – very hard to equalise and
balance in terms of sound level compared to
other information contained in the audio signal.
SM6 Series
Twin6 Be
The now famous SM6 series has been developed
for professional engineers who are seeking
absolutely neutral sound and sound stage
precision for recording, mixing, and mastering
studios. The SM6 series is composed of three
references: Solo6 Be, Twin6 Be, and Sub6.
Three-way,
analogue
professional
nearfield/
midfield monitor (2x150 + 100W RMS Bash®
technology), 2x6.5-inch ‘W’ composite sandwich
cone driver, one-inch pure Beryllium inverted
dome tweeter. Frequency response (+/-2dB):
40Hz-40kHz. Max SPL @1m: 115dB.
Looking for the Ultimate Tool?
2012
SM9 series
The REFERENCE
Three-Way Monitor
Solo6 Be
Two-way, analogue
professional nearfield monitor
(150 + 100W RMS Bash®
technology), 6.5-inch ‘W’
composite sandwich cone
driver, one-inch pure Beryllium
inverted dome tweeter.
Frequency response
(+/-2dB): 40Hz- 40kHz. Max SPL @1m: 113dB.
12
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Sub6
Analogue subwoofer (1x350W
RMS Bash® technology),
11-inch ‘W’ composite sandwich
cone subwoofer. Frequency
response (+/-2dB): 30Hz-250Hz.
Max SPL @1m: 116dB.
monitors 2013
S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L P R O F E S S I O N A L + + + + FO C A L
They have chosen Focal Professional
Cenzo Townshend has recently installed Focal SM9 monitors in his
Decoy Studios in Suffolk:
“It’s not often that manufacturers’ tag lines
mean anything in the real world, but when
Focal says: “Listen to your music, not your
speakers”, they’re not kidding. I listen ‘on’ my
SM9s... not ‘to’ them. They don’t fatigue my
ears, so I actually enjoy listening to music on them.”
Cenzo started at Trident Studios in the 80s, assisting Spike Stent and
Alan Moulder, and has gone on to be one of the UK’s top engineers.
He has mixed countless best selling albums and singles from artists
inc. U2, Snow Patrol, Elbow, Florence & the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs,
Everything Everything, Friendly Fires, Ben Howard and many more.
Cenzo Townshend
(Sound Engineer – U2, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs)
www.cenzotownshend.com
“I now mix on a pair of Solo6 Bes, and the other two rooms at FLUX
Studios have Twin6 Bes. Besides the phenomenal translation from
studio to real world, which other monitors lacked, the sheer absence
of distortion allows us to work very long hours
without getting tired or losing perspective. We
work faster, better, and with less recalls than
we did before we switched to the Focal system.
There is no way back.”
Fab Dupont
(Sound Engineer – Shakira, Jennifer Lopez,
Nat King Cole)
“Forget all about my gear and toys, the
most critical element in my studio is my
loudspeaker… To me, there’s no better
nearfield loudspeaker than the Solo6 Be,
whatever the prices of other monitors.”
David Kutch
(Mastering Engineer – Alicia Keys, Natasha
Bedingfield, Al Green, Erykah Badu, Estelle, Outkast, and many more)
“The Twin6 Be monitors are the best that I’ve
used in terms of studio-to-consumer listening
translation. They really translate: what I hear in
the studio is what the outside world hears, in my
experience. Listening back to mixes I’ve done
on the NS10s through the Focal Professional,
it kind of scares me because I hear top-end
distortion that I wasn’t hearing in the NS10s – I
was so used to using them, I thought I knew them. With the Focal
Professional there wasn’t a learning curve, it actually spooked me at
first.”
Jeff Juliano
(Sound Engineer – James Blunt, John Butler)
www.myspace.com/jeffjuliano
“My Focals are clear and detailed.
Great for long listening sessions!”
Ken Nelson
(Coldplay Producer)
CMS Series
CMS 50
CMS SUB
The CMS line is particularly dedicated for
use in post-production studios, small listening
rooms, radio studios, and home studios.
The CMS series has been awarded Best
Studio Monitor twice in 2009 (CMS 50)
and 2010 (CMS 65), and both received
the MIPA award during Musikmesse 2009
and 2010 from 110 worldwide pro audio
magazines.
Two-way, analogue
professional nearfield
monitor (80 + 50W RMS
class AB), five-inch Polyglass
cone driver, one-inch
alumnium-magnesium
Frequency response (+/-2dB):
55Hz-28kHz. Max SPL @1m: 107dB.
Analogue subwoofer
(1x300W RMS Bash®
technology), 11-inch
Polyglass cone subwoofer.
Frequency response (+/2dB): 30Hz-250Hz. Max
SPL @1m: 113dB.
2009
CMS 65
CMS 40
Two-way, analogue
monitor (25 + 25W
RMS class AB), four-inch
Polyglass cone driver,
one-inch aluminummagnesium inverted dome tweeter.
Frequency response (+/-2dB): 60Hz-28kHz.
Max SPL @1m: 97dB.
Two-way, analogue
monitor (100 + 60W RMS
class AB), 6.5-inch Polyglass
cone driver, one-inch
aluminum-magnesium
Frequency response (+/2dB): 45Hz-28kHz.
Max SPL @1m: 112dB.
UK Distributor
SCV London Ltd.
t +44 (0) 208 418 1470
w www.scvlondon.co.uk
2010
For a complete list of distributors:
w www.focalprofessional.com
13
++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++
The M Series products
– M030 and M040.
Just Imagine How
Far You Can Go…
Genelec introduces the new M Series for Music creation
Established in 1978 in Finland, Genelec
maintains a leading position in professional
audio monitoring with neutral-sounding
products for any monitoring need. During the
past decade Genelec’s business has expanded
beyond the core of professional studio
monitoring, and our products are today found
in small project studio applications, AV install
applications, and home audio systems.
Although applications may vary, one thing
remains: our desire to offer the best possible
sound reproduction.
Despite the fact that Genelec 8000 Series
products are already widely used in project
and home studios, Genelec has now chosen
to design a product especially for this music
creation market. The aim has been to provide a
set of features that matches perfectly the needs
of these customers without compromising the
pursuit of the highest quality possible.
Studio Set-up For Music Creation
The key to ensuring high quality of recording
is monitoring with high quality loudspeakers.
Because of the less than optimal acoustical
treatment of the monitoring space, music
creation applications place special demands on
the monitoring loudspeaker. The applications
range from home and project studios, studios for
songwriters and DJs, and working environments
for music technology students, to anyone
who wants to create music. Headphones are
sometimes used for eliminating room acoustics,
but headphones cannot render a presentation
of the stereo imaging or acoustic space because
the sound in headphones localises inside the
listener’s head. Monitoring loudspeakers are the
key to understanding the recording properly.
excellent quality and long lifetime. They are
the market leaders and de-facto standards
for monitoring with several broadcast,
post-production, recording and audio mixing
houses. For the music creation market, as for any
other market, Genelec wants to maintain the
same values with uncompromised sonic quality,
environmentally sustainable products and
production processes.
The M Series has two members, product
types M030 and M040. Both are bi-amplified
active monitoring loudspeakers. Both share the
new technology platform with green power
saving electronics, Intelligent Signal Sensing
(ISS™) power management, very linear and
clean Class D power amplifier design, and an
easy-to-use room correction feature set with
an acoustical design optimised for the music
creation market. A central component in the
acoustic performance optimisation is the use of
new environmentally friendly Natural Composite
Enclosure™, where half of the composite
material is wood fibre.
Laminar Integral Port Design
The very low weight, acoustically stiff, and
functional yet highly elegant design allows
for flow-optimised bass reflex ports to be
integrated as parts of the enclosure shape.
The novel patented Laminar Integral Port™
(LIP™) structure maximises the bass reproduction
in the physically small enclosure.
Most bass reflex ports work relatively well at
low bass output levels. The differences between
designs become evident at high output levels.
As the reflex ports in Genelec’s professional
active monitors, the Laminar Integrated Port
design has been optimised for low distortion
even at very high audio output levels.
To save space and ensure easy placement of
the M Series monitor loudspeakers, the ports
open down under the loudspeaker.
Sound From A Natural Source
Genelec professional monitoring products have
a reputation of being a good investment, with
The innovative Natural Composite Enclosure™
(NCE™) of the M Series products is made of
a material that is best described as injectionmoldable wood. This material is a natural fibre
composite material, where half of the material is
wood fibre. The resulting enclosure has a lot
of good acoustical properties being, for
example, 100% stiffer than the ABS.
The often environmentally hazardous
painting of the enclosures has been eliminated,
saving also in transportation and handling.
The composite material has many
outstanding properties. It allows the design of
structures with smaller wall thickness because
of the injection molding process and the high
internal vibration energy losses of the material
itself. The injection molding process allows the
14
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
M Series Products
production of acoustically highly optimised
shapes and forms with a large internal volume.
Maximising the internal volume of the enclosure
is paramount to achieving high acoustic output
at the low frequencies.
Precise Reproduction With Excellent
Directivity Control
The M Series has been designed for the high
standards of monitoring work. The on axis
response demonstrates excellent neutrality.
The specified accuracy of response is ±3dB.
Controlled directivity is very important in the
acoustically compromised rooms that typically
are used for project studios. Excellent directivity
control provides smooth frequency response
on- and off-axis. The new waveguide design
makes the M Series product particularly reliable
in music creation applications. Furthermore, the
directivity has been matched across the two
loudspeaker models. This results in very similar
sounding neutral characteristics for both
product sizes.
monitors 2013
+GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GENELEC++++GEN
Table 1. Summary of M Series product specifications
Resonance Free
One of the keys to good performance in a
loudspeaker is a resonance free construction.
When the input audio stops the monitoring
loudspeaker should go silent as well. M Series
loudspeakers have been designed to minimise
all resonances. The outcome of this is accuracy
and capability to reproduce details and nuances
without masking the audio signal.
Product model
M030
M040
Maximum sound output
103dB SPL
107dB SPL
Frequency range (+/-3dB)
58Hz-21kHz
48Hz-21kHz
Genelec Class D Amplifiers
Like all other Genelec products, M Series
monitors have active amplification. Each driver
is directly connected to the output of a power
amplifier. Genelec has been running a research
program to develop Class D amplifier technology
especially for high quality active monitoring
application and M Series is the first product line
utilizing this research work to the full extent.
Although Class D designs promise low losses and
high efficiency in terms of power consumption
making them environmentally sustainable,
special attention has to be paid to distortion
at high audio frequencies. Genelec’s Class D
designs have been optimised for low distortion
through the whole frequency band. This enables
Genelec to use Class D amplifiers for both
channels without compromising the distortion
level at the tweeter driver.
