24 l January 2015
www.psneurope.com
studiofeature
Monitoring: the situation What resolutions could the monitoring market make in 2015? As Erica Basnicki discovers, that just might not be necessary…
IT’S THAT time of the year when well-intentioned people crowd into fitness facilities and buy loads of gluten-free organic probiotic paleo-friendly snacks (read: kale) all in the name of feeling better about themselves. Meanwhile, the monitor sector seems to be enjoying an enviable sense of satisfaction about the way business is going – without having to resort to ‘whole food’ measures (or any other, for that matter). To what does this particular
market segment owe so much contentment? PSNEurope spoke to some of the manufacturers who have made headlines recently in order to find out. VARIETY FOR EVERY TASTE With apologies to anyone who has resolved to drink less this year (or at least this month) imagine a world with just half a dozen bottles of wine available: red, white, rosé, sparkling, sweet and fortified. How terribly
dull! Our tongues are tempted by nuance (even if not all of us have tongues refined enough to taste it). This is why there can never be too many vintners; there is a flavour for every palate, every meal and every budget. Wine is to a drinker’s tongue as studio monitors are to an engineer’s ears; it’s an incredibly nuanced piece of kit available in a myriad of sonic flavours to suit any audio project going, and there is room for everyone
in the market. At least, this is the impression given by some of the monitor manufacturers who released new products in 2014: “The market is pretty segmented,” says Lars-Olof Janflod, Genelec’s marketing and PR director. “We are moving in the higher end and do not really compete with lower cost products in the MI sector. We are also selling more than a product; we solve problems for customers and also sell a service.” At the 137th AES Convention in Los Angeles, Genelec launched the 8351 Acoustically Coaxial three-way Smart Active Monitor system, and the reaction has been very strong indeed, says Janflod. “We are even getting orders from end users who have not even heard them, so that’s got to be positive enough.” According to Genelec, the new monitor was developed “in response to the need for increasing audio perfection in acoustically challenging production environments”. Its main feature is the tight link between the mechanical, acoustical and signal-processing designs, creating a new monitoring system unlike any in the professional audio industry. Also launched at AES were the first two models of JBL Professional’s new 7 Series Master Reference Monitors, the 708i and the 705i. According to Peter Chaikin, senior manager, recording and broadcast Marketing, at JBL Professional, the response from users was equally as enthusiastic: “We received a tremendous response to our new 7 Series studio monitor line at AES, particularly from members of the post-production and broadcast communities. Attendees auditioned new fiveinch and eight-inch models alongside our 15-inch M2 Master Reference Monitors. The low-frequency performance of the 7 Series Monitors is so impressive; I’m not exaggerating when I say some listeners assumed they were hearing the big M2s when in fact we were playing a pair of the little fiveinch 705is. That’s how powerful the 7 Series monitors are.” In the UK, PMC boasts a unique relationship with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which has developed a laser-based acoustic measurement technique called Rapid Acousto-Optic Scanning
All SP Acoustics monitors are hand made by managing director Steve Phillips...
...soundtrack composer and writer Marc Canham is a big fan
Not “dumbing down”: PMC’s Keith Tonge shuns courting mass-market appeal
JBL’s Peter Chaikin: “Expectations for studio monitor performance are also on the rise”