Event 20/20bas

[Rochey]

Okay guys...

I'm nowhere close to your level of kitting out the studio. My money is precious, and each spending decision is thought through and mulled over for weeks on end.

At the moment, i'm running a Nuendo/Delta1010 studio with a few bits of outboard and a pair of Spirit Absolute Zero's...

I know my loose link in the chain is the speakers (they sound like crap). I'm thinking of replacing them with some Even20/20bas speakers, but i'd really like some opinions on them before I buy them. I'm not really in a position to listen before I buy - most of the Music Technology shops are at least 3 hours away from where i live.

Any opinions you have on these speakers would be gratefully appreciated.

Jules, If this is the wrong place for this thread, would you be so kind as to move it to a more appropriate forum?

Cheers 'n Beers

R

[Ruphus]

Hello Rochey,

Here is a review about the events from Rip Rowan that might be interesting:

For three years the Event 20/20 bas has been widely praised as a bargain in monitoring excellence. The 20/20 bas includes an 8” polypropylene woofer and a 1” silk dome tweeter driven by a 130 watt bass and 70 watt treble amplifier. The reinforced cabinet is a ported design with a single, large port in the front baffle. The tweeter is flush-mounted with the cabinet, one of the few speakers in our comparison that does not have a treble waveguide.
Rear controls include individual low and high frequency trim controls and a power switch. The controls are fully variable (not switches) and offer boosts and cuts from +3 dB to –3 dB. At first glance I thought, “finally, a continuously variable trim control.” In reality, though, it’s hard to tell exactly where each knob is set, making it difficult to match the two monitors if desired. For our tests we left the knob in its “flat” position.

First impressions are favorable with this speaker. They offer a decent amount of bass, reasonably flat response, good imaging, and clear treble. And they’ll play loud!

More detailed listening did reveal some flaws, however. With certain material the bass response can appear somewhat tubby, sounding a little hollowed-out. The result is that mixes tend to take on a compensatory effect: muddy. I would guess that some 20/20 bas users may struggle with muddy mixes.

Also, after some time in front of the 20/20 bas, I started to notice some listening fatigue. I was unable to alleviate the problem with the speaker’s high-frequency trim control. Tweaking on the console’s midrange control I discovered that a narrow cut near 1500 Hz really helped me listen to the speakers. While it wasn’t immediately obvious that the 20/20s had a “hot” upper midrange, it did eventually become obvious.

In the end, though, I liked the 20/20 bas, given the unit’s particularly low price. In fact you can buy a pair of 20/20 bas speakers for about half the price of most of the other speakers in our comparison. For example I found the sound quality of the 20/20 bas to be more or less comparable in quality to the Yamaha MSP10, and superior to the Roland DS-90, even though this system is considerably less expensive than either of those monitors.

If you are looking for a speaker in this class, and have limited funding, the 20/20 bas may just be your ticket.

I can´t say to be experienced with too many sorts of speakers, but have the Yorkvilles YSM1. They are not that spread like more known brands ( rather seem to be something like a hot tip ), however could be well worth a listening.


It appears to me like they cover the spectrum very well, neutral and detailed ( also in the lows, so that one can make it for a while without a woofer.)

Once listened to them by chance it could be you would find it worth to wait and save up for another 600$ per pair. ( BTW, I am / was on a low budget too. )

Cheers,

Ruphus

[Steve Smith]

IMHO, they should be renames the Event 20/20POS. Even the wackie 824s kill them.

They fall into that, better than the super-inexpensive, but not really a worthwile improvement category.

What amp do you have? ( or are those Spiritmonitors powered, I o not remember.. they do suck though, sorry) You may be able to find a good pair of passive monitors for a reasonable price..

[africk]

"The result is that mixes tend to take on a compensatory effect: muddy. I would guess that some 20/20 bas users may struggle with muddy mixes.... While it wasn?t immediately obvious that the 20/20s had a ?hot? upper midrange, it did eventually become obvious."


i can't agree more with these two statements. after years of mixing on 20/20s, i could not -- no matter how much i listened elsewhere and tried to compensate in my mixes -- overcome these two flaws in the speakers.

depending on what you're mixing for, my $.02 is that its worth your waiting to have the money for a nicer set of speakers. if you're trying to market your mixes or get them to sound "pro / contemporary / competetive / whatever" i don't think you'll get there with the 20/20s.

again, only my opinion. also, even if all you can do is listen to speakers in the store (which is less ideal than listening in your studio) you may as well listen to a few different models against eachother before buying...