Crossover frequency
3kHz
2.5kHz
Driver sizes
woofer 5-inch
tweeter ¾-inch
woofer 6.5-inch
tweeter 1-inch
Amplifier power
50W + 30W
80W + 50W
Weight
4.6kg (8.8lbs)
7.4kg (15.4lbs)
External dimensions
273 x 190 x 190 mm /
10 ¾ x 7 ½ x 7 ½ inch
337 x 235 x 229 mm /
13 ¼ x 9 ¼ x 9 inch
Automatic Mains Voltage Selection
Music creation requires mobility in many cases.
To help our customers in this regard, the Genelec
M Series products have automatic mains voltage
sensing. No matter where you go, you can plug
Genelec M Series products in the wall socket
without worries. Automatic mains voltage
sensing makes your life very easy – just plug
and play, literally.
Intelligent Signal-Sensing
Power Management
Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS™) circuitry
listens to the input connectors and detects if
the monitor loudspeaker is in use. If there is no
audio on the input for 30 minutes, the M Series
monitor loudspeaker will go to a low-power sleep
state where the loudspeaker consumes less than
0.5 watts of power. When an audio signal is
detected on the input, the product immediately
turns itself on.
New High-Performance Drivers
The heart of a high quality loudspeaker system is
of course the drivers. Genelec M Series products
feature entirely new driver designs. All new driver
designs have been optimised for flat frequency
response and high sound level operation at very
low distortion with high efficiency. The use of the
DCW™ increases the acoustic output, enabling
cleaner lower distortion operation at extreme
sound level outputs. The M Series system design
has been aimed for low multi-tone distortion, the
result is only a third of the usual level compared
to typical similarly sized loudspeaker systems.
source. The balanced inputs can be used to
minimise the possibility of picking up hum or any
other electrical disturbance by the cables feeding
the audio input to the M Series products.
Easy To Use Room Response Controls
A project studio can be set up anywhere.
In all set-ups it always makes good sense to
use the room calibration tools available on the
monitoring loudspeaker. M Series products
provide you with a solid set of room boundary
compensation tools for the cases you typically
meet in real-life project studio environments.
Summary
The M series products M030 and M040
provide a unique combination of high
linearity, low distortion, and clean and neutral
audio reproduction, which is particularly
suited for acoustically challenging music
creation environments. The series has a room
compensation feature set that particularly suits
music creation environments and the versatile
inputs suit any connection, while the universally
adapting mains input enables mobile work.
Furthermore, M Series products take the respect
for sustainability and environmental values to a
new level in monitoring loudspeaker products.
Your Music. Your Inspiration. Our Experience.
Versatile Inputs
The cross-section plot of the flow-optimised Laminar
Integrated Port™ demonstrates the efficient bass
reflex system integrated into the Natural Composite
Enclosure™ structure.
The M Series products have a balanced XLR
combo connector, containing also the 6.3mm
phone jack input, and a separate, unbalanced
RCA input. These cover the connectivity needs
typically found in music creation applications,
and provide for easy connectivity to any audio
Genelec Oy
Olvitie 5, FIN-74100
Iisalmi, Finland
t +358 17 83 881
e genelec@genelec.com
w www.genelec.com
15
++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++
Innovation Through
Meticulous Attention
to Detail
Responding to the call for greater accuracy and
dynamic range in music and post production work
spaces, JBL introduces the new M2 Master Reference
Monitor. Breaking free of the conventional, the M2
incorporates numerous patented innovations to deliver
unprecedented performance and a truly remarkable
listening experience.
The Call for a Next Generation Studio Monitor
Addressing this growing need JBL has developed
the M2 Master Reference Monitor: a freestanding, two-way system that can be placed
in any environment to provide an exceptionally
accurate monitoring experience. Leveraging a
new generation of JBL high-output, ultra-low
distortion transducers, the M2 provides in-room
frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz, and an
extraordinary 129dB maximum SPL to meet
demanding music, cinema, and broadcast
production requirement for impactful dynamic
range.
In a compact form-factor, the M2 integrates
three key components that work in harmony to
deliver unparalleled performance. At the heart
of the system, JBL’s patented D2 high frequency
and 2216Nd low frequency transducers are
the engines that make this possible. Using a
revolutionary design, the D2 produces smooth,
extended high frequency response with ultra-
The Ultimate High Frequency Driver for
low distortion whether listening at very high or
Critical Reference Monitoring
subtle levels. Using patented technology, the
([WHQGHG+)5HSURGXFWLRQ6PRRWK5HVSRQVH
remarkable 2216Nd woofer offers deep bass
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extension and very low power compression,
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even at its full-rated output. In spite of the M2’s
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minimal footprint, its exceptional low frequency
response eliminates the need for a subwoofer.
The patented D2 dual driver design allows the
The unique Image Control waveguide
M2 to meet seemingly opposing objectives:
completes the acoustic design. A marvel of
extended high frequency, very low distortion,
engineering in its own right, this new JBL
and very high output. Central to this innovative
waveguide allows an acoustically seamless
solution are two key developments. First: the
transition between the woofer and high
use of an annular diaphragm, not subject to
frequency driver, delivering exceptional imaging
the break up modes of a conventional dome
and rich detail to a broad area of the room.
diaphragm. Second: the merging of two drivers
These unique components make possible a
into a single, compact transducer with a single
two-way design with an unprecedented level
of performance, utilising a
single seamless cross-over that
reduces system complexity and
allows a compact form-factor
for flexibility of placement in the
room. Crown® Power Amplifiers
with internal floating-point DSP
are used to bi-amplify and tune
each speaker, optimising the
M2’s performance in any room.
The M2 brings a world-class,
big monitoring experience
with a new level of accuracy to
a broad range of production
spaces. For rooms wishing to
step up, the M2 is a game
The D2Dual Diaphragm,
changer.
Dual Voice-Coil Compression Driver.
16
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Today’s sophisticated music production is
carried out in a broad range of spaces. Until
now, the availability of a big, impressive, yet
highly accurate monitoring experience has been
limited to purpose-built control rooms. As small
and medium sized rooms play an increasingly
significant role in cinema and broadcast content
creation, high dynamic range and accuracy are
required from a speaker system with a modest
foot print.
The M2 Master Reference Monitor
monitors 2013
JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL PROFESSIONAL++++JBL
These detailed
measurements of
the M2 illustrate the
system’s exceptional
performance.
acoustical output. Instead of the large and
heavy metal dome diaphragm of a conventional
compression driver, the D2430K uses two
annular low-mass polymer diaphragms offering
the same radiating area as a conventional
three-inch dome. Two separate three-inch voice
coils driven by their own magnet structures
share the burden of heat transfer, resulting in a
dramatic increase of output and power handling.
The result is a high frequency transducer with
extended high frequency response to 40kHz and
significantly lower levels of nonlinear distortion.
2216 Differential Drive® Woofer
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Differential Drive®
Woofer.
Achieving extended, rich low frequency
performance within the M2 system design
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innovations, and the 2216Nd in the M2 employs
no less than five
patented technologies
to allow bass extension
to the limits of the
audible range, and
high output, free of
power compression
that is detrimental to a
system’s low frequency
SHUIRUPDQFH(FKRLQJ
the ‘dual driver’ design
of the D2, the 2216Nd
utilises dual neodymium magnets and two
voice coils. The patented use of low thermal
coefficient of resistance wire allows the
woofer parameters to remain more stable
at high output levels. In the M2 system,
the 2216Nd produces impressive low
frequency output to 20Hz.
resonance caused by room modes can give a
false impression of bass in the mix.
5RRPRSWLPLVDWLRQLVDFKLHYHGWKURXJKWKH
use of floating-point digital signal processing
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external measurement hardware and software,
the complete M2 tuning and room integration
system addresses non-linearity in the room.
This ensures a high degree of accuracy whether
the monitors are freestanding, soffit-mounted,
or placed adjacent to a wall.
Image Control Waveguide
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To support an imperceptible transition between
the two drivers, and deliver exceptional imaging,
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waveguide design that enables neutral
frequency response, not just on-axis, but off-axis
in the vertical and horizontal planes, all the way
down to the M2’s 800Hz crossover point.
The unique geometry of this waveguide allows
the M2 to deliver remarkable high frequency
detail, imaging, and natural balance at nearly
any listening position in a broad range of
acoustic environments.
+$50$1&URZQ,7HFKSRZHUDPSOL¾HUV
complete the M2 system, providing greater than
a kilowatt of clean power to the 2216Nd woofer,
and more than enough power for the D2 driver.
Working in concert with the M2’s revolutionary
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I-Tech allows the implementation of an ideal
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you hear at the mix position, particularly in the
room-dependent low frequency bands, where
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www.jblpro.com/M2
JBL Professional
8500 Balboa Blvd., Northridge,
CA 91329 USA
t +1 818 894 8850
e becki.barabas@harman.com
w www.jblpro.com/m2
UK Contact
Sound Technology Plc
Letchworth Point, Letchworth Garden City
Hertfordshire SG6 1ND, UK
t +44 (0) 1462 480000
e info@Soundtech.co.uk
w www.Soundtech.co.uk
17
++++KRK++++KRK++++KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK
Our Focus.
Your Mix.
KRK is driven by a design philosophy of accuracy, transparency, and flat response. Our products deliver
on this promise through a combination of solid design and product innovation. KRK monitors are tools
that are cherished by their owners as partners in crafting great music and mixes.
Honest Voices. Straight Talk.
A studio monitor is a tool used to aurally
‘measure’ the changes in an audio path.
Ask any seasoned recording professional what
they think makes a great studio monitor and
you’ll get basically the same answer: “Accuracy,
transparency, flat response, and the truth.”
In other words…honesty. Simply put, recording
engineers want the electrical signal entering
their monitor to be reproduced mechanically
by the transducers and they want this to occur
without any deviation or compromise to the
original signal. Professionals depend upon their
monitors to deliver their artistic vision in a way
that will translate as accurately as possible to
a variety of audio mediums. The following four
music professionals have honed their craft of
creating music and in turn they are offering their
honest voices about studio monitors.
Jacquire King –
Record Producer/
Mixer/Engineer
When something
works, why switch?
King is a 2009
Record of the Year Grammy Award winner with
Angelo Petraglia for the Kings of Leon’s Use
Somebody. “For monitoring, I’ve used the KRK
Rokit 5’s for a little more than four years. I was
using NS-10s in the tracking studio at the time.
I’d been looking for an alternative and soon
after got a pair of the Rokit 5s. These monitors
are true and consistent. They are not hyped
sounding and make you work for a great result,
which I like. They have plenty of bottom-end and
when the mix is sounding huge on them then I
know I’m finished.”
hit maker. MGI has produced and written songs
for and with Akon, Sean Kingston, Timbaland,
Pitbull, Justin Bieber, Jim Jonsin… and the list
goes on. His productions include various Gold
and Platinum selling records all over the world.
“I’ve used KRKs for about two years now.
When I first heard them, I really loved the way
the VXT series sounded. No matter what the
location is I need to be 100% sure how the
mix is going to sound wherever I am.”
