MIX BY MATT SIM
  • Home
  • Bio
  • DISCOGRAPHY
  • Contact

APS GERMANO ACOUSTIC AEON II

11/6/2017

0 Comments

 

APS GERMANO ACOUSTIC AEON II REVIEW

Picture
I am a New York based mixer/producer that works mostly on Pop, Hip Hop, Trap, Metal & Jazz music, with major label & indie artists across the globe. 

AEON 2 has been my secret weapon on all my chart topping successes in the states & internationally since it was released earlier this year. APS Trinity, Klasik & Aeon were my go-to monitors for couple of years that offered me 3 different perspectives (mid field to near field and different tonal perspectived.) I am going to explain why AEON 2 is my new fav..

I am a full time mixer, I mixed around 20-30 songs a month and produced a couple per month on the side. I constantly travel between Asia and New York working on projects with Aeon 2. Size does matters, Aeon has a reasonable small footprint for a self powered nearfield, weighing 34lb each, it is possible to put the pair in a good road case and travel with it by air or in a car. I was able to bring it with me, mixing from studio to studio and listened to it in many different rooms. 

First thing that Aeon 2 has impressed me was how consistent it sounds from room to room, it still shows fluctuation in sound due to the room acoustic but it was minimal (e.g. low end and top end changes a bit) and manageable. You just need to play couple of references to learn the room and then get to mix immediately, that’s how much I trusted Aeon 2 after all the traveling. A lot of 3 way speakers or 2 way speakers with heavy low end, their tone tends to change drastically from room to room because they are very room dependent (acoustically dependent). They could sound amazing in 1 room and perform terribly in another room, that makes you wonder what to trust sometimes. That’s not the case with AEON 2, I go straight to work with the default settings and the mixes always translate well, I wasted no time with AEON 2 and deliver great mixes, that’s the advantages of having a pair AEON 2. Hats off to the engineers at APS, they got it all figure out.

Secondly, AEON 2 has something that I found to be very unique. AEON 2 has a very consistent tonal and low end response at any volume. For AEON 2, even at super quiet volume, the clarity and the low end response is unreal (you can dial the perfect 808 sound at bedroom level easily, trust me), that allows you to make the same mixing decision at any level without hesitation. It also allows you to work for an extensive period of time without ear fatigue. With a lot of speakers, at a low volume, you can barely hear the low end. When the overall volume is being raised, the overall tonal response changes and the low end response improved drastically. This makes you wonder what to trust again and finding the sweet spot of those speakers are like hit or miss. The only thing that I would say about AEON 2, is that in an ideal world AEON 2 could be louder, because client likes it…

AEON 2 also has a sound that probably you and I are both familiar. I was trained on yamaha ns-10 and I worked on that for years. The mid range on those was praised after by many. When you compare them side by side with Aeon 2, you will realize they have a lot in common, to me, the over tonal experience is similar especially if it’s set in passive mode for the bass. However, the AEON 2 has improved from it, to me it’s like the 2017 version of NS10. It has extended high and low end, while maintaining a relatively clear and tight midrange. A good midrange response always helps to create a clean mix that translates well on across different system. It has a smoother upper mid range thanks to the higher crossover, therefore it won’t hurt your ears even when you turn it up. The low end is second to none, it has the same DNA that APS are famous for & proud of on their monitor line. It’s tight and clear, and you won’t ever need a subwoofer unless you have low end information that goes to 20hz. I found myself tackling trap music with that low 808 bass easily on them. For a nearfield with this performance, it’s a steal. It might not be that exciting low end that you expect from KRK or old Adams, it’s more the refining & accurate low end like you expect on an ATC. The depth and width on those speakers also reminds me of a great mid range speakers, to me NS10 is a 2D sounding monitors, that gives you a decent frequency response range and decent width. AEON 2 is more of a 3D sounding monitors, not only it has wider frequency response range, and wider sound field, it has more depth to the sound. You can hear the tiniest reverb tail fading or subtle delay repeats, it is a joyful experience to hear that much subtle details in the back. Great for working on subtle effects in the background of your mix. You might worried if Aeon 2 makes everything sounds too good, it doesn’t. It is not tolerant to bad mixes. It is so responsive that it reveals any subtle issues with accuracy within 1db in your mix, it makes you work harder to refine those frequency details in your mixes, you get a better result overall. The transient response is great as well on Aeon 2, not too hyped but not slow. It gives you certain excitement but also an honest representation of your transient. I found myself getting the right compression amount quicker. 

