Adam A7X, Adam A77X, Event 20/20 BAS & Eve SC207
Some time back I had the chance to sit down at the Production Room in Leeds to test some studio-monitors. You can read my comments here, but if you desire a complete analysis you should also read some of the more comprehensive reviews available. This one will not be as in depth. But that said, it has not been hard to choose a winner amongst the tree models I tested!
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The set-up at
the Production Room. Notice the stylish Zaor iDesk!
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The three
models in question are Adam A7X, Adam A77X and the Event 20/20 BAS. Having used
both the old Event TR-8 and the ALP 5 for many years I was extremely excited
about the re-release of the 20/20.
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| Event 20/20 BAS |
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| Adam A77X |
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| Adam A7X |
The
speakers were fed signal from a computer through the USB connection on the new
Yamaha 01V 96 VCM (sorry for all the Yamaha-letters!), and distributed through
a Coleman Audio MS6R. For better or for worse, the music was streamed from
online. Still, the tracks had high enough resolution to give a clear idea about
the individual character of the monitors in question.
I have used
three different reference-tracks when testing. I’ve written my rather un-edited
notes for each monitor under the different tracks. I know both the Miles Davis and
Corinne Bailey Rae mixes very well from a number of different reproduction
systems.
1. Miles Davis “Freddie Freeloader”:
Event
20/20 BAS
-
Pulled
down the low shelf to half past ten and kept it there for the rest of the
session.
-
They
exerted a comfortable double-bass sound for listening.
-
The
whole recording sounded classic analogue and warm.
-
Stereo
image was not very wide, but neither is the recording.
Adam
A77X
-
Unnaturally
bright and wide stereo for this old recording.
-
More
forward sounding than the Events.
-
Had
to pull down the high shelf eq.
Adam A7X
-
Sounds
truthful, a little more forward sounding than the 20/20’s, but still realistic.
-
Less
bass extension than the two above, so you might want to consider a sub to check
mixes in a large room.
Later I have found that lowering the bass shelf
on the A7X can actually give a greater sense of bass-extension. The logic seems
to be that the higher end of the bass-spectrum doesn’t get to mask the lower
register to the same degree as it rolls off. A good reference track to try this
on is D’Angelo’s “Feel Like Making Love.”
2. Corinne Bailey Rae “Put Your Records On”:
(This has
become one of my regular test-tracks for assessing midrange and vocal clarity)
Event
20/20 BAS
-
Mix
sounds familiar, but slightly boxy.
-
Much
“bigger” sounding than the A7X.
-
Lacking
some crucial information in the midrange.
-
In
spite of what sounds like a huge bass extension it has less definition in the
bass than either of the Adams.
Adam
A77X
-
Amazing
bass extension, but too forward sounding to reveal how the mix really sounds.
-
Seems
to have the most accurate bass levels of the tree.
-
Most
“comfy” to listen to.
Adam A7X
-
Appears
as the most truthful.
-
The
whole mix sounds amazing.
-
Round
and nice bass, but not with a lot of extension.
-
Bass
is clearly defined.
3. A piano piece by J. S. Bach
(I’m sorry
I didn’t have the foresight to write down what it actually was). The recording
was done on a 20th century grand piano, so there were no
fortepiano-sounds.
Event
20/20 BAS
-
Losing
midrange information again! Feels like standing outside the door to a recital
room. May work as background music for your living room, but not useful to
represent acoustic sounds in a studio!
Adam
A77X
-
Too
bright! No grand piano sounds like this, and the brightness doesn’t help you to
make a better mix here!
Adam A7X
-
Definitely
the winner for this track!
Verdict
I really
wanted to like the Events! I know so many mixes on the TR-8’s and I have loved
them for years. I have always loved how the TR-8-sound translates very well
between different listening systems. As you can imagine I was pretty pumped
when I heard there was a new 20/20 on the way. But I’m sorry to say that they
did not deliver. If you’re reading any of the major reviews out there I feel
Sound on Sound for example is giving it even more credit than it deserves. It
is said that this is a speaker first and foremost for the electronic musician,
but I can’t find any useful application for it as a monitor to mix or record on
at all. There is just too much lacking in the mids for it to be able to present
any instrument (and especially vocal) in a truthful way. I’m curious to try
them out in a different room and see if there’s a hidden epiphany somewhere,
though I have my doubts.
Lots of
bass extension and lots of highs. In a home-cinema this speaker might do well,
but I don’t really understand how the makers of the critically acclaimed A7X
thought that their customer group could mix on these? Lots of top, lots of
bottom, not much balance.
By far and
away the winner! I both wanted and expected it to be a closer race! To my ears
Adam has one of the most detailed midranges in this marked-segment at the
moment. That’s also why I find myself playing the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae
and D’Angelo on them whenever I have the chance, to unfold vocal textures in
the mixes. I have later found that lowering both the eq. shelves is beneficial to
tidy up the bass and remove a bit of excess brightness.
Other
alternatives
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| Eve SC207 |
Not long
ago I bought a pair of Eve SC207 for a small studio I have designed in Norway.
At first run-through they sound rather “boring,” but when you get used to them it’s
easier to appreciate how clean they sound. If you want midrange details for
editing vocals I would go for the A7X. But to get a transparent overview over
your entire mix the Eve SC207 might be just as good. One of the main
distributers in Scandinavia has told me that they expect the Eves to have less
technical faults than the Adams as well, but ultimately it’s down to what sound
you prefer working with.
Now, you go
test some speakers and tell me what you think in the comment box!
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