The Popular Rokit Line Expands
Chris Young –
Producer/Songwriter
“I’m primarily a
producer/songwriter,”
says Young, and for
the past six years, he
has been running his
own Chestnut Studios
in London. When he
installed an SSL desk he
knew he had to make a
step up in monitors as well, choosing the
KRK Expose E8B studio monitors. “I actually
tried different monitors, but KRK won hands
down,” says Young. “The biggest thing for me
is I can listen through the studio monitors to
a mix and then go elsewhere and not suddenly
find that things have changed
dramatically.” Young also uses
KRK VXT6 monitors at a smaller
home studio he uses for writing,
along with KRK KNS 8400
headphones that gives
him a sonic consistency
between studios.
Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins – Producer
This Finnish born,
25-year-old producer/
songwriter is a perfect
example of a modern
After 15 years in the business and a string of
successes with artists like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé,
Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige, Rodney
‘Darkchild’ Jerkins is a voice of experience.
A KRK user for almost a decade, his studios
in L.A., New Jersey, Florida, and at his home
all feature a mix of Expose, VXT, and Rokit
18
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Henri ‘MGI’ Lanz –
Producer/Songwriter
monitors. “I look
for something
that’s tight, that’s
punchy, that still
has the low-end,
but still has the
pristine clarity up top. KRK is literally is the
foundation of my sound.”
with the RP 10-3 Three-Way Mid-Field
The Rokit RP10-3 is a mid-field three-way
monitor system in a compact form factor
and at a breakthrough price that delivers
loud and accurate sound reproduction to
satisfy professional needs. The RP10-3 will
suit commercial facilities as well as space
and budget conscious private studios.
The ‘pro-studio’ appearance of this
monitor will visually impress,
and the high SPL output
makes it capable of
handling challenging
high-dynamic tracks
for all genres of music.
As part of the KRK
Rokit Series of monitors
including the Rokit 5, 6,
and 8, the Rokit 10-3 adds
true mid-field performance to
give studios the creative edge.
“Notable is the design feature that enables
the user to reconfigure the drivers so that
the cabinet can be operated horizontally.
Quite ingenious.
“The strength is in the mids and upper
mids. Voices, violins, winds, were all
nuanced and distinct, and even massed
brass sections didn’t lose transparency.”
Recording Magazine
monitors 2013
++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KRK++++ KR
Subwoofers
Exposé E8B
KRK powered subwoofers are the perfect choice
when you need to hear what is happening in the
depths of your mix. In a stereo configuration,
the subwoofer will have to produce the bass
normally generated by the monitors – that alone
can exceed the headroom of an ordinary sub.
In a surround sound configuration, the
subwoofer has to reproduce all of the lowfrequency information from five or more channels
as well as the demanding bass content of the LFE channel.
These challenging applications can place demands far exceeding the
capabilities of normal low-frequency drivers and power amplifiers. This is where the
performance of KRK family of subwoofers shines.
Utilising state-of-the-art
components to achieve a level
of clarity and sonic accuracy
that is unprecedented, the
new Expose E8B is the flagship
of KRK’s product line. With its stunning,
highly functional enclosure featuring thick,
non-parallel, internal walls that eliminate
standing waves, and magnetic shielding for
use in close proximity to video monitors, the
Expose E8B elevates KRK’s reputation as a
manufacturer of premium studio reference
monitors to an entirely new level.
“I’ve always loved having a sub to wow record companies
or artists when playing back a song or mix. The truth is,
most subs are only good for that purpose and are not
accurate enough to work with when making a record.
The KRK12s changed that.
It’s very accurate and
actually makes my Exposés
sound even better!”
Martin Harrington –
Writer and Producer (Celine Dion,
Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia)
VXT Monitors
Whether you are making critical mixing decisions or need to
capture the stable nuances of a unique sound, you will quickly
discover that the VXT Series is as precise about your work as you
are. The VXT Series feature key design elements that continue
to make the KRK sound a studio standard. The VXT Series have
been designed to present the true nature of the audio material
without colouration or enhancement.
“I just love the overall sound. They’re clear, reliable,
transparent, and consistent. I like to listen really loud and I
love how the VXT8s are able to respond to the challenge.
No matter where I am, I know exactly how my mix is going to
sound when I get to work with the black and yellow!”
Henri ‘MGI’ Lanz, Producer/Songwriter (Akon, Sean Kingston, Timbaland,
Pitbull, Justin Bieber)
ERGO
A new software and firmware update is
now available for KRK’s leading ERGO®
Room Correction System. ERGO is an audio
recording interface and room correction
system designed to measure and analyse
phase and frequency problems within a
listening environment. To correct room
issues, the internal digital signal processor
analyses and corrects room problems,
improving the response at the listening
position, which results in mixes that
translate far better to other playback
systems. This latest version includes support
for Apple® Mac OSX Lion 10.7.3 and
Microsoft Windows® 7 SPI (32-/64-bit), and
also improves the capabilities of ERGO, such
as installation, calibration and configuration.
®
CONTACT DETAILS
Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House, Turnpike Road
High Wycombe, Bucks
HP12 3FX, UK
t +44 (0) 1494 462 246
e sales@focusrite.com
At KRK, our focus is to develop studio solutions
to help you create a great mix. KRK monitors
and subwoofers are legendary. The ERGO room
analysis and correction system is revolutionary.
The KNS Headphone series is designed to
provide what KRK has been delivering for
25 years: sonic accuracy, transparency, and
consistency. The signature yellow woofer of
a KRK monitor tells the world that you and
your monitor are true to the mix and true to
your craft. KRK studio monitors enable you to
KRK Systems, Inc.
Gibson Pro Audio
309 Plus Park
confidently make the critical decisions that
Nashville, TN 37217
impact the music and audio program.
1-800-4 GIBSON
Visit us at www.krksys.com to find out why
e service@krksys.com
our focus is your mix!
w www.krksys.com
19
++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC+
PMC: Precision
Reference
Monitors,
Trusted By
Discerning Pros
Introducing the latest high-resolution
Active ATL™ designs with analogue and
digital inputs; the last word in flexible,
transparent monitoring.
Based in Luton, England, PMC is a leading
manufacturer of precision reference monitors for
discerning audio professionals and audiophiles.
The company’s products, which include active
and passive models, use the best available
materials and design principles, including the
company’s proprietary Advanced Transmission
Line (ATL™) bass-loading technology (see box),
cutting-edge amplification, and advanced DSP
techniques to create loudspeakers that present
sound and music exactly as it was when first
created, with the highest possible resolution,
and without colouration or distortion.
PMC’s twotwo.5,
twotwo.6, and the
new twotwo.8.
PMC’s BB5 XBD-A monitors at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick,
plus horizontal twotwo.6s in an LCR arrangement.
With a history and reputation lasting over
two decades, PMC remains one of the few audiorelated manufacturers to have been awarded
an Emmy® for its technical excellence, and
has customers at the very top of the pro audio,
broadcast, and film industry worldwide. Its
customers range from musicians and composers,
professional audio equipment companies,
and recording studios at one end of the
audio production chain, to record companies,
broadcasters, Internet service providers, and
discerning listeners at the other. In the limited
space available in this pro-audio-orientated
guide, it would be impossible
to give an overview of the
company’s entire consumer
and professional passive and
active ranges. Instead, we’ll
look at two of their most
recently released active
ranges: the new two-way
twotwos, and the IB2S-A
three-way midfields.
twotwo™ Series
Like the IB2S-A, the recently
released twotwo series of
reference-grade monitors
combines PMC’s lowdistortion ATL™ bass-loading
technology, digital inputs
and signal processing, and
active Class-D amplification;
but presents these features
in the form of three nearfield
20
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
two-way speakers (the twotwo.6, twotwo.7,
and the recently released twotwo.8).
All three models in the twotwo range share
the same core design and features, as well as
the same tonal transparency and neutrality.
The model number refers to the approximate
size (in inches) of the bass driver. The larger two
models have a greater cabinet volume, offer
more bass extension, and a higher possible
maximum SPL, and are therefore better suited
to use in medium-sized rooms where more
power and dynamics are required.
The onboard DSP engine, derived from
that employed in the larger IB2S-A, optimises
the crossover and the response of the drivers,
maximises dispersion, and provides non-invasive
protection using modelled excursion limiting.
The built-in Class D dual-amplification system
builds on the amplifiers developed for PMC’s
powered range, delivering 50W to the tweeter
and 150W to the bass driver, and producing
high-resolution audio with plenty of headroom
and detail.
One design aim was to make the twotwos
as easy to set up in a rehearsal or hotel room
with a phono cable and a laptop, as it is to drive
them on the meterbridge of a digital console
in a pro studio; to this end, connections include
analogue phonos and XLRs, as well as an AES3
digital input, which will handle all sample rates
up to 192kHz.
All three models in the twotwo range are
designed to be used vertically or horizontally
without compromising stereo imaging or
tonal accuracy. There is no need for a separate
monitors 2013
+++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC++++PMC+
PMC’s Signature Bass-loading
Technology – ATL™
All PMC loudspeakers are Advanced
Transmission Line™ (ATL™) designs
incorporating sophisticated cabinet
construction, PMC-designed drive units, and patented absorption
materials and techniques. The ATL concept has existed in loudspeaker
engineering for many years, but under the guidance of PMC’s cofounder and Chief Engineer Peter Thomas, the theory has been refined
and honed to a very advanced level, outperforming the many sealed
and ported speakers available on the market today.
In a PMC
ATL design, the
bass driver is
placed at one
end of a long
tunnel (the
transmission
line), which is
heavily damped
with absorbent
acoustic
material. This
is specified
to absorb the upper bass and higher frequencies that radiate from
the rear of the bass driver. The lowest frequencies, which remain in
phase, then emerge from the large vent at the end of the line, which
essentially acts as a second driver.
One advantage to this approach is that the air pressure loading
the main driver is maintained, thus controlling the driver over a wide
frequency range, which in turn significantly reduces distortion. A spinoff from the lack of distortion is that the upper bass and mid-range
detail is not masked by harmonic distortion residing in the very low
frequencies. The result is PMC’s characteristic transparent mid-range
and fast, attacking bass notes, all reproduced with great clarity.
A further advantage of the transmission line approach is a cabinet
that produces a higher volume and greater bass extension than a
ported or sealed design of a similar size, even if identical drivers are
used. Moreover, as the loading on the main driver is maintained at all
volumes, the frequency response also remains consistent regardless
of listening level – a most important attribute for professionals whose
hearing is their most precious tool.
