Complete silence on the Sonics Animas SE ?

[stamand]

Anyone have the data that Joachim Gerhard posted about how he uses them with a sub?

thank you

yannick

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by feral frequency

I love them as well. I have to say that the low end took a while for me to adjust to as it wasnt as exaggerated as on my focal twins.

Focal Twins have 'exaggerated' bass??

Wow, first time I've heard that.

And certainly not what I felt when shooting them out against barefoots and 0300's.

I ultimately went with Opals lol

[JBVries]

Originally Posted by Dayo

Just to add to your anticipation:

I'm about a month into my Animas now and I can't ever imagine being without them. They make mix choices so clear and easy.

Truly awesome mix tools that have totally transformed my work.

I realise now I already had all the high end mics and pre's and outboard I needed to get to my "secret sauce"; I just needed to HEAR what they could do.

I'm so excited to see you post this. My pair are one set of the 8 sets sold and I can't wait for them!!!! Thanks Brian!!

[lucey]

I've heard them all. This little speaker is not ballsy or loud, but as a mix tool? It's going to change many lives, no matter what you're using. And we're working hard on keeping prices down as we go to all-US manufacturing on the cabinets.

In the good news category, I'm told the new cabs look amazing and are glued perfectly. Veneers are beautiful. 12 pair are still at the finisher. There are 4 or 5 pair left to sell at this price. After this set are sold (at a loss) we must raise the price for wood finishes. We will then make a black finish at the same price or barely higher.

[lucey]

The new Ebony speakers are breaking in ... the look is different than before so you may love it (I do) or hate it (totally understandable). I can sell about 10 pair at this price, then we will have to raise the price on wood grain veneers, as these are selling to you at a loss. No joke. They have integrity and are honoring my deal to you, but they are losing money here.

In a couple of months we will have a nice black over bamboo for the current, lower price ... all wood grains will be $400-700 more. TBA.

So here's the new Ebony look. Satin poly finish that has an open grain, very natural look and yet durable. Hand made and hand finished in San Fran. If you have these on order and want to wait for black that's fine, please let me know asap. If you like these and want a pair in this finish at this price, please let me know asap.

[TornadoTed]

Brian I have replied to your mail, they look great.

[lucey]

If anyone wants Black speakers, they're coming soon and will be the future finish for the Studio Edition line. We're using bamboo in a 3 layer process to replace the Baltic Birch Ply and the veneer. Heavier, but less labor cost.

Veneered wood finishes like the above Ebony, made in the USA, are costly and will be approximately $500 more as soon as this batch of Ebony is sold.

[feral frequency]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

Focal Twins have 'exaggerated' bass??

Wow, first time I've heard that.

And certainly not what I felt when shooting them out against barefoots and 0300's.

I ultimately went with Opals lol

I only meant that the Anima has less bottom than the Twins. Enjoy your Opals.

Cheers.

[Dayo]

Long story short; had a little shuffle round in the studio here and changed my mix position. The Animas now have their backs to the wall, so to speak. I know I really ought to plug the ports, but I'm loving the bit of extra bass that the new postioning brings and it's been so quick and easy to check how my recordings translate to other systems.

So while it's true that positioning makes a big, big difference with these babies, it's also true that you can also learn or re-learn them very quickly - no matter what room your in.

Still groovin'!

[ac55]

Hey Dayo,
Would you mind posting the dimensions of your room and where the speakers now sit in relation to those dimensions.

I just received my new Animas on Monday (Thank You Brian!!) - they are really beautiful boxes!

I've only had a short amount of time with them so far. My chain is coming out of an Apogee Rosetta into a Manley Stingray and into the Animas. The Stingray is unbalanced so I had to wire the outs to an RCA connector.

I've had probably two hours of listening to some current and old mixes along with my commercial CD --- I am impressed! I have heard nuances and clarity that I've not heard before in some of the commercial recordings on my standard go-to's that I've listened to so far. The animas probably need 200 or so more hours of break-in still, and I've not moved them yet according to Allen Perkins placement guidelines. But they are sounding excellent sitting where my KRK E8Bs were. I'll post more when I've gotten more time with them.

Cheers, Al

[lucey]

Originally Posted by ac55

Hey Dayo,
Would you mind posting the dimensions of your room and where the speakers now sit in relation to those dimensions.

You'll want a more or less equilateral triangle, if anything a little more narrow, with the tweeters aimed past your head. Ear height between the tweeter/driver. Moving them L/R and F/R in 2-3" moves will matter a lot in a small room.

[lucey]

Monday news:

Ebony veneer over baltic birch ply prices are going up at least $500, later this week, US labor costs.
Black finish over bamboo ply will be the same price as now, up to $150 more/pair, later this week.

[Dayo]

Originally Posted by ac55

Hey Dayo,
Would you mind posting the dimensions of your room and where the speakers now sit in relation to those dimensions.

What Brian said!

Mine sit about 4 feet 6 inches apart. The tweeters are aimed about 1 to 2 feet behind my head. The rear wall (which is well treated) is about 8 feet from the speakers. Small room as you can work out.

I think you'll quickly get used to whatever position you can muster.

[Russell Dawkins]

Originally Posted by lucey

Monday news:

Ebony veneer over baltic birch ply prices are going up at least $500, later this week, US labor costs.

I would have thought that labor costs would be staying the same or dropping, given the state of the economy.

[lucey]

Originally Posted by Russell Dawkins

I would have thought that labor costs would be staying the same or dropping, given the state of the economy.