Lastly, there are plenty of settings you can modify in the back of AEON 2. I found myself using the factory default most of the time with bass set to active (it goes to 38hz) to cope with modern music with heavy bass. I really appreciate the design and the engineering of AEON 2, that was created from a user (engineers/producers) standpoint which goes hand in hand with the music we listened to on the radio in 2017 and beyond.

0 Comments

May 03rd, 2015

5/3/2015

0 Comments

 

APS COAX REVIEW

A few months back I heard some good feedbacks from peers about APS speakers. Therefore I approached APS and they sent me a pair of Coax and Aeon for demo. I wasn't sure what I am getting into at first. But as far as I know now, I ended up keeping them both, they helped my work in a tremendous way and I am grateful to have them. 

I have been doing audio engineering for quite a while, worked in many great studios and worked on a lot of speakers. To name a few Yamaha, KRK, ATC, PMC, Focal, Dynaudio, Ausburger, Exigy, ADAMS, Barefoots, lipinski, JBL etc. I got very picky on speakers since I know what it takes to make it a good mixing speakers. I was using Yamaha ns-10, PMC two two 6 and a 10" sub to finish most of my work before I got the APSs.

First of all, I have to say APS customer service was superb, they are easy to reach and they explained patiently and took care of everything I worried.

I was told the Coax sounds like NS10 with better imaging, faster transient response and clearer. 
When I first got the APS Coax, The build quality was superb, mine was in ebony cabinet, it was elegant. It was quilt heavy considering the small size. It is almost twice as deep as the NS10. height and width are similar. 

When I first listened to it, it was much brighter than what I expect as an "NS10" type of speaker. I ended up lowering the high frequency by 1.5db otherwise I got fatigue very quickly. 

After some discussion with the folks in APS, I let the speaker to run a few weeks to "warm it up" before I draw any conclusion.

After a few weeks warming it up, I did couple of mixing recently with it. 

Here's my thought about it:

I tried them in various position, and they all worked well, doesn't matter I put them wide or narrow, ear level, higher/lower than ear level, just like my pmc, they don't have dramatic change in tone and color even if you move your listening position. This is great.

It was less harsh and bright than when I first got it. It's still bright but in a way "airy" bright just like my PMC twotwo6, very smooth high end, I don't have to roll off some high frequency anymore when I work on it. 

The stereo image is very wide and clear, it's simply amazing, I put them roughly 2ft away, woofers on the outside, i felt like they were 4-5ft away. Totally great and suitable to small spaces where you cannot put monitors further apart to get a proper stereo image. I used to have problems with speaker putting too close to the center and the mix was translated narrow as a result. 

Frequency response was similar to an NS10, the lows gradually roll off around 60hz, you can hear 60-70hz more clear (due to coaxial design I expect) and define than the NS10. The different would be the Coax has much better highs, you can hear 15-20khz without an issue.

Transient response is really quick. Great for playback but maybe not great for mixing as it might deceive you to think your drum sounds good enough. 

After using it for couple of mixes, I realized a few things that Coax really stand out. 
It sounds better than my PMC two two6 in a way that it has more mid range instead of scooped mid range like PMC two two 6. Other than that I found them really close in terms of sound quality, depth of the sound (reverb, delay etc), revealing small details of the mixes. For the price of Coax, I will pick it over anything else. 
I found Coax is great for revealing 500-700hz and 3-5khz of the mix, I was able to pick up some problem in those area on Coax than on other speakers. 
Another thing is nowadays I do all the automation especially vocal volume ride on Coax exclusively. The Coax is so responsive that I could hear very small dynamic changes (like a db or so) and I could make decision to smooth it out and make better decisions on riding the vocal so it sit in the mix better. To me this is another factors that surprise me. 

Conclusion:
If you haven't try it, you should. Coax is a great upgrade of near field. I wish APS would make a bigger model of Coax that has a deeper low end like Aeons and perhaps maybe 0.5-1db lower in the high end, that would be dream. 