Benefits of ATL™:
([FHSWLRQDO/)H[WHQVLRQZLWKQRFRORXUDWLRQ
,GHQWLFDOWRQDOEDODQFHDWDOOOHYHOV
+LJKHU63/VZLWKRXWFRPSUHVVLRQRUOLVWHQHUIDWLJXH
$WUXO\DFFXUDWHUHVSRQVHWKDWUHODWHVXQLYHUVDOO\
monitoring and mastering applications.
horizontal version of the speaker for use as
The DSP-tuned, Class-D powered cabinets
a centre channel, or in environments where
provide a controlled, high-resolution, lowhorizontal use is a necessity for height reasons.
frequency response from the three drivers, all
This makes the smaller models in the range well
of which are designed in house and
suited to nearfield monitoring of
IB2S XBD-Active.
manufactured to strict tolerances.
music and speech in situations
The bass units in the cabinets, which
where space is at a premium.
are identical, feature the 10-inch
Despite only being launched
carbon-fibre/Nomex™ piston drivers
in autumn 2012, the twotwo
from the earlier IB1S and IB2S
is already an award-winning
speakers, while the IB2S-A cabinet
success with high-profile users
features the highly respected handincluding producer Kid Harpoon
built 75mm fabric-dome driver
(Florence And The Machine),
to handle the mid-range, and the
renowned mix engineer and
34mm soft-dome tweeter from
producer Spike Stent, and
the flagship BB5 XBD-A. 960W of
Manchester’s School of
independent, audiophile-quality
Sound Recording (SSR),
power is available to each active
among many others.
master cabinet: 200W for the
IB2S-Active
high-frequency and mid-range
The stand-alone IB2S-Active
drivers, with 560W directed to
offers discerning users the
the LF driver for extended,
attributes of PMC’s large ATL™
low-distortion precision monitoring
reference active monitors, such
all the way down to 20Hz.
as the flagship BB5 XBD-A, but
The IB2S-A features userin a more compact form and
adjustable HF and LF shelving
with an AES3 digital input built
filters, per-channel ±8dB input level
in as standard. They are the ideal
trims, an AES3 digital input, and the
monitors for high-end reference
ability to adjust the input sensitivity
of the balanced analogue inputs from +4dB
to +20dB. The EQ, level trims, and analogue/
digital input selection settings may be adjusted
from a distance with an RJ45-connected remote
supplied as standard.
The three-way IB2S-A master cabinet may
be purchased as a speaker in its own right, or
together with the single-driver XBD bass cabinet.
This forms the IB2S XBD-A system,
with the XBD cabinet providing +3dB of
additional LF headroom and a more even
in-room LF response.
Last year, the IB2S XBD-A was used in
London by film score composer Thomas
Newman while he created the soundtrack to the
James Bond 50th anniversary film Skyfall, now
the most successful British film of all time.
PMC Limited
43-45 Crawley Green Road
Luton, UK
LU2 0AA
t +44 (0) 870 4441044
f +44 (0) 870 4441045
w www.pmc-speakers.com
21
++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRE
PreSonus Studio
Monitors
PreSonus recently introduced two new series: Eris and
Sceptre. Eris monitors offer excellent performance
for budget-conscious project studios, with features
normally reserved for more expensive monitors.
Sceptre employs advanced coaxial technology and
DSP to affordably achieve high-end sound quality.
Eris Series High-Definition Studio Monitors
When it’s time to replace those cheap
‘computer’ speakers with serious two-way
professional studio monitors, you’re ready for
Eris™ Series monitor speakers. The Eris Series has
the back-panel acoustic-tuning tools you need to
tailor their sound to your room environment and
musical genre. You end up with mixes that sound
good everywhere, not just in your studio.
These ultra-affordable, two-way, bi-amped
monitor speakers deliver very accurate response,
with a tight bass and very clear upper end.
They can also be user-adjusted to the acoustic
space, allowing you to create a more accurate
listening environment or to simulate different
The Eris E8.
22
common listening environments – a feature
not typically provided by studio monitors in
this price point.
With Kevlar™ low frequency transducers,
low-mass silk-dome tweeters, responsive
Class AB amplification, and professional
acoustic-adjustment controls, the compact
Eris series is an outstanding value in its class.
Eris speakers include RF shielding, currentoutput limiting, over-temperature protection,
and subsonic protection. Both Eris models have
Eris Key Features
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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
The Eris E5.
individual balanced XLR and quarter-inch
TRS input connections, in addition to
unbalanced RCA inputs.
Users can make several types of custom
adjustments. A three-position Acoustic Space
switch controls a shelving filter at 800Hz that
provides three attenuation points, allowing you
to control the bass response relative to the wall
proximity of your speakers. A High Pass switch
sets the low-frequency cut-off. You also get
continuously adjustable High Frequency and
Mid-Range controls.
This combination of controls lets you
create a linear response for accurate monitoring,
which is what you really need in your studio.
monitors 2013
SONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS++++PRESONUS+
Sceptre Series CoActual Studio Monitors
The first time you hear Sceptre™ Series
CoActual™ two-way studio monitors, you’ll
discover fine nuances of your music that can’t
be reproduced by conventional designs.
The Sceptre’s panoramic soundstage, clarity, fine
detail, and stunning dynamics will astonish you.
This exceptional performance is the result
of an advanced coaxial design by Fulcrum
Acoustic’s Dave Gunness that works integrally
with a 32-bit, 96kHz, dual-core processor
running Fulcrum Acoustic’s TQ™ Temporal
Equalization technology. Gunness was also
responsible for final tuning and voicing of the
Sceptre Series monitors.
Sceptre Key Features
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time-correction and point-source design
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eight-inch (S8)/6.5-inch (S6) mid-range
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HF Driver Adjust (Linear, +1dB,
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-1.5dB, -3dB, -6dB)
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internal heat sink
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TRS line-level inputs with A-taper
level control
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popping on power-up
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TQ employs multiple, fully addressable,
Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters. This
approach requires advanced algorithms and
subtle, sophisticated transducer design, which
is why such systems have, in the past, been
limited to very high-end systems with external
processors. Yet Sceptres are an affordable
investment for project-studio owners – a first
for DSP-controlled, TQ-based systems.
These systems are bi-amplified: each
transducer is powered by a 90W RMS,
Class D power amp with an internal heat sink.
All Sceptre Series monitors have balanced XLR
and quarter-inch TRS line-level inputs, with
A-taper level control and feature acoustic ports.
Sceptre monitors include controls that enable
full integration into any studio environment.
A four-position Acoustic Space switch controls
a shelving filter centered at 100Hz, with four
attenuation settings so that you can account for
the bass response relative to room dimensions
and speaker placement. A High Pass Filter switch
sets the 24dB/octave filter’s low-frequency
cut-off. A High Frequency Driver Adjust switch
adjusts the tweeter’s overall level. The Sensitivity
control ranges from +4dB to -10dB.
All Sceptre Series monitors offer RF shielding,
current-output limiting, over-temperature
protection, and have internal power supplies with
IEC connectors and power switches with on/off
LEDs. An amplifier ‘soft start’ feature eliminates
popping on power-up.
The Sceptre S6.
The Sceptre S8.
About PreSonus
Founded in 1995, PreSonus Audio
Electronics, Inc., is a leading designer
and manufacturer of audio-recording
and live-sound software, hardware, and
related accessories. PreSonus’s software,
microphone pre-amps, signal processors,
digital audio interfaces, digital mixers,
control surfaces, loudspeakers, and other
products are used worldwide for recording,
sound reinforcement, broadcast, sound
design, and Internet audio.
CONTACT DETAILS
PreSonus Audio Electronics
7257 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-USA
t +1 510 681 3050
w www.presonus.com
European Public Relations:
Daniel Keller, Get It In Writing
t +1 562 546 3342
e getitinwriting@mac.com
UK Distributor:
Source Distribution
t +44 (0)208 962 5080
w http://sourcedistribution.co.uk/
23
++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA+
Precision Studio
Monitors Made in
Switzerland
Full PSI Audio monitors range:
A14-M, A17-M, A21-M, A25-M and the sub A225-M.
The philosophy of PSI Audio can be compared to Swiss watch designers. Our vision is to be globally
recognised as pioneers in precision audio combining innovation, creativity, and technology.
Quality – Technology – Experience – Coherency
Designed and manufactured at our Yverdon
workshops in Switzerland, the latest generation
of PSI Audio speakers is the culmination of 30
years’ knowledge of materials and treatments,
guided by a thorough understanding of
acoustics.
The unique precision of PSI Audio monitors is
a delicate mix between the passion, experience,
and know-how of electro-acoustic technology.
The whole product range takes advantage
of our knowledge, and we strive to deliver the
most coherent sound and design between all our
models. In order to get the best compatibility
between models, the transfer function should
be the same. This implies not only a similar
frequency response, but also an identical phase
response, which is our speciality.
At the core of our speaker performance is
an electronic design based on two exclusive
concepts – CPR and AOI. This technology
enables us to show people that PSI Audio is
more than a black box.
such irregularities easily and processes them into
space related information such as positioning a
sound source.
All traditionally designed speaker systems
suffer to a certain degree of such irregularities.
These irregularities are the reason why some
speakers produce a wider and deeper room
perception that determines the reproduction of
the sound image.
The speaker system represents the reference
tool of every sound engineer. An accurate
transient response particularly helps during the
fine-tuning of reverb effects, or the design of
a specific sound and its position in the sound
image.
As a sound recording passes through various
processes (recording, mixing, and mastering) in
which various people, locations, and therefore
CPR Impact on Surround Sound Applications
Traditional speaker designs have different
phase responses, and therefore the phase
inaccuracy phenomenon is worse in surround
sound applications, where room information
and positioning have an even higher priority and
a more critical part of the sound engineering
An impressive
impulse behavior
due to the combined
technologies of AOI
and CPR.
CPR
The CPR system consists of multiple all-pass
filters, each of which act in a specific frequency
range in order to obtain a wide area of
Compensated Phase Response generating a
constant group delay.
Thanks to the CPR system the position of the
sound image is highly accurate. This technology
allows the design of surround sound systems,
with different types of PSI Audio speakers, to
maintain an accurate phase response.
Practical Advantage of CPR and Impact on
Stereo Applications
The ear is very sensitive to group delays or phase
irregularities of sound. The human brain detects
24
speaker systems will be involved, corrections may
be applied due to phase irregularities that are
not present on the original recording.
PSI Audio speakers feature our unique
CPR system that generates a Compensated
Phase Response, removing such irregularities,
generating a stereo image and projected room
of extreme accuracy. PSI Audio speakers provide
a more accurate tool, a true reference to the
sound engineer.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
monitors 2013
+++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++++RELEC SA++
process. This is one of the reasons why speaker
manufacturers strongly recommend using
speakers of the same type when creating a
surround sound system.
The CPR system by PSI Audio features an
extremely accurate and superior surround
sound image and a much improved working
environment. A unique advantage provided
by CPR enables a user to mix for the first time
between different types of PSI Audio speakers
in a surround sound system, whilst maintaining
perfectly accurate phase response. Not only
will the PSI Audio surround system sound much
more accurate and therefore provide a superior
working tool, but it can also introduce significant
cost and space savings when investing in a new
monitoring system.