-a-

[Rochey]

I assume the Mackies are still #1 in the £500 -> £1000 territory then?

dang, I had a real good price on the 20/20bas as well... bugger.

madd

R

[krou]

I also had the 20/20bas, they were my first 'real' monitors.
While they sounded good, my mixes translated very poorly to other systems.
I later got some Mackie 824's. Initially excited about the purchase, again, I was disapointed with my mixes after some time. Because of my setup and sitting position, they were very ear-fatiguing even at low levels, boomy bass and much too powerful for my room size (8'X10'). So, Ebay it was....

I do think the Mackies are better suited for bigger control rooms that can accomodate the ideal speaker placement vs. the listener, rooms that are also well treated for acoustics (absorption, diffusers, bass traps, etc.).

Believe it or not, both of these have now been replaced by a pair of Alesis M1mk2 Actives ($399/pair) and I've never been happier. The are, IMO, the most under-rated sub-$500 monitors. Not much publicity or promotion, almost like a well-kept secret. I can honestly say that these really do sound flat, as nothing is pronounced throughout the frequency spectrum. I get a very tight bass response, mids are clear and a high end that's crisp but not sizzly, and great stereo imaging to boot. I bring my mixes to my neighbor's house, who owns a pair of NS10's and 824's and wow, it's all there, everything sounds the way I expect it too.

Just like you, I'm nowhere near the level of most people on this board, I'm in this for the knowledge I can gather from the good peeps here. But I think I've learned a few things about monitoring over the years. A great sounding monitor does not necessarily make it a great mixing monitor (ie: Mackie 824), and more importantly, the room you mix in is as important as the speaker components themselves. Each monitor will sound different in different rooms, to different ears. Furhtermore, the type of music one mixes has a great effect on how a monitor is perceived, so there's another variable to reckon with.

For monitors, use opinions as guidelines only, it's a very subjective topic. If possible, try to compare 2 pairs at a time if a retailer will let you do so, then decide which sounds best to your ears, for your type of music, how does your favorite cd sound through them, etc.

Don't stress about having to get Mackies, there's some great monitors out there for much less. However, you may want to look at the Mackie 624, smaller than the other ones, better suited for the home studio w/o the exagerated bass response.

You may also want to consider:

-Tannoy Reveal
-Alesis M1mk2 Active (my fave)
-Event TR-5 or TR-8
-KRK V6 or V8

Good luck.

[jspartz]

I have been using the Events and enjoy them. For the price they are a good purchase. I have a pair of NS-10's as well. Between the two I tend to make things work. I have been happy with them and don't plan on selling them anytime soon.

As for the effect on my ears. My 20/20's replaced a pair of JBL 4408's. The JBL's killed my ears. It was like nails into the ear drums. The 20/20's soft dome tweeter is such a massive improvement for monitoring!!!

For any speaker, once you get to know them (the way the reproduce sound in relation to the real world) you can start to make things work. I am familiar with the 20/20's and can make them work for what I need. For the cost it is not a bad route to go.

jason

[matucha]

I have 20/20s and together with "no" acoustics and not placed on the stands, they sound boomy. They are my first monitors so I can't compare them to anything else, because everything else I heard was in another rooms. However in my situation mixes are kind of muddy ;-) when I try to keep it warm...

...I'm collecting money to buy ADAMs S3-A...

look higher ;-))))

[thethrillfactor]

[...I'm collecting money to buy ADAMs S3-A...

look higher ;-)))) [/B][/QUOTE]

Look higher?

From the Events to the ADAMs S3-A?

Then buddy...

you better supply him with a telescope.

[matucha]

;-) ... well, it is good to move at least to another level, not to stay at he same if you're investing. And this is the most important thing, audio guy needs. I myself decided to skip the mackie and go higher to really get the difference... that's my view. But I'm just a small guy ;-)

[Screws]

1 pair of Mackie HR824s for sale - $950.00 Pefect condition