Perhaps, but skilled labor in the USA is a whole lot more than in China. The speakers up to recently were made in bulk in China. These are now cut and hand glued to a higher tolerance, and all done local to Berkeley. China was containers full, 30% not up to par, no credits until the following 6 figure order. That was not a workable model for the quality I want. We have worked very hard to hold prices, and at worst it's a $50-150/pr. increase that's coming this week on Black. Ebony will be around $400-500 more I'm told, unconfirmed, still working on making them, more than on pricing them!

The Black Anima speakers are all bamboo, so there is no extra step for veneer. The Ebony speakers are soon to be made of bamboo, with a veneer. Bamboo is a slightly heavier wood but also stiffer, and it's renewable, so that's the decision. The finish is also California "green" compliant. So we have gone from a cab made in Germany and then China with toxic chemicals, and shipped to the US for manufacture, to a cab being made and then assembled all in the USA, and all green/renewable.

The Black Animas are now going to be the primary model. A vast majority wanted black at first, and Allen Perkins/Spiral Groove have responded to that. They have also worked hard to keep the prices low.

[Diegel]

Still looking for anyone in NY area who has a pair that would be kind enough to let me stop in and take a listen to for a minute...

[lucey]

Originally Posted by Diegel

Still looking for anyone in NY area who has a pair that would be kind enough to let me stop in and take a listen to for a minute...

In 2 months I hope to have a demo unit in the US of the new black model.

[lucey]

Sonics by Joachim Gerhard is now: Spiral Groove
Anima has evolved into: Studio One

New, stiffer, eco-friendly, cab material of bamboo ply with a water finish ... hand glued, hand stained in Berkeley, California, USA.

Website up soon

[tobias schuch]

these look unbelievable!

Originally Posted by lucey

The new Ebony speakers are breaking in ... the look is different than before so you may love it (I do) or hate it (totally understandable). I can sell about 10 pair at this price, then we will have to raise the price on wood grain veneers, as these are selling to you at a loss. No joke. They have integrity and are honoring my deal to you, but they are losing money here.

In a couple of months we will have a nice black over bamboo for the current, lower price ... all wood grains will be $400-700 more. TBA.

So here's the new Ebony look. Satin poly finish that has an open grain, very natural look and yet durable. Hand made and hand finished in San Fran. If you have these on order and want to wait for black that's fine, please let me know asap. If you like these and want a pair in this finish at this price, please let me know asap.

[Purusha]

Anything new about these monitors?

I am mixing a metal album now for the first time on my Opals... and don't like them at all. They are too bright for my taste... my mix sounds too fat with not enough clarity.

Anyone here who has the Animas and had or has the opals as well? How do they compare?

[Googlyman]

The Animas kick Opals out of the water for sure.
Heard the Opals and they sucked for me.
The Animas are a very nice mixing reference but they dont go that loud though.

[Purusha]

Would you say voicing of the Animas is closer to the Twins (mid forward) then to the Opals?

[Googlyman]

I had the Twins on demo.

The Animas are much clearer than the Twins which are somewhat midrangey.
But you have to have quality cables and pro amp with them by all means.

I did not like the Opals cos the mids were sunk, as opposed to the Adam S3X with so upfront mids it just was too overdone.

The Twins did not show articulate mids, less than the Adams and better than the Opals... but the sound was kinda muffled?

The thing is: the Animas are smaller so the bass is tight but there, but the mids and highs are clear and well balanced, and thats what a great studio speaker should be about.

Need bass or subs ? Get a separate sub to switch in and out.

[Purusha]

I have the Twins with the Sub, Opals and Avantones... thinking to maybe sell the Opals or even the Twins but keep the sub and go for the Animas. The only drawback is that I can't demo the Animas before i decide.

[Dayo]

Originally Posted by Googlyman

?

The thing is: the Animas are smaller so the bass is tight but there, but the mids and highs are clear and well balanced, and thats what a great studio speaker should be about.

Need bass or subs ? Get a separate sub to switch in and out.

Agree. The Animas aren't going to give you that thump in the chest kind of bass, but I always say it's bass you can use.

[Purusha]

Are Animas anything close to the small Adams A7 regarding how much low end you can get out of them vs the mid and hi range?

[shenrei]

Originally Posted by Purusha

Are Animas anything close to the small Adams A7 regarding how much low end you can get out of them vs the mid and hi range?

I've owned the A7X's for about 2-3 weeks and had them in the same room as the Animas. It's not even close. The Adam A7Xs are not in the same league. I found the bass on the Adams to be muddy and difficult to use when compared to the Animas. The bass on the Animas is clean, tight, fast, and extremely usable, while being consistent at any volume level.

Personally I don't think the price of the A7Xs justify its performance. I found that I preferred the sound of other monitors that cost considerably less than the Adams.

[Purusha]

I am just trying to get some understanding how much bass do the Animas produce vs the mid and hi range.

I know the A7 monitors are very weak in the low end section.

[ac55]

Hi purusha

For mixing with these, you really get a great balance of lows, mids and highs - not too much of anything, but just the "right" amount of all frequency content. That is why they are great for "mixing". You will not be blowing the doors out with these. They are a top notch "mixing" tool. A good mix done on these translate everywhere for me. I've yet to hear a better pair for "mixing". I have a sub inline but use it only when I want to check my "sub" freqs.
I know you are in Slovenia and shipping is rather costly, but I think if you contacted Brian and voiced your concerns, he would accept them back if they weren't the right pair for you. He's a trustworthy guy.
Of course I'm assuming you want to buy his product from the U.S., and not the ones being manufactured in Europe. Hope this helps with your query!
Good luck and let us know how you proceed

[Purusha]

Thanks, I got the picture. Lets see how things develop in the future. I will need to save some extra cash first and decide which ones would be better to replace with Animas, the Twins or the Opals... it's a tough decision.