AOI
The AOI system detects the movement of the
membrane, and the moving coil so processes
them using counter reaction filtering. The
damping rate is continuously adjusted in
different frequency bands to match the position
of membrane and coil.
The AOI system allows the reproduction of
sound without transducer colouring over the
whole frequency range.
Practical Advantage
PSI Audio speakers featuring the AOI system
have a superior impulse behaviour to traditional
amplifier designs. Whilst the transducer travels to
its intended position, the AOI circuitry seamlessly
adapts the amplifiers’ output impedance to
ensure ideal acceleration of the membrane
to reproduce the desired impulse. Once the
transducer reaches the end of the impulse, the
AOI circuitry provides a break in order to act
against any overshooting of the transducer. The
AOI circuitry is almost capable of reproducing a
square wave, and therefore increases accuracy
by marrying the transducer and the amplifier
into a perfect couple. From our experience, a
nice side effect of the AOI system is that the
membranes of a PSI speaker do not produce
parasitic sounds when other speaker systems in
the room are in use. When air pressure changes
due to other sound sources, the AOI will detect
this and tighten the damping of its transducers
in order not to produce parasitic sounds (sounds
not present at the input).
In current times where much more
importance is given to the low end reproduction
of sounds, especially when using sub woofer
technology in surround sound systems, the
importance of a monitoring system that has
an accurate and not flattering reproduction
becomes essential. The result of AOI gives
PSI Audio speakers a highly accurate impulse
behaviour with a minimum of transducer
colouration.
Please visit our website www.psiaudio.com
for more information, detailed graphs and
specifications.
For these technical innovations and
sound precision reasons, more and more
producers worldwide are choosing PSI Audio
as their reference monitors. We hope that this
encourages you to listen to our products and
choose them!
New Reference: IRCAM in France
It is a big honour for PSI Audio to announce
that IRCAM in Paris selected the A25-M and
A225-M for their reference 5.1 studio.
We thank Mr. Christophe Egea and his team
for their warm welcome and instructive visit
in one of the world’s leading edge research
institutes for acoustic, audio, and music
research.
Christophe Egea explained to us that
“the selection was a long process where
many brands where short selected, then
short listed. Users at IRCAM went through
a battery of listening tests where a couple
of objective and subjective elements were
needed to meet the highest requirements.
PSI Audio was selected and we were
really amazed by the great precision in
space reproduction, which is really important
for us. The quickness of the monitors is quite
impressive. The ability to reproduce details
with the highest possible precision was
another important factor. Everybody liked
the PSIs”.
PSI Audio R&B 8A: Simply for work, with our new
Router and Bass management
The new Router & Bass management is
integrated into our subwoofer. It is made to
provide PSI Audio users maximum comfort
during working sessions.
This product enables you to use the full
potential of the unique compatibility and
coherence of the PSI Audio line.
Relec SA
Z.I. Petits-Champs 11 a+b
CH-1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
Switzerland
Advantages Summary:
t +41 (0) 24 426 04 20
Easy switching between three monitoring systems
Use of one multi-channel speakers system in multi-channel, satellite+sub, or stereo modes
Subwoofer usable as bass extension or LFE
Standby/Mute and switching modes controlled by a simple footswitch
Standby control for the unused PSI Audio speakers
For more information visit:
www.psiaudio.com/product/accessories/router-bass-management-rb-8a
f +41 (0) 24 426 04 51
e info@psiaudio.com
Find all our distributors and much more at
www.psiaudio.com
UK distributor:
eMerging Ltd
t +44 (0) 208 941 6547
e sales@emerginguk.com
25
+ + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s
Professional Reference Monitors
Sonodyne has been designing and manufacturing
brands in Germany and USA, primarily. With the
high quality audio products since the late 70’s. In
exponential growth in studio equipment requirement in
India, we introduced high fidelity sound with a range
India due to film production and DTH, FM broadcast - in
of turntables, amplifiers, and speakers that had a
the early 2000s - we introduced a range of high quality
unique Sonodyne sound signature. Rapid growth led to
reference monitors:
expansion in R&D and manufacturing facilities.
The range that our customers around the world today
In late 80’s we initiated export of professional audio,
know as the SM’s, comprising the SM 50, 100, 200 and
as turnkey solution partners to technology driven
of late the 300.
With the acceptance of Sonodyne SM range, globally, as a true reference monitor, we started work, about 2 years ago on
the next generation, the SRP series. These were the focus technology areas:
PRESSURE DIE CAST MOULDED CABINET:
This monolithic, rigid cabinet eliminates colouration caused, typically, due
to cabinet vibration. The non-parallel edges minimize standing wave buildup. This results in a smooth and extended low frequency response, and also
gives the SRP a unique form.
DSP ENABLED BI-AMPLIFIER:
The SRP models use two discrete amplifiers per speaker. These hefty class
AB amplifiers have oodles of power and headroom and provide a clean,
undistorted signal. DSP based internal processing with high quality ADC
and DAC is employed for the crossover and also provides the 0.75dB step
calibrated HF and LF room compensation EQs.
ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDES:
The silk dome tweeter in each of the SRP models is nested in a
custom waveguide to produce on and off axis linearity and a wide,
detailed soundstage
There are 4 models in the new SRP range
KEVLAR CONE LF:
The stiff woven fibre of the Kevlar cone minimizes cone breakup. Combined
with a powerful motor system this results in high-grade performance both
in terms of deep bass and exceptional transients.
POWDER COATED FINISH:
The pressure die-cast cabinets are powder coated in our factory to ensure a
durable yet aesthetically pleasing finish. There are three colour choices: rich
black, charcoal grey or snow white
WALL MOUNTS:
Sturdy wall mount brackets allow for smooth motion and positioning in
both horizontal and vertical planes.
CALIBERATED GAIN: On the front is a level control ranging from mute to
+6dB with centre detent at 0dB.
biamplifier drives the transducers optimally while
providing adequate headroom and dynamics.
The SRP 400 is th e most compact active
reference monitor in the new SRP line. It is
an excellent reference to understand how
mixes translate to smaller speakers. The 4.5”
CURV cone woofer produces impressive bass
and transient response. A new 25 + 25 watt
biamplifier drives the transducers optimally
while providing adequate headroom and
dynamics. The maximum SPL measures in at an
impressive 100dB.
The SRP 400.
The SRP 500 is a new compact near field active
reference monitor. This SRP excels at monitoring
effects and other such subtleties in the mix. The
5.25” kevlar woofer produces deep bass and
exceptional transient response. The enclosure is
pressure die cast aluminum. A new 50 + 50 watt
26
The maximum SPL measures in at an impressive
104dB.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
monitors 2013
o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o dy n e + + + + s o n o d
The SRP 600 is a new near field active reference
monitor. This SRP adds loudness, clarity and
bottom end to the compact SRP 500. The
6.5” Kevlar woofer produces deep bass and
exceptional transient response. A new 80 + 50
watt biamplifier drives the transducers optimally
impressive 108dB.
The SRP 500.
The SRP 800 is a new high power active
reference monitor. This SRP is excellent for loud
monitoring without any audible loss in detail.
The 8 “ kevlar woofer produces deep bass and
exceptional transient response. A new 175 + 100
watt biamplifier drives the transducers optimally
The SRP 600.
The key features in the SM 300 are:
A compact cabinet, which has double MDF
top, bottom, front, and rear; and aluminum
extruded sides. Unique, and exceptionally rigid.
The HF and MF transducers are housed in a
separate aluminium die-cast plate, designed
for controlled dispersion and linearity.
Three AB Class amplifiers rated at: 150, 75,
75 watt that drive the 8-inch kevlar LF, 4-inch
kevlar MF, and 1-inch silk dome tweeter
respectively.
impressive 112dB.
SM 300: While the SM, and SRP are truly
exceptional 2 way reference loudspeakers, we
also have started a range of 3 way loudspeakers,
with the first offering being the SM 300. During
summer 2010 we set ourselves a challenging
task â€“ that of designing a high quality 3 way
active loudspeaker combining the detailing of
the award winning SM 100Ak with the dynamics
and bandwidth of the SM 200Ak. Additionally,
the size would have to be very compact since
the target user would place it on a console or
desktop. Many design debates, prototypes, and
user reviews later, we are delighted to report
that the SM 300, our first three-way tri-amplified
reference monitor, has upheld its high
expectations.
Two shelving EQs for LF and HF, one bell
EQ for MF, two Bass Roll Offs at 80, 100Hz
to compensate for room modes and for
optimising off axis response.
The SRP 800.
Sonodyne Electronics Co Pvt Ltd
98nb, Bl E New Alipore,
Kolkata, West Bengal 700053
India
w www.sonodyne.com
Europe:
The Audio Professionals Ltd.
Salisbury Hall, London Colney
St. Albans, AL2 1BU, UK
w www.audiopros.eu
e info@audiopros.eu
t +44 (0) 1727 829750
27
++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++U
Rock & Boulder,
‘Brutally Honest’ Monitoring
Bespoke Class A/B amps from the amp guru Tim de Paravcini. Sealed cabinet for fast, honest bass
reproduction. Superior 50kHz folded ribbon tweeter for smooth detailed high frequencies.
Years in the Making?
The Boulder: Three-Way Active Monitor with
We decided to design and manufacture our own
Coaxial Mid-Range Tweeter
range of professional monitors from scratch
The next active professional monitor following
to overcome the shortcomings found in most
on from the The Rock MkII is the new Boulder.
commercially available monitor systems and
This shares some of the same interesting
that will deliver what true professionals expect.
materials and designs, such as a Baltic Birch
A brutally honest tool on which you can base the
plywood cabinet – but this time 18mm instead
most critical decisions without a second guess or
of 12mm, as used in The Rock MkII. A Corian
hesitation.
front baffle is used, again
This has been achieved
like The Rock MkII, and
by assembling a team of
bonded to an internal
professionals with impeccable
wooden baffle, but the
credentials in the areas required
Boulder uses a huge 30mm
to produce a new standard of
slab of Corian instead of
monitoring.
The Rock MkII’s 12mm
I wanted to produce
along with large radius
something different, using
edges to reduce reflection.
new materials and designs,
Like The Rock MkII, this new
and so I approached studio
model will boost true fidelity,
designer and acoustician
with a fast, accurate, and
Kevin Van Green to develop
detailed sound; but with
the Birch Plywood cabinet and
extended bass response,
Corian front baffle; while the
even more detailed midamplifier, rather than an off the
range, and higher SPLs for
Unity Audio The Rock.
shelf approach, is a bespoke
larger rooms.
discrete Class A/B design from
one of the best designers in the business, Tim
Bass Driver
Di Paravicini, whose company Esoteric Audio
Two 180mm (7-inch) woofers are used, the
Research produces some of the finest amplifiers
same woofer model as in The Rock MkII.
around. After testing many woofers we selected
This will increase low frequency extension
reputable German manufacturer ELAC for its
and achieve higher SPLs. Each woofer has a
quality and consistency – for The Rock MkII a
0.2mm aluminium foil chemically bonded to
50kHz ribbon HF and 6.5-inch woofer are used.
a rigid pulp fibre cone. This reduces harmonic
We wanted to produce a brutally honest
anomalies and permits +/- 15mm of woofer
monitor and we’ve certainly done that, our
travel producing accurate low bass frequencies.
measurements indicate this. The cabinet is
The use of aluminium bound to a pulp fibre
sealed and it has no port, which is unusual
cone ensures that the woofer cone will remain
for studio monitors, but the difference in bass
symmetrical at all frequencies, producing a long
accuracy is incredible. It also has very good lowlife for the woofer element and full accuracy of
end extension too. From the start we decided
the driver through its life: something few other
not have any EQ controls – the sound is what
materials can claim.
you get. If you can’t deal with the accuracy The
Rock MkII produces, then it’s not for you, simple.
Coaxial 5-inch Mid Range
We’ve consulted with many producers and
& Folded Ribbon Tweeter
engineers and they welcome such a monitor.”
A new dual coaxial Mid-range Tweeter is
– Kevin Walker, MD, Unity Audio
employed, another unique feature of The
28
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
The Rock MkII: Key Features
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Boulder. This new unit is a unique combination
of a flat aluminium honeycomb mid-range ring
radiator and a concentrically arranged folded
ribbon tweeter. This design realises the vision
of an acoustic
point source!
This facilitates
an optimised
acoustic power
response, and
results in a
homogeneous
and very
wide sound
dispersion
angle providing
for a new kind
of relaxed but
very precise
reproduction.
Unity Audio
The Boulder.
monitors 2013
NITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY AUDIO++++UNITY A
Don’t take our word for it, listen to these guys!
Rock MKII mix Coldplay Live DVD
“ I had the Rock MK II’s for evaluation
and ended up using them to mix the
entire forthcoming Coldplay live DVD.
They’ve saved my ears, it’s great that I
can work at low levels for long periods and
hear everything! The clarity and depth of
perception is something that I’ve never expected to find on such a small
speaker like The Rock. The bass response is surprisingly deep, transient
response snappy, and stereo depth impressively wide. I love them!”
Rik Simpson – Co-Producer/Engineer for Coldplay
“The client and myself both agree that my 30-min tweak on the
Unity Boulders is a better mix than the last few tracks that I mixed for
him that took two days and cost him $2000. Your monitors are world
class, there is nothing close to the flatness and exact representation of
a true mix that your monitors can provide on the market that I have
ever heard”.
Owner – Cavern Sound Studios Australia
“The Rocks are amazing, they sound a lot bigger than they are and have
incredible low end detail and punch even at very low levels.”
Andy Gray – Composer/Producer.
Tori Amos, Liz Fraser, Gary Numan, Korn, U2, Enter Shikari, Hard Fi
“The Rocks are amazing, brutally revealing, which is exactly what I need
for demanding mixing”.
Ben Hillier – Producer. Blur, Depeche Mode, Future Heads and Elbow
“Crucially the bottom end is detailed and true at any monitoring level.
Honesty is the best policy!”
Ken & Jolyon Thomas –
Engineer/Producers. Moby, Sigur Ros
“I wasn’t even in the market for a pair of monitors until I heard
The Rocks. The soundstage on them is huge though unhyped and true.
I used to spend hours agonizing over the low end.”
Mike Crossey – Producer. Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight,
Foals, The Kooks, Black Keys
Rocks MKII & Boulders
for Queens of the Stone Age
“The Unity Audio Rock Studio Monitors
have been a fantastic addition to Pink
Duck Studios. The imaging is fantastic.
They have a bottom end that belies
their size and a smooth modern top.
The result is true detail with a wide
depth of field, and I don’t get any
surprises when I take mixes out of the studio. Hell, mixes sounds the
same at home and in the car, just like they did in the studio on the
Rocks. That kind of consistency and accuracy is all I care about.
“As for the Boulders... They’re the exact speaker I needed. The power
and the punch of a large studio main, stuffed in cabinets the size of the
modern, real world recording studio. That big bottom end you’d expect,
but not at the expense of precious mid-range. Accurate details abound.”
Joshua Homme – Queens Of The Stone Age
The Avalanche
The Boulder: Key Features
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one per driver
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The third product in the
monitoring range is designed
to complement the brand’s
existing Rock and Boulder, for
those that want extra SPL and
low frequency extension, but also
want a monitor that can be used
Unity
in conjunction with other monitor
Audio The
brands. In keeping with the
Unity Audio’s Rock and Boulder
Avalanche.
philosophy, the Avalanche has
been designed by Kevin Van Green and retains
the sealed cabinet approach, but it also has a
dual chamber with an aperiodic vent, which
gives all the benefits of a sealed cabinet – no
port noise, a tight, fast, and accurate bass
reproduction; and it also increases the bass
response from a smaller cabinet.
The Avalanche uses a downward firing 12-inch
woofer designed for heavy duty sub-woofer
application in a 65 litre enclosure. The input/
crossover has two presets from the Rock and
Boulder to make set up simple for customers,
but there is also a variable hi and low pass
filter section too. Two balanced XLR inputs and
outputs, and also an XLR bypass connector,
will allow a foot-switch to completely bypass
the Avalanche and route full frequency back to
the satellite speakers. Amplification is by two
Rock low frequency custom E.A.R discrete Class
A/B amplifiers running in parallel, totalling 150
watts on rubber isolation mounts. The cabinet
sits on four large adjustable spikes to stop any
unwanted movement. The Avalanche extends
low frequencies down to 22Hz, and will be
available from mid June.
Unity Audio Ltd.
t +44 (0)1799 520786
e sales@unityaudio.co.uk
w www.unityaudioproducts.co.uk
29
++++HEADPHONE BUYERS GUIDE++++HEADPHONE BUYERS GUIDE++++HEADPHONE BUYERS GUIDE++
Headphone Buyer’s Guide
Who knew there was so much to know? Here, Audio Media distills the heaphone world down to its
essence and finds out what audio professionals really need to know before buying their next pair of cans.
T
he first step towards choosing a pair is to
identify the design features that best suit
your needs. In an attempt to narrow any
prospective search, we consulted
with Sennheiser’s Axel Grell, and
Audio-Technica’s Logan Helps to
gain a balanced expert opinion on a
few common considerations.
Closed Back Or Open Back?
Conclusion: Circumaural if you intend to
use them for long periods; supra-aural if
portability is a major concern.
Heavy Or Lightweight?
Our experts agreed that lightweight
headphones were more comfortable,
and therefore more desirable
than heavy ones. Crucially, lower
weight results in less pressure being
applied to the user’s head and ears.
They also agreed that the overall
weight had no bearing on sound
quality. The only exception was
in the magnet system, which has
to be the right size to provide
sufficient power.
Conclusion: Lightweight.
Transducers
By far the most commonly used transducer
design is the dynamic, moving-coil, driver.
These drivers use a stationary magnet and
a wire voice coil to move a stiff diaphragm.
However, within this design paradigm, several
manufacturers have introduced their own
design principles and proprietary elements.
Logan Helps describes transducers as “the
envelope that’s continually being pushed.”
Axel Grell tells us that “there are different design
principles, but they are not so very different.”
Axel is in contact from time to time with
colleagues at Beyerdynamic and AKG. “We have
different philosophies, but we agree that the
driver is the most important thing,” he explains.
“We’ve all spent a lot of money on computer
simulation models to improve the diaphragm,
with different results.”
Conclusion: You get what you pay for.
Open backed headphones allow
acoustical energy to leave the
system through the back of
“Closed back
each earpiece, which means
less resonance and better sound
headphones
quality than a closed system.
use
materials
Closed back headphones use
to
dampen
that
materials to dampen that energy,
which adds extra weight and
energy, which
impacts the nature of the sound.
adds extra weight Which Materials?
Open back headphones can
and impacts the Ideal materials for headphones
also be less tiring for your ears,
are lightweight and non-resonant.
so are worth considering if you
nature of the
Coping With Marketing
Commonly used materials include
plan to use them for long periods.
sound. ”
As we all know from TV shampoo adverts,
magnesium,
aluminium,
and
high
For these reasons, open back
marketing places particular emphasis on certain
tech
plastics.
headphones are more commonly used for high
keywords. In the case of headphones,
For constructive
end studio mixing.
these tend to (justifiably) revolve
The disadvantage of open back headphones
parts, Axel Grell
around transducer design; ‘computer
is the lack of isolation. You can hear whatever
prefers a good plastic
is happening around you, and others will hear
optimised transducers’, ‘patented
material. “Good means
whatever you’re listening to. A closed system
phase technology’, ‘optimised magnet
not a cheap ABS or
typically provides isolation of around 30-40 dB.
systems’, etc. While these things are
something like that,”
Conclusion: Open back for long periods where
all great, they don’t tell us much
he explains.
interference isn’t a concern, closed back if
other than that we should go out and
“The
better
choice,
“Crucially,
lower
weight
you need to compete with background noise.
buy them. The quality of any given
from an acoustic
results in less pressure
headphone is certainly influenced by
point of view, is to
Circumaural Or Supra-Aural?
being applied to the
these things, but it also equally comes
use
plastic
materials
Circumaural headphones have large ear pads
user's head and ears.
down to a multitude of less sexy
that
have
an
inner
with an elliptical cushion that circles the ear.
factors that don’t lend themselves
They
also
agreed
that
damping.”
When
Supra-aural headphones (like the ones that
metal parts are used,
the overall weight had as well to buzzwords. Factors like the
came bundled with personal stereos in the 80s)
quality of the wire in the voice coil,
extra
material
is
no bearing on sound
sit on top of your ears.
and the kind of glue that’s used to
necessary
to
dampen
Circumaural headphones should be more
quality.”
attach the diaphragm. These kinds
resonance. “Plastic
comfortable for extensive use, as the elliptical
of details are less readily available,
parts are more
cushions contact each side of your head to
but will make a noticeable difference to
remove pressure from your ears. These cushions
expensive,”
sound reproduction.
can also provide extra isolation.
he adds. “It takes really high tech plastic to get
Supra-aural headphones can be more
the same stability of the part as there would be
convenient for location sound as they tend to
Conclusion: We hope that this guide will help
with magnesium.”
be significantly smaller. It is also possible to play
to narrow your search. However, the best
Conclusion: High tech plastic if you want
sounds more loudly through supra-aurals, as
way to make a final decision is also the most
lightweight headphones that sound good,
the acoustical volume being moved is smaller,
obvious, listen to lots of different sets and
metal if you like shiny things.
resulting in higher sound pressure levels for the
see for yourself. ∫
same amount of energy.
HEADPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE
30
++++AUDIO-TECHNICA++++AUDIO-TECHNICA++++AUDIO-TECHNICA++++AUDIO-TECHNICA++++AUDI
Studio And Stage
Monitor Headphones
The dominant headphone brand in
its domestic Japanese market,
Audio-Technica also caters to the needs
of professional users the world over.
Highly-regarded for its comprehensive
microphone line-up, Audio-Technica also
produces a wide range of headphones
for professional use, employed by
engineers and producers both for live
shows, and tracking and mixing in the
studio (including Ben Hammond
(Deaf Havana, The Blackout) and
Adam Boole (You Me At Six)).
Audio-Technica’s enduringly popular
ATH-M50 headphone is designed
specifically for professional monitoring
and mixing, delivering exceptional power
handling and very high SPL capabilities.
Tonally, the M50 is engineered for accurate
bass and clarity throughout its extended
frequency range (15-28,000Hz) and built
for real comfort – generously padded ear
cushions create an outstanding seal for
maximum isolation.
Available in standard black and
currently in a limited edition red finish and
white (as M50RD and M50WH), the M50
sports 45mm drivers with neodymium
magnets to ensure ultra-efficient signal
transfer. And the headphone is also
remarkably ergonomic, with a collapsible
design for portability and storage, and
earpieces that swivel through 180 degrees
for easy one-ear monitoring.
The PRO700
Mk2 DJ monitor
headphone.
Celebrating more than 50 years of audio
excellence worldwide, Audio-Technica is a
leading innovator in transducer technology,
renowned for the design and manufacture
of microphones, wireless microphones,
headphones, mixers, and electronics for the
audio industry. Users of Audio-Technica
microphones and headphones include
Metallica, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Deaf
Havana, The Blackout, Freestylers, and
Eddie Halliwell.
Despite their abilities in demanding
situations, the PRO700 Mk2 is a lightweight and
exceptionally comfortable headphone, and its
earpieces swivel 50/90 degrees for one-ear use
– its advanced circumaural design also allows for
remarkable isolation from ambient noise.
A detachable, replaceable cord completes
the PRO700Mk2s spec list – the headphone
comes with both straight and coiled cord types
with screw-in connectors for security during use.
ATH-PRO700 Mk2
Audio-Technica’s M50
monitor headphones.
Alongside the M50, Audio-Technica’s
ATH-PRO700Mk2 is aimed specifically at
DJs monitoring in loud environments.
Large 53mm neodymium magnetequipped drivers serve up outstanding
sound reproduction and offer 3,500mW
power handling. The headphone also has a
huge frequency response of 5-35,000Hz.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Audio-Technica Limited (UK)
Unit 5, Millennium Way
Leeds, LS11 5AL
t +44 (0) 113 277 1441
f +44 (0) 113 270 4836
e sales@audio-technica.co.uk
31
headphones 2013
3
++++KRK SYSTEMS++++KRK SYSTEMS++++KRK SYSTEMS++++ KRK SYSTEMS++++ KRK SYSTEMS++++ KR
Headphones for Educated Ears
The KNS Series of Headphones from KRK
At KRK, our focus is to
develop studio solutions
to help you create
a great mix.
KRK monitors and
subwoofers are
legendary. The ERGO
room analysis and correction system is
revolutionary. Now you can enjoy the same
KRK engineering and innovation when using
headphones. The KNS series are designed
to provide what KRK has been delivering for
25 years: sonic accuracy, transparency, and
consistency. And, with KRK you are assured
“Expect excellent isolation from the
KNS 6400 closed-back earcups for
superb listening privacy in any setting and
zero leakage into the mic during recording
or vocal work. Highly recommended, wellpriced headphone for recordists, mixers,
and personal monitoring of all music genres.
The KNS-8400’s offer nuanced tonal
balance and clear timbral transparency at all
frequencies. Low-end bass response is robust
and full but with controlled impact while the
uppermost highs remain present and brilliant
without glare or screech.”
Headphone.com
“The first thing I want to know is whether
the low frequencies are there. Does it feel like
the Expose monitors? And it totally does, the
comfort is incredible. They are lightweight
– not these big, old heavy headphones
that you feel like you want to take off after
wearing them for five minutes. Now when I
take my mixes home or when I’m travelling,
I can plug my KRK headphones into my
laptop and feel like I’m still in the studio.
That’s important when you’re making hits
for the radio; you have to be spot on.”
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Producer (Lady
Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige)
“The lack of high-end hype is appreciated
for long or loud tracking sessions, and the
bottom end is slightly plump without
being too ‘poofy’ or having ‘one
note bass’ syndrome.
Their clarity, isolation,
low weight, fold-ability,
and comfortable ear pads
make an ideal headphone
experience.”
Pro Audio Review
“When its past 10pm and the kids are
sleeping and you need to get this one more
mix finished, and you have to change
from your speakers to your
headphones, you’re not losing
anything. In a studio situation
you’re wearing headphones
for 12 hours, 14 hours, 16
hours. They’ve got to be
comfortable. They’ve got to
be closed back because you’re
going to record with them.
They’ve got to have a long cable
with a volume control on the cable that’s
convenient. These have them. That’s great.
A pair of headphones that gives you a really
honest representation of what’s going on,
they can be invaluable, and it’s probably the
cheapest thing you’ll buy for your studio.
Most headphones make you happy, these
headphones might make you sad if your
mixes aren’t good – and that’s what I want
my clients to have, I don’t want them to be
fooled into thinking their mixes are great!”
Stephen Marsh (Mastering Engineer)
“For people who feel that
headphones isolate the two sides of the
stereo image unrealistically, the KRKs will
be something of a revelation. Both phones
are incredibly light – 7.4 and eight ounces
– and this light weight greatly extended
the comfortable listening period. These
headphones provide a noticeably different
listening and soundstaging experience than
other headphones in their class, one that’s
likely to win over musicians from some other
headphones costing much more.”
Recording Magazine
that what you hear is
true, whether the source
is on the console or on
your head!
KRK Headphones
provide a precise listening
experience that takes you
from personal studio to
commercial studio to onthe-go track evaluations
– and they allow you to
evaluate and enjoy your
music with the consistent
voicing philosophy and honest
reproduction top producers, studio
musicians, performers, and engineers have come
to trust. KRK headphones provide incredibly
natural frequency response that gives you a
reference standard unaffected by your location.
Day or night. Studio or home. Without disturbing
others. Without compromising your tracks.
Whether you are listening to some tracks,
or tracking your next recording, the KNS
series gives you the famous KRK sound in
an extraordinarily comfortable closed-back
around-the-ear design with highly isolated
surround pads. Having ‘One Voice’ that
consistently gives you accurate reproduction
of your music or mix will help you achieve just
what the artist intended – especially when
the artist is you.
®
Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House, Turnpike Road
High Wycombe, Bucks
HP12 3FX, UK
t +44 (0) 1494 462 246
e sales@focusrite.com
KRK Systems, Inc.
Gibson Pro Audio
309 Plus Park
Nashville, TN 37217
1-800-4 GIBSON
e service@krksys.com
w www.krksys.com
32
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
monitors 2013
++++SENNHEISER++++SENNHEISER++++SENNHEISER++++SENNHEISER++++SENNHEISER++++SENNHEI
Sennheiser Monitoring Headphones –
Innovation and Expertise Combined
After more than half a century of innovation, Sennheiser continues to push the boundaries of what
headphone technology is capable of delivering.
For nearly 70 years, Sennheiser microphones
and headphones have consistently offered the
very best in audio performance. The company’s
products are trusted by professionals worldwide
and are used on a daily basis on live stages, by
DJs, and in studios. Sennheiser delivers a wide
range of closed-back monitor headphones and
open audiophile headphones to cater to diverse
monitoring requirements.
HD 25-1 II
The closed-back HD
25-1 II is probably
the most widely
used headphone
from the Sennheiser
range by both live
sound engineers
and DJs. Offering
high attenuation of
background noise, they perform exceptionally
well in challenging environments – for example
ENG, sound reinforcement, studio monitoring,
and audio equipment testing – and are capable
of delivering very high sound pressure levels.
Their lightweight construction and comfortable
design with a split headband means they are
suitable for long periods of use, yet they are also
extremely robust for coping with the rigours of
touring life. Featuring a tough, detachable steel
cable, neodymium ferrous magnet systems,
lightweight aluminium/copper voice coils, and
a rotatable capsule for one-ear listening, the
HD 25-1 II has a 70Ω nominal impedance for
universal compatibility.
HD 280 Pro and
HD 380 Pro
A closed-back,
circumaural
headphone
designed for
professional
monitoring,
the HD 280 Pro offers an exceptional 32dB
attenuation of external noise, making it
particularly suitable for use in high-noise
environments. The HD 380 Pro also provides
excellent passive attenuation of ambient
noise and an extended frequency response of
8-27,000Hz, utilising Sennheiser’s Eargonomic
Acoustic Refinement (E.A.R.) design, which
channels the audio signal directly into the
user’s ears. Both models provide accurate sound
reproduction for demanding use, while the
lightweight and secure-fit design offers a very
comfortable, long-duration listening experience.
HD 25-SP II
The HD 25-SP II are closed-back, dynamic
headphones for monitoring, recording, and
outdoor applications. A lower-cost alternative to
the HD 25-1 II, featuring a simpler headband
and slightly different capsule design, several
features of the more expensive model are
included, for example neodymium ferrous
magnet systems, lightweight aluminium/copper
voice coils, a tough, detachable OFC cable, high
maximum sound pressure level, and a very
lightweight and comfortable design.
while the ear pads are handcrafted from a
high-quality microfibre fabric that is extremely
comfortable to wear and easy to maintain.
Featuring a specially-designed, four-wire, highperformance cable with Teflon insulation, the
HD 800 delivers the ultimate in both audio and
aesthetic performance.
HD 700
These open, circumaural dynamic stereo
headphones promise an outstanding
soundstage with a warm and balanced audio
reproduction. They feature specially-tuned,
highly efficient drivers capable of delivering high
sound pressure levels, an angled acoustic baffle,
plus a detachable, symmetrical, silver-plated
four-wire OFC copper cable. Ventilated magnet
systems minimise air turbulence and thus
intermodulation and harmonic distortion.
HD 600 and HD 650
The ideal choice for professional engineers
recording classical music, the HD 600s deliver
exceptionally natural, spatial, and accurate
sound, with an advanced diaphragm design
that eliminates standing waves. The audiophile
HD 650s were developed from the HD 600
and feature improved materials for even better
sound reproduction. Key features include
highly optimised magnet systems for minimum
harmonic and intermodulation distortion,
lightweight aluminium voice coils to ensure
excellent transient response, and a precise
damping over the entire diaphragm surface –
consistent in all climates.
HD 800
HD 26 Pro
Hearing protection is becoming an integral
element of the occupational health and safety
legislation in a growing number of countries
around the globe. The supra-aural HD 26
Pro monitor headphones comply with this
requirement, combining hearing protection,
accurate sound reproduction, and comfort for
the wearer. Professional features include a split
headband, a special low-noise cable design, and
a defeatable active limiter that cuts off sudden
audio peaks.
Incorporating
Sennheiser’s most
advanced driver
technology, the HD
800 open-backed,
circumaural dynamic
stereo headphones
redefine the standard
of reference-level audio. The reference-grade
audio performance is matched by a striking
design. The ring-shaped transducer is encased
by a precision material made of stainless steel,
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
t +49 (5130) 600 0
f +49 (5130) 600 300
w www.sennheiser.com
Sennheiser U.K. Ltd
t +44 (0) 1494 551551
f +44 (0) 1494 551550
w www.sennheiser.co.uk
33
monitors
nitors 2013
+ + + + U LT R A S O N E + + + + U LT R A S O N E + + + + U LT R A S O N E + + + + U LT R A S O N E + + + + U LT R A S O N E + + + + U LT R A S O N E + +
First Choice For
Professionals
Specialist In Headphones
Ultrasone, founded in 1991, is located close
to the Alps in South Germany and specialises
in headphones. Day-to-day commitment
leads to explicit expert knowledge and makes
Ultrasone one of the leading developers and
manufacturers of headphones throughout the
world. Constant development leads to high
quality pro headphones equipped with the latest
technologies and beneficial accessories.
Ultrasone’s Technologies Are Unique
Ultrasone invented the inimitable S-Logic™
Natural Surround Sound and Ultra Low
Emission technologies, thus integrating safer
hearing aspects without neglecting the latest
technologies. The consideration of all these
aspects is fundamental for modern headphones.
S-Logic™ Technology
Unique? Yes! Revolutionary? Definitely!
The patented S-Logic™ technology is described
as ‘Natural Surround Sound System’. No other
digital surround system can compare with this
standard. The sound of normal headphones
will sound direct and even on both sides, while
the S-Logic™ system pushes sound around your
head. It appears as though you are listening to
speakers metres away. Even at very low levels,
this spacious sound allows you to hear and listen
to each and every individual sound. And on
top of that, the S-Logic™ technology does not
require additional equipment!
34
How does
S-Logic™ work?
S-Logic™ sends
music around your head, not just into it, because
this technology uses decentralised driver
positioning. Did you know that you use and
need the outer ear for your three-dimensional
understanding to define the direction and
distance of where a sound comes from? Instead
of hitting the inner ear directly, with S-Logic™
the signals are reflected off the surface of
the outer ear in different directions before
entering the auditory canal, to create a natural
three-dimensional sound. S-Logic™ is the only
headphone system that includes your entire
sense of hearing. S-Logic™ does not change your
personal hearing, but it intensifies it for your
individual needs and listening pleasure. S-Logic™
doesn’t need artificial echo, digital sound
processing, or cross over run time delay. You can
hear the sound just the way the sound engineer
has mastered it.
Safer Hearing
S-Logic™ allows at the same time a reduction
of sound pressure levels at the eardrum by up
to 40% (3-4dB). This may reduce the risk of
hearing damage while ensuring hours of
fatigue-free listening.
Ultrasone – S-Logic™ Plus
S-Logic™ Plus is the newest advancement
in the S-Logic™ Natural Surround
System, squeezing the BIG S-Logic™
soundstage found in our PRO
series headphones into the more
streamlined ear-cups of select
HFI & DJ models.
S-Logic™ Plus profits directly
from innovations developed
for our flagship Edition range,
the ultimate headphones for
critical listening.
This sophisticated new
technology combines precision
dampening with micro-acoustic
reinforcement, allowing driver, bufferboard, and spatial parameters to complement
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
one another in an optimal manner. So, the
acoustically redesigned ear-cups of these new
models and their tonal fine-tuning result in a
most neutral sound impression with more vivid
perception of voices and instruments.
Ultrasone’s ULE-Technology
Most headphone drivers produce low-frequency
magnetic fields as they convert an electrical
signal into the acoustical signal that we hear
as music. Ultrasone has developed a special
MU-Metal shielding that we call ULE (for Ultra
Low Emissions) to reduce this radiation by up to
98%, compared to conventional headphones.
This technology has withstood the test of
international review and is recommended by
technical surveillance organisations. Ultrasone
originally developed ULE-technology
for professionals, since they spend half of
their lives in headphones.
Professional Sound Quality
& Accessories
The highest sound quality is guaranteed due
to high profile technologies and high-class
materials. Naturally, Ultrasone headphones
offer accessories desired by professionals to
support day-to-day needs in the studio or on
the road. The headphones are placed in a safe
transportation box together with accessories
such as extra detachable cable and extra
earpads.
Take a closer look at our website. The options are
yours to explore. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact the Ultrasone team any time.
Ultrasone
w www.ultrasone.com
e Infodesk@ultrasone.com
Monitors & Headphones
Manufacturers Directory
ACOUSTIC ENERGY
www.acoustic-energy.co.uk
ADAM AUDIO
www.adam-audio.de
+49 30 863 00970
AKG
www.akg.com
+43 1 866 540
ALESIS
www.alesis.com
+1 401 658 5760
AMBIANCE ACOUSTICS
www.calcube.com
+1 858 485 7514
ATC
www.atc.gb.net
+44 0 1285 760561
AUDIO-TECHNICA
www.audio-technica.com
+44 0 113 277 1441
AUDIX
www.audixusa.com
+1 503 682 6933
B&W
www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk
+44 0 1903 221500
BAG END LOUDSPEAKERS
www.bagend.com
+1 847 382 4550
BEHRINGER
www.behringer.com
+49 2154 9206 0
BEYERDYNAMIC
www.beyerdynamic.com
+49 7131 6170
BLUE SKY
www.abluesky.com
+1 516 249 1399
CANFORD AUDIO
www.canford.co.uk
DENON
www.denon.co.uk
+44 (0)2890 279830
DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS
www.dynaudio.com
GRIMM AUDIO
www.grimmaudio.com
MUNRO ACOUSTICS
www.munro.co.uk
SONODYNE
www.sonodyne.com
+45 87 427 000
+31 40 213 1562
+44 0 207 403 3808
+44 0 1923 693770
EARTHWORKS
www.earthworksaudio.com
HARBETH
www.harbeth.com
NADY SYSTEMS
www.nady.com
SOUND PROJECTS
www.soundprojects.com
+1 603 654 6427
+44 0 1444 484371
+1 510 652 2411
+31 0 36 539 4570
EDIROL
www.edirol.com
HOT HOUSE
www.hothousepro.com
NEUMANN
www.neumann.com
SURROUNDTEC
www.surroundtec.de
+44 0 1792 702701
+1 845 691 6077
+49 30 41 77 240
+49 7131 797 54555
EMES
www.emes.de
JBL
www.jblpro.com
NHTPRO
www.nhthifi.com
SUPERLUX
www.superlux.com
+49 0 8222 965954
+1 818 894 8850
+1 707 747 0122
+1 404 525 0700
ESI
www.esi-pro.com
KRK
www.krksys.com
PMC
www.pmc-speakers.com
TANNOY
www.tannoy-speakers.com
+49 0 7152 398880
+1 954 949 9600
+44 0 1582 405694
+44 0 1236 420199
EVE AUDIO
KS DIGITAL
PRESONUS
www.presonus.com
TAPCO
www.tapcoworld.com
+1 225 216 7887
+1 425 892 6511
PSI AUDIO
www.psi-audio.com
TASCAM
www.tascam.com
+41 0 24 426 0420
+1 323 726 0303
QUESTED
www.quested.com
TRIDENT AUDIO (PMI)
www.pmi-audio.com
+44 0 1404 41500
+1 310 323 9050
ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUP
www.rolandsg.co.uk
TRUTH AUDIO
www.truthaudio.com
www.eve-audio.com
www.ksdigital.de
+681 761 804 63
EVENT ELECTRONICS
www.event1.com
LEGACY AUDIO
www.legacy-audio.com
+61 2 9648 5855
+1 217 544 3178
EXIGY
www.exigy.co.uk
LIPINSKI SOUND
www.lipinskisound.com
+44 0 1256 381944
+1 916 273 9726
FAR
www.atd2.com
MACKIE
www.mackie.com
+32 85 318 123
+1 425 892 6500
FOCAL
www.focalprofessional.com
+33 0 477 435700
M-AUDIO
www.m-audio.com
FOSTEX
www.fostex.com
ME-GEITHAIN
www.me-geithain.de
+81 42 546 4974
GENELEC
www.genelec.com
MEYER SOUND
www.meyersound.com
+1 510 486 1166
+358 17 83881
GRADO LABS
www.gradolabs.com
MISSION
www.mission.co.uk
+44 0 845 458 1122
GRIFFIN AUDIO
www.griffinaudiousa.com
MITCHELL & TODD
www.excelaudio.co.uk
+1 914 248 7680
+44 0 208 354 0820
+44 (0) 1792 702701
SAMSON AUDIO
www.samsontech.com
ULTRASONE
www.ultrasone.com
+49 0 8158 90780
+1 631 784 2200
SE MUNRO
www.seelectronics.com
UNITY AUDIO
www.unityaudio.com
+44 0 1440 785843
+44 (0)845 500 2 500
SENNHEISER
www.sennheiser.co.uk
WESTLAKE AUDIO
www.westlakeaudio.com
+1 323 851 1222
+49 5130 6000
+1 847 600 2000
PELONIS SOUND &
ACOUSTICS
www.chrispelonisspeakers.com
SLS LOUDSPEAKERS
www.slsloudspeakers.com
YAMAHA
www.yamaha.com
+1 417 883 4549
+44 0 1908 366700
SHURE
www.shure.co.uk
MK SOUND
www.mksoundsystem.com
+1 818 439 3577
MONITORING & HEADPHONES DIRECTORY
35
Eris™. Affordable studio monitors
that don’t treat you like a kid.
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ere’s a dirty little
secret: Most monitors in Eris’
price range are designed so
that they sound impressive in
the store — lots of bonky bass
and tizzy treble — but they
aren’t accurate when you’re
trying to do a serious mix in
your studio.
The new Eris™ E5 and E8 are
true pro monitors with the
precise back-panel acoustictuning tools you need to tailor
their sound to your room environment and musical genre*.
You’ll end up with mixes
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that sound good everywhere
(including iTunes and CDs),
not just in your control room.
Eris monitors pack longthrow Kevlar® K100 low
frequency transducers and
low-mass, silk dome high
frequency transducers with
separate butt-kicking Class A/B
amps for each.
Above all, Eris are musical,
powerful, and excruciatingly
accurate. Get the whole story
of Eris on our site. Or visit your
PreSonus dealer for an
ear-full of Eris.
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