P.S. After I recommended APS to the studio I am currently working in, and they are happy with the AEON they got and expecting a pair of Coax soon.
0 Comments

May 03rd, 2015

5/3/2015

0 Comments

 

APS AEON STUDIO MONITOR REVIEW

Picture
A few months back I heard some good feedbacks from peers about APS speakers. Therefore I approached APS and they sent me a pair of Coax and Aeon for demo. I wasn't sure what I am getting into at first. But as far as I know now, I ended up keeping them both, they helped my work in a tremendous way and I am grateful to have them.
I have been doing audio engineering for quite a while, worked in many great studios and worked on a lot of speakers. To name a few Yamaha, KRK, ATC, PMC, Focal, Dynaudio, Ausburger, Exigy, ADAMS, Barefoots, lipinski, JBL etc. I got very picky on speakers since I know what it takes to make it a good mixing speakers. I was using Yamaha ns-10, PMC two two 6 and a 10" sub to finish most of my work before I got the APSs.
​
First of all, I have to say APS customer service was superb, they are easy to reach and they explained patiently and took care of everything I worried.

I was looking for a mid field speakers to upgrade, something like ATC scm25/barefoot mm27. I need some great low end and full mid range without a subwoofer to check mixes.

I talked to the folks at APS, and they recommended Aeon. I talked to them what I looking for and what I don't like about ATC scm25 as a reference.

I gave it a try for sure, and finger cross it's the one I am looking for.

When they first arrived, I was impressed by the weight on it. It was very heavy, 40lbs around. One of the bass reflex on the Aeon was detached from the speaker during transportation. The APS folks took care of me really well, they were about to send me a replacement speaker as an easier fix but I asked them to guide me to fix it instead just to make everyone's life easier. So they patiently taught me how to fix it and it was a simple fix. 

I tried them in various placement, I couldn't to get it sounds good at first. It was dark and muddy. I talked to APS and later realize Aeon is super sensitive to position change, so the tweeter has to be exactly same plane as my ear to get a good balance of lows and highs. 

I also has a pair of Coax to compare with it at the same time.

The Aeon is much darker than the Coax, similar to NS10, but as I used it as a mid field I boosted the highs by 1.5db just to make it nice to listen to. There're many switch behind the Aeon to customize the sound from it and tuned with according to your room. I turned the "bass controller" on, what it does is the speaker will response down to 33hz instead of 40hz when it's off. I also boosted 3db on the lows. 

I had been using it for more than a month too, did around 15-20mixes with it. Never disappoint me. I mixed all the low end of the mixes with it, super well defined, solid low end, instead of boomy, muddy low end like a sub. I did extensive fine tuning and producing on kick drum and bass on the AEON. Even I use it in low volume, man, you can hear 33hz like that easy. Often when you use a sub, you encounter phase issue and slow transient response. This is not the case on Aeons, even with bass controller on, the transient response is still decently quick considering it is producing 33hz. It is a reliable and honesty presentation on the low end. I don't need a subwoofer but AEON nowadays. 

The Mid range is rich and full, you might find it a bit dark, but that's exactly what I am looking for from a ATC SCM25. It reveals 150-500hz extremely well besides the low end, if you can get it clear on the AEON in the mid range you are in a good shape, it's gonna translate really well. 

I rated the sound quality as 4 only because I have the Coax as comparison. Aeon seems to have less depth and details comparing to the Coax, and the sound stage is a bit narrower. Coax is just different with the Coaxial design. Aeon will give you the same thing as you expected from other traditional speakers. 

To conclude, ignoring the size and weight, It's a great mixing speakers to add on. Works well in any volume, very adaptable to any room with it's controller panel and at this price you got the great low end like no body else.

0 Comments

    Archives

    April 2018
    November 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Antelope
    API
    APS
    Bass
    Delay
    Effects
    Germano Acoustic
    Hardware Reviews
    Heritage
    Interface
    Mastering
    Metal
    Mixing
    Monitors
    Neve
    Online Mastering
    Plugin
    Plugins Review
    Poland
    Preamp
    Progressive Rock
    Recording
    Reverb
    Rock
    Service Review
    Shootout
    Software Review
    Speakers
    Studio
    Tips

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Bio
  • DISCOGRAPHY
  